# IX explained — Terror Keep

> Chapter companion for Terror Keep by Edgar Wallace.

## What happens

Mr. Daver reveals his interest in criminology and his belief that John Flack once stayed at Larmes Keep. He shows Margaret a newspaper portrait of Flack and announces that Mr. Reeder is arriving. Reeder arrives, changes into casual clothes, and later prepares for a night of observation, locking his door and sleeping until two in the morning before making tea and conducting his own inspection.

## Themes in this chapter

### Crime and Criminality

Daver discusses Flack's criminal history and Ravini's suspicious disappearance, highlighting the criminal undercurrent at Larmes Keep.

### Deception and Betrayal

Daver's claims about Flack's stay and Reeder's secretive preparations suggest layers of deception among the characters.

### Isolation and Entrapment

Mrs. Burton complains of being 'buried alive' at Siltbury, and the remote setting of Larmes Keep contributes to a sense of entrapment.

## Character check-ins

### J. G. Reeder

Arrives at Larmes Keep, changes into a lounge suit, locks his door, and sleeps until two in the morning to prepare for his unofficial inspection.

### Margaret Belman

Dines with Reeder, discusses Ravini's disappearance, and considers checking on Reeder later but decides against it.

### Mr. Daver

Expounds on his study of criminology, shows Margaret press cuttings of Flack and Reeder, and announces Reeder's impending arrival.

### John Flack

Mentioned as having escaped from Broadmoor; Daver believes he once stayed at Larmes Keep seven years ago.

### Mr. Ravini

Discussed as having disappeared from Larmes Keep without paying his bill, leaving behind pajamas.

### Mrs. Burton

The housekeeper; brings milk to Reeder's room, complains about being treated poorly, and denies ever going into Daver's room.

## Key lines

> I am, as you probably know, Mr. Reeder, a humble disciple of Lombroso and of those other great criminologists who have elevated the study of abnormality to a science.

Daver presents himself as a follower of Lombroso and other criminologists who made the study of abnormal behavior a science.

_Daver introduces his intellectual pretensions to Reeder._

> He left just as Ravini left—early one morning, without paying his bill, and left his pajamas behind him!

Daver claims Flack left the same way Ravini did: early in the morning, unpaid, and leaving his pajamas.

_Daver draws a parallel between Flack and Ravini's disappearances._

> I was an awful pig to you, Mr. Reeder. I ought to have written—the whole thing was so absurd—the quarrel, I mean.

Margaret apologizes to Reeder for their earlier disagreement, calling it absurd.

_Margaret expresses regret over their previous conflict._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/terror_keep_se/chapters/ix
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/terror_keep_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/terror_keep_se/chapters