# III: The Portraits of General Wayne explained — Ashton-Kirk, Investigator

> Chapter companion for Ashton-Kirk, Investigator by John T. McIntyre.

## What happens

Ashton-Kirk reflects on the evening's drama and the parallels to Miss Edyth Vale's own hesitancy. He reviews reports on Allan Morris and David Purtell Hume, while Pendleton recounts Miss Vale's mysterious disappearance and reappearance. Ashton-Kirk investigates Hume's murder, noting the lack of newspaper coverage and the tension in Miss Vale's behavior.

## Themes in this chapter

### Detective Method and Reasoning

Ashton-Kirk uses logical deduction and systematic investigation, reviewing reports and observing Miss Vale's contradictory behavior.

### Secrecy and Deception

Miss Vale hides her true emotions and asks Ashton-Kirk to forget her confession; Pendleton's search for her is kept quiet.

### Appearance vs. Reality

Miss Vale appears calm but is internally terrified; the newspapers lack the murder story despite its occurrence.

## Character check-ins

### Ashton Kirk

Reflects on drama and Miss Vale's behavior; reviews reports on Morris and Hume; investigates Hume's murder.

### Pendleton

Reports Miss Vale's disappearance and later relief at her safety; accompanies Ashton-Kirk to Christie Place.

### Miss Edyth Vale

Shows agitation and tension; asks Ashton-Kirk to forget her earlier confession; her behavior suggests hidden fears.

### David Purtell Hume

Murdered in Christie Place; described as a numismatist and dealer in curiosities.

### Allan Morris

Background report reveals he is a consulting engineer and Miss Vale's suitor; no relatives.

### Fuller

Delivers typed data and photograph to Ashton-Kirk; reports on Burgess's investigation of Hume.

### Osborne

Greets Ashton-Kirk at the Christie Place crime scene.

## Key lines

> The drama as a medium of expression is necessarily limited, and of course, in fitting human action to its narrow bounds, the dramatist is sometimes tempted to ignore certain human elements.

Theatre can't fully capture real human behavior, so playwrights often skip over realistic reactions.

_Ashton-Kirk muses on the limitations of drama compared to real life._

> In Miss Edyth Vale, we have a girl of most unusual character, of splendid education, apparently. And yet in the building of her own drama she has outstripped the inventor of stage plays in the matter of hesitancy.

Miss Vale is even more hesitant than a fictional character, despite her intelligence.

_Ashton-Kirk compares Miss Vale's real-life hesitation to that of a stage character._

> A crime of some moment can be committed between midnight and dawn, and not a line appear in type concerning it until the later issues.

Important crimes that happen at night often aren't reported until later newspaper editions.

_Ashton-Kirk explains why the morning papers didn't cover Hume's murder._

## Links

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