The Circular Staircase · Chapter
Where Is Halsey? explained
After the discovery of Arnold Armstrong's murder, Rachel Innes is questioned by Mr.
What happens
After the discovery of Arnold Armstrong's murder, Rachel Innes is questioned by Mr. Jarvis about Halsey's whereabouts. Gertrude reacts with shock to a pearl cufflink found by Rachel. The household is in turmoil, and Rachel finds Halsey's revolver buried in a tulip bed, but the cufflink she had hidden disappears.
Themes in this chapter
Secrecy and Deception
Rachel hides the revolver and cufflink; Gertrude's secret reaction to the cufflink suggests hidden knowledge.
Family and Loyalty
Rachel's protective instincts toward Halsey; Gertrude's emotional collapse hints at loyalty conflicts.
Appearance vs. Reality
The peaceful exterior of Sunnyside contrasts with the violence inside; Rachel's calm demeanor hides her fear.
Characters to notice
- Rachel Innes
Narrator; discovers the revolver and the missing cufflink; questions Halsey's whereabouts.
- Gertrude Innes
Reacted with shock to the pearl cufflink; collapsed after the murder.
- Liddy Allen
Helped Rachel to bed; searched for footprints; found a golf-stick on the lawn.
- Mr. Jamieson
Not directly present in this chapter; referenced as a detective figure in the broader context.
- Halsey Innes
Missing; his revolver is found buried in the garden.
- Arnold Armstrong
Murder victim; his body discovered in the cardroom.
Key passages
“Where is Halsey?”
Mr. Jarvis asks Rachel about Halsey's location after the murder.
This question drives the chapter's tension and Rachel's anxiety.
“I have no doubt now that it was Arnold Armstrong the night before last, too.”
Rachel concludes that the intruder from the previous night was also Arnold Armstrong.
Connects the earlier noises to the murder victim.
“The cufflink had disappeared!”
The pearl cufflink Rachel had hidden is now missing.
Raises suspicion of theft or a cover-up within the household.