# The Finish explained — Ashton-Kirk, Investigator

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

## What happens

Ashton-Kirk and Pendleton confront the mute Locke at his workshop, where Locke reveals a bomb and gives them two minutes to escape before detonating it, killing himself. The chapter concludes with the case's resolution as Ashton-Kirk explains the final details of the night of Hume's murder.

## Themes in this chapter

### Detective Method and Reasoning

Ashton-Kirk's careful planning, use of surveillance (Burgess), and calm negotiation with Locke exemplify methodical detective work.

### Secrecy and Deception

Locke's hidden bomb and his deceptive calm mask his true intentions, while the earlier deceptions of Morris and Spatola are unraveled.

### Crime and Morality

The chapter explores the moral dimensions of Locke's suicide to avoid justice, and the culpability of Morris and Spatola in Hume's murder.

## Character check-ins

### Ashton Kirk

Leads the final confrontation with Locke, calmly negotiates the standoff, and later explains the resolution of the case.

### Pendleton

Accompanies Kirk to Locke's house, expresses surprise at the danger, and reflects on the case's conclusion.

### Professor Locke

The mute inventor who prepares a bomb to kill himself rather than face capture, communicating through written notes before detonating the explosive.

### Burgess

Surveils Locke's house from a fence, reporting that Locke is still inside and has seen the morning papers.

### Dr. Mercer

Appears briefly in his buggy, attempting to visit Locke but unable to gain entry.

### Allan Morris

Mentioned as having left Kirk's office at the chapter's start; his role in the murder is clarified later.

## Key lines

> For the first time, said Pendleton, as the door closed upon Allan Morris, I can feel sorry for him. To lose a girl like Edyth Vale is indeed a calamity.

Pendleton expresses sympathy for Allan Morris after he leaves, noting the loss of Edyth Vale as a great misfortune.

_Pendleton's empathy contrasts with Ashton-Kirk's focus on the case._

> I always prefer to finish my work in my own way, said the investigator.

Ashton-Kirk insists on handling the final stage of the investigation personally.

_Highlights Kirk's independent and methodical approach._

> The finish of a thing of this sort is always a matter for speculation. I have seen desperate criminals who surrendered like lambs; and I've seen the other sort give a platoon of police a good day's work in their taking.

Ashton-Kirk remarks that the end of a case is unpredictable, as criminals can react with either passivity or violent resistance.

_Foreshadows Locke's explosive end._

> You are a wise man. I had arranged everything before you came in, and had sat down to make an end of it. This button at my hand once started an electric apparatus; but now it is connected with a quantity of an explosive—my own invention, and a terrible one. Believe me, one touch and everything in this building is in fragments.

Locke reveals he has rigged a bomb and threatens to detonate it if Kirk does not leave.

_Climactic moment showing Locke's determination to die on his own terms._

> The thing which Spatola had carried under his coat that night was a diploma which he had received from a musical conservatory in Rome.

Ashton-Kirk explains that the object Spatola carried was his music diploma, not a weapon.

_Resolves a lingering mystery from earlier in the story._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/ashton_kirk_investigator_se/chapters/xxvi-the-finish
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/ashton_kirk_investigator_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/ashton_kirk_investigator_se/chapters