# The Clue — Chapters explained

> Chapter companions for The Clue by Carolyn Wells.

- [The Van Normans](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_clue_se/chapters/i-the-van-normans.md): This chapter introduces the Van Norman household and the dynamics surrounding Madeleine's impending marriage to Schuyler Carleton. Tom Willard, Madeleine's cousin, openly vies for her affection, causing tension with Carl
- [Miss Morton Arrives](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_clue_se/chapters/ii-miss-morton-arrives.md): On the eve of her wedding to Schuyler Carleton, Madeleine Van Norman hosts a dinner party. The evening is marked by tension between Carleton and her cousin Tom Willard, who openly flirts with her. After dinner, Madeleine
- [III: A Cry in the Night](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_clue_se/chapters/iii-a-cry-in-the-night.md): A cry rings through the Van Norman house, and Cicely Dupuy rushes downstairs to find Schuyler Carleton frantically ringing bells. Madeleine Van Norman is discovered dead in the library, stabbed with a Venetian dagger, a 
- [Suicide or ⸻?](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_clue_se/chapters/iv-suicide-or.md): The morning after Madeleine's death, the household is in shock. Tom Willard arrives and is told the news by Miss Morton. Doctor Leonard pronounces it suicide based on the note, but Doctor Hills expresses doubts about the
- [A Case for the Coroner](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_clue_se/chapters/v-a-case-for-the-coroner.md): After Madeleine's death, Kitty French and Molly Gardner mourn in their rooms, with Kitty insisting Madeleine would never have killed herself. Mrs. Markham shares her suspicion that Schuyler Carleton's lack of true affect
- [VI: Fessenden Comes](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_clue_se/chapters/vi-fessenden-comes.md): Rob Fessenden arrives at the Van Norman house on the morning of the intended wedding, only to learn of Madeleine's death. He meets Kitty French, who insists Madeleine did not commit suicide, and Fessenden offers his amat
- [VII: Mr. Benson’s Questions](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_clue_se/chapters/vii-mr-benson-s-questions.md): Coroner Benson conducts a formal inquest into Madeleine Van Norman's death, questioning the possibility of suicide due to the lack of blood on her hands. He presents the written note as evidence, and various witnesses of
- [A Soft Lead Pencil](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_clue_se/chapters/viii-a-soft-lead-pencil.md): Coroner Benson and the household are stunned when Cicely Dupuy confesses to writing the suicide note found near Madeleine's body, claiming she wrote it a week earlier at Madeleine's request. Robert Fessenden presents evi
- [IX: The Will](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_clue_se/chapters/ix-the-will.md): Lawyer Peabody reads Richard Van Norman's will, revealing that Tom Willard inherits the bulk of the fortune due to Madeleine's death before marriage and age twenty-three, while Madeleine's own will leaves the mansion and
- [X: Some Testimony](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_clue_se/chapters/x-some-testimony.md): The inquest continues with testimony from Miss Morton, Tom Willard, Cicely Dupuy, Marie the maid, Kitty French, and Molly Gardner. Miss Morton explains her past connection to Richard Van Norman and her surprise at the in
- [XI: “I Decline to Say”](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_clue_se/chapters/xi-i-decline-to-say.md): The inquest continues with Schuyler Carleton on the stand. He insists that Madeleine wrote the suicide note despite Cicely's confession, and he refuses to explain his actions during the fifteen minutes between his entry 
- [XII: Dorothy Burt](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_clue_se/chapters/xii-dorothy-burt.md): Kitty French and Rob Fessenden discuss the murder of Madeleine Van Norman, debating whether Schuyler Carleton is guilty. Kitty suggests Carleton had a motive due to his love for another woman, possibly Dorothy Burt, whil
- [An Interview with Cicely](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_clue_se/chapters/xiii-an-interview-with-cicely.md): Fessenden and Kitty French interview Cicely Dupuy, Madeleine Van Norman's private secretary. Cicely reveals that Madeleine was deeply in love with Schuyler Carleton but that Carleton loved another woman, Dorothy Burt. Ci
- [The Carleton Household](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_clue_se/chapters/xiv-the-carleton-household.md): At the Carleton dinner table, the atmosphere is tense following Madeleine's murder. Mrs. Carleton mourns the loss of her son's advantageous marriage, while Fessenden observes Dorothy Burt and suspects her of hidden motiv
- [XV: Fessenden’s Detective Work](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_clue_se/chapters/xv-fessenden-s-detective-work.md): Rob Fessenden begins his own investigation, determined to prove Schuyler Carleton innocent. He interviews Mrs. Markham and learns about Miss Morton's inheritance and the burning of a will. Kitty French shares her suspici
- [XVI: Searching for Clues](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_clue_se/chapters/xvi-searching-for-clues.md): Rob Fessenden investigates Tom Willard's alibi at the Mapleton Inn, finding it corroborated. He then meets Kitty French, who insists Schuyler Carleton is the murderer. They search the Van Norman house for clues but find 
- [Miss Morton's Statements](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_clue_se/chapters/xvii-miss-morton-s-statements.md): At the inquest, Miss Morton is questioned about her actions on the night of the murder, her knowledge of her inheritance, and a paper she allegedly burned. She denies the accusations and contradicts herself. Dorothy Burt
- [Carleton Is Frank](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_clue_se/chapters/xviii-carleton-is-frank.md): Nearly a week after Madeleine's funeral, the coroner's inquest has concluded with a verdict of 'death at the hands of some person or persons unknown,' and the jury recommends surveillance of Schuyler Carleton. Rob Fessen
- [The Truth About Miss Burt](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_clue_se/chapters/xix-the-truth-about-miss-burt.md): Fessenden and Carleton discuss Carleton's love for Dorothy Burt and his guilt over his feelings. Carleton confesses he considered asking Madeleine to release him from their engagement on the night of her murder. They als
- [XX: Cicely's Flight](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_clue_se/chapters/xx-cicely-s-flight.md): Rob Fessenden and Detective Fairbanks shift suspicion from Schuyler Carleton to Cicely Dupuy. Fessenden attempts to interview Cicely but discovers she has fled Mapleton. He pursues her to New York, tracking her to an apa
- [A Successful Pursuit](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_clue_se/chapters/xxi-a-successful-pursuit.md): Fessenden finds Cicely Dupuy at Grand Central Station and convinces her to reveal that her false testimony and flight were motivated by a fear that Schuyler Carleton was the murderer, not by her own guilt. He returns to 
- [A Talk with Miss Morton](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_clue_se/chapters/xxii-a-talk-with-miss-morton.md): Fessenden and Kitty French visit Miss Morton to question her about the burned paper. She confesses that it was a bundle of old love letters from Richard Van Norman, which she had retrieved and burned to protect her priva
- [XXIII: Fleming Stone](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_clue_se/chapters/xxiii-fleming-stone.md): The great detective Fleming Stone arrives at the Van Norman house to take over the investigation. He listens to all the facts from the group, then examines the premises. In the drawing-room, he discovers the ash-chute in
- [XXIV: A Confession](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_clue_se/chapters/xxiv-a-confession.md): Fleming Stone interviews Mr. Taylor, the landlord of the Mapleton Inn, learning about Tom Willard's past and character. Through a chance encounter with a boy named Tripp, Stone discovers a bottle of cachous left in Tom W

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