Chapter Nine Summary

Because the villagers all believe that Jacques is Count Olaf, they now believe that Olaf is dead and that the world has been rid of one more villain. The children, of course, know that this all must have been part of Count Olaf's plan. Officer Luciana claims that she locked "Count Olaf" in his cell last night and that she is the only person in the V.F.D. with a key. His death is a complete mystery, Luciana continues, but she's hired the famous Detective Dupin to solve the case. As Detective Dupin arrives, community members are ordering the Baudelaire children away from the crime scene and back to their chores. "It isn't cool," Dupin's voice rings out from the crowd, "to dismiss suspects from the scene of the crime until Detective Dupin gives the okay" (p. 157). Immediately, the children...