# IV: 10:02 p.m.—Pale Flares the Darkness explained — Murder by the Clock

> Chapter companion for Murder by the Clock by Rufus King.

## What happens

Lieutenant Valcour interviews Mrs. Endicott in her room, probing her relationship with her husband and the circumstances of his death. She reveals she often wished to kill him but never wanted him dead, and admits to meeting him in the attic, though she claims not to know why he came. Valcour discusses the possibility of murder via deliberate shock to the heart, and notes the absence of Mr. Endicott's hat as a suspicious detail.

## Themes in this chapter

### Marriage and Deception

Mrs. Endicott and her husband maintain a relationship built on lies and unspoken truths, as she admits to wishing to kill him while loving him.

### Appearance vs. Reality

Mrs. Endicott's beauty and composure contrast with her inner turmoil and the dark undercurrents of her marriage.

### Death and the Afterlife

The possibility that Mr. Endicott's death was not natural but induced by shock or fear, blurring the line between natural death and murder.

## Character check-ins

### Lieutenant Valcour

Interviews Mrs. Endicott, probing her relationship with her husband and the details of the evening.

### Mrs. Endicott

Reveals she often wished to kill her husband but never wanted him dead; admits to meeting him in the attic.

### Roberts

Opens the door for Valcour and seems to attempt to convey a message with her eyes.

### Dr. Worth

Mentioned as having expressed the opinion that Mr. Endicott died of heart failure.

### Herbert Endicott

Discussed at length; his habits, his lies about the Yale Club, and his heart condition are central to the conversation.

## Key lines

> I have several times wished to kill him.

Mrs. Endicott admits she has often wanted to kill her husband.

_Reveals the depth of marital discord._

> My hold on him was the static perfection of my features and a running, superficial smartness in attitude and mind that passed for intellect. His hold on me was that I loved him.

Mrs. Endicott explains that her husband valued her for her looks and wit, while she loved him despite everything.

_Highlights the imbalance in their relationship._

> He told me he was going to an impromptu reunion of some men in his class at the Yale Club. These reunions have occurred with astonishing regularity once a week for the past month, in spite of their impromptu character.

Mr. Endicott repeatedly used the excuse of a Yale Club reunion to cover his real activities.

_Shows his pattern of deception._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/murder_by_the_clock_se/chapters/iv-10-02-p-m-pale-flares-the-darkness
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/murder_by_the_clock_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/murder_by_the_clock_se/chapters