The Westing Game: Chapter 26 Summary & Analysis

Hoo is reluctant to listen to Turtle, whom he believes is the bomber—but Ford insists on allowing Turtle to follow through with her trial. Ford is shocked by the similarity between Turtle and her Uncle Sam—she can’t believe she’s never noticed it before. Turtle declares that she wants to prove that while Westing is dead, Crow did not kill him. She calls her first witness, Chris, and asks him about the night of Halloween. She asks him if he was birdwatching that evening. He says that he was, and that he saw a limping person enter the Westing house: Dr. Sikes.

Turtle calls her next witness: Otis Amber. Turtle asks Otis to reveal who he really is. He confesses that he is a private investigator in disguise—his three clients are Sam Westing, Barney Northrup, and Judge Ford. Westing hired him twenty years ago to take care of Crow—and make sure she never used the Westing name. Over the years he’s been taking care of her in disguise, however, he’s grown fond of her. He also states that Barney Northrup called him to investigate six potential tenants: Ford, George Theodorakis, Hoo, Grace, Flora, and a Sybil Pulaski—whom he mistook for Sydelle. Ford is impressed by Westing’s decision to list Otis as an heir in order to convince Crow to play the game.

As Turtle continues questioning Otis, he reveals that he never investigated the man known as Sandy McSouthers for any of his three clients. He also reveals that Sandy was the one who first told the story about Westing’s corpse being laid out on a rug in the Westing manor. Grace drunkenly cries about seeing Sandy’s corpse on a rug in the Westing house library.

Turtle calls Denton Deere to the stand. She asks, if in his professional medical opinion, the body in the casket could have been a wax dummy. Denton says it could have been. She asks him if he has a diagnosis for the cause of Sandy’s death. Denton says he suspects a heart attack. Turtle says that she saw Crow put lemon juice in Sandy’s flask and asks if he could have died of an overdose of it. Denton says such a thing is impossible. Turtle asks her last question, about a bruise on Sandy’s shin. Denton confirms that Sandy had such a bruise. 

Turtle calls Sydelle to the stand. She asks about a typo in Sydelle’s copy of the will at the end of the third section. The section concludes: “The heir who wins the windfall will be the one who finds the”. Turtle asks what the missing word is. Sydelle confesses she doesn’t know. Turtle looks down at her copy of the will. The next section begins: “FOURTH. Hail to thee, O land of opportunity!” Turtle asks to see the certification of sanity Plum gave to Ford, but Ford no longer has it—all she has is a receipt which totals out her “payment” to Sandy in return for the amount owed for her education.

Madame Hoo, who slipped from the room earlier in all the confusion, returns with a scarf-tied bundle. She sets it on the table and takes her seat. Ford opens the bundle—all of the stolen items have been returned. Everyone is grateful to have their things back, and they collectively forgive Madame Hoo. Turtle even lets the woman keep her Mickey Mouse clock.

Turtle gives her closing arguments. She points out the contradictory nature of Westing’s life and persona. She declares that he is dead now—but was not when the will was read. She believes that Westing disguised himself as one of his own heirs: Sandy. She reveals that Sandy was drinking medicine out of his flask. Westing was never murdered—his life was “taken from him,” as he wrote in the will, when he became Sandy.

Turtle stops talking. Ford waits for her to make the connection between Sandy and Northrup for everyone, but Turtle doesn’t say anything. She privately puzzles over why Westing played three roles: himself, Sandy, and Barney. Remembering the will, Turtle realizes she has solved the puzzle: “The heir who wins the windfall will be the one who finds the FOURTH.” Turtle does not share this discovery with the rest of the group. Instead, she asks for a moment of silence. As everyone bows their heads in remembrance of Sandy, the door opens—Ed Plum brings in Crow.