The Man in Lower Ten · Chapter
At the Table Next explained
McKnight and the narrator catch up with Hotchkiss, who is theorizing about left-handedness and the murder.
What happens
McKnight and the narrator catch up with Hotchkiss, who is theorizing about left-handedness and the murder. They return to Washington and dine at a restaurant, where the narrator spots Bronson dining with a woman. After Bronson leaves, the narrator recognizes the woman as the one from the Ontario wreck. She later requests to speak with him, raising his anxiety about her potential to implicate him in the murder.
Themes in this chapter
The Unreliability of Circumstantial Evidence
Hotchkiss's detailed theory about left-handedness and the angle of the stiletto wound illustrates how circumstantial evidence can be interpreted in multiple ways.
Deception and Hidden Agendas
The narrator's fear that the woman from the Ontario could expose him and Alison West highlights the hidden dangers and secrets surrounding the case.
Characters to notice
- Richey McKnight
Dines with the narrator, observes Bronson and the woman, and warns the narrator to 'jolly her a little.'
- Wilson Budd Hotchkiss
Theorizes about left-handedness and the murder; departs for his hotel after the train ride.
- Unknown Narrator
Narrates the chapter; recognizes the woman from the Ontario and fears she may implicate him.
- Andy Bronson
Seen dining with the woman; leaves abruptly after an unpleasant conversation.
- Mrs. Carter
The woman from the Ontario; identified by the narrator as the tall, stately woman with a scar over her eye.
Key passages
““The idea is this,” he was saying, his brows knitted in thought, “if a left-handed man, standing in the position of the man in the picture, should jump from a car, would he be likely to sprain his right ankle?”
Hotchkiss speculates whether a left-handed man jumping from a car would sprain his right ankle.
Hotchkiss's convoluted reasoning about handedness and injury.
““But, gentleman, the point of entrance for the stiletto was below the heart, striking up! As Harrington lay with his head toward the engine, a person in the aisle must have used the left hand.””
Hotchkiss argues that the stiletto wound's upward angle proves the killer was left-handed.
Hotchkiss's key deduction about the murder weapon and handedness.
“I could see the scar now, a little affair, about an inch long, gleaming red through its layers of powder.”
The narrator notices a small red scar on the woman's face, partially hidden by makeup.
The woman's scar from the wreck, now visible under powder.