The Case with Nine Solutions · Chapters
Chapters explained
Chapter companions for The Case with Nine Solutions by J. J. Connington.
Chapter 1
I: The Dying Man
Dr. Ringwood, exhausted from a flu epidemic, returns home late to find a visitor, Dr. Trevor Markfield, who shares suspicions about a local scandal involving Hassendean and Mrs. Silverdale. Later, Ringwood is called out into a thick fog to attend an emergency, only to discover a dying young man in a strange house. The victim gasps a few cryptic words before dying. Ringwood examines the body, explores the empty house, and realizes he is in the wrong residence. He decides to contact Sir Clinton Driffield, the Chief Constable, to report the murder.
Chapter 2
II: The House Next Door
Dr. Ringwood, having mistakenly entered Ivy Lodge and discovered a dying young man, proceeds to the correct house, Heatherfield, to attend to a patient. He uses the telephone to report the murder to Sir Clinton Driffield, the Chief Constable, while concealing the news from the nervous maid. After examining the patient, he questions the maid about the movements of Yvonne Silverdale and young Hassendean, learning they left together in a strange state. He returns to Ivy Lodge to await the police.
Chapter 3
III: Sir Clinton at Ivy Lodge
Dr. Ringwood waits at Ivy Lodge for the police, speculating on the events of the night. Sir Clinton Driffield arrives with Inspector Flamborough, and Dr. Ringwood recounts his findings. The police interview the Hassendeans, learning about Ronald's relationship with Mrs. Silverdale and his finances. Sir Clinton arranges for a post-mortem and a search of Ronald's papers.
Chapter 4
IV: The Crime at Heatherfield
Dr. Ringwood and Sir Clinton return to Heatherfield to find the house eerily silent. After forcing entry, they discover the maid has been brutally murdered with a tourniquet. Sir Clinton investigates Mrs. Silverdale's room, finding a broken drawer lock, a torn envelope fragment, and a diary hinting at secrets. The doctor tends to a delirious patient upstairs. Sir Clinton theorizes the murder was premeditated but hastily executed, possibly to obtain letters.
Chapter 5
V: The Bungalow Tragedy
Sir Clinton Driffield receives a cryptic telegram signed 'Justice' directing him to Hassendean's bungalow on Lizardbridge Road. He and Inspector Flamborough, along with Dr. Ringwood, investigate and discover the body of a young woman in evening dress, shot in the head, seated in an armchair. The bungalow had been shut up for winter, but one bedroom was fully furnished with new toiletries and flowers, suggesting preparation for someone. The telegram proves to be a crucial lead, revealing a crime that might otherwise have gone unnoticed.
Chapter 6
VI: The Nine Possible Solutions
Sir Clinton Driffield and Inspector Flamborough systematically analyze nine possible combinations of how Hassendean and Mrs. Silverdale met their deaths—accident, suicide, or murder. They review forensic evidence, including blood traces, a handkerchief, and fingerprints, and discuss the mysterious 'Mr. Justice' and a Peeping Tom. The chapter concludes with a report that Dr. Silverdale has returned and is at the Croft-Thornton Institute, prompting Sir Clinton and Flamborough to plan an interview there.
Chapter 7
VII: The Fly in the Amber
Sir Clinton Driffield and Inspector Flamborough visit Dr. Trevor Markfield at the Croft-Thornton Institute to seek his expertise in a poisoning case involving Mrs. Silverdale. Markfield initially suggests consulting his chief, Dr. Silverdale, but is shocked to learn that the victim is Yvonne Silverdale. He agrees to assist. During questioning, Markfield reveals his acquaintance with the Silverdales and his recent sighting of Dr. Silverdale with Avice Deepcar. The interview pivots when a distinctive cigarette-holder with a fly in amber is produced. Markfield hesitates to identify it, but the head mechanic Gilling confirms he made two such holders for Dr. Silverdale three months ago. Flamborough notes Markfield's evasiveness and later, with Sir Clinton, speculates that the mysterious 'Peeping Tom' might be a woman.
Chapter 8
VIII: The Hassendean Journal
Inspector Flamborough presents Sir Clinton Driffield with Ronald Hassendean's four-volume journal, having marked relevant passages. They discuss Silverdale's alibi, a missing car, and the journal's contents: Hassendean's engagement to Norma Hailsham, his obsessive affair with Mrs. Silverdale, and his dire financial situation involving a life insurance policy taken out for a moneylender. Sir Clinton also explains the concept of a mixed melting-point test, hinting at its relevance to the poison investigation.
Chapter 9
IX: The Creditor
Inspector Flamborough visits the moneylender Spratton to investigate Ronald Hassendean's debts, learning that Hassendean had borrowed over a thousand pounds and taken out a life insurance policy for £5,000. Flamborough notices a resemblance between Spratton and Sir Clinton Driffield. Later, Octave Renard, brother of the murdered Mrs. Yvonne Silverdale, visits Flamborough and reveals that Yvonne had recently inherited £12,000 from her wealthy aunt, a fact her husband Silverdale had not disclosed.
Chapter 10
X: Information Received
Sir Clinton Driffield and Inspector Flamborough investigate the Hassendean murder case. They visit Dr. Markfield at the Croft-Thornton Institute, where the poison is identified as hyoscine. They interview Miss Hailsham, who reveals that Avice Deepcar has been working on hyoscine under Dr. Silverdale's direction. Markfield's car number is linked to a fog incident. Later, a call from Detective-Sergeant Fossaway indicates a potential lead from a man inquiring about a reward.
Chapter 11
XI: The Code Advertisement
Inspector Flamborough and Sir Clinton Driffield analyze a coded advertisement from 'Mr. Justice' in the Westerhaven Courier, which appears to be a cipher. They narrow down the possible solutions to the Hassendean and Silverdale deaths from nine to three, eliminating improbable scenarios involving suicide, murder, and accident. A second coded message arrives in the Gazette, providing a key to decipher the first advertisement.
Chapter 12
XII: The Silverdale Wills
Mr. Renard visits Sir Clinton Driffield and Inspector Flamborough to express his dissatisfaction with the disposition of his sister Yvonne Silverdale's estate. He reveals that under the wills made at the time of her marriage, all her property—including a recent inheritance of £12,000 from her aunt—would pass to her husband, Dr. Silverdale, if she died before changing her will. Renard had written to his sister urging her to revise her will, but she died before she could act. The chapter explores the financial motives for murder, with Flamborough and Sir Clinton discussing Silverdale's potential motives (money and a new marriage) as well as those of Spratton and Miss Hailsham.
Chapter 13
XIII: The Murder of the Informer
Inspector Flamborough reports the murder of Whalley, a potential informant in the bungalow case, found strangled with a tourniquet similar to the one used on the Heatherfield maid. Sir Clinton and Flamborough discuss the implications, the improved technique of the murderer, and the possible involvement of Silverdale or others from the Croft-Thornton Institute. They consider whether the evidence points to a scientific murderer or a deliberate misdirection.
Chapter 14
XIV: The Jacket
Inspector Flamborough and Sir Clinton Driffield visit the Croft-Thornton Institute to interrogate Dr. Markfield and Dr. Silverdale. Flamborough presents a torn piece of cloth with a button, stained with picric acid, and presses Markfield about its origin. Markfield initially evades, but after a threat of being an accessory to murder, he cooperates. Flamborough then questions Silverdale about his alibi for the night of the maid's murder, his lost cigarette holder, his banjo playing, and a torn and bloodstained laboratory coat. Silverdale cannot explain the coat's condition, and Markfield interjects that someone might have borrowed it. Flamborough seizes the coat as evidence and warns Silverdale about his silence.
Chapter 15
XV: Sir Clinton’s Double
Inspector Flamborough arrests Silverdale for the bungalow murder, but Sir Clinton notes the case is not yet complete. Avice Deepcar arrives accusing Sir Clinton of searching her house; it emerges an impostor impersonated him. Sir Clinton deduces Mr. Justice is behind the raid, seeking evidence against Silverdale and Avice. The arrest and impersonation accelerate the investigation.
Chapter 16
XVI: Written Evidence
Inspector Flamborough receives a new communication from the anonymous 'Justice,' containing photographs of a letter between Dr. Silverdale and Miss Deepcar. The letter suggests a plot to use hyoscine to eliminate Mrs. Silverdale and make it appear a suicide pact. Sir Clinton Driffield scrutinizes the evidence, noting slight cramping in certain words, and uses a telephone call to the Croft-Thornton Institute to verify the availability of a microphotographic camera. He then orchestrates a ruse to have Miss Hailsham's name used to summon Dr. Trevor Markfield to his home, intending to investigate further.
Chapter 17
Mr. Justice
Sir Clinton Driffield and Inspector Flamborough visit Dr. Trevor Markfield at his home, where they confront him with evidence linking him to the murders of Mrs. Silverdale, the maid at Heatherfield, and Peter Whalley. Sir Clinton reveals Markfield's intimate relationship with Yvonne Silverdale, his use of young Hassendean as a blind, and his role as the anonymous 'Mr. Justice' who tried to frame Silverdale. Markfield, realizing his game is up, admits to the crimes but attempts to argue self-defense for the bungalow killing.
Chapter 18
XVIII: The Connecting Thread
Dr. Trevor Markfield confesses to his long-standing affair with Yvonne Silverdale and reveals the intricate plot to frame Dr. Silverdale for her murder. He details how he used hyoscine, staged evidence, and impersonated Sir Clinton Driffield. After signing his confession, Markfield triggers an explosion in a final act of defiance.
Chapter 19
Excerpts from Sir Clinton’s Notebook
Sir Clinton Driffield reviews the evidence and develops a hypothesis about the murders. He notes the breakup of the Silverdale ménage, Hassendean's interference with coffee service, Mrs. Silverdale's dazed appearance, and the two shots that wounded Hassendean not fired in Ivy Lodge. He considers the disappearance of Mrs. Silverdale, Hassendean's dying words, the murder of the maid at Heatherfield, the ransacked drawer, the envelope fragment dated 1925, and the old dance programmes. He concludes the affair is not a simple triangle tragedy, pointing to drugging, the Heatherfield burglary, and Hassendean's phrase 'Caught me...' He suspects Dr. Markfield, noting his reluctance to testify against Silverdale, his knowledge of the case, and his access to hyoscine. After the discovery of the bungalow tragedy, he deduces Hassendean drugged and accidentally killed Mrs. Silverdale, then shot her body to mislead. He identifies hyoscine as the poison, explaining Hassendean's dosage error. He considers Miss Hailsham as 'Justice' but finds it problematic. He notes Markfield's car accident alibi and the man seeking reward at the police station. He suspects Markfield of the Heatherfield burglary to retrieve letters, and notes the fake photographs point to Markfield. He lists points against Markfield, including his intimacy with Mrs. Silverdale, his movements, and his access to a microphotographic camera. He concludes strong suspicion but no proof, and decides to bluff. After the explosion at Markfield's house, he notes Markfield died, and the case ends as a draw.
