The Jade God · Chapters
Chapters explained
Chapter companions for The Jade God by Alan Sullivan.
Each chapter has a companion in the reader — open a free preview to see notes beside the text.
Chapter 1
I: The Old House
John Derrick and his sister Edith move into Beech Lodge, a house with a mysterious past. Derrick feels an inexplicable connection to the place, sensing that someone died in the study and that the house itself has chosen them. The Thursbys, the previous tenants, visit and hint at a sudden death in the house. Perkins, the maid, unsettles Edith with her strange expression. Derrick becomes increasingly convinced that the house holds secrets tied to its former occupant, Millicent.
Chapter 2
II: Perkins
Derrick and Perkins engage in a deep, mystical conversation about the lingering evil in Beech Lodge, particularly in the study where Mr. Millicent died. Perkins reveals her belief that the room has absorbed emotions and evil over the years, and that Millicent's spirit is trying to communicate. Derrick feels a supernatural connection to the house and begins to perceive vibrations from the past. The chapter also includes an interruption by inventory men, Jarrad and Dawkins, and ends with Derrick sensing that the key to the mystery is near.
Chapter 3
III: The Man from the East
Derrick struggles with his writing at Beech Lodge, feeling increasingly drawn to the study and the portrait of Millicent. Edith expresses unease about the house, feeling superficial and threatened. Perkins reveals that Millicent's gardener, missing for two years, has returned and wishes to be rehired. Derrick interviews the man, who appears mysterious and unsettling.
Chapter 4
IV: Jean
Two weeks after the staff at Beech Lodge is completed, Mrs. Millicent and her daughter Jean walk near their old home for the first time since the tragedy. Jean feels an impulse to pass by Beech Lodge, and they see Perkins at the window and Martin in the garden. Later, Jean visits Derrick at Beech Lodge to discuss Martin's presence and the lingering influence of her father's death. Derrick shares his sense of purpose and the mysterious forces drawing them together, while Perkins is seen in a somnambulistic state, mourning her master.
Chapter 5
V: The Paper-Knife
Derrick visits Sergeant Burke at the Bamberley police station to discuss the Millicent murder case. He presents a small dark green object—the paper-knife—that he found, shocking Burke. Derrick probes Burke's views on criminal psychology, coincidence, and the behavior of suspects, revealing that Martin (the gardener) returned from Burma and Canada because he 'had to come,' and that Perkins sleepwalks and is drawn to the desk where Mr. Millicent was found. Burke, cautious but intrigued, agrees to share information unofficially, hoping to solve the baffling case.
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