# Mr. Brinkman — The Three Taps character guide > Mr. Brinkman in The Three Taps by Ronald A. Knox. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Brinkman, Mrs. Davis, the late Mr. Davis, friend Brinkman, Poor Brinkman **First appearance:** 0001-the-three-taps ## Snapshot Mottram's secretary, secretive and cool-headed, who slips out of the inn with a despatch-box and a thousand pounds that aren't his. ## Who they are Brinkman serves as the dead man's secretary and, by the evidence of his flight, something considerably more complicated — a man prepared to bolt for South America with his employer's money and car. Yet he also paid Mrs. Davis's bill before leaving, a small decency that unsettles the easy verdict of pure villainy. Leyland insists criminals are not made all in one piece, and Brinkman proves the point: his coolness under pursuit, his apparent intimacy with Mottram, and his ambiguous motives make him the case's most tantalizing thread. ## Relationships ### [Miles Bredon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_taps_se/characters/miles_bredon) _professional_ Miles Bredon, as an investigator, interacts frequently with Mr. Brinkman, likely a key figure in the case or employer. ### [Mr. Leyland](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_taps_se/characters/mr_leyland) _professional_ Mr. Brinkman and Mr. Leyland are colleagues or business associates, with frequent interactions suggesting close professional ties. ### [Angela Bredon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_taps_se/characters/angela_bredon) _professional_ Angela Bredon interacts with Mr. Brinkman, likely in a professional or investigative context, possibly as a suspect or witness. ### [Mr. Mottram](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_taps_se/characters/mr_mottram) _professional_ Mr. Brinkman and Mr. Mottram share a professional relationship, possibly as colleagues or in a business hierarchy. ### [Mr. Eames](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_taps_se/characters/mr_eames) _professional_ Mr. Brinkman and Mr. Eames have a professional relationship, possibly as employer and employee or business partners. ### [Mr. Pulteney](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_taps_se/characters/mr_pulteney) _professional_ Mr. Brinkman and Mr. Pulteney share a professional relationship, possibly as colleagues or in a business network. ### [Simmonds](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_taps_se/characters/simmonds) _professional_ Mr. Brinkman and Simmonds interact in a professional capacity, likely as employer and employee or colleagues. ### [Miles Bredon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_taps_se/characters/miles_bredon) _professional_ Miles Bredon, as an investigator, interacts frequently with Mr. Brinkman, likely a key figure in the case or employer. ### [Angela Bredon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_taps_se/characters/angela_bredon) _professional_ Angela Bredon interacts with Mr. Brinkman, likely in a professional or investigative context, possibly as a suspect or witness. ### [Mr. Leyland](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_taps_se/characters/mr_leyland) _professional_ Mr. Brinkman and Mr. Leyland are colleagues or business associates, with frequent interactions suggesting close professional ties. ### [Mr. Mottram](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_taps_se/characters/mr_mottram) _professional_ Mr. Brinkman and Mr. Mottram share a professional relationship, possibly as colleagues or in a business hierarchy. ### [Mr. Pulteney](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_taps_se/characters/mr_pulteney) _professional_ Mr. Brinkman and Mr. Pulteney share a professional relationship, possibly as colleagues or in a business network. ## In the story ### [III: At the Load of Mischief](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_taps_se/chapters/iii-at-the-load-of-mischief) Mentioned by Pulteney as the secretary staying at the Load of Mischief; Mrs. Davis later says he was in a great taking about Mottram's death. ### [IV: The Bedroom](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_taps_se/chapters/iv-the-bedroom) Mottram's secretary; briefly seen exiting the death room with a policeman as Bredon and Angela arrive. ### [V: Supper, and Mr. Brinkman](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_taps_se/chapters/v-supper-and-mr-brinkman) Nervous at supper, deflects talk of Mottram, later discusses the suicide and Mottram's health with Bredon. ### [VI: An Ear at the Keyhole](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_taps_se/chapters/vi-an-ear-at-the-keyhole) Bredon thinks he knows more than he says; his explanation for the gas tap is dismissed. ### [VII: From Leyland’s Notebook](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_taps_se/chapters/vii-from-leyland-s-notebook) Mentioned as a possible suspect; uses matches of the ordinary kind, but Leyland finds his manner secretive and no clear motive. ### [VIII: The Bishop at Home](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_taps_se/chapters/viii-the-bishop-at-home) Mottram's secretary who wired the Bishop about Mottram's death. ### [X: The Bet Doubled](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_taps_se/chapters/x-the-bet-doubled) Gives evidence at the inquest, confirming the discovery of the body and the locked door. ### [XI: The Generalship of Angela](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_taps_se/chapters/xi-the-generalship-of-angela) Target of Angela's scheme; his cigarette is identified as 'Callipoli' after he is tricked into participating in the blindfold game. ### [XII: The Makings of a Trap](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_taps_se/chapters/xii-the-makings-of-a-trap) Brinkman is the target of the trap; he has been eavesdropping and is suspected of having a hidden interest in Mottram's death. ### [XIII: A Morning with the Haberdasher](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_taps_se/chapters/xiii-a-morning-with-the-haberdasher) Hidden listener to the staged conversation; his evasiveness is discussed. ### [XIV: Bredon Is Taken for a Walk](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_taps_se/chapters/xiv-bredon-is-taken-for-a-walk) Invites Bredon for a walk to the gorge, pointedly excluding Angela; engages in rambling conversation about geology and Pulteney, avoiding the expected disclosure. ### [XVI: A Visitor from Pullford](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_taps_se/chapters/xvi-a-visitor-from-pullford) Exchanges words with Eames, discusses Mottram's affairs and plans to go to London. ### [XVII: Mysterious Behaviour of the Old Gentleman](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_taps_se/chapters/xvii-mysterious-behaviour-of-the-old-gentleman) Absent from inn during funeral; suspected of preparing secret departure with disguised car and provisions. ### [XIX: How Leyland Spent the Evening](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_taps_se/chapters/xix-how-leyland-spent-the-evening) The target of the trap; leaves by the front door carrying a despatch-box. ### [XX: How Bredon Spent the Evening](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_taps_se/chapters/xx-how-bredon-spent-the-evening) Seen leaving the inn with a despatch-box, heading toward the garage. ### [XXI: How Eames Spent the Evening](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_taps_se/chapters/xxi-how-eames-spent-the-evening) Flees on foot, makes a mysterious leap near the gorge, then escapes by car. ### [XXIII: Leyland’s Account of It All](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_taps_se/chapters/xxiii-leyland-s-account-of-it-all) Discussed as the prime suspect; his motives, preparations, and attempted flight are detailed. ### [XXV: Bredon's Account of It All](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_taps_se/chapters/xxv-bredon-s-account-of-it-all) Collaborated with Mottram on the test, burned the unsigned will, and attempted to frame the death as suicide; escapes at the end. ### [List of Illustrations](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_taps_se/chapters/list-of-illustrations) Referenced in the illustration caption as the person who found the three taps. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_taps_se/characters/mr_brinkman - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_taps_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_three_taps_se/characters