The Man in the Queue · Chapter
IV: Raoul Legarde explained
Grant receives an anonymous letter containing £25 for the burial of the queue murder victim, sparking theories about the sender's identity and motives.
What happens
Grant receives an anonymous letter containing £25 for the burial of the queue murder victim, sparking theories about the sender's identity and motives. He dines with Williams at Laurent's, where he senses he is being watched through a screen. After a failed attempt to catch the observer, Grant interviews Raoul Legarde, a young waiter who witnessed the murder and provides a crucial description of the left-handed killer. Grant issues an all-stations alert for the suspect.
Themes in this chapter
Identity and Concealment
The anonymous sender uses block capitals and no fingerprints to hide their identity; Legarde initially conceals his knowledge of the murder out of fear.
Justice and Miscarriage
Grant's methodical investigation and use of forensic evidence aim to bring the murderer to justice, while the anonymous burial money suggests a hidden moral conscience.
Urban Anonymity and Alienation
The killer remains unidentified in the crowd; the anonymous benefactor cares for the victim but remains unknown, highlighting the isolation of individuals in London.
Characters to notice
- Inspector Grant
Receives the anonymous burial money, dines with Williams, senses he is being watched, and interviews Legarde, issuing a warrant for a left-handed suspect.
- Williams
Dines with Grant, offers theories on the murder being a gang affair, and helps Grant attempt to catch the watcher behind the screen.
- Raoul Legarde
A young waiter at Laurent's who witnessed the murder and provides Grant with a detailed description of the killer, including that he is left-handed.
- Marcel
The head waiter at Laurent's who greets Grant and Williams, expressing sorrow over the lack of a good table.
Key passages
“To bury the man who was found in the queue.”
This money is for the burial of the man discovered in the queue.
The note accompanying the £25 in banknotes, indicating the sender's intent to provide a proper burial.
“Somewhere in London tonight was someone who cared sufficiently for the dead man to spend twenty-five pounds to keep him from a pauper’s grave, but who would not claim him.”
There is someone in London who cares enough about the dead man to pay for his burial but refuses to identify themselves.
Grant's reflection on the anonymous sender's motives.
“I am sorry now that I did not tell before, but you understand how it was? To have run away at first made it difficult. And I did not know that the police were so gentil.”
I regret not coming forward earlier; running away made it harder, and I didn't realize the police could be so kind.
Legarde's apology to Grant for initially withholding his eyewitness account.