Crooked House

The next morning, Charles reflects on the conversations he’s had with the various inhabitants of Three Gables, noting that Philip still seems reluctant to speak to him. He speculates that Philip’s motive to kill Aristide might have been his favoritism of Roger, which turned Philip into a reserved and unhappy individual. He finds himself wishing that Laurence alone committed the murder before realizing that he’s starting to desire “not the true solution, but the solution that suited me best” (126).

In the schoolroom, Charles finds Laurence with Josephine and Eustace. When he enters Laurence hurries out, spooked, leaving him to speak to Eustace alone. Eustace expresses his frustration at living in such a “queer house” with his dramatic mother, repressive father, and abnormally young step-grandmother. He callously states that it was about time Aristide died, as “you can’t enjoy life at that age” (131).

Laurence returns to the room and Eustace leaves. Laurence is high-strung, lamenting to Charles that he always does everything wrong. He suspects that he is being framed for Aristide’s murder. When asked about Brenda, he vehemently defends her character, calling her an “angel”.

As Charles exits the room, he runs into Josephine, who has been up in the attic “detecting.