File No. 113 · Character

M. Verduret

A quick-sighted, cheerfully unscrupulous investigator who scales garden walls and picks locks with the calm of a man opening a snuffbox.

supporting

Also known as Verduret, the quick-sighted Verduret

First appearance: i

As a supporting figure in File No. 113, M. Verduret is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

The red-whiskered man who reveals himself as Prosper's protector.

In the storyVIIOpen this moment free

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Verduret works the case from outside the official police, dragging a reluctant Prosper through rain and sleet to peer into Raoul de Lagors's lighted window. He is older than his companion but tireless, indifferent to mud and discovery, and convinced that the solution of the mystery sits just beyond a ladder that is six feet too short. His methods are unorthodox and his manner almost playful, yet his instincts are the sharpest in the book, and the early investigation bends wherever he pushes it.

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See M. Verduret in i

Character Web

24 connections

A slice of how M. Verduret sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Main Investigation Cast
Past Connections & Grudges

+19 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This is the dramatic climax because Valentine’s psychological state peaks in a crisis of mortal dread and help…

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In the story

M. Verduret appears across 8 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

VII
The red-whiskered man who reveals himself as Prosper's protector. He analyzes the mysterious letter and money, deducing the sender is a woman and the words were cut from a prayerbook.
VIII
Arranges the meeting with Fauvel; observes and analyzes the banker; eavesdrops on Prosper and Madeleine; convinces Prosper that Madeleine still loves him.
IX
Presents evidence about Raoul's identity and the Clameran family; receives the prayerbook and hurries Prosper to Vésinet.
Chapter X
Leads the surveillance, calms Prosper, and deduces that appearances may be misleading.
Chapter XI
Disguised as a clown at the ball, he confronts Raoul and the Marquis, and observes the interactions between the women and the men.
XXII: The Catastrophe
Reveals his extensive investigation, including travels to Beaucaire, Clameran, and Oloron; expresses anger at Prosper's anonymous letter.
XXIII
His predictions about M. Fauvel's reaction are realized; Gypsy acts to give him time to prevent a murder.
XXIV
Intervenes to stop the shooting and reveals the truth about Raoul's identity.

Chapter companion notes

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