# I: The Crime explained — The Wrong Letter

> Chapter companion for The Wrong Letter by Walter S. Masterman.

## What happens

Superintendent Sinclair receives a telephone call from a woman claiming to be the murderer, informing him that the Home Secretary, Sir James Watson, has been murdered. Initially dismissing it as a prank, Sinclair is soon visited by amateur detective Sylvester Collins, who also received a mysterious summons. They proceed to Sir James's house in Leveson Square, where they find the body and interview the housekeeper, Mrs. Simmons. Collins deduces that the murder was premeditated, noting that a notification of the crime was posted before the murder occurred. He then sets off to break the news to Sir James's daughter in Devonshire.

## Themes in this chapter

### Deception and Appearance vs. Reality

The murderer's phone call impersonates a friend, and the postmark on the envelope reveals that the crime was announced before it occurred, highlighting the theme of deceptive appearances.

### The Role of the Detective

Collins, an amateur detective, works alongside official police, using his legal training and intuition to uncover clues that the official force overlooks.

## Character check-ins

### Sylvester Collins

Amateur detective who arrives at Scotland Yard after receiving a mysterious phone call; accompanies Sinclair to the crime scene and takes charge of the investigation.

### Arthur Sinclair

Superintendent at Scotland Yard who receives the initial murder call and later works with Collins at the crime scene.

### Sir James Watson

The Home Secretary who is found murdered in his study, shot through the head.

### Mrs. Simmons

Housekeeper at Sir James's house who provides an account of the day's events and is allowed to leave but placed under surveillance.

### Lewis

Sinclair's assistant who attempts to trace the initial phone call and later reports on the call's origin.

### F. D. Boyce

A man present at Scotland Yard when the murder notification arrives; Collins invites him to dinner, and he later listens to the discussion.

## Key lines

> The telephone bell rang on the table of Superintendent Sinclair at Scotland Yard.

The phone rang on Superintendent Sinclair's desk at Scotland Yard.

_Opening the chapter with the call that sets the plot in motion._

> I am authorized to inform you that the Home Secretary, Sir James Watson, was murdered this afternoon at his house in Leveson Square between three and four o’clock, by an unknown assailant.

The official notification states that Sir James Watson was killed at his home between three and four in the afternoon by an unidentified attacker.

_The formal announcement of the murder._

> This was sent off before the murder took place.

The envelope was mailed before the murder happened.

_Collins's key observation that the crime was pre-announced._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_wrong_letter_se/chapters/i-the-crime
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_wrong_letter_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_wrong_letter_se/chapters