Ashton-Kirk, Investigator · Chapter
VI: Ashton-Kirk Looks About explained
Ashton-Kirk and Pendleton follow up on Berg's tip about a cab seen near the crime scene, track down the driver Sams, and learn that a woman driving a Maillard automobile entered Hume's building shortly before a gunshot and scream were heard
What happens
Ashton-Kirk and Pendleton follow up on Berg's tip about a cab seen near the crime scene, track down the driver Sams, and learn that a woman driving a Maillard automobile entered Hume's building shortly before a gunshot and scream were heard. Later, Ashton-Kirk reexamines Hume's rooms, discovers a punched railroad ticket fragment on the desk, and deduces it must have fallen after the body slid off, suggesting a later arrival.
Themes in this chapter
Detective Method and Reasoning
Ashton-Kirk uses deduction from Berg's hint, interviews Sams, and reconstructs the crime scene by analyzing a tiny punched ticket fragment.
Secrecy and Deception
Berg initially hesitates to share information; Sams calculates risks before revealing what he saw; the woman's identity and actions remain mysterious.
The Role of Women
A woman driving a private car and entering Hume's late at night challenges conventional expectations, and Pendleton's reaction hints at her possible identity.
Characters to notice
- Ashton Kirk
Leads the investigation, interviews Berg and Sams, and meticulously examines Hume's rooms.
- Pendleton
Accompanies Ashton-Kirk, reacts emotionally to the cab driver's account of a woman entering Hume's.
- Mr. Berg
Provides a tip about a cab parked near McCausland's gambling house on the night of the murder.
- Mr. Sams
Cab driver who saw a woman drive up in a Maillard, enter Hume's, and heard a shot and scream.
- David Purtell Hume
Murder victim; his rooms and the bloodstained desk are examined.
- Paulson
Policeman on duty; confirms no officers have been out of town recently.
Key passages
“To begin dot guesswork business when you are talking to the law already, it is dangerous.”
Berg says it's risky to speculate when speaking to the authorities.
Berg explains his earlier reluctance to share his guess.
“Dot cab came last night as I was locking my door up, und stands the curbstone by in front of McCausland's, waiting for a chob.”
Berg reports that a cab was parked outside McCausland's gambling house last night when he closed his shop.
Berg provides the crucial tip about the cab.
“It is that portion of a railroad ticket which a conductor's punch bites out, and which litters the floor and the seats in trains.”
Ashton-Kirk identifies the red particle as a punched-out piece of a railroad ticket.
Key clue found on the desk after the body slid off.
“The first was a revolver shot; the second came right after, and was a kind of a scream—like that of a parrot.”
Sams says he heard a gunshot followed by a scream resembling a parrot.
Sams describes the sounds from inside Hume's after the woman entered.