The Sunningdale Murder and Its Frame
Partners in CrimeThis flow follows the murder of Captain Sessle from a confusing eyewitness narrative to Tommy's reconstruction of a disguise and insurance fraud.
increasing
Bearing strength in each event
decreasing
A Body on the Links

A Body on the Links
A Familiar Figure
Captain Sessle is found dead on a golf tee, apparently killed with a woman's hat pin. His blue coat makes him recognizable to the members who discover him.
A Puzzle of Time
He was last seen alive during a round of golf, but the body had been dead for hours. The timeline leaves room for a concealed encounter and a staged return.
Doris Accused

Doris Accused
A Damaging Encounter
Doris Evans admits that she visited Sessle's bungalow and describes his threat of a double suicide. Hair and wool connect her to a struggle on the links.
The Missing Woman
Her account does not explain the tall woman in brown who spoke to Sessle earlier. The unexplained figure keeps the prosecution's simple story from resolving the case.
The Company Collapses

The Company Collapses
A Financial Motive
The Porcupine Assurance Co. enters liquidation, revealing serious misappropriation. The apparent embezzler is Sessle, but the losses might also serve the partners who claim to be ruined.
A New Suspect
Tuppence asks whether Mr. Hollaby and his son could have benefited from Sessle's death. Her suspicion shifts the case from a jealous encounter to a possible financial frame.
The Blue Coat Reconsidered

The Blue Coat Reconsidered
A Golfer's Observation
Tommy recalls that the man in Sessle's familiar coat played golf badly after meeting the woman in brown. The performance suggests that the person wearing it was not Sessle.
A Disguise Constructed
A nearby shelter could let a man change from women's clothes to plus-fours quickly. The blue coat becomes a costume that concealed the killer's identity.
The Hollaby Plan

The Hollaby Plan
A Murderer's Method
Tommy concludes that young Hollaby killed Sessle, wore his coat, and used Doris as an unwitting substitute suspect. The hat pin was selected to suggest a woman's crime.
A False Alibi Unraveled
Old Hollaby's prominent account obscured his son's absence from inquiry. Inspector Marriot agrees to test the reconstruction against Doris's recognition.
The morning after the murder
A fortnight after the murder
During Tommy and Tuppence's review of the case
During the A.B.C. shop discussion
At the case's resolution