The Clue of the Twisted Candle · Chapters

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Chapter companions for The Clue of the Twisted Candle by Edgar Wallace.

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Chapter 1
I
John Lexman hosts Remington Kara for dinner at Beston Priory. Kara discusses his admiration for Lexman's mystery novels and his own ability to solve them. Lexman mentions his friend T. X. Meredith of the CID. After dinner, Lexman reveals his financial troubles with the moneylender Vassalaro, who has threatened him. Kara advises Lexman to use a revolver to intimidate Vassalaro. Grace Lexman, who had a prior unsettling encounter with Kara in Salonika, expresses her fear of him to John.
Chapter 2
II
T. X. Meredith, the Assistant Commissioner of Police, is in his Whitehall office berating Inspector Mansus for failing to find information about the wealthy Greek Remington Kara. The Chief Commissioner, Sir George Haley, arrives and discusses Kara's unusual request for a private police phone line due to fear of a blood feud. T. X. reveals he has already investigated Kara's house, which is fortified like a safe. The conversation shifts to John Lexman's financial troubles, and then a phone call from Lexman himself reveals he has shot and killed a man, prompting T. X. to rush to his aid.
Chapter 3
III
In the early hours after the shooting, John Lexman recounts the events to T. X. Meredith at Beston Priory. Lexman describes meeting Vassalaro, the confrontation, and the accidental shooting. T. X. notes the missing revolver and the suspicious burning of the threatening letter, realizing the evidence against Lexman is mounting. He interviews Grace Lexman, who reveals Kara's past proposal and her fear of him. T. X. and Mansus search the crime scene, finding only a cartridge. The chapter ends with Lexman being charged with murder.
Chapter 4
IV
T. X. Meredith interrogates Kara about his involvement in the events leading to Vassalaro's murder. Kara claims ignorance of the threatening letter and his whereabouts, but T. X. reveals detailed knowledge of Kara's movements, including a secret meeting with Vassalaro. The confrontation ends with Kara departing in anger.
Chapter 5
V
Six months after John Lexman's conviction, T. X. Meredith continues his investigation, searching for the missing revolver that could exonerate Lexman. He and Superintendent Mansus discover a second set of lodgings belonging to the murdered man Vassalaro, where they find a hidden packet wrapped in tin foil. Meanwhile, T. X. has maintained a strained friendship with Kara, who attempted to have him fired but was appeased by an apology. T. X. reflects on the case and the lack of evidence that led to Lexman's fifteen-year sentence.

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