Lord Lister No. 0338: De brand in de chemische fabriek

"Lord Lister No. 0338: De brand in de chemische fabriek" by Kurt Matull et al. is a detective novella written in the early 20th century. Set in London’s industrial world, it centers on Lord Lister (the gentleman rogue known as Raffles) as a deadly factory fire, a missing explosive formula, and a brewing office feud entangle chemist Jack Helford, his employer Thomas Macdara, and clerk Fred Heywood. When Helford is accused of murder and arson, Lister and his companion Charly Brand step in to uncover the truth behind the blaze and the coveted “Palmerit” explosive. The opening of the story sketches mounting tension between factory partners Macdara and Palmer, highlights Palmer’s secret work on a powerful new explosive, and shows office gossip around the young chemist Helford and his sister. A sudden night fire destroys the factory; Palmer’s charred body is found; suspicion swings toward arson and then toward Helford after his quarrel with Palmer and rumors about Palmer’s advances to two women close to him. Heywood then secretly confronts Macdara, revealing he witnessed Macdara stab Palmer, steal papers (the explosive’s formula), and set the fire, and he blackmails him with a found cufflink and a forged note. Macdara pays a down payment and hires an East End killer to silence Heywood—but the “killer” is actually Lord Lister in disguise, who resolves with Charly to investigate and clear Helford. The section closes as Lister moves to question Heywood, just as the clerk heads out for the evening with a lady on his arm.

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