The Wrong Letter · Chapters

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Chapter companions for The Wrong Letter by Walter S. Masterman.

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Chapter 1
The Wrong Letter
Collins and Mabel discover a letter that was mistakenly delivered, revealing crucial information about the murder and the relationships between the characters.
Chapter 2
I: The Crime
Superintendent Sinclair receives a telephone call from a woman claiming to be the murderer, informing him that the Home Secretary, Sir James Watson, has been murdered. Initially dismissing it as a prank, Sinclair is soon visited by amateur detective Sylvester Collins, who also received a mysterious summons. They proceed to Sir James's house in Leveson Square, where they find the body and interview the housekeeper, Mrs. Simmons. Collins deduces that the murder was premeditated, noting that a notification of the crime was posted before the murder occurred. He then sets off to break the news to Sir James's daughter in Devonshire.
Chapter 3
II: Speculations
Collins, Sinclair, and Boyce gather at Collins's flat to discuss the murder of Sir James Watson. Over cigars and coffee, Collins outlines four possibilities: suicide, accident, murder by a madman, or cold-blooded deliberate murder. They analyze the evidence, including the letter to the Central News, the telephone call, the mysterious visitor, and the locked-room mystery. Collins decides to visit Mrs. Simmons to gather more information, leaving Sinclair and Boyce to pursue their own lines of inquiry.
Chapter 4
At the Vale
Collins travels to Sir James Watson's country home, The Vale, to break the news of the murder to Mabel Watson. He observes the peaceful setting and learns from the butler, Old John, about Mabel's romantic interest in Eric Sanders, Sir James's private secretary. Collins also discovers a visiting card from Sanders with a desperate plea. Mabel, though grief-stricken, composes herself and reveals she has a brother, Ronald, who was sent away. She suggests sending for Sanders, who then wires that he is coming to The Vale.
Chapter 5
IV: The Missing Letter
Superintendent Sinclair reads a mysterious letter from Sir James Watson, written the day before his murder, which warns of a clever ruffian, instructs Sinclair to find Sir James's son and retrieve a hidden will, and explicitly advises against consulting Sylvester Collins. Sinclair decides to keep the letter secret from Collins and proceeds to Leveson Square, where a thorough search of the murder room has revealed no secret exit and no sign of the letter.

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The Wrong Letter

I: The Crime

II: Speculations

At the Vale

IV: The Missing Letter