Battle of Wits story
At the end of the semester, college professor Richard Lumsden is getting ready for vacation - and retirement. However, he is interrupted by an angry parent of a student, who blames him for his son's suicide after he was expelled for stealing. The man makes it clear he wants to murder Lumsden and frame his death as a suicide, and the professor engages his would-be murderer in a battle of wits to convince him he cannot make it look believable for the police. Directed by: James Ferman. Story by: Roger Marshall, based on a story by Maisie Sharman, credited as Miriam Sharman.
11 total · 2 choice · 6 major · 3 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| the desire for vengeance | choice | Gregory Dean wanted to kill Professor Lumsden because Lumsden had expelled Dean's son and, perhaps, told him harsh words that caused the son to commit suicide. |
| what if someone dangerous was after me | choice | Professor Lumsden was held at gunpoint by Gregory Dean who planned to kill Lumsden and make it look like a suicide. |
| coping with suicide | major | Gregory Dean was devastated because of his son's suicide and sought to avenge himself on the professor that had, perhaps, pushed his son to such despair. |
| coping with the death of a child | major | Gregory Dean was devastated because of his son's suicide and sought to avenge himself on the professor that had, perhaps, pushed his son to such despair. |
| father and son | major | The story indirectly concerns Gregory Dean and the late son he had evidently loved. |
| how to murder someone and get away with it | major | The story in its entirety is about Gregory Dean trying to murder Professor Richard Lumsden and making it look like a suicide. |
| suicide | major | The reason behind the events in the story was that Gregory's son had hanged himself. Gregory tried to stage his murder of Professor Lumsden as a suicide. |
| teaching occupation | major | The story took place in the retiring college professor Lumsden's office and concerned the fact that Lumsden had expelled a troublesome boy, who later committed suicide. |
| human mental condition | minor | Gregory Dean feigned being an escaped mental patient as part of a plot to get Professor Lumsden to reveal whether he was right or left handed. |
| neglectful parent | minor | Professor Lumsden implied Gregory Dean had been neglectful in raising his son. |