Character details
- First Name
- Ferdinand
- Last Name
- Bowen
- Notes
- Stock broker. Member of the League of Frightened Men. Archie describes him as, "medium-sized ... and tired all over; has "little feet...and neat little lady-hands."
- Reserved Notes
-
Killer. Shot Loring Burton to death in Burton's apartment. Attempted to frame Paul Chapin for the murder.
Character cases:
Ch. 4 - appears on Evelyn Hibbard's list the League of Frightened Men.
Ch. 5 - attends the initial meeting in Wolfe's office (in response to Wolfe's mass telegram operation) with other League members; arrives with Dr. Loring A. Burton.
Ch. 15 - receives Archie in his spacious office; answers questions regarding Hibbard's trading activity and last contact with Bowen.
Ch. 17 - Anne Burton tells Archie that Bowen was present in the apartment just prior to the shooting.
Ch. 21 - attends the meeting in the office at which Wolfe corners the murderer.
Reserved notes for this caseCh. 21 - as Wolfe confronts him, Bowen proves to be quite pitiful.
Stole large sum of money from Loring Burton through his account with Bowen's firm. When Burton discovered the theft, Bowen went to his apartment to beg not to be turned in. When he was refused, he pretended to leave, but remained in the apartment. He placed a phone call from the apartment to Paul Chapin, and imitating the voice of Burton, asked Chapin to come to the apartment. When Chapin arrived, Bowen turns out the lights, shoots Burton, shoves Chapin to the floor, leaves the gun and flees.
Wolfe cites a list of blunders in the murder: "Now, Mr. Bowen you made many mistakes, but none so idiotic as your sole reliance on Chapin's obvious guilt, for that one was the father of all the others. Why in the name of heaven didn't you turn on the light again as you went out? And why didn't you wait until Chapin and Burton had talked a minute of two before you acted? . . . Another inexcusable thing was your carelessness in leaving the gloves on the table. . . . You were worse than a tyro, you were a donkey. I tell you this, sir, your exposure is a credit to no one, least of all to me. Pfui!"
Ch. 12 - mentioned by Archie in Cramer's office.
Reserved notes for this case