Simon · Chapter
XI: News explained
Ned Cromarty hears of Sir Reginald's murder and rushes to the castle, where he joins Simon Rattar and Superintendent Sutherland in examining the crime scene.
What happens
Ned Cromarty hears of Sir Reginald's murder and rushes to the castle, where he joins Simon Rattar and Superintendent Sutherland in examining the crime scene. The group debates how the murderer entered the locked library, with discussion of a possible window entry and a missing key. Bisset provides key observations about a disturbed table and sealing wax. Ned presses for theories, but Rattar remains evasive.
Themes in this chapter
Justice and Investigation
The chapter focuses on the initial investigation of Sir Reginald's murder, with characters examining the crime scene, debating entry methods, and assessing evidence.
Secrecy and Silence
The locked room, missing key, and the fact that no one in the house heard or saw anything highlight the secrecy surrounding the murder.
Suspicion and Rumor
News of the murder spreads quickly, and the investigation is marked by suspicion, with characters questioning each other's statements and motives.
Characters to notice
- Ned Cromarty
Hears the news of the murder and rushes to the castle; actively investigates the crime scene, questioning details about the window and the table.
- Simon Rattar
Present at the crime scene as Procurator Fiscal; offers dry, skeptical comments and resists forming a definite theory, though earlier suggested the murderer entered by the door.
- James Bisset
The butler who discovered the body; provides key observations about the disturbed table, sealing wax, and India rubber, and notes Sir Reginald's habits regarding windows.
- Superintendent Sutherland
The investigating officer; describes the body and the scene, defers to Rattar, and shows admiration for Ned's clear deductions.
- Sir Reginald Cromarty
The murder victim; found dead in his library with a cracked skull and strangulation marks.
- Lilian Cromarty
Ned's sister; briefly appears when Ned tells her the news of the murder, reacting with disbelief.
Key passages
“I picked up yon bits of sealing wax and yon piece of India rubber. I know they were on the wee table yesterday and I found them under the curtain in the morning and the table moved over to the wall. It follows that the table has been cowpit and then set up again in another place, and the other things on it put back.”
Bisset explains that he found sealing wax and an eraser under the curtain, items he knew were on a small table the day before. The table had been moved, suggesting it was knocked over and then repositioned.
Bisset's deduction about the disturbed table provides a key clue about a struggle near the window.
“If the murderer came in through the window while Sir Reginald was in the room, either the window was standing open or Sir Reginald opened it for him! Did Sir Reginald ever sit with his window open late at night at this time of year?”
Ned argues that if the killer entered via the window, it must have been open already or Sir Reginald opened it, which seems unlikely given his habits.
Ned challenges the window-entry theory, pointing out Sir Reginald's known dislike of open windows at night.