The Nine Tailors

Wimsey receives a letter from Venables requesting his assistance with the case of the dead body in the cemetery. The amateur detective wastes no time in canceling his other appointments and heading back to the village in time for the coroner’s inquest. Various members of the community attest to having seen the bearded stranger in town for a few days. The man called himself Stephen Driver and worked as a mechanic at the local garage. He began asking questions about people in the area, but he also inquired about Batty Thomas and Tailor Paul, the names of two of the church bells. Driver disappeared on the night of Lady Thorpe’s funeral.

The doctor who examined the corpse testified that Driver’s face had been beaten in and his hands cut off. The doctor further insisted that the bludgeoning wasn’t the cause of death and that the man had been bound hand and foot for some time before dying. The coroner’s jury is adjourned pending a medical report to establish whether the victim was poisoned.

Wimsey is now convinced that the dead man is Cranton, one of the original thieves of the emerald necklace. Wimsey concludes that the injuries to the corpse were intended to prevent the identification of the remains: “‘A beautiful case,’ said Lord Peter, enthusiastically, to Mr.