Murder Of A Doctor

Murder of A Doctor is the first entry to the Literary Mosaic series. It establishes the initial time, location and characters that Literary Mosaic will follow.

SUMMARY:

James Hartley is a British soldier who has just come home from the front due to an injury. He finds his house bombed, and is left wandering the streets with only a little money in his pocket. However, he remembers that his brother Roger Hartley, although serving in the Navy, his family is still in their house. So he decides to go and ask if he can stay with them for a while.

He manages to get to his brother's neighborhood, but due to the British WWII policy of painting over street signs in case of German invasion, he gets lost. So he stops by a local inn to ask about his brother's family. The innkeeper informs him that Roger Hartley's family moved to Scotland to get away from the bombings. Saddened, Hartley goes to leave, but the innkeeper kindly informs him of a Swede in a nearby apartment that had space for a roommate. At this point we are introduced to Adolf Gunnarson, the unofficial detective. After some small talk and a cup of tea, the two proceed to have dinner, but the rest of the night is interrupted by the arrival of Davis Gent, the Chief of Police at Scotland Yard. He informs Gunnarson there has been a murder, and he goes to investigate. James Hartley is offered to go and tags along.

They arrive at the crime scene and the narrative continues from Hartley's perspective. The victim is revealed to be Dr. Herbert Manning, a well respected Doctor that Hartley says "I knew him by face and name, but not personally." He is found dead with a knife in his neck, at a set dinner table. Gunnarson analyzes the scene, and concludes that the murderer was someone Dr. Manning trusted, because it is unlikely that Dr. Manning would sit down at dinner and enjoy a bottle of Merlot with a stranger. He further concludes that the man who killed Manning knew a lot about anatomy, because the knife stabbed him in such a way that it cut his airway, but not his artery, which it why there was little blood present. Gent informs Gunnarson that the knife had no fingerprints, hinting that the killer wore gloves. On the table, Gunnarson finds that the meal was escargot, a French dish, and since not everyone likes snails, Gunnarson concludes that the killer has a "thing for French cuisine." Finally, the last major clue found is a cane, with the initials "C.P." engraved in a fancy script. Gunnarson concludes that this must be the killers cane, because Dr. Manning was "well on his feet" and did not need a cane. Gent's suggestion that it could be Dr. Manning's walking stick is proved problematic, when Hartley points out that if that were the case, it would say "G.P." as in "General Practitioner."

Back at Gunnarson's apartment, he introduces Hartley to the concept of "the trifecta." He says that to find the killer, they need to determine means, motive and opportunity. The means was the knife, and the opportunity was the dinner. But the motive was tricky. He tells Hartley that motive falls into one of three categories- love, money and revenge. Dr. Manning had no known debts and was faithful to his wife, leading Gunnarson to conclude that he was looking for someone with a motive for revenge.

The next morning, Gunnarson reveals that he intends to visit some of Dr. Manning's colleagues. Prior to the war, Dr. Manning worked with other French doctors, who subsequently fled to the UK to escape the Germans. Gunnarson visits Pierre Sartre, Louie Beaumont and Calvin Poirier to have a chat with them, and after thinking back to the crime, concludes that the killer is left handed, based on the angle of the knife, thus ruling out the right handed Dr. Satre.

Some time later, Gunnarson finds Hartley writing a manuscript of the murder, and it is revealed that to us readers, that is what we have been reading this whole time. The manuscript goes on to reveal who killed Dr. Manning. Gunnarson reveals that after considering the evidence, and deciding that the cane was irrelevant, he knew who the real murderer was- James Hartley. Shocked at this accusation, Hartley goes back to Gunnarson's chalkboard to prove his innocence. He points out that not only that has he only wandered the streets and lived with Gunnarson since coming home, but he had none of the trifecta. Because he did not own a knife like the one that killed Manning, he had no means. Because he did not know Manning personally, and had no mutual friends with him, there was no opportunity for Hartley to even meet Manning. Because he did not owe money, steal love, or betray him, Hartley had no motive for murder. He goes on to question Gunnarson's seemingly baseless claim.

Gunnarson goes on to address each of these- saying that he delved into Manning's past, and found that Dr. Manning once taught at a Medical school where Hartley was a student. He also reveals that Hartley's manuscript slipped a crucial detail- when Gunnarson said that Manning was well on his feet, he said that he only knew that because Hartley said that first... a detail that only someone who knew Manning personally would know. Hartley ends up confessing to the murder.

The manuscript ends with Hartley deciding that it is for the best that they depart ways. He only says that he killed Dr. Manning because he had been blackmailed by Dr. Manning to do something, but does not specify what. After packing his things, just when he is about to leave, Gunnarson pulls out a revolver to prevent him from leaving. A frantic chase ensues where Hartley runs down the hallway and leaps out the second floor window, all the while getting shot at from Gunnarson. The manuscript ends on the note that Hartley called his brother's wife in Scotland, who invited him to their house in Glasgow. After boarding a train, Hartley ends by saying that Manning's deed was unforgivable, but he could put it all behind him now. He then went to settle in for a nap.

A follow up by Gunnarson reveals that this ending wasn't entirely true; he says that once confronted, Hartley drew a gun on him and ran away. A newspaper article released the following day said that Hartley was found dead.

Another follow up by Hartley finally comes clean on the truth of the matter. After coming back from visiting the French Doctors, Gunnarson says that for some reason, the evidence points to Hartley. But Hartley informs Gunnarson that this is not possible, because he only knew Manning by name in face. Furthermore, Hartley never went to medical school, because he was drafted as soon as the war began. Sensing something is not right, Gunnarson informs Hartley that he should leave for his own good. An misunderstanding results in Hartley being chased by Gunnarson and the Swede nearly killing Hartley with his revolver. The story ends with Hartley apologizing for misleading the readers; explaining that he was desperate for money after coming home from the war, and publishing this manuscript was the first thing that came to mind.

Characters Introduced:

-Adolf Gunnarson, the Swedish Detective

-James Hartley, a soldier returning from the war

-Davis Gent, Police Commissioner for Scotland Yard

Victim:

Dr. Herbert Manning, found dead with a knife in his neck.

Killer:

Initially proposed to be James Hartley; then Dr. Calvin Poirier, by Literary Mosaic V we find out that it was Dr. Gunther Drugg.

Trivia:

.This was the first Literary Mosaic told in first person

.Real WWII events are referenced, including the Blitz, sinking of the Bismarck and HMS Hood, war time rationing, and the fact that Gunnarson shares his first name with a certain dictator.

.Considering that during the war, the typical procedure was to send the children to the countryside to avoid the bombings, the fact that Roger Hartley's family outright moved was a rather unorthodox choice given the conditions of the time.