The Door with Seven Locks · Chapter
IX explained
Dick Martin drives through a storm to visit Bertram Cody, where he discovers a key similar to Sybil Lansdown's.
What happens
Dick Martin drives through a storm to visit Bertram Cody, where he discovers a key similar to Sybil Lansdown's. On his return journey, he is waylaid by a staged road closure and attacked by a naked, bestial figure at the home of Dr. Stalletti, whom he had earlier encountered for petrol.
Themes in this chapter
Secrecy and Deception
Cody's denial of contact with Lord Selford and the staged road closure highlight layers of deceit.
Crime and Detection
Dick's investigation of the key and the attack at Stalletti's house advance the criminal plot.
Characters to notice
- Dick Martin
Drives to Cody's, finds a key, and later fights a naked assailant at Stalletti's house.
- Sybil Lansdown
Recalled by Dick when he touches the notebook; her key is compared to the one he found.
- Bertram Cody
Visited by Dick; denies communication with Lord Selford.
- Antonio Stalletti
Encountered at his house; sells petrol to Dick and is linked to the attack.
- Slick
Mentally referred to as Dick examines the red lamps on the road.
Key passages
“Dick drove a six-cylinder coupé whose bodywork had seen better days, though he claimed for its engine that the world had not seen its equal.”
Dick's car was old and worn on the outside, but he boasted that its engine was unmatched.
Establishes Dick's character and the setting of the journey.
“Before he unfastened the thin flap of the purse he knew what it contained. But he was unprepared for the shape and size of the key that lay in his palm.”
Dick anticipated finding a key in the purse, but was surprised by its size and shape.
Key discovery moment, linking to Sybil's key.
“It was an almost exact replica, in point of size, of that which Sybil Lansdown had shown him in the train, and which was now in the strongroom of his bank.”
The key was nearly identical in size to the one Sybil had shown him, now stored in his bank's safe.
Direct comparison to Sybil's key, reinforcing the mystery.
“The enterprising gentlemen who had made such strenuous efforts, and gone to such expense, to secure Sybil Lansdown’s key would not hesitate to hold up a car.”
The people who tried so hard to get Sybil's key would likely rob a car without hesitation.
Dick's realization of the danger he faces.
“He threw the middle light into the ditch, and found a satisfaction in hearing the crash of the glass.”
He tossed the middle lamp into the ditch, enjoying the sound of it breaking.
Dick's defiance against the staged roadblock.
“Huge bare arms were encircling his shoulders; a great hand was groping for his face, and he struck blindly at a bare torso, so muscled that, even as he struck, he realized that he was wasting his strength.”
A massive, naked figure grabbed Dick from behind; his punches had no effect on the muscular body.
Description of the attack, emphasizing the assailant's strength.