The Dain Curse · Chapter
XVII: Below Dull Point explained
The chapter opens with the narrator learning that Cotton arrived at his mother's house Saturday morning, then follows the discovery of Mrs.
What happens
The chapter opens with the narrator learning that Cotton arrived at his mother's house Saturday morning, then follows the discovery of Mrs. Cotton's murder and her dying confession implicating Harvey Whidden. The sheriff, Vernon, Fitzstephan, and the narrator race by boat to a hidden cove below Dull Point, where they confront Whidden. In a shootout, Whidden is killed, and they find Gabrielle Collinson hiding in a cave. She recounts being kidnapped by Whidden, her failed suicide attempt, and her husband Eric's murder.
Themes in this chapter
Crime and Detection
The investigation culminates in a shootout and the rescue of Gabrielle, revealing Whidden as the murderer and kidnapper.
The Curse and Fate
Gabrielle's belief in the curse drives her to attempt suicide and flee, reinforcing the theme of inescapable doom.
Gender and Victimization
Mrs. Cotton is murdered for protecting Whidden, and Gabrielle is kidnapped and held captive, highlighting women's vulnerability.
Characters to notice
- The Narrator
Receives phone call from Mickey Linehan, investigates Cotton's alibi, accompanies the sheriff and Vernon to the cove, and helps question Gabrielle.
- Gabrielle Leggett
Found cowering in a cave below Dull Point; describes being kidnapped by Whidden, her failed suicide attempt, and her fear of the curse.
- Owen Fitzstephan
Joins the narrator and Vernon; his alibi is confirmed by telegrams; nearly hit by Whidden's rifle bullet.
- Harvey Whidden
Ambushes the group with a rifle; is killed in the shootout; revealed as the kidnapper and murderer of Eric Collinson.
- Dick Cotton
Discovers his wife's body; provides her dying confession; leads the group to the cove; shoots Whidden.
- Sheriff Feeney
Leads the search; weeps during the boat ride; confirms Mrs. Cotton's handwriting on the confession.
Key passages
“kill me if I didn't … so I said it … but he wasn't here that night … I didn't know he was guilty then … told me afterwards … tried to kidnap her Thursday night … husband nearly caught him … came in office after Collinson sent telegram and saw it … followed him and killed him … went to San Francisco, drinking whiskey … decided to go through with kidnapping anyway … phoned man who knew her to try to learn who he could get money from … too drunk to talk good … wrote letter and came back … met her on road … took her to old bootleggers' hiding place somewhere below Dull Point … goes in boat … afraid he'll kill me … locked in garret … writing while he's down getting food … murderer … I won't help him … Daisy Cotton.”
Mrs. Cotton's dying confession reveals that Whidden forced her to lie about his alibi, then admitted to kidnapping Gabrielle and murdering Eric Collinson. He hid her in a bootlegger's cave below Dull Point.
This confession is the key evidence leading the group to the cove and Whidden's capture.
“I tried twice; but I couldn't. I couldn't. I was too much a coward. I couldn't keep the pistol pointing at myself while I did it.”
Gabrielle attempted suicide twice after finding Eric's body but lacked the courage to pull the trigger.
Reveals Gabrielle's despair and her belief in the curse's power over her.