“No, Mr. Green, communism is just a red herring.”
Why it's great
One line waves the political label aside and quietly names the real motive.
Register
Formal
Use it yourself
The dress code is just a red herring; the real issue is pay.
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Wadsworth Reveals He's the Killer, Explained
Clue · 1985
Chapter 16 of 17 · 3'06"
Wadsworth walks everyone through the night's murders and pins them on Miss Scarlet, until he turns out to be the real mastermind. "Communism is just a red herring," he says; his true business, he explains, is other people's secrets, and he plans to sell them to the highest bidder.
Key moments
Start here, then watch the full scene- 2:07–2:49
Communism Is Just a Red Herring
42s
Wadsworth Reveals He's the Killer, explained
What happens
In the study, Wadsworth reconstructs the whole night for the guests: how Yvette eavesdropped, killed the cook, and returned to the billiards room, then how Miss Scarlet strangled Yvette, shot the cop, and killed the singing telegram girl. Then he reveals his real business and that he has been pulling the strings all along.
What's really going on
The scene works as a double reveal. On the surface Wadsworth is the detective laying out a case, and every line builds toward Miss Scarlet: "You used her the way you always used her." But the details he keeps dropping, the secret passage, the electricity, the gun picked up where Yvette dropped it, only make sense to someone who was there. When he says his business is secrets, the accusation collapses into a confession. "Communism is just a red herring" is the wink to the audience: the political angle everyone chased was a decoy, exactly like the false endings the film builds on. The joke is that the man explaining the mystery is the mystery.
Key lines & what they mean
- “No, Mr. Green, communism is just a red herring.”
- Wadsworth waves off Mr. Green's accusation. A 'red herring' is a clue that misleads; here he means the whole communist angle was a decoy he planted.
- “You used her the way you always used her.”
- He tells Miss Scarlet she exploited Yvette as she always did. The line turns his neutral recap into a direct accusation, though it is also a confession in disguise.
- “and I'm gonna sell my secrets, your secrets, to the highest bidder.”
- His real business is information: he collects everyone's secrets and will auction them to whoever pays most, which is both a threat and an admission.
- “Half of Washington knows what kind of business you run.”
- He argues the accused was never truly in danger, since the town already knew her trade and was too implicated to expose anyone.
Theme
- Secrets — Wadsworth's whole trade is other people's secrets, and the scene turns on one being exposed.
- Deception — The detective act itself is the trick: the man solving the murder is the one who arranged it.
What this chapter teaches
Teaching points
Review right after watchingMy level2/6
A1–C2 is the CEFR scale. Cards above the level you pick fade, and playback will not auto-pause on them.
Language points
Click a card to jump to its moment in the videoGolden lines
A great line in its own right — why and how to use it“You used her the way you always used her.”
Why it's great
The phrase used her repeats until it becomes an accusation of long habit.
Register
Neutral
Use it yourself
You ignored my advice the way you always ignore it.
“and I'm gonna sell my secrets, your secrets, to the highest bidder.”
Why it's great
The word secrets repeats like a hammer until the bidder reveals what this really is.
Register
Neutral
Use it yourself
The last ticket will go to the highest bidder.
“Half of Washington knows what kind of business you run.”
Why it's great
One line says the secret was never a secret and threatens without ever raising its voice.
Register
Neutral
Use it yourself
Half of the office knows what kind of business you run on the side.
Up next · 17fatal mistakeThe scene: Wadsworth Counts the Last BulletTakeaways
What you walk away with- A red herring exists to pull attention off the truth.
- Accusing someone of a label can be the real distraction.
- Secrets are only worth what someone will pay.
- The quietest answer is often the harshest.
People also search
Questions, then the linesWho killed Mr. Boddy in this ending?
In this ending, Wadsworth does. His long recap of the night's killings doubles as a confession, and he finally admits his real business is secrets he intends to sell.
Why does Wadsworth call communism a red herring?
Mr. Green accuses him of being a communist, so Wadsworth dismisses the political motive outright. The espionage angle was misdirection; his actual trade was buying and selling secrets.
What does 'the oldest profession' mean?
It's a euphemism for prostitution. Wadsworth uses it to claim he belongs to that line, but the line's real point is what follows: like everyone in it, he's a capitalist who sells to the highest bidder.
Why does Wadsworth threaten to expose the guests?
Their secrets are his leverage. He tells them they will cooperate or he will expose them, and that he plans to sell everything he knows to the highest bidder.