In the novel The Seven Dials Mystery, Gerald “Gerry” Wade is the first murder victim. Gerald was a young man working in the Foreign Office, which used to wake up late in the day. Near the opening of the story, Rupert Bateman organizes a prank against Gerry, which consisted of placing eight alarm clocks in Gerald’s room. The clocks were eight for the seven participants to the prank:
- Rupert Bateman, who was unable to assist the participants when they bought the clocks;
- Nancy;
- Helen;
- Vera ‘Socks’ Daventry;
- Jimmy Thesiger;
- Bill Eversleigh;
- Ronald Deveraux;
plus one for Lady Coote who didn’t participate to the prank but allowed the ones who participated to do so.
Gerald has a step sister, Loraine.
Solution (spoilers ahead)[]
Wade dies in his sleep at Chimneys, after being poisoned with an overdose of chloral. He is the stepbrother of Loraine. The inquirers declared suicide but Loraine knew Gerald didn’t take any sort of sedative. Gerald had been poisoned by Jimmy Thesiger, which had an accomplice who was Loraine herself.