# The Grey Cadillac explained — The Benson Murder Case > Chapter companion for The Benson Murder Case by S. S. Van Dine. ## What happens Markham, Vance, and the narrator meet Colonel Ostrander for lunch at the Bankers' Club. Vance questions the Colonel about Captain Leacock, Leander Pfyfe, and Muriel St. Clair, seeking insights into their relationships with Alvin Benson. Ostrander describes Leacock as a hotheaded, chivalrous man capable of violence, Pfyfe as a cool but impulsive gambler, and Miss St. Clair as a strong, independent woman who might take desperate measures. After lunch, Emery from the Homicide Bureau reports that the grey Cadillac has been found in a garage on Seventy-fourth Street, registered to Leander Pfyfe, who had paid the garage-man to keep quiet. Markham is disturbed by this development and summons Pfyfe to the Stuyvesant Club. ## Themes in this chapter ### Class, Sophistication, and Elitism The chapter highlights the social circles of the wealthy and elite, with characters like Colonel Ostrander, Leander Pfyfe, and Alvin Benson moving in exclusive clubs and engaging in sophisticated leisure activities. ### Motive vs. Psychology in Crime Vance probes the psychological profiles of suspects like Leacock and Pfyfe, exploring their temperaments and potential motives, rather than relying solely on physical evidence. ### Secrecy and Deception in Relationships The discovery of Pfyfe's hidden car and his payment to the garage-man to keep quiet underscores the theme of secrecy, while Ostrander's evasiveness about his own dealings with Benson hints at hidden agendas. ## Character check-ins ### John Markham Present at the lunch with Colonel Ostrander; later receives news of the grey Cadillac and summons Leander Pfyfe. ### Philo Vance Leads the interrogation of Colonel Ostrander, focusing on Leacock, Pfyfe, and Miss St. Clair; expresses satisfaction with the information gleaned. ### Colonel Bigsby Ostrander Provides verbose and rambling character assessments of Captain Leacock, Leander Pfyfe, and Muriel St. Clair; reveals he saw Miss St. Clair dining with Benson on the night of the murder. ### Captain Philip Leacock Described by Ostrander as hotheaded, jealous, chivalrous, and a poor gambler; considered a possible suspect. ### Leander Pfyfe Identified as the owner of the grey Cadillac found in a garage; Ostrander describes him as a cool gambler with a sentimental side, capable of violence. ### Muriel St. Clair Described by Ostrander as a strong, deep, and capable woman who might take desperate measures; she dined alone with Benson on the night of the murder. ## Key lines > Here is New York’s gayest dog,” said Vance, introducing him to Markham (I had met him before); “a sybarite and a hedonist. He sleeps till noon, and makes no appointments before tiffin-time. I had to knock him up and threaten him with your official ire to get him down town at this early hour. Vance introduces Colonel Ostrander to Markham as a pleasure-seeking man who sleeps late and rarely makes early appointments, implying he had to be roused with threats of Markham's authority. _Vance characterizes Ostrander as a hedonist and sybarite, setting the tone for their interaction._ > He’d go to jail for a lady’s honor. A shielder of womanhood. Sentimental cuss, full of chivalry; just the kind to blow out a rival’s brains:—no questions asked— pop —and it’s all over. Ostrander describes Captain Leacock as a chivalrous man who would defend a woman's honor even at the cost of his own freedom, and suggests he is the type to impulsively shoot a rival. _Ostrander's assessment of Leacock emphasizes his potential for violent jealousy._ > Pfyfe’s a cool gambler—that I’ll grant you. He once ran a private gambling place of his own down on Long Island—roulette, monte, baccarat, that sort of thing. And he popped tigers and wild boars in Africa for a while. But Pfyfe’s got his sentimental side, and he’d plunge on a pair of deuces with all the betting odds against him. Ostrander acknowledges Pfyfe's skill as a gambler and his adventurous past, but notes his impulsive and sentimental nature that leads him to take irrational risks. _This description of Pfyfe highlights his contradictory traits: coolness and impulsiveness._ > We’ve found the grey Cadillac, sir; and Sergeant Heath thought you might want to know about it right away. It’s in a small, one-man garage on Seventy-fourth Street near Amsterdam Avenue, and has been there three days. Emery reports that the grey Cadillac has been located in a garage on Seventy-fourth Street, where it had been stored for three days. _The discovery of the car is a key plot development, linking Pfyfe to the crime scene._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_benson_murder_case_se/chapters/xiii-the-grey-cadillac - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_benson_murder_case_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_benson_murder_case_se/chapters