Chapter 17 Summary

Tom goes out before 8 a.m. to buy the Italian papers. He hopes it will be many days before Freddie's body is discovered behind the tomb. Tom has a terrible hangover, although he did not really drink that much. He knows it is simply because he intends to tell the police, if they ask, that he drank a great deal yesterday with Freddie. Whenever Tom prepares a lie, he begins to believe it himself.

Tom/ Dickie continues packing for Majorca and tells Signora Buffi he will be gone at least 3 weeks. Just as he is getting ready to go to the train station, the phone rings. It is the police. They inform Tom/Dickie that his friend Freddie Miles has been murdered. The police know Freddie was with Dickie yesterday, and want to ask him some questions. Tom insists he has got a...