# Conclusion explained — The Man in the Queue

> Chapter companion for The Man in the Queue by Josephine Tey.

## What happens

Grant and Barker discuss the resolution of the case, revealing that Mrs. Wallis is the true murderer, acting out of obsession with Ray Marcable. Grant reflects on the missteps of the investigation, the role of the brooch and dagger, and the fates of Sorrell and Lamont. The chapter ends with Grant planning a holiday and noting that Mrs. Wallis will likely be acquitted by a sympathetic jury.

## Themes in this chapter

### Obsession and Madness

Sorrell's obsessive love for Ray Marcable drives him to murder and suicide; Mrs. Wallis's actions are described as stemming from a form of madness.

### Justice and Miscarriage

Grant reflects on how close he came to convicting an innocent man (Lamont) based on circumstantial evidence, highlighting the fragility of justice.

### Appearance vs. Reality

The brooch's monogram is misread as M.R. instead of R.M., leading investigators astray; Sorrell's facade of going to America hides his true intentions.

## Character check-ins

### Inspector Grant

Reflects on the case, acknowledges his mistakes, and plans a holiday to Hampshire.

### Mrs. Wallis

Confesses to the murder; her sanity is questioned but she is deemed fit to plead.

### Bert Sorrell

Revealed to have planned the murder of Ray Marcable and his own suicide, driven by unrequited love.

### Gerald Lamont

Exonerated; Grant is relieved that Lamont will be freed.

### Ray Marcable

The target of Sorrell's obsession; she remains unaware of the full truth, having left for America.

### Barker

Discusses the case with Grant, expresses surprise at the resolution.

## Key lines

> If logic carried to excess is madness, then she is.

Grant suggests that Mrs. Wallis's extreme rationality could be considered a form of insanity.

_Grant's assessment of Mrs. Wallis's mental state._

> The whole thing falls into place now—Sorrell’s suicide, the gift of the money to Lamont, the booking of the passage, the brooch.

Grant explains how all the pieces of the puzzle fit together once Mrs. Wallis's confession is known.

_Grant's realization of the true sequence of events._

> He had been saved from that. It had been so clear a case where evidence was concerned—the quarrel, the left-handedness, the scar.

Grant acknowledges that he was saved from convicting an innocent man because the evidence pointed so strongly to Lamont.

_Grant's relief at avoiding a miscarriage of justice._

> Unwritten laws, he says, are not supposed to be valid in this country, but a British jury is in reality just as sentimental as a French one.

Grant predicts that the jury will be swayed by emotion and acquit Mrs. Wallis despite the law.

_Grant's cynical view of the legal system's reliance on sentiment._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_man_in_the_queue_se/chapters/xviii-conclusion
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- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_man_in_the_queue_se/chapters