The Viaduct Murder · Chapter
III: Piecing It Together explained
Mordaunt Reeves and Gordon Davenant meet in Reeves' room at the Paston Oatvile dormy-house to analyze the evidence.
What happens
Mordaunt Reeves and Gordon Davenant meet in Reeves' room at the Paston Oatvile dormy-house to analyze the evidence. They debate whether the dead man is S. Brotherhood, discuss the possibility of murder versus suicide, and examine the anonymous letter containing a series of numbers. Reeves deduces it is a book cipher, with each triplet representing page, line, and word. They also consider a torn shopping list, the railway ticket, and the handkerchief found with the body. Reeves plans to investigate Brotherhood's bungalow, while Gordon will follow up on the Masterman clue.
Themes in this chapter
Detection and Rationality
Reeves and Gordon apply logical reasoning and cryptographic analysis to decipher the anonymous letter and evaluate the evidence.
Deception and Secrecy
The anonymous letter, the book cipher, and the possibility of a faked suicide all underscore themes of hidden messages and intentional misdirection.
Appearance vs. Reality
The chapter questions whether the dead man is truly Brotherhood, whether the death is suicide or murder, and whether the evidence can be taken at face value.
Characters to notice
- Mordaunt Reeves
Leads the analysis of the cipher and evidence; proposes the book cipher theory and plans to investigate Brotherhood's bungalow.
- Gordon Davenant
Assists Reeves in examining the documents; offers suggestions and is assigned to follow the Masterman clue.
- Sherlock Holmes
Referenced humorously by Reeves when discussing how to introduce himself at the bungalow.
Key passages
“The first few words were ordinary words, that you could find anywhere on any page: and naturally, to save himself and the other man trouble in counting, he took them from the top of the page, so you get lines 7, 4, 2, 6, and 4 of pages 8, 18, 21, 25 and 31.”
The sender chose common words from the beginning of lines to make the cipher easier for both parties.
Reeves explains his reasoning behind the book cipher structure.
“I shall be the Daily Mail reporter—unless I run into the real article on the mat.”
Reeves plans to pose as a journalist to gather information at the bungalow.
Reeves jokingly acknowledges the possibility of encountering an actual reporter.