Peter passes on the information about the secret love affair between Frank and Miss Twitterton, to Kirk who does indeed feel that this makes it likely that she is the murderer. She was the only one who had keys to the house or who was accustomed to going in there. She has no alibi, and she was also Noakes' heir.
Harriet is depressed because she can feel Peter's depression at not solving the crime. The 2 companies who lent Noakes money are coming to remove the furniture for sale against the debt and she and Peter feel that the best thing is perhaps to leave the house for the present and return later. But she wonders if Peter will always feel unhappy in the house now that he has failed to do his job there.
On the day of the funeral, the men come to remove furniture while Peter and Harriet invite a few people in for a drink, and Mr Goodacre notes that the cactus has been over watered. This alerts Peter that something is wrong, and he realises how the murder was done. The chain has been changed and is now hanging lower than it used to, and a thin wire had been fixed to the radio cabinet so that when the lid was lifted to listen to the news, as Noakes did every night, the heavy pot would come smashing down on his head. Frank was the one who watered the cactus. Peter sets up the same situation and when Frank comes in to move furniture, he moves the radio and the cactus comes smashing down, missing him by inches. Startled, he makes a wild confession and Kirk arrests him.
Peter is relieved that he has solved his case, but the whole business depresses him. He does not like Crutchley but he had a grievance against Noakes, and he is a poor man, who resents those who are better off than him. He and Harriet go back to London, and Peter hires Sir Impey Biggs who is a very famous and skilful lawyer, and asks him to defend Crutchley. However, Frank insists on going into the box, himself, and makes a poor impression on the jury and he has made a confession, so the verdict goes against him. Peter tries to see if there is anything he can do to help the man, but Frank refuses to see him or to appeal. They learn that he has made his girlfriend Polly pregnant, and Peter tries to see him to ask if he wants to get permission to marry her but Crutchley angrily refuses to do anything to help himself or the girl.
Harriet suggests they ask Miss Climpson for help in assisting Polly, and he goes along with the suggestion.. but she still feels that her husband is emotionally withdrawn from her. The night of the execution, Peter manages to see Crutchley who is still angry and unrepentant, and he comes back to Harriet, turning to her at last. She feels some relief that he has finally shown that he needs her. Peter usualy asks the condemned man for his forgiveness but Crutchley is just angry and does not seem to care about anything. He tells Peter that he was a fool to bother about Polly and the baby. Harriet tells him that if he hadn't interfered in her murder case, it might have been her who was facing execution. The two of them wait for the 8 o'clock strike which will mean that its all over, and they can go on with their marriage.
No comments:
Post a Comment