A family-household murder investigation begins when an apparent accident is revealed to be a deliberate killing.
Story Structure — 5 Plot Phases
The Crowded Family Villa
The story introduces a large family household sharing a villa with relatives and a subtenant. The family structure and the recent death establish the crime story's setting.
Key Events
The Kremp Family Villa — The large Kremp family lives together in a family villa.
Location: Family villa
A Crowded Household — The household includes relatives and a subtenant alongside the immediate family.
Location: Family villa
Four Adult Children — The parents have four adult children: two sons and two daughters.
Location: Family villa
A Recent Family Death — One of the adult children has recently died.
Location: Family villa
The Dead Son Identified — The investigation centers on the recent death of a son.
Location: Family villa
The Troubled Son
The dead son is described as the family fool, disliked by almost everyone except his mother. His mischievous tricks provide a possible background for the family's tensions.
Key Events
The Dead Son Identified — The investigation centers on the recent death of a son.
Location: Family villa
The Family Fool — The dead young man was regarded by the family as its fool.
Location: Family villa
An Unpopular Son — According to the reference, only his mother liked him.
Location: Family villa
Mischievous Tricks — He played various mischievous tricks on the people around him.
Location: Family villa
An Apparent Accident — The death initially appears to have been an unfortunate accident.
Location: Family villa
Accident or Murder
The death initially appears to be an accident. The captain's investigation overturns that assumption and identifies the death as murder.
Key Events
An Apparent Accident — The death initially appears to have been an unfortunate accident.
Location: Family villa
The Investigation Begins — A captain investigates the circumstances surrounding the death.
Location: Family villa
The Death Is Examined — The investigation focuses on whether the death was truly accidental.
Location: Family villa
Accident Rejected — The captain determines that the death was not an unfortunate accident.
Location: Family villa
Murder Revealed — The investigation establishes that the young man was murdered.
Location: Family villa
Suspicion at Home
Once murder is established, attention turns toward the household and the possibility of an immediate-family culprit. The investigation seeks someone with a reason to want the victim dead.
Key Events
Murder Revealed — The investigation establishes that the young man was murdered.
Location: Family villa
The Motive Question — The central question becomes who could have benefited from his death.
Location: Family villa
Suspicion Enters the Household — The crowded household becomes the focus of suspicion.
Location: Family villa
Immediate Family Suspected — The investigation asks whether the murderer came from the immediate family.
Location: Family villa
Past Behavior Reconsidered — The dead man's troublesome behavior gains new significance during the inquiry.
Location: Family villa
The Motive Search
The inquiry narrows around the question of who benefited from the death and why. The crime's resolution depends on identifying the hidden motive.
Key Events
Past Behavior Reconsidered — The dead man's troublesome behavior gains new significance during the inquiry.
Location: Family villa
A Search for Motive — The captain continues looking for a reason for the murder.
Location: Family villa
The Hidden Culprit — The inquiry narrows toward the person who had an interest in the death.
Location: Family villa
Motive Remains Central — The crime story culminates in the search for the murderer's motive.
Location: Family villa
Story Breakdown
Family Household — The story is rooted in a large family living together in one villa.
Shared Villa — The Kremp family lives in a family villa.
Crowded Relations — Other relatives and a subtenant also belong to the household setting.
Family Structure — The household includes parents and four adult children.
Two Sons — The children include two sons.
Two Daughters — The children also include two daughters.
The Recent Death — The investigation centers on the death of one adult son.
Dead Son — The recent death of a son becomes the central crime.
Initial Accident — The death is first considered an unfortunate accident.
The Family Fool — The dead young man was viewed as the family fool because of his behavior.
Family Dislike — The reference says that almost nobody except his mother liked him.
Mischievous Tricks — He played various mischievous tricks on everyone.
Murder Investigation — A captain investigates the death and challenges the accident explanation.
Captain Investigates — The captain searches for the truth behind the death.
Murder Revealed — The death is determined to have been a murder.
Motive And Suspicion — The investigation asks who had an interest in the death and whether the culprit came from the immediate family.
Family Suspects — The immediate family becomes a possible source of the murder.
Hidden Motive — The captain's central task is to discover the reason for the killing.
At the center of the crime story is the very large Kremp family, living in the family villa with other relatives and a subtenant. The parents had four adult children, two sons and two daughters, one of whom recently died. The investigation focuses on the recent death of their son Jan. The young man was considered the family "fool", whom no one except his mother liked, because he played various mischievous tricks on everyone. However, his death, as Captain Exner investigates, was not an unfortunate accident, but a murder. Who could have been interested in his death? Was the murderer someone from the immediate family? Captain Exner is looking for a motive...
