Chapter 87: The Snake in the Garden and a Deadly Misdirection
Spoiler Notice: This analysis covers every event in Chapter 87 of Holmes Is Missing. If you haven’t read this far, be aware the discussion reveals major plot twists including the killer’s note and the new target.
Summary
Holmes, Poe, and Marple land a helicopter at Lums Pond State Park and sprint to Nina’s house. Holmes is frantic because his mother still won’t answer her phone. They find her in the garden, but she shrugs off warnings about danger. When Nina opens a mulch bag, a snake lashes her forearm. Holmes catches the reptile; Marple quickly identifies it as a harmless water snake, not the venomous copperhead. A search of the sack uncovers an envelope addressed “To Sherlock.” The handwritten note apologizes for the “speckled band” reference, calls the snake misdirection, and declares the next crime will be “much, much closer to the heart.” Holmes instantly realizes Oliver Paul intends to murder his own wife, and the team scrambles to act.
Key Events
- The helicopter lands in Lums Pond State Park; Holmes tries his mother’s number again with no answer.
- POE uses his ID to wave off curious dog walkers.
- Holmes locates his mother, Nina, gardening in the backyard.
- Nina dismisses Holmes and his partners, even mentioning “the partners you’re quitting on.”
- A snake hidden in a mulch bag strikes Nina’s arm; Holmes pins and removes it.
- Marple identifies the snake as a nonvenomous water snake (Nerodia sipedon), not a copperhead.
- Inside the bag, POE finds a white envelope labeled “To Sherlock.”
- The note references the “speckled band” and states that Nina was never the target—the real crime will hit closer to the heart.
- Holmes interprets the message and announces Oliver Paul is about to kill his wife.
Character Development
- Brendan Holmes: His protective instinct clashes with professional coolness; he physically lunges at the snake despite his usual cerebral approach. His instant reading of the note shows his pattern-recognition still works under pressure.
- Nina Holmes: Independent and skeptical, she dismisses her son’s alarm even after the snake incident. Her remark about “quitting” hints at an ongoing familial rift that wasn’t previously obvious.
- Margaret Marple: Her gardening expertise turns vital; she calmly identifies the snake and tends to Nina, demonstrating steady competence and preventing a panicked overreaction.
- Auguste Poe: Once again serves as the hands-on enforcer—waving off bystanders, grabbing the spade, and carefully probing the mulch bag—but accepts Marple’s correction without ego.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Misdirection and theatricality: The snake is a prop, not a weapon, designed to frighten and distract. Paul stages a crime scene purely for Holmes’s benefit.
- Literary allusion as taunt: “The speckled band” directly invokes the Sherlock Holmes story, where a snake is a murder weapon. Paul twists the reference: his snake is harmless, but the idea of a domestic killing remains chillingly real.
- Home as danger zone: Despite Holmes’s assumption, the family home isn’t the killer’s staging ground. The note’s promise that “you can’t go home again” reframes home as a false sanctuary.
- Partnership under strain: Nina highlights Holmes’s plan to quit the partnership, adding a layer of personal tension that complicates the team’s dynamic.
Why This Chapter Matters
Chapter 87 pivots the entire chase. Until now, the team believed Nina was the potential victim. The planted snake and note reveal the killer’s true intent: Paul is aiming at his own wife, not Holmes’s mother. The chapter underscores Paul’s obsession with Holmes—he doesn’t just kill, he constructs elaborate puzzles that demand interpretation. It also showcases Marple’s unique value; without her botanical and herpetological knowledge, the team might have wasted precious time on a non-lethal threat. The immediate tonal shift from personal anxiety (saving his mother) to urgent case duty (stopping a spouse murder) accelerates the narrative into the final act.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Holmes initially fear the snake is venomous, and what does Marple’s intervention reveal about the team’s dynamic?
Holmes reacts protectively, assuming the worst because Paul’s methods are lethal. Marple corrects him by calmly identifying the snake species. Her knowledge prevents a rash killing and demonstrates that the partnership relies on diverse expertise, not just Holmes’s deductive flash.
2. How does the note’s “speckled band” reference function as both a clue and a deception?
The reference to Conan Doyle’s story suggests a snake-as-murder-weapon, borrowing the famous Holmes tale. But Paul inverts it: the snake is harmless, and the real crime is elsewhere. The note is both a literary taunt and a clue that Holmes must see through the misdirection to reach the actual threat.
3. What new plan does Holmes deduce at the end of the chapter, and how does it change the investigation’s immediate focus?
Holmes concludes that Oliver Paul intends to kill his own wife. This transforms the mission from protecting Nina to racing to intercept Paul before he commits the murder “close to the heart.” The threat moves from a remote family member to someone inside Paul’s immediate circle, raising the stakes dramatically.