Notes

Wisteria House
Scott Eccles comes to Holmes to relate the previous night’s strange events at the house of a new friend named Garcia. Eccles then finds out that the police want to question him about the death of Garcia.

Eccles describes how he had been invited to spend a few days at Garcia’s house with Garcia and his two servants. At dinner, he saw how Garcia was distracted, especially after receiving a note. Eccles went to bed but woke up to hear Garcia at his door. Garcia noted the time (one o’clock) and said that he thought Eccles had rung a bell asking for assistance. The next morning, Eccles discovered there was no one in the house.

Meanwhile, the police find Garcia’s body in a nearby field and determine he was killed before a heavy rainfall at one o’clock. The police arrest Garcia’s cook in connection with the crime.

Holmes believes that Garcia invited Eccles to his house as a witness who could swear Garcia was home at one o’clock. In trying to decipher the note Garcia read, Holmes believes that a large house nearby was involved in the murder. He focuses his attention on High Gable, a house occupied by foreigners, including an evil man named Mr Henderson.

Meanwhile, Miss Burnet, an Englishwoman who taught the children in High Gable and lived there, has not been seen since Garcia’s murder. While Holmes and Watson plan to climb into Burnet’s room at the house, they hear that she has run away from Henderson and the others, who were escaping on a train.

Conclusion: Holmes discovers that the police arrested the cook to make Henderson feel safe and give the police a chance to save Miss Burnet.
The police say that Henderson was an evil Central American ruler named Juan Murillo who had escaped from his country after an uprising. His enemies, including Garcia, were seeking revenge for his crimes. Miss Burnet’s husband had been the London representative of the San Pedro government and Murillo had ordered his death. Miss Burnet had gone into the house as a teacher and had sent Garcia the note that let him know where Murillo would be that night. However, the plot was discovered. Garcia was killed and Miss Burnet was kept prisoner until her escape at the train station.