# Ernest Heath — The Canary Murder Case character guide > Ernest Heath in The Canary Murder Case by S. S. Van Dine. **Role:** supporting **Also known as:** Sergeant Heath, Heath, Sergeant Ernest Heath **First appearance:** 0005-ii-footprints-in-the-snow ## Snapshot A blunt, methodical police sergeant who works the Canary case by the book, chasing leads on Cleaver, Lindquist, and Mannix while tolerating Vance's unorthodox interference. ## Who they are Heath is the NYPD's boots on the ground, turning in reports and running down suspects while Markham and Vance debate theory upstairs. His dogged, procedural instincts clash with Vance's intuitive leaps, but he's too professional to ignore results. He matters because the case's early legwork—interrogations, alibis, surveillance—flows through his hands, and his findings repeatedly redirect the investigation. ## Relationships ### [John F.-X. Markham](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/characters/john_f_x_markham) _professional_ Detective Heath is Markham's loyal and hardworking subordinate, often clashing with Vance but deferring to Markham's authority. ### [Philo Vance](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/characters/philo_vance) _rivalry_ Heath is often frustrated by Vance's intellectual arrogance and interference in police procedures, creating a tense but grudgingly respectful rivalry. ### [Tony Skeel](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/characters/tony_skeel) _rivalry_ Heath views Skeel as a hardened criminal and pursues him aggressively, leading to open hostility between them. ### [Charles Cleaver](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/characters/charles_cleaver) _rivalry_ Heath suspects Cleaver of involvement in the murder, leading to sharp exchanges and mutual distrust. ### [Margaret Odell](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/characters/margaret_odell) _professional_ Heath interrogates Odell as a witness, often with impatience, though she proves to be a key source of information. ### [Tony Skeel](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/characters/tony_skeel) _rivalry_ Heath views Skeel as a hardened criminal and pursues him aggressively, leading to open hostility between them. ### [Philo Vance](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/characters/philo_vance) _rivalry_ Heath is often frustrated by Vance's intellectual arrogance and interference in police procedures, creating a tense but grudgingly respectful rivalry. ### [John F.-X. Markham](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/characters/john_f_x_markham) _professional_ Detective Heath is Markham's loyal and hardworking subordinate, often clashing with Vance but deferring to Markham's authority. ### [John F.-X. Markham](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/characters/john_f_x_markham) _professional_ Detective Heath is Markham's loyal and hardworking subordinate, often clashing with Vance but deferring to Markham's authority. ### [Charles Cleaver](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/characters/charles_cleaver) _rivalry_ Heath suspects Cleaver of involvement in the murder, leading to sharp exchanges and mutual distrust. ### [Margaret Odell](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/characters/margaret_odell) _professional_ Heath interrogates Odell as a witness, often with impatience, though she proves to be a key source of information. ### [Philo Vance](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/characters/philo_vance) _rivalry_ Heath is often frustrated by Vance's intellectual arrogance and interference in police procedures, creating a tense but grudgingly respectful rivalry. ## In the story ### [Characters of the Book](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/chapters/characters-of-the-book) Sergeant of the Homicide Bureau. ### [III: The Murder](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/chapters/iii-the-murder) Sergeant on scene; greets Markham and Vance, expresses frustration over the murder. ### [IV: The Print of a Hand](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/chapters/iv-the-print-of-a-hand) Sergeant directing the forensic examination, expressing frustration at the lack of fingerprints on key items. ### [The Bolted Door](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/chapters/v-the-bolted-door) Leads the investigation, demonstrates the bolted doors and barred windows, and interviews the janitor and maid. ### [VI: A Call for Help](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/chapters/vi-a-call-for-help) Sergeant Heath assists in the investigation and verifies Jessup's line of sight to the switchboard. ### [VII: A Nameless Visitor](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/chapters/vii-a-nameless-visitor) Sergeant who speculates that the visitor was a professional criminal and Odell's lover. ### [VIII: The Invisible Murderer](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/chapters/viii-the-invisible-murderer) Reports on the search of Apartment No. 2 and expresses determination to question the man who called at 9:30 PM. ### [IX: The Pack in Full Cry](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/chapters/ix-the-pack-in-full-cry) Receives the fingerprint report with excitement, orders Skeel's arrest and a search for a chisel, and dismisses Vance's doubts. ### [XII: Circumstantial Evidence](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/chapters/xii-circumstantial-evidence) Reports Skeel's arrest and the pawned ring; frustrated by the weak case against Skeel. ### [XIV: Vance Outlines a Theory](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/chapters/xiv-vance-outlines-a-theory) Mentioned as having turned in reports on Cleaver, Lindquist, and Mannix; his belief in Skeel's guilt is noted. ### [Four Possibilities](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/chapters/xv-four-possibilities) Mentioned as committed to Skeel's guilt and having turned in reports on the suspects. ### [XVIII: The Trap](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/chapters/xviii-the-trap) Present in Markham's office, looking pugnacious and disconsolate while reviewing the case. ### [The Doctor Explains](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/chapters/xix-the-doctor-explains) Expresses doubt about how Skeel entered the apartment and suggests getting an architect; remains convinced of Skeel's guilt. ### [XX: A Midnight Witness](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/chapters/xx-a-midnight-witness) Observes the interview and raises the theory about the empty document-box and a second intruder. ### [XXI: A Contradiction in Dates](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/chapters/xxi-a-contradiction-in-dates) Brings Cleaver to the office and is present during the interrogation. ### [XXII: A Telephone Call](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/chapters/xxii-a-telephone-call) Returns to the office hopeless; discusses the case and the discovery of the jewelry. ### [XXIII: The Ten O'Clock Appointment](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/chapters/xxiii-the-ten-o-clock-appointment) Restless and subdued; paces and checks for news; crosses himself in awe at the murder scene. ### [An Arrest](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/chapters/xxiv-an-arrest) Arrives triumphantly, announces Jessup's arrest, and lays out his circumstantial case. ### [XXV: Vance Demonstrates](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/chapters/xxv-vance-demonstrates) Initially jocular, becomes astonished as Vance proves Skeel could have bolted the door from outside. ### [XXVI: Reconstructing the Crime](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/chapters/xxvi-reconstructing-the-crime) Watches Vance with grudging admiration as his theory demolishes the fingerprint evidence against Jessup. ### [XXIX: Beethoven's "Andante"](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/chapters/xxix-beethoven-s-andante) Ordered by Markham to get a warrant and meet him at the Stuyvesant Club. ### [XXX: The End](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/chapters/xxx-the-end) Arrives with Snitkin to assist in the arrest, expresses astonishment at Spotswoode being the culprit. ### [Endnotes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/chapters/endnotes) Heath became acquainted with Vance during the Benson murder investigation. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/characters/ernest_heath - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/characters