The Westing Game: Chapter 24 Summary & Analysis

The group makes their way to the library and take their seats at the long library table. Plum opens another envelope—“Wrong!” the document inside says, “All answers are wrong!” The document goes on to announce that the partnerships are dissolved—each heir is on their own. The document instructs Plum to leave them alone and fetch the authorities in order to arrest the murderer at the proper time. The document urges the heirs to remember that it is what they don’t have that counts. Plum promptly leaves the room without another word, locking the library door.

Paranoia takes over—the heirs begin to worry that they’ve been poisoned or framed. Theo suggests that the heirs stop fighting and pointing fingers and work together instead. Sydelle speaks up—she says she still believes the answer lies in “America the Beautiful.” Jake suggests that perhaps some words in the song are missing from the clues—one of his clues, he says, is the word AMERICA. Sandy drinks from his flask, coughs, and suggests that everyone hand their clues over to Sydelle so that she can spread them out and look at them. Ford grows suspicious of Sandy’s suggestion—he already knows the answer must be Crow. As Ford watches Sandy, she considers his battered, scarred face—and she realizes that her partner has been Sam Westing in disguise all along.

Sydelle arranges the clues in order. They read: “O BEAUTIFUL FOR SPACIOUS SKIES FOR AM WAVES OF GRAIN FOR PURPLE MOUNTAIN MAJESTIES ABOVE FRUITED PLAIN AMERICA AM GOD SHED HIS GRACE ON THEE AND N THY GOOD WITH BROTHERHOOD FROM SEA TO SHINING SEA.” Sydelle quickly realizes that what’s missing from the song are the syllables BER, THE, ERICA, and CROW. Crow grows pale. Ford urges the gathered heirs not to jump to any rash decisions—they have no evidence against Crow, and no proof that Westing was even murdered. Ford reminds the heirs that Crow is both their neighbor and their helper—they cannot condemn her to imprisonment just for money.

Ford turns to her partner and begins to address him. As she does, Sandy’s hand flies to his throat. His face turns red and he falls to the floor, gagging and unable to breathe. Though Jake and Denton hurry to help him and though Theo pounds on the door, prompting Plum to open the door and allow Dr. Sikes in, Sandy is beyond help—he expires on the floor. Turtle screams, pushing through the crowd to reach the doorman. As she looks down at him, she sees his right eye close and open again before Sandy takes his final breath. Sikes pronounces Sandy dead. Turtle runs to Flora for comfort, crying that she doesn’t want to play the game anymore.

In the game room, the heirs return to their assigned tables while the sheriff ensures that no one leaves the premises. Plum says he has one more document to read. He opens up another envelope and reads. The document states that Sam Westing—born Sam “Windy” Windkloppel—declares that if no one wins the game, the will becomes null and void. The document states Plum will count off five minutes.

As the minutes speed by, the heirs stare at the answer in front of them: Berthe Erica Crow. Crow waits for her penance to begin. When no one offers up the answer, Crow herself at last says her own name—with one minute to go. She stands up and declares that she, as the winner, is offering half her inheritance to Otis and the other half to Angela.