The Sea Mystery · Character

Sergeant Daw

Ashburton's rural police sergeant, sharper than his rank suggests, who supplies French with local knowledge and stout disbelief in equal measure.

supporting

Also known as Daw, Sergeant

First appearance: ii inspector french gets busy

As a supporting figure in The Sea Mystery, Sergeant Daw is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Local sergeant who investigated the disappearance of Berlyn and Pyke; provides French with descriptions of the missing men.

In the storyV: Messrs. Berlyn and PykeOpen this moment free

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Daw knows the Veda Works, its hundred employees, and the reputations of the gentlemen who run it, and he is flattered enough by French's confiding manner to help freely. But when French proposes that Berlyn and Pyke may not have died in the mire at all, the sergeant's loyalty to their memory hardens into open scepticism. His resistance gives the investigation its friction: the man who knows the ground refuses to believe what the ground implies.

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See Sergeant Daw in ii inspector french gets busy

Character Web

32 connections

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

Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Core suspects and family
Witnesses and supporting characters
Protagonist

+27 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

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

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

In this excerpt, the emotional and psychological peak occurs as French endures hours of tense, cold, and frust…

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Relationships

Colonel Domlio
professional · positive
Colonel Domlio and Sergeant Daw cooperate as local law enforcement and military contacts. How this plays out →
Colonel Domlio
professional · positive
Colonel Domlio and Sergeant Daw cooperate as local law enforcement and military contacts. How this plays out →
Colonel Domlio
professional · positive
Colonel Domlio and Sergeant Daw cooperate as local law enforcement and military contacts. How this plays out →

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See Sergeant Daw in ii inspector french gets busy

In the story

Sergeant Daw appears across 6 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

V: Messrs. Berlyn and Pyke
Local sergeant who investigated the disappearance of Berlyn and Pyke; provides French with descriptions of the missing men.
Dartmoor
Assists French, recounts the night of the disappearance, and accompanies him on the drive.
VIII: A Fresh Start
Discusses the impossibility of disposing of a body in the mires and provides local gossip about Mrs. Berlyn's relationships.
XIII: The Accomplice?
Informs French of the rumor that Berlyn murdered Pyke; provides background information on Colonel Domlio.
XIV: French Turns Fisherman
Assists French in the nighttime fishing expedition at the well.
Blackmail
Assists French in obtaining a pump and preparing to drain the well.

Chapter companion notes

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See Sergeant Daw in ii inspector french gets busy

See Sergeant Daw in V: Messrs. Berlyn and Pyke