At the Villa Rose · Chapter
IX: Mme. Dauvray's Motorcar explained
The motorcar is discovered in a nearby empty villa's coach-house.
What happens
The motorcar is discovered in a nearby empty villa's coach-house. Perrichet recalls seeing it at dawn near the Villa Rose, driven by a man in a talc mask and blue coat. Hanaud deduces the car was driven to Geneva and back, and the murderer likely escaped. Ricardo suggests checking the Pont de la Caille for records, but Hanaud dismisses it due to lax Swiss customs. The chapter ends with Hanaud advising Wethermill to rest.
Themes in this chapter
Deception and Manipulation
The murderer's daring plan to return the car to the Villa Rose's garage demonstrates calculated deception.
Justice and Investigation
Hanaud's deductive reasoning about the car's route and the murderer's escape highlights the investigative process.
Characters to notice
- Mr. Ricardo
Amazed by the car's proximity; suggests checking the Pont de la Caille for proof of the journey to Geneva.
- M. Hanaud
Remains composed; deduces the car was driven to Geneva and back; dismisses Ricardo's suggestion about the Pont de la Caille.
- Harry Wethermill
Distraught and suffering; agrees to rest at Hanaud's suggestion.
- Perrichet
Mortified after realizing he saw the car at dawn but did not stop it; recalls the driver's talc mask and blue coat.
- Henri Servettaz
Identifies the blue coat found in the car as Mme. Dauvray's livery.
- Louis Besnard
Leads the party to the coach-house where the car was found.
Key passages
“It is here, in the coach-house of this empty villa.”
The car was found in the coach-house of a vacant villa nearby.
Besnard announces the discovery location.
“I saw that car—at four o’clock this morning—at the corner of the road—not fifty yards from the Villa Rose.”
Perrichet recalls seeing the car near the Villa Rose at dawn.
Perrichet's crucial observation.
“He wore a talc mask over the upper part of his face, and had a little black moustache, and was dressed in a heavy greatcoat of blue with a white collar.”
The driver wore a talc mask, a small black moustache, and a blue coat with a white collar.
Perrichet's description of the driver.
“The man who drove the car into Geneva drove it back, because—he meant to leave it again in the garage of the Villa Rose.”
Hanaud theorizes the same person drove the car to Geneva and back, intending to return it to the Villa Rose garage.
Hanaud's key deduction.