The Roman Hat Mystery · Chapter
In Which the Hat Grows explained
On the third morning after the murder, Inspector Queen and Ellery rise early and, after a hasty breakfast, arrange to meet Louis Panzer and Mrs.
What happens
On the third morning after the murder, Inspector Queen and Ellery rise early and, after a hasty breakfast, arrange to meet Louis Panzer and Mrs. Phillips at the Roman Theatre. They conduct a thorough search of the premises, with Ellery and Mrs. Phillips conversing on stage before disappearing. The Inspector searches the orchestra, lounge, and restrooms without finding the missing object. Panzer delivers a parcel from Cronin, and the Inspector hints that finding a certain object is crucial to the case. Meanwhile, Detective Hagstrom reports that Angela Russo has entered Benjamin Morgan's office, prompting the Inspector to order her detained.
Themes in this chapter
The Primacy of Rational Deduction
Ellery's logical analysis of the missing hat—deducing that it left the theatre on a man's head, and that the man was either the murderer or an accomplice—exemplifies the theme of rational deduction.
The Relentless Quest for Truth
The Queens' early-morning search of the theatre, the Inspector's meticulous examination of every corner, and the pursuit of Angela Russo all underscore the relentless pursuit of truth.
Characters to notice
- Ellery Queen
Rises early with his father, participates in the search of the Roman Theatre, and engages in earnest conversation with Mrs. Phillips on stage before disappearing.
- Richard Queen
Leads the investigation, arranges to meet Panzer and Mrs. Phillips at the theatre, conducts a meticulous search of the premises, and receives a parcel from Cronin via Panzer.
- Djuna
Prepares breakfast for the Queens and is disappointed at being left behind, as he often pleads to accompany them on investigations.
- Louis Panzer
Meets the Queens at the theatre, opens it for their search, delivers a parcel from Cronin to the Inspector, and discusses the case with Queen.
- Angela Russo
Reported by Detective Hagstrom to have entered Benjamin Morgan's office after attempting to evade surveillance.
- Thomas Velie
Informs the Inspector that Cronin is frustrated at Field's office and appears pleased upon hearing of Angela Russo's visit to Morgan.
Key passages
“leads us inevitably, to my staggering mind, to the third fundamental conclusion: that Monte Field’s hat left the theatre in the most natural manner in the world: id est , by way of some man’s head, its owner being garbed in appropriate evening-clothes!”
Ellery concludes that the only logical way Monte Field's hat left the theatre was on the head of a man wearing evening clothes.
Ellery presents a key deduction about the missing hat.
“If he was the murderer, we have definitely established the sex and also the fact that our man was wearing evening-clothes that night—perhaps not a very illuminating point, since there were scores of such men in the theatre. If he was only an accomplice, we must conclude that the murderer was one of two possibilities: either a man dressed in ordinary clothes, whose possession of a tophat as he left would be patently suspicious; or else a woman, who of course could not sport a tophat at all!”
Ellery reasons that the hat-wearer is either the killer in evening dress or an accomplice, in which case the murderer must be a man in ordinary clothes or a woman.
Ellery expands on the implications of the hat's departure.
“A half hour ago she thought she’d given me the slip—she hopped into a cab and beat it downtown. … And say, Inspector—just three minutes ago I saw her enter Benjamin Morgan’s office!”
Detective Hagstrom reports that Angela Russo evaded him briefly and then entered Benjamin Morgan's office.
Hagstrom's surveillance reveals a new connection between Angela Russo and Benjamin Morgan.
