Murder by the Clock · Chapter
XXII: 4:14 a.m.—Tap—Tap—Tap explained
Lieutenant Valcour, troubled by the slipper clue, decides to test Mrs.
What happens
Lieutenant Valcour, troubled by the slipper clue, decides to test Mrs. Endicott's unconsciousness. With Dr. Worth's help, he arranges to be alone with her, then taps the slipper rhythmically, causing her to break her pretense and speak.
Themes in this chapter
Deception of the Senses
Mrs. Endicott's feigned unconsciousness deceives the senses, and Valcour uses sensory cues (tapping) to break through the illusion.
Obsession and Control
Valcour's methodical tapping and psychological manipulation reflect his obsessive pursuit of truth and control over the situation.
Characters to notice
- Lieutenant Valcour
Devises an experiment to expose Mrs. Endicott's faked unconsciousness, using the slipper as a psychological tool.
- Mrs. Endicott
Reveals she is conscious by speaking when Valcour taps the slipper, confirming Roberts's theory.
- Dr. Worth
Assists Valcour by arranging for Nurse Vickers to leave and observing through the bathroom door.
- Cassidy
Expresses unease about the case, feeling something unresolved is lurking.
- Officer Hansen
Brings Roberts's gun, which Valcour determines has not been fired recently.
Key passages
“It was a distressingly leading and decisive clue, but it did not lead in a direction he cared to follow, nor did it decide things as he thought they ought to be decided.”
The slipper was a clear clue, but it pointed to a conclusion Valcour was reluctant to accept.
Valcour's internal conflict about the evidence.
“I don't want to do anything about her as yet. Later on we may book her on a violation of the Sullivan Law and again we may not.”
Valcour decides not to arrest Roberts immediately, but might later charge her with illegal gun possession.
Valcour's strategic handling of Roberts.
“It's like there was something in this case that hasn't broken yet. You know what I mean? Something we ain't so much as put a finger on.”
Cassidy senses an unresolved element in the case that they haven't discovered yet.
Cassidy's intuition about the case.
“With a woman like Mrs. Endicott there wouldn't be any use in planning anything. All that I can do in advance is to create an atmosphere and then do whatever occurs to me as being best when the proper time comes.”
Valcour believes that with Mrs. Endicott, improvisation is better than a fixed plan; he will set the mood and react.
Valcour's approach to interrogating Mrs. Endicott.
“If you do that much longer, she said quietly, I shall go insane.”
Mrs. Endicott breaks her silence, admitting the tapping is driving her crazy.
The climax of the experiment, revealing her consciousness.