Murder in the Gunroom · Chapter
XIV explained
Rand outlines his theory that butler Walters stole pistols from the Fleming collection and sold them to Arnold Rivers, who stored them with Elmer Umholtz.
What happens
Rand outlines his theory that butler Walters stole pistols from the Fleming collection and sold them to Arnold Rivers, who stored them with Elmer Umholtz. He tasks Dave Ritter with getting an identification on a Leech & Rigdon revolver from a barbecue man and questioning Umholtz about rebluing a Colt. Rand and Ritter discuss the web of suspects in Rivers's murder, including Pierre Jarrett, Cecil Gillis, Stephen Gresham, and Umholtz. Rand then visits Pierre Jarrett's home, where he sees Jarrett's collection of combat weapons and learns about his science-fiction writing, including a story based on J. W. Dunne's time theories. They discuss precognition and multidimensional time until Rand remembers Ritter is waiting for him.
Themes in this chapter
Deception and Appearance vs. Reality
Rand and Ritter discuss how each suspect tries to pin the murder on someone else, highlighting the theme of deception and hidden motives.
Greed and Materialism
The theft of valuable pistols from the collection and the motive of financial gain drive the plot, as seen in Walters's theft and Rivers's dealings.
Murder and Justice
The chapter focuses on solving the murders of Lane Fleming and Arnold Rivers, with Rand systematically evaluating suspects and motives.
Scientific Method vs. Intuition
Rand applies logical reasoning and probability screening to the case, while Pierre Jarrett discusses precognition and alternate timelines, contrasting empirical method with speculative theory.
Characters to notice
- Jeff Rand
Lays out his theory about Walters stealing pistols and selling them to Rivers; assigns tasks to Ritter; visits Pierre Jarrett and discusses time theories.
- Dave Ritter
Receives instructions from Rand to get identification on the Leech & Rigdon and to question Umholtz; discusses the murder case with Rand.
- Pierre Jarrett
Shows Rand his weapon collection and writing workshop; discusses his science-fiction stories and J. W. Dunne's time theories.
- Walters
Suspect in the pistol thefts; Rand believes he stole from the collection and sold the pistols to Rivers.
- Arnold Rivers
Murdered; believed by Rand to have bought stolen pistols from Walters and stored them with Umholtz.
- Elmer Umholtz
Suspect in Rivers's murder; believed to have stored stolen pistols for Rivers and possibly killed him.
- Gladys Fleming
Mentioned as someone Walters might be loyal to; Rand considers she might have stolen the pistols herself.
- Mick McKenna
Mentioned as someone who will handle Umholtz after the Walters experiment.
Key passages
“He was supposed to clean the pistol-collection. Not content with that, he’s been cleaning it out. I know it was the butler.”
Rand accuses the butler Walters of stealing from the pistol collection instead of just cleaning it.
Rand presents his theory that Walters is the thief.
“The way I see it, everybody who’s within a light-year of this Rivers killing is trying to pin the medal on somebody else.”
Ritter observes that every suspect in Rivers's murder is trying to blame someone else.
Ritter summarizes the shifting blame among the suspects.
“I see the British Society for Psychical Research checked that case, and got verification from a couple of independent witnesses. If the S.P.R. vouches for a story, it must be the McCoy; they’re the toughest-minded gang of confirmed skeptics anywhere in Christendom.”
Rand trusts the SPR's verification of a precognition case because they are known for their rigorous skepticism.
Rand comments on the credibility of the SPR.
