Ian Stratford Inspector Ian Stratford was an officer of the Metropolitan Police Service . He was assigned to the case of Richard Harries , a case which brought him to Banquo Manor . Biography . Early life . Stratford was a police officer for several years before transferring to the Met for personal reasons . He worked at Scotland Yard from 1877 . In 1884 , he took a day ' s leave for private matters ; this was the day of the Scotland Yard bombings and several of his colleagues were maimed . Stratford ' s parents died , his mother of pneumonia and his father by drink . His aunt was his only relative left . Stratford fell in love with a woman , but was forbidden to marry her by his aunt , who matched him with someone else . The two fell in love and married but his wife believed she could love many people and had an affair . During the divorce of his wife , he came to John Hopkinson , a solicitor . Stratford was assigned to the case of Gordon Seavers , a young man who had committed suicide . He visited Professor Sowerden at the University of Oxford and questioned him ; he had taught Seavers . At Banquo Manor . Stratford travelled to the village of Three Sisters , where his aunt lived . On arrival he met Sergeant Baker . They were called to Banquo Manor to investigate the death of Richard Harries ; Stratford questioned the residents and staff . He soon deduce d that Harries ' experiment had been sabotaged , killing him . He examined the body alongside Dr . Friedlander . Stratford was keen to question John Hopkinson about Seavers ' s death . He did not remember him from their previous encounter . He asked why he had not told George of the death of Seavers ; John told him George had been ill , preventing him from doing so . Stratford saw this as a lie . The manor ' s butler , Cuthbert Simpson , told Stratford that he had seen Friedlander and his associate , Fitz Kreiner , outside Harries ' lab in the conservatory , shortly before his death . When Friedlander went missing , Stratford considered him a suspect . Stratford opted to again examine the body . However , when he arrived the body was gone . He believed Friedlander had taken it . Stratford , Baker and Kreiner followed Friedlander ' s footprints . They led to a cave on the grounds of Banquo Manor . In the cave was the Doctor ' s ; the group returned to the manor . Stratford broke the news of his death to the residents . Simpson told Stratford that Harries ' body had been returned . A sudden scream made the residents head upstairs . Stratford found Beryl Green dead . He took a piece of paper from her grasp and with it was able to prove that Harries had been blackmailing George and Gordon . Stratford was also able to deduce that John had killed Harries but chose not to try and prove it . Stratford hypothesised that Catherine Harries was responsible for Beryl ' s murder and the theft of the body . However he was alerted by a scream and found the bodies of George and Elizabeth Wallace . Realising it could not have been Catherine , he began a search . They found the Doctor , and then Harries . His corpse was walking , seemingly alive . Stratford , John , Kreiner and the Doctor then fled from the corpse which then followed them . The residents barricaded themselves into Hopkinson ' s room . Friedlander deduce d that Catherine ' s subconscious was controlling Harries ; they had linked for a moment when she was unconscious . Harries broke in and Catherine was able to halt him by thinking hard . Stratford , Baker , John and Friedlander went for some chains to restrain him . Catherine followed them alongside Richard . She told them she was consciously controlling Harries in the killings , that she was connected to him and that she would now kill them . Baker knocked her over and they barricaded her out . Catherine used Richard to break into the room from outside while she waited in another room . He came through the French Window . Stratford and Baker forced him out by hitting him with a table . He opened a door and Catherine was on the other side , shot him in the shoulder . He went unconscious for some time . The others bandaged Stratford ' s wound and took care of him . He agreed that John and Friedlander should try and leave the house by going into the study . They climbed the chimney , going down a fork in it that led into the study . Susan and Kreiner joined them , climbing in via the chimney . Later Stratford and Baker opened the barricade to allow John and Friedlander in . The effort caused strain on Stratford ' s injured arm , hampering him . Harries broke through the barricade and Catherine entered via the door . She killed Baker and then Harries was blown up with dynamite . Catherine shot herself accidentally while fighting with John . They all then left the manor . Stratford later wrote the events down in a report ; however he did not submit this to the police . ( PROSE : " The Banquo Legacy " ) Personality . Stratford enjoyed visiting Three Sisters due to how peaceful it was ; he liked to go for walks there as he found them good to clear his head . Stratford forgave his wife for her betrayal ; at first he blamed himself , then his aunt . He did not get on well with his aunt but still visited her as she was his only family . He liked Baker as he was well prepared and thought in a similar way to Stratford . Stratford decided not like Hopkinson as he appeared pretentious and seemed to lack respect for Stratford ' s authority . Stratford was embarrassed by the fact that , after Harries ' body was discovered to be missing , it was Hopkinson who took the most practical action is searching the room . He took to Susan Seymour , appreciating her thoughtfulness for others . ( PROSE : " The Banquo Legacy " )