The Counterplot Against Humphrey

This thread follows the concealed struggle over John Wells’s disappearance, the trapped clerks, and Humphrey Wells’s eventual defeat.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

A Vanished Senior Partner

A Vanished Senior Partner A Dangerous Talisman John Wells entrusts Philip Catherwood and Arthur Tanner with a small talisman, fearing that Humphrey Wells intends to remove him. A Disappearance Explained Away The firm claims John Wells has been sacrificed. The two clerks distrust the story and keep the talisman hidden.

Two Clerks Imprisoned

Two Clerks Imprisoned A Doorless Room Humphrey Wells seals Philip Catherwood and Arthur Tanner inside a room without a door after they refuse to surrender the talisman. A Century of Captivity The pair endure a confined, timeless existence. Their imprisonment preserves the secret that can eventually expose Humphrey’s crime.

The Hidden Object

The Hidden Object A Lost Inheritance The strongroom contains old records and relics that point toward the firm’s earlier history, including documents associated with Philip Catherwood. A Talisman Still Missing The partners do not know where John Wells’s talisman has gone. Their failure to find it leaves Humphrey’s original victory in place.

A Sudden Ambush

A Sudden Ambush Humphrey’s Advantage Humphrey Wells restrains the group and threatens to kill Rosie unless Arthur reveals the talisman’s location. A Hidden Witness Paul Carpenter recognizes John Wells in the reflection of the long stapler. The overlooked office object becomes the opening for resistance.

The Talisman Revealed

The Talisman Revealed A Chain and a Stapler Paul Carpenter follows John Wells’s silent instruction and throws the golden chain around the stapler. John Wells is released from his transformation. The Plot Reversed John Wells defeats Humphrey Wells and turns him into a photocopier. The old conspiracy ends, although the firm’s internal loyalties still require examination.

The partners’ account of events beginning in 1877

After the portable door is tested in 1877

During Paul Carpenter’s strongroom inventory

At the climax in the boardroom

Moments after the boardroom ambush begins