DOAD – Chapter 15 & Epilogue – Lord Clivers

Wolfe lucked out and Wade Worthy aka Carl Yeager was captured by the state police without incident.

Wolfe cooked the trout for dinner (he cooked trout in ‘Immune to Murder’, hotdish in ‘The Black Mountain’, corned beef hash in ‘Black Orchids’, something in ‘The Father Hunt’ and probably all the meals the week that Fritz had the grippe – what other dinners does he cook in the corpus?)

Archie tells Lily that she’s just gonna have to get another writer for the biography of her father.

Harvey gets out of jail just in time to wave goodbye to Archie and Wolfe before they split.

……

As I said, this story is one of my favorites. I wondered whether having to delve into it in detail would lessen my appreciation for it. Well, no, it has not. But more than ever I realize the danger that Wolfe’s ego can be to innocent bystanders. He’s just gotta do it ‘his’ way.

I had forgotten that Wolfe and Archie weren’t completely on their own in this one. They did have Saul to check things in New York and St. Louis. And of course the mysterious Mr. MacFarland to call the state attorney general in Helena.

My theory is that Wolfe was scared that if Archie DID solve this one on his own he would be more likely to realize that he either didn’t need Wolfe after all, or at least would hit the Fat Man up for a big raise… Either that or he was tiring of Orrie pretending to be Archie back at the office…

I wonder if Archie went back to the Bar JR the next year. And if Haight arrested him for spitting on the sidewalk. Somehow I hope that Haight did’t get reelected. Does anyone think that Gil married Alma ?

I have thoroughly enjoyed leading this discussion. Other than the day after I volunteered (Oh my God, what have I done?).

And Clivers, having prudently bought up all the rotten eggs and tomatoes in town (being Nobody’s Fool) puts his hand to his ear to hear the sound of …..

Death of a Dude – Chapter 14 – Lord Clivers

Haight and Welsh and the cop from Missouri come to the Bar JR at 1:10 the next afternoon.

Wolfe and Archie have have locked the cabin and are sitting on the front porch.

Wolfe calls Haight a fool, but knowing Wolfe, it takes him a couple pages to do it.

He finally tells them that Worhty is long gone, but that Jessup has alerted the state police and stationed officers to insure that Worthy wouldn’t get far.

My problem with this is that Wolfe as much as told Worthy at breakfast that he was the murderer.

If Worthy had had a handgun in his room he could killed the lot of them.
Or put a knife to Lily’s throat at breakfast and taken her as a hostage.
Or set fire to the ranch.
Or poisoned the food for kicks.

Some killers would rather revenge themselves on Wolfe than get away. As the Balkan princess in ‘Over My Dead Body’ did.

And even if Worthy did just run, as in the story, if he had had a gun he could have taken a trooper or two down with him.

Or snuck up on Lily and the girls. (Wolfe was kind enough to tell him where the girls would be) ETC.

Just so Wolfe could poke his finger in Haight’s eye.

Oh Well …

And it occurs to me that if Archie or the local cops had taken pictures of all 15 or so possible suspects and shown them around Brodell’s hometown, St. Louis, they could have solve the case without Wolfe. (Yes, I know someone else mentioned this, too, but I wrote my summaries a couple months ago, and only revisit them to proofread and add points to ponder…)

I have a theory about why Wolfe came riding to the rescue….

Death of a Dude – Chapter 13 – Lord Clivers

Archie decides at breakfast that the murderer isn’t Wade or Diana, because there Wolfe is eating breakfast with them both. Wolfe drops the bombshell…

He telly Lily that they are leavin the next morning because witnesses in St. Louis have identified a picture of man wanted for for strangling a woman in Missouri. He is also the man who shot Brodell and beaned Peacock.

He tells the group that a Missouri cop is on his way and will be there the next morning.

The light goes on over Archie’s head. So it IS Wade Worthy.

He asks Lily to take Diana and Mimi to the creek to catch some trout for dinner.

Archie corners Wolfe and wants to know why they don’t take him right then and there.

Of course the answer is that Wolfe’s bloated ego won’t allow him to turn Worthy over to Haight.

Wolfe has arranged that no cars will be unwatched locally for Worthy to steal.

I think this is one of the stupidest stunts Wolfe has ever pulled.

Death of a Dude – Chapter 12 – Lord Clivers

Archie dreams of women’s knees.

A deputy appears and escorts him to Haight’s office where Dawson wants to make nice.

Archie is having none of it, and reminds him that he told him 10 days ago that Peacock might have some information.

Dawson pouts that Wolfe won’t talk to him.

Archie isn’t much interested and leaves.

Outside, Lily is waiting and informs him that the bail amount was 10 grand.

He mentions that the previous low and high bail amounts were 5 and 30 grand.

Anybody remember which cases these were ?

He learns that Wolfe and Jessup have sequestered Peggy Truet at Woody’s for the better part of a day, and presumably have some new leads.

At Woody’s Wolfe suggests that Archie wash up and go to bed, as he is waiting for some phone calls.

Archie is mad enough to kick a dog, and as there isn’t one available, Lily offers to go borrow Farnham’s.

Archie knows that Wolfe thinks he has the case wrapped up.

Archie half hopes that the whole thing will explode in Wolfe’s face for once.

He goes back to the ranch and is playing cards when Wolfe returns.

On the way to bed he knocks on Wolfe’s door and enters.

Wolfe admits that the whole thing is sewn up, and that Peggy Truett is in protective custody.

He asks Archie to take the key to Lily’s car with him in the morning.

Archie goes to sleep having decided who probably did it.

1) Just read what he had for dinner – it puts even the Fat Man to shame.

Death of a Dude – Chapter 11 Answer – Lord Clivers

The answer is that even after the second murder had been committed (thereby proving them probably innocent of the first) they were still rotting in jail.

What a perfect plot twist for Stout, though. I’m surprised he never used it. Have the murderer (now in jail) pay a confederate to murder someone connected with the case.

Death of a Dude – Chapter 11 – Lord Clivers

AG gets a visitor at 5:10 p.m. the next day (Sunday).

Welsh handcuffs him again and leads him to the sheriff’s office where Jessup, the county attorney awaits.

Jessup orders Welsh to uncuff Archie and leave the room.

Welsh objects, he has orders from Haight to stay and listen. But Jessup shoos him off.

Jessup has a picnic basket prepared by Lily with him.

But they talk first.

He shows Archie a letter from Wolfe telling him to spill the beans.

So Archie does, and Jessup notes that his account agrees perfectly with Wolfe’s.

They agree that Peacock’s girlfriend, Peggy Truett may have some answers.

And they eat.

I should eat like that.

Archie learns that Saul is on his way to St. Louis.

And Archie learns that Jessup didn’t bring a ‘get out of jail free’ card with him.

…..

1) Honest, the talk is better than half of the babble back at the office at home in NY.

2) Anybody see a connection with ARTD? What do Dunbar and Harvey have in common?

Death of a Dude – Chapter 10 – Lord Clivers

Haight is the first one on the scene, and he orders AG to wait in the front seat of the car (Peacock is dead in the back seat).

Archie refuses, saying he doesn’t want to contaminate a crime scene.

Haight pulls a gun and asks him again to get in the car.

Archie retorts, ‘Go climb a mountain, with all respect’.

The doctor shows up and decides Peacock is dead.

Enter One Lt. Ed Welsh, A blood brother to Lt. Noonan in ‘The Final Deduction’ and Barrow in SBC if there ever was one. Except the blood they both would like to see is Goodwin’s.

Haight asks him to get in the car and AG refuses.

Welsh swings and Archie ducks it.

But Haight sticks his pistol in his ribs as Welsh swings again.

This time Archie pretends to get hit hard enough to knock him out.

Archie plays possum for 42 minutes (probably the longest he’s ever gone without opening his wisecracking yap).

He decides to ‘come to’ finally because enough witnesses have arrived to preclude any more rough stuff.

Welsh cuffs him and Gil Haight arrives to cart him off to the jail as a material witness.

Archie pulls his usual smartass routine as he’s being led off to his cell.

1) If Wolfe and Archie had grabbed Peacock as soon as they saw him would he still be alive ? But no, Wolfe wanted it to be his show with no interference from the hated Haight.

Or would Haight have let Wolfe start questioning Peacock in the first place ?

How many other times has Archie been jailed (round up to the nearest 10).

And what is the similarity to the jail time in ‘Some Buried Caesar’.

Who else has Archie met in prison?

2) The Doc has a good title for a Wolfe – ‘Death is Always Final’

3) Why didn’t they go to Farnham’s on some pretense to question Peacock
after dinner ? Answer – Wolfe was in a digestive topor

Death of a Dude – Chapter 9 – Lord Clivers

Wolfe and the Archie are in Lame Horse at Woody’s for the romp.

Archie mentions that Saul has found no time when Brodell was in New York when he might have met Diana or Wade.

Wolfe and Woody discuss Mark Twain, The Declaration of Independance and old Armenian sayings.

Well, since you have all read the chapter, what do you think of the Huck quote? (notice that I have already mentioned the Huckster before)

And I gave one individual an assignment to come up with all the possible meanings of ‘I love my country because it is mine’.

Well????? The atmosphere gets a little thick for Archie, so he drives back to the ranch to pick up Lily, Diana and Wade.

The parking lot is full at Woody’s on their return, so they park in back.

Wolfe has high-hatted the hoedown, and is instead in Woody’s private quarters waiting for Archie to snare Sam Peacock for some more questioning.

Enter Sheriff Haight (Boo !! Hiss !!) and Deputy Ed Welch (Boo !!! Hiss !!!).

It seems that Lt. Noonan (another TFD reference) has a blood brother out west.

Archie asks Peggy Truett to dance. She is Peacock’s girl.

She tells him no, and berates him and Wolfe for grilling poor Sam the before.

Archie and Lily wait and dance, dance and wait, and finally Peacock shows up at 10:51.

Archie goes to inform Wolfe, and they decide that they won’t tackle Peacock that night, as they don’t want the Sheriff knowing about their interest in him.

So they go to the car, and sure enough Sam Peacock is waiting for them in the back seat.

Dead.

With his skull bashed in.

Wolfe wants to skedaddle (like in what other story(ies), class? – I can think of two or four at least), but Archie sends him for the sheriff while he guards the car.

Extra credit – how many other examples are there in the corpus of someone who knew who killed the first victim becoming the second victim? or the third? Naomi Karn in ‘The Silent Speaker’ comes to mind.

And how about Louis Roney in ‘The Final Deduction’? Or Vaugn the car dealer’s son.

Or Scovil in TRB (sort of).

I’m sure there are at least 10 others

(100 points or ten points apiece)

…..

1) If you read nothing else read chapters 9&10.

2) I told you some one would be eliminated as a suspect

3) Was Old Clivers really honked off about the homework or was it just a
clever ploy to stall for time because he hadn’t finished writing the
summary? (35 points)

Death of a Dude – Chapter 9 (??) – Lord Clivers

Hmmmm – two maybe three of you have done your homework based on both the show of hands and the number of on-topic posts.

Well, I lied about c9 being the best one – it is c10 as was pointed out. BUT you can’t go to c10 until you have read c9. So, I’ll postpone chapter nine until tomorrow and give all (or most) of you a chance to atone for your sins.

And how many of you even knew (chapter 5) who Babe the Blue Ox was?

Death of a Dude – Chapter 9 (?) – Lord Clivers

Not so fast – NOT SO FAST…. First, how many of you have read chapter nine? (show of hands)