Chapter Five Summary

Dennis calls at Whispering Glades the day before the funeral is scheduled. He is shown to the Orchid Room, which is full of flowers and contains the Cricket Club's trophy of crossed bats and wickets. A door leads to the Slumber Room, where the body is reposing. Dennis pauses with his hand on the doorknob, sensing another hand on the other side. He opens the door to see Aimée, just as a recorded song breaks out, titled, "Oh for the Wings of a Dove." Dennis sees that the second room is also filled with flowers. The coffin sits a few inches above the carpet on a small base covered in flowers. He looks at the face of the smirking corpse, which seems to him more horrific and inhuman than the memory of Sir Francis hanging from the noose. He gasps...