The Adventure of the Murdered Banker

Mr. Walter Ostermann, Managing Director of the Bank, was found murdered this morning in his Bank office.

Miss Rita Frawley, Ostermann's secretary, says she left the office around 9.30 this morning to pick up some tickets from the Theatre for Mr. Ostermann and his wife, Mrs. Eleanor Ostermann. When she returned around 10.00 a.m., Miss Frawley found Ostermann slumped over his desk across a pile of scattered papers. He had been hit on the right side of the head with a blunt object.

The lock on Mr. Ostermann's file cabinet was broken, and it appeared that some papers had been removed from the files.

Miss Frawley says that when she left for the Theatre, Mr. Ostermann was alone in his office. Mr. Ostermann's diary showed that he had only one meeting scheduled in his office between 9.30 and 10.00, that with Mr. Patrick Reardon, Director of Commercial Lending, who differed strongly with Ostermann on many policies.

Mr. Reardon claims he kept his meeting with Ostermann, and left him in good health around 9.50.

Mr. Wellington Bakman, Bank treasurer, whose office adjoins Ostermann's, claims he heard a noise in Ostermann's office around 9.50; but says he simply thought that Ostermann had dropped a briefcase or something of that sort.

Baffled, Inspector Lestrade of Scotland Yard has come to 221B Baker Street to discuss the case.