# XVII: 2:40 a.m.—The Angle of Death’s Path explained — Murder by the Clock

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

## What happens

At 2:40 a.m., Dr. Worth and Nurse Murrow rush to Endicott's room after the commotion, only to find Hollander wounded and Endicott dead from a bullet, not a knife. Lieutenant Valcour, despite his own injury, deduces that the fatal shot could not have come from his men and suspects the murderer is still at large, possibly having fired from the balcony outside the window.

## Themes in this chapter

### Appearance vs. Reality

The apparent attack by Hollander with a knife is revealed to be a cover for the real murder by gunshot, challenging initial perceptions.

### The Psychology of Murder

The chapter explores the confusion and psychological loops of the guards as they try to reconcile the impossible shooting, highlighting the murderer's cunning.

### Deception of the Senses

The angle of the bullet and the open window deceive the characters about the true source of the shot, emphasizing how sensory evidence can mislead.

## Character check-ins

### Dr. Worth

Arrives to treat Hollander, discovers Endicott dead from a bullet, and assists in probing the wound to determine the bullet's angle.

### Lieutenant Valcour

Despite being wounded, he analyzes the shooting angle, concludes his men couldn't have fired the fatal shot, and suspects the murderer is still in the house.

### Cassidy

One of the guards who shot Hollander, insists the knife never touched Endicott, and is ordered to search for a gun.

### Officer Hansen

Cassidy's partner, also insists they didn't shoot Endicott, and is ordered to search for a gun.

### Thomas Hollander

Wounded and unconscious, he is the apparent attacker but is not the source of the fatal bullet.

### Miss Murrow

Nurse who tends to Hollander's wounds and opens the window, which becomes crucial to the angle of the fatal shot.

## Key lines

> But I swear that knife never went in, sir. Hansen, here, and me was watching Hollander like cats. Sure we saw the knife even before it touched the bedclothes.

Cassidy insists that the knife never made contact with Endicott, as he and Hansen were closely watching Hollander and saw the knife before it even reached the bed.

_Highlights the discrepancy between the apparent knife attack and the actual cause of death._

> Because if the calibre of the bullet that killed Endicott differs from the ones in the guns of my men, or if the angle of its course proves conclusively that it could not have been fired by one of them, then the murderer is still loose about the house.

Valcour explains that if the bullet's calibre or trajectory doesn't match his officers' guns, the real killer must still be inside the house.

_Sets up the investigation into the bullet's origin and the possibility of another culprit._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/murder_by_the_clock_se/chapters/xvii-2-40-a-m-the-angle-of-death-s-path
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/murder_by_the_clock_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/murder_by_the_clock_se/chapters