Leo Cayman

Leo Cayman is Amelia Cayman’s husband and the brother-in-law of the man whose death brings him to the Marchbolt Vicarage. His brief appearance is marked by a gap between public manner and private effect: he presents himself as hearty and grateful, but his handshake hurts Bobby Jones, and his later letter leaves Bobby feeling snubbed.

Visit to the Vicarage

Leo arrives with Amelia to see Bobby, who had been with her brother at the end of his life. At the Marchbolt Vicarage, Leo rises to greet Bobby with an outstretched hand. He is described as large and florid, with a would-be hearty manner and a cold, somewhat shifty eye. The physical greeting reinforces that uneasy impression: Leo encloses Bobby’s hand in a firm, painful grip.

He explains that he came with his wife because she is naturally upset and wants to hear what Bobby can tell her about her brother’s last moments. Leo presents the visit as an act of family concern, while Amelia dabs at her eyes and mourns her brother. Bobby, uncomfortable with the attention and unsure what to say, answers haltingly; Leo’s manner sets a social scene in which thanks and condolence do not produce ease.

Gratitude and social manner

As the couple leave, Leo says that they will not forget what Bobby has done. The farewell again pairs civility with bodily discomfort: Leo grips Bobby’s hand painfully, while Amelia gives him a flabby handshake. Leo then asks what Bobby does and whether he is home on leave. On hearing that Bobby is looking for a job and had been in the Navy, he offers a conventional wish of luck before walking down the weed-grown drive with Amelia.

The encounter establishes Leo through observable contrasts rather than through any account of his private motives. His words are courteous, but the narrative’s description of his eye, his performatively hearty manner, and the painful grip makes that courtesy feel strained. The text gives no further explanation for this mismatch.

The letter about the last words

After Bobby remembers that the dying man had said, “Why didn't they ask Evans?”, he writes to Leo to pass the words on, explaining that he had not attached importance to them at the time. Leo replies two days later. He thanks Bobby for repeating the words conscientiously, but calls them trivial and says that Amelia had hoped her brother might have left her a final message.

The response closes off the exchange rather than inviting further inquiry: Leo acknowledges Bobby’s care while diminishing the significance of what he has reported. Bobby feels snubbed. In this small correspondence, Leo’s role is consequential to the mystery’s opening: the last words are conveyed to the family, yet treated as an insignificant message rather than a clue.