# Mr. Stillman — Ashton-Kirk, Investigator character guide

> Mr. Stillman in Ashton-Kirk, Investigator by John T. McIntyre.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Stillman

**First appearance:** 0006-iv-stillman-s-theory

## Snapshot

A confident theorist on the portrait's disappearance, Stillman offers explanations that sound tidy until Ashton-Kirk quietly tests them against the facts.

## Who they are

Stillman belongs to the circle of people who think the missing portrait can be reasoned out like a parlor puzzle, and he is happy to supply a theory when asked. His certainty is both useful and suspect: it gives Pendleton something to argue with and Ashton-Kirk something to measure against the physical evidence. His account of the disappearance shapes how the early investigation frames the theft, even as the investigator's own deductions begin to pull the case elsewhere.

## In the story

### [IV: Stillman's Theory](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ashton_kirk_investigator_se/chapters/iv-stillman-s-theory)

The newly elected coroner, nervous and eager, takes charge of the investigation and orders inquiries.

### [Stillman Asks Questions](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ashton_kirk_investigator_se/chapters/v-stillman-asks-questions)

Coroner Stillman conducts formal interviews with witnesses, seeking to gather all possible information about the murder.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ashton_kirk_investigator_se/characters/stillman
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ashton_kirk_investigator_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ashton_kirk_investigator_se/characters