# XIII: 2:01 a.m.—Glittering Eyes explained — Murder by the Clock

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

## What happens

Nurse Murrow is on night duty guarding the unconscious Herbert Endicott. Dr. Worth introduces Thomas Hollander as a friend who will sit with the patient. Hollander's behavior is evasive and his eyes glitter with a strange intensity as he watches Endicott. The police guards remain alert, and the conversation reveals suspicion that the attacker is someone in the house.

## Themes in this chapter

### Appearance vs. Reality

Hollander appears as a helpful friend, but his glittering eyes suggest hidden motives.

### Obsession and Control

Hollander's intense focus on Endicott hints at an obsessive need to control the situation.

## Character check-ins

### Miss Murrow

Nurse on duty, observes Hollander's arrival and his unsettling gaze.

### Thomas Hollander

Friend of Endicott, arrives to sit with him; his eyes glitter as he watches the patient.

### Dr. Worth

Introduces Hollander and instructs Nurse Murrow to call him at any sign of change.

### Herbert Endicott

The unconscious patient, guarded by police and watched over by Hollander.

### Cassidy

One of the police guards, observes Hollander and recalls Valcour's warning about cats.

### Officer Hansen

Police guard on duty, alert and armed.

## Key lines

> His eyes travelled slowly along the spread until they came to rest with a curious fixity on the smooth, masklike face of his friend Endicott. Then the pupils of Hollander’s eyes contracted until they glittered like the heads of two bright pins.

Hollander stared intently at Endicott's face, his pupils narrowing to pinpoints, revealing a dangerous fixation.

_This moment foreshadows Hollander's violent intentions._

> “Just what do you know about all this?” he said softly.

Hollander quietly probes Nurse Murrow for information about the police investigation.

_His questioning reveals his anxiety about being discovered._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/murder_by_the_clock_se/chapters/xiii-2-01-a-m-glittering-eyes
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/murder_by_the_clock_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/murder_by_the_clock_se/chapters