Chapter 7 EVANS TRIES AN O-LEVEL

- Colin Dexter

An unusual request from a prisoner

In early March, the Secretary of the Examinations Board gets a call from the Governor of HM Prison
in Oxford. The

call is regarding a prisoner at Oxford Prison. The prisoner, James Roderick Evans, has been taking
night classes in Olevel German since last September and now aspires to write the exam to add to his
education qualification.

The Governor informs the Secretary that Evans is a congenital kleptomaniac but has a pleasant
personality and no

record of violence. As Evans is in a cell of his own, he can sit for his exam there itself. The call ends
with the

decision to get a parson from St. Mary Mags to invigilate and to keep the prisoner incommunicado
during the exam.

‘Evans the Break’ – a bonafide test taker?

Evans has escaped from the prison thrice before he came to Oxford Prison. For this reason, the
prison officers call him Evans the Break’. Thinking that Evans may have a genuine interest in O-level
German, the Governor wants to

give him a chance. But he doesn’t want Evans to disgrace him by escaping his premises and so he
gets involved in the

security arrangements himself.

No stone left unturned

Evans is placed in the heavily guarded Recreational Block, just across D wing. There are two locked
doors between

his cell and the yard which boasts of a high wall. Moreover, all the prison officers are also on the
alert. The Governor

gets a microphone installed in Evans’ cell while Stephens keeps a hawk’s eye on Evans.

Two prison officers, Mr. Jackson and Mr. Stephens, thoroughly check his cell for any sign of a
possible escape. Even

his razor, nail-file and nail scissors have been taken away. But hitting on a tiny emotional cord
hidden in the stern

looking Jackson, Evans manages to retain his filthy bobble hat by claiming it to be his “lucky charm.”

The invigilator, Reverend Stuart McLeery, sifted

Considering the possibility of Evans exploiting any potential weapon brought unwittingly by his
invigilator, the
Governor gets the parson searched thoroughly. Even McLeery’s paper-knife was not allowed. This
frisking process

causes a little delay. And, the two hour exam scheduled for 9:15 a.m. begins at 9:25 a.m.

Telephone calls during the examination

Within fifteen minutes of the start of the examination, the Governor receives a call from the
Examination Board for a

spelling correction in the question paper. This puts the jail officials in suspicion. The Governor tries
unsuccessfully to

cross-check the authenticity of the call. Thus, the necessary changes were made in the question
paper without

validation.

The phone rings again. The Magistrates’ Court needed a prison van and a couple of prison officers
for a remand case.

The Governor wonders if it is a hoax but shakes off the idea.

Throughout the examination, Stephens closely supervises the cell by peering through the peep-hole
at frequent

intervals. After some time, complaining of the cold inside the cell, Evans gets himself covered with a
blanket.

Though skeptic, Stephens doesn’t report the matter to Jackson.

Three minutes before the end of examination, he receives the Governor’s call asking him to escort
McLeery to the

prison gates and to personally ensure that the door is locked on Evans. Finally, at 11:25 a.m., the
exam is over and

Evans is asked to submit his sheets.

Evans’ fourth escape from prison

Evans absconds in McLeery’s disguise as Stephens fails to notice the visible changes in the accent
and body size of

McLeery whom he escorted to the prison gates. On returning, Stephen is taken aback with shock as
he finds a

profusely bleeding McLeery in Evans’ chair. Jackson and Stephen help McLeery get up and call the
ambulance, but

McLeery, claiming to know Evans’ whereabouts, requests to see the Governor.

Soon the prison premises change into a pandemonium of bells, sirens, officers barking orders,
banging and bolting of

doors and ringing of phones. The wounded McLeery shows a photocopied sheet, cleverly
superimposed over the last
page of the question paper, containing hints about Evans’ whereabouts.

The injured parson helps police

The injured McLeery leaves with Mr. Carter, the detective Superintendent, and suggests they drive
to Elsfield

Way. The Governor gets furious at Jackson for not scrutinising Evans’s cell properly the previous
evening; for,

Evans has clearly managed to hide a false beard, pair of spectacles and other things needed for his
plan.

Evans plan starts unraveling

While the jail officials are still teasing their brains to break the code of Newbury, the Governor gets
to know that it

was not McLeery who was taken to the hospital by Carter but Evans, disguised as McLeery, who flees
from Elsfield

Way on the pretext of taking an ambulance. Now, the Governor recognises the actual plan of
escape. Everything

including the fake parson, the question paper, the correction slip and the phone calls during the
examination has been

part of Evans’ plan. Yet, the Governor could not help appreciating Evans’ cleverly laid plan.

A quarter of an hour later they found the Reverend S. McLeery, securely bound and gagged, in his
study in Broad

Street. He’d been there, he said, since 8.15 a.m.

The hideaway and the catch

Meanwhile, Evans reaches the Golden Lion Hotel in Chipping Norton. He recalls how his ‘good and
clever friends’

helped him escape from prison and later from Elsfield Way. The fake McLeery entered the prison
wearing two black

fronts and two collars. Everything, from keeping a pen in his mouth to covering himself with a
blanket, has been part

of the plan. However, to Evans’ dismay, the Governor tracks him down to his room with the help of
the little German he knew

and the ‘correction slip’.

The whole conspiracy revealed

Admitting his defeat, Evans reveals the whole conspiracy. The call for the ‘correction’ was made to
let him know the

name of the hotel he had to go to, as well as to let his co-conspirators know the time the
examination was to end. The
index number and centre number referred to the location of the hotel. Finally, to show bleeding,
pig’s blood

concealed in the rubber ring was used. Even his German teacher was part of the plan.

Evans has the last laugh

The Governor gets Evans rearrested. However, as the police van leaves with a handcuffed Evans
accompanied by two

police officers, another plot is revealed. The prison van and the officer are part of another escape
plan, concocted by

his friends. Thus, “Evans the Break” finally absconds to Newbury

Question Answer:-

1. What clues did the answer sheet of Evans provide to the Governor?

Answer: McLeery showed a photocopied sheet to the Governor which had been cleverly
superimposed on the last

page of the German question paper. The Governor decoded it for Newsbury and by putting together
the six figure

reference, the index and centre number 313/271 and with the help of the ‘Ordinance Survey Map of
Oxfordshire’ he

was able to locate Evans in the middle of Chipping Norton. The correction slip provided him with the
name of the

hotel, ‘The Golden Lion’ where Evans was staying. So Evans was beaten in his own game as he left
clues which

aided in his arrest. He made things easier as he left the question paper behind in the cell. The clues
the Governor got

from it were sufficient to help him locate Evans.

2.Why did Evans not take off his hat when Jackson ordered him to do so? What was the actual
reason?

Answer: Evans was determined to make his escape-plan a success and so he had clipped his hair
short to pass off as

McLeery later. Jackson disapproved of his dirty “bobble hat” and asked him to remove it. Evans
immediately thought

of a ploy to avoid recognition by telling Jackson that the hat had always brought him good luck. So
the police officer agreed to his request. The actual reason was that since he had clipped his hair
short to pass off as Mcleery later, he

needed to keep his hat on to avoid being detected.

3. How did the Governor react to the two phone calls he received in quick succession?
Answer: The first call that the Governor received from the Assistant Secretary was a hoax. It misled j
the gullible

Governor by demanding a prison van in connection with a remand case whereas the van was needed
for Evans’

escape. The underlying idea behind the second call was to take Stephens away for some time so that
Evans could give

finishing touches to his makeup to look like McLeery.

4. Who was Carter? What did the Governor ask him to do?

Answer: Carter was the Detective Superintendent whom the Governor summoned after Evans’
supposed escape. The

Governor wanted him to accompany the injured Me Leery as he was the only one who seemed to
know what was

actually happening and might be in a position to help in locating Evans who had escaped.

5. What were the contents of the small brown suitcase that McLeery carried?

Answer: The small brown suitcase that McLeery carried contained all that he would need for his
‘morning duties’

meaning his invigilation work. It contained the sealed question paper, envelope, a yellow invigilation
form, special

authentication card etc.

6. What did the Detective Superintendent inform the Governor about Evans?

Answer: The Detective Superintendent informed the Governor that McLeery had spotted Evans
driving off along

Elsfield way. They had got the number of the car alright and had given a chase immediately but had
lost him at the

Headington roundabout. He assumed that Evans must have doubled back into the city.

7. How did the Governor find out where Evans was?

Answer: When the Governor finally realised that it was Evans who had gone out with Carter and that
he was

impersonating McLeery, he thought about the six digit reference number and after putting the two
numbers, the index

and the centre number together and with the help of the ‘Ordinance Survey Map for Oxfordshire’
the Governor

reached the hotel to find Evans.

8. What did the Governor tell the Secretary of the Examination Board about Evans?

Answer: The Governor tells the Secretary of the Examination Board that Evans was quite a pleasant
sort of person.
He was one of the stars at the Christmas concert due to his ability to imitate well-known persons but
he was also a

congenital kleptomaniac.

9. How do we know that Evans had no chance of getting through the O-level German examination?
Why did he take the test?

Answer: Evans did not have any chance of getting through the O-level German examination as he
was not capable of

understanding even a simple German expression of “Guten Gluck” (Good Luck). He was taking the
test in an attempt

to plan his escape from prison.

10. On the day of the examination, with what excuse did Evans keep Stephens out of his cell? What
was the

actual reason?

Answer: Evans says he was unable to concentrate on his exam with Stephens literally breathing
down his neck. So he

wanted Stephens to be out of his cell. But the actual reason was that Evans wanted to execute his
escape plan and

Stephens’ presence there would be a big hindrance for him.

11.What precautions were taken by the prison authorities for the smooth conduct of the
examination?

Answer: The prison staff and the Governor took all the necessary precautions to ensure a smooth
conduct of Evan’s

examination. The Governor personally supervised all the security arrangements. Evan’s cell was
thoroughly .checked

by Jackson to ward off the possibility of any incriminating material. Evans’ nail- scissors, nail file and
razor where

taken away. A police officer Stephens was posted to keep a constant vigil on his activities. Mr.
McLeery, a parson,

was to invigilate. The invigilator too was frisked to make sure that he carried no objectionable
material with him.

Long Answer Type Questions

1.How did the question paper and the correction slip help the prisoner and the Governor?

Answer: McLeery showed a photocopied sheet to the Governor which had been cleverly
superimposed on the last

page of the German question paper. The Governor decoded it for Newsbury and by putting together
the six figure
reference, the index and centre number 313/271 andwith the help of the ‘Ordinance Survey Map of
Oxfordshire’ he

was able to locate Evans in the middle of Chipping Norton. The correction slip provided him with the
name of the

hotel, ‘The Golden Lion’ where Evans was staying. So Evans was beaten in his own game as he left
clues which

aided in his arrest. He made things easier as he left the question paper behind in the cell. The clues
the Governor got

from it were sufficient to help him locate Evans.

2 How was ‘injured’ McLeery able to befool the prison officers?

Answer: The prison authorities did not verify McLeery’s true identity. A fake McLeery impersonated
the real

McLeery, who had been bound and gagged in his study. McLeery did not go out of prison but stayed
inside the cell.

Jackson received a call from the Governor that Stephens was to accompany McLeery to the main
prison gates. As

Stephens peeped into the hole to Evan’s cell, he was horrified to see the ‘injured’ McLeery there.
The ‘injured’

McLeery claimed to know where Evans was. He showed more interest in the arrival of the police
than the ambulance.

He drew the attention of the Governor to the German text on the photocopied sheet about ‘Elsfield
way to Headington

roundabout.’ When the police arrived before the Governor could say anything, he told the officer to
go to Elsfield

way. He pretended to guide the authorities to help them track Evans. The ‘injured’ McLeery who was
actually Evans,

claimed to have seen Evans driving off Elsfield way. When they reached the Examination Board, he
gorged and the police called for an ambulance and left him there. In this way the actual Evans
escaped. Thus, actually the police was

after runaway Evans while the real Evans left the prison cell with the police as the only witness. In
this way ‘real’

Evans, disguised as ‘injured’ McLeery was able to befool the prison officers.