Inspector French’s Greatest Case · Chapters
Chapters explained
Chapter companions for Inspector French’s Greatest Case by Freeman Wills Crofts.
Chapter 1
I: Murder!
On a dreary November evening in Hatton Garden, Constable James Alcorn discovers the body of Charles Gething, murdered in the office of Duke & Peabody. Inspector French arrives to investigate, finding the safe open and a large sum of money missing. Mr. Duke, the senior partner, arrives and confirms the loss of £14,000 in securities and £1,000 in notes, expressing his financial ruin. French begins his investigation, interviewing staff and securing the scene.
Chapter 2
II: The Firm of Duke and Peabody
Inspector French interviews Mr. Duke and the clerk Orchard about the murder of Charles Gething. Mr. Duke describes the firm's structure and staff, expresses full confidence in Gething, and reveals the mystery of the safe key. Orchard provides a clear account of his evening, and French discovers evidence including a filed key, a stoked fire, and a bloodstained poker with a white hair, leading him to consider Gething or Orchard as suspects.
Chapter 3
III: Gathering the Threads
Inspector French investigates the murder of Charles Gething, weighing evidence of financial motive against Gething's known character. He forms a tentative theory that Gething planned to steal from the safe but was killed by an opportunistic thief. French interviews Stanley Harrington, who is engaged to Sylvia Duke, and checks his alibi. He also traces the safe key to the bank, confirms the theft of £1,000 in notes, and pursues leads on the stolen diamonds and notes, but days pass without progress.
Chapter 4
IV: Missing
Ten days after the murder of Charles Gething, Inspector French receives a call from Mr. Duke, who reports that his traveling agent Vanderkemp has disappeared from the Amsterdam office. French travels to Amsterdam to investigate and discovers that a letter purportedly from Mr. Duke ordering Vanderkemp to London is a forgery, raising suspicions that Vanderkemp may be involved in the crime.
Chapter 5
French Takes a Journey
Inspector French receives news that two of the stolen banknotes have been paid into a bank in Reading by Colonel FitzGeorge. He travels to Reading to interview the Colonel, who believes he received the notes from the manager of the Hotel Beau-Sejour in Chamonix. French is left with an uncertain lead, as the trail may prove to be a dead end.
Chapter 6
VI: The Hotel in Barcelona
Inspector French travels to Barcelona in pursuit of Jan Vanderkemp. After a long journey, he checks into the Hôtel d’Orient and begins searching for his suspect. He locates Vanderkemp at a smaller hotel and, using a ruse, engages him in conversation. French reveals the murder of Charles Gething and the theft of the diamonds. Vanderkemp professes his innocence and provides a detailed account of his movements, including a story about a Russian nobleman. French remains skeptical, noting that Vanderkemp possesses stolen banknotes and that the story seems fabricated. He tests Vanderkemp's typing ability as part of his investigation, but remains uncertain whether Vanderkemp is the criminal or a dupe.
Chapter 7
VII: Concerning a Wedding
Inspector French investigates the postponed wedding of Miss Duke and Stanley Harrington, suspecting a connection to the murder. He gathers information through Sergeant Nolan's conversations with the housemaid Rachael, learning about Harrington's access to Mr. Duke's key and the emotional turmoil following the crime. French also discusses the case with his wife, who challenges his assumption that the victim, Gething, was involved in the theft.
Chapter 8
Sylvia and Harrington
Inspector French intensifies his interrogation of Harrington and Sylvia Duke, probing their movements on the night of the murder. He confronts Harrington about stopping the taxi near Hatton Garden and later questions Sylvia about her distress and the postponement of her wedding. Both stick to their stories—Harrington claiming he chased a girl Sylvia spotted, and Sylvia insisting the murder alone upset her. French develops a theory that they may have seen Vanderkemp near the crime scene, but both deny it, leaving him frustrated and the case unsolved.
Chapter 9
Mrs. Root of Pittsburg
Inspector French, deflated by his lack of progress on the Gething case, is summoned by his chief and assigned a new lead: diamonds resembling those stolen from Duke & Peabody have turned up at a moneylender's. French visits Mr. Williams of Williams & Davies, who recounts how a woman calling herself Mrs. Chauncey S. Root of Pittsburg borrowed £3,000 against a collection of diamonds, claiming she had lost her money and papers. Williams took her to Hurst & Stronge for valuation, then to the London and Counties Bank where he identified her. After six weeks with no repayment, he grew suspicious. French then visits the bank manager, Mr. Scarlett, who confirms the cheque was cashed and the account largely withdrawn. The clerk, Mr. Plenteous, details how Mrs. Root took £1,500 in small notes and later the balance was drawn by cheques. The diamonds are now suspected to be stolen.
Chapter 10
X: Some Pairs of Blankets
Inspector French investigates the mysterious Mrs. Root by visiting the Savoy, where he confirms her signature and learns she left abruptly after three nights. He then consults his friend at Dashford's Inquiry Agency about the case, and later discovers that the trunks left at Victoria Station are filled with cheap blankets, confirming an impersonation and deepening the mystery.
Chapter 11
XI: A Deal in Jewellery
Inspector French investigates the transactions of Mrs. X, who purchased jewellery from six different shops using cheques from the stolen Duke diamonds. He theorizes that the purchases were part of a plan to convert the diamonds into untraceable cash. French interviews shop assistants and bank staff, and follows leads to Southampton and Mürren, where he finally meets the real Mrs. Chauncey S. Root.
Chapter 12
XII: The Elusive Mrs. X
Inspector French investigates the identity of Mrs. X by tracing her movements and the mysterious trunks of blankets brought from America. He interviews customs officers and the purser of the Olympic, identifies eight women from photographs, and attempts to match handwriting from embarkation declarations. Despite his efforts, Mrs. X vanishes without a trace, leaving French to rely on circulating her photograph to police.
Chapter 13
Mrs. French Takes a Notion
Inspector French's wife suggests that the elusive Mrs. X is a former actress, leading French to identify her as Cissie Winter. He interviews theatrical producers Mr. Rohmer and Mr. Jacques, learning of her past career and her disappearance with a married man. French then meets Mr. Duke, who expresses despair over the stalled investigation and his financial ruin.
Chapter 14
XIV: Tragedy
Inspector French learns that Mr. Duke has committed suicide by jumping overboard during a crossing from Harwich to the Hook. He visits Miss Duke to break the news, then meets with the solicitors and Mr. Schoofs at the firm. The chapter explores the financial ruin that drove Mr. Duke to despair and the impact on his daughter.
Chapter 15
XV: The House in St. John's Wood
Inspector French, interrupted during supper, learns from Constable Caldwell that the woman from the circular has been identified as Mrs. Henry Vane of Crewe Lodge in St. John's Wood. French visits the house, finds it deserted with signs of a hasty departure, and interviews a neighbor's maid who reveals that Mrs. Vane left suddenly after receiving a cable about her husband's accident in New York. French then confirms with Mr. Williams that Mrs. Vane is the same woman who swindled him as Mrs. Root. Returning to Crewe Lodge, French and his team conduct a meticulous overnight search, finding evidence of a sudden flight about four days earlier but no trace of Mr. Vane.
Chapter 16
XVI: A Hot Scent
Inspector French, now with multiple leads, prioritizes tracing Mrs. Vane. He sets assistants to find the maid Susan Scott, interviews the bank manager Mr. Harrod about Mrs. Vane's dwindling account and suspicious deposits, and locates Susan Scott through a registry office. French questions Scott, who describes Mrs. Vane's hasty departure for New York. French then tracks down the taxi driver who drove Mrs. Vane to St. Pancras instead of Euston, noting her change of plan. He also considers Vanderkemp's possible involvement but finds inconsistencies.
Chapter 17
A Deal in Stocks
Inspector French investigates a stock transaction list found in Mrs. Vane's letter, consulting a stockbroker friend who reveals the list does not add up and appears fraudulent. French realizes the figures may be a cipher, decodes them using a Concise Oxford Dictionary, and discovers a warning message: 'French on your track. Rendezvous Victory Hotel, Leeds. If I fail take your own ticket. Boat leaves on twenty-sixth.' He realizes the boat has already left that day.
Chapter 18
The S.S. Enoch
Inspector French arrives in Le Havre to arrest Mr. and Mrs. Vane aboard the S.S. Enoch, only to discover they disembarked before the ship sailed, leaving behind empty suitcases as part of a false trail. After reporting to headquarters, French and Sergeant Carter explore Le Havre and receive a telegram revealing the Vanes never left the ship, prompting a frantic return to pursue them to Oporto or Lisbon.
Chapter 19
French Propounds a Riddle
Inspector French returns to Captain Davis's ship, convinced that the Vanes are still aboard despite the captain's earlier search. He devises a plan to flush them out by announcing a riddle competition during a ship concert, hoping the woman will reveal herself through her alias. French and Sergeant Carter observe the passengers, but the woman remains elusive.
Chapter 20
Conclusion
Inspector French reconstructs the full details of the murder of Charles Gething and the diamond theft, revealing Reginald Ainsley Duke's double life as Mr. Vane, his embezzlement, and the conspiracy with Cissie Winter to murder Gething and flee to Brazil. The chapter details their elaborate scheme, including forged passports, a fake suicide, and the fatal slip of a forgotten cipher letter that led to their downfall.
