Call Mr. Fortune · Chapter
Case III: The Nice Girl explained
Dr.
What happens
Dr. Reginald Fortune, a reluctant specialist in the surgery of crime, learns of the murder of Sir Albert Lunt via a club tape machine. He is called in by multiple parties, including Scotland Yard's Lomas and a mysterious Cranford. At Prior's Colney, he examines the body and meets Lady Lunt, who fears an innocent man (Cranford) will be convicted. She and secretary Radnor Hall suggest that Sir Albert's brother Victor had motive and opportunity, given recent business friction. Fortune begins his investigation, skeptical of the official police theory.
Themes in this chapter
Class and Society
The chapter contrasts the 'bounder' Sir Albert Lunt, a self-made millionaire with a shady past, with the genteel world of country estates and clubs, highlighting tensions between old money and new wealth.
Crime and Morality
The murder investigation is entangled with business ethics: the Lunt brothers' 'complex' and 'sharp' methods blur the line between legitimate finance and exploitation.
Family and Betrayal
The central suspicion falls on Sir Albert's brother Victor, and Lady Lunt's testimony reveals deep familial and business conflicts.
Characters to notice
- Mr. Reginald Fortune
The reluctant specialist in crime surgery, called in to consult on the Lunt murder.
- Sir Albert Lunt
The murdered mining magnate, found shot in his deer park.
- Victor Lunt
Sir Albert's brother and business partner, seen with a scratched face; suspected by Lady Lunt of the murder.
- Dr. Gerald Barnes
Local doctor who first examined the body and called Fortune in.
- Radnor Hall
Sir Albert's secretary, who presents the case against Victor Lunt to Fortune.
- Lunt Brothers
The firm of Sir Albert and Victor Lunt, described as having complex and sharp methods.
Key passages
“Some are born great, some achieve greatness, some have greatness thrust upon them. That was Dr. Reginald Fortune’s trouble. He had become a specialist, and, as he told anybody who would listen, thought it an absurd thing to be.”
Reginald Fortune became a specialist in crime surgery against his will, finding the role ridiculous.
Opens the chapter by establishing Fortune's reluctant expertise.
“I believe the beggars get murdered just to bother me.”
Fortune feels that murders happen just to inconvenience him personally.
Shows Fortune's weary, humorous attitude toward his work.
“He had always been fortunate in reaping other people’s harvests.”
Sir Albert Lunt prospered by exploiting the efforts of others.
Summarizes the predatory nature of Lunt's business career.
“If you’re against the police, that’s good enough for us.”
Lady Lunt trusts Fortune because he is not aligned with the official police investigation.
Reveals Lady Lunt's distrust of the authorities and her hope for an alternative inquiry.