Murder on the Orient Express Part 7

Hey Readers!

This is the final post, concluding the Murder on the Orient Express. So far, the mystery has been a baffling jumble of clues that don't seem to add up. When the last part left off, Poirot said there were two possible solutions. This should be interesting...

Everyone gathers in the restaurant car, Greta Ohlsson is crying, and Mrs. Hubbard is comforting her as Poirot stands up. Poirot states that there are two possible solutions to the crime, and M. Bouc and Dr. Constantine will judge which solution is correct.

Poirot states the facts about the case: Ratchett was alive at 12:37 when he talked to the conductor, and he was found stabbed in the morning.A watch in his pocket read 1:15. Dr. Constantine believes the death was between 12 and 2 a.m. At 12:30 a.m. the train ran into a snowdrift, after that time no one could possible leave the train. The evidence of Mr. Hardman, whom Poirot reveals to be a New York detective, was that no one could have passed his compartment on the end without his notice. This means that the possible murderers are all present.

"That, I will say, was our theory." Poirot says, startling M. Bouc. Poirot continues, saying Ratchett gave Hardman a description of a man that would attempt to kill him. The enemy slipped in at one of the train stops, disguised himself as a conductor, used the pass key, murdered Ratchett, left through the communicating door into Mrs. Hubbard's room, put the weapon in her bag, unintentionally lost a button, put the uniform in a suitcase in an empty compartment, and left before the train started moving. M. Bouc thinks this explanation absurd, asking about details such as the watch and the voices heard inside the compartment. The suspects ask a few questions, too, but seem appeased with the theory. Dr. Constantine refuses to believe the story. Poirot reminds everyone there is a second explanation, but to M. Bouc and Dr. Constantine he reminds to keep the first solution in mind.

Poirot says the second solution was thought up by M. Bouc wondering why such a diverse group would be in the same train car. Poirot thought it was odd, the group could only be found in America. Each of the suspects had a role in the Armstrong family and household. Poirot was able to "cast each person for a certain part in the Armstrong drama."

While interviewing Hector MacQueen for a second time, Poirot described a note mentioning the Armstrong case. Hector replied saying "But surely-" and pasued awkwardly, finishing "I mean- that was rather careless of the old man." Poirot suspects that Hector was about to say "But surely that was burnt!" This would mean MacQueen knew about the burned note, thus he would be the murderer or an accomplice. Poirot doesn't think Ratchett would intentionally take his usual sleeping draught, as he expected a murder attempt. and he had a gun under his pilow. MacQueen or the valet could have given him it. Poirot believes that Hardman is a detective, but thinks that Hardman didn't do much to protect Ratchett. He only proved that no one came from another car to murder him. Poirot noticed that the Colonel and Ms. Debenham didn't act like strangers to each other, though they said they were. Mrs. Hubbard's bag was supposedly covering her view of the bolt on the communicating door, but it didn't. Poirot believes that the story was made up. The watch was placed in Ratchett's shirt pocket, an unlikely place for him to put it. So, the crime was not committed at 1:15. Ratchett supposedly cried out in the night, and answered the conductor in french. Ratchett was drugged at the time and didn't speak any language. Poirot's opinion is that Ratchett was killed around 2:00. Poirot thought it was an interesting coincidence that suspects that would probably not know each other from before the train provided alibis for each other. One example is the English valet and the Italian.

Then, Poirot says, he saw the light. It was impossible for so many people connected to the Armstrong case to be in the same train car by coincidence. The Colonel had made a remark about a trial by jury. That is what the murder was. There are twelve people in a jury, twelve passengers in the train car, and twelve stab wounds on the body. The threatening letters MacQueen showed were fake, Hardman wasn't asked to be a bodyguard, and the small, dark man never existed. The twelve people had carefully planned the whole thing, which included false clues. The conductor Pierre was one of the murderers, as the Count took his wife's place so he would be telling the truth when saying she never left her compartment.

Pierre was related to the French maid who killed herself. Hildegarde was a cook for the Armstrong family. Hardman was in love with the maid. Mrs. Hubbard is really Linda Arden, and actress, and Sonia Armstrong's mother. The Colonel was best friends with Colonel Armstrong. She explains how everyone got together and planned the murder. After planning how to murder Ratchett, MacQueen influenced Ratchett to ride the Orient Express at a time when Pierre michel was on duty.

Mrs. Hubbard asks for the blame to be put only on her. She says the murder was to prevent further kidnappings and to avenge all the deaths Cassetti caused. Poirot asks M. Bouc and Dr. Constantine what they think. They both agree that the solution was the first one.

"Then" Poirot says, "having placed my solution before you , I have honor to retire from the case..."

THE END.

Murder on the Orient Express Part 6

Hey Readers!

Poirot, Dr. Constantine, and M. Bouc ponder the information and clues they have...

They three are puzzled by the information they have received. The only fact known for sure are the twelve stab wounds. The time of the murder was based off of the broken watch, so it could either be right or wrong. It's hard to prove whether Hardman is really a detective or not, because the train is still stuck in snow. The small, dark man with a womanish voice suspect was based on four direct or indirect testimonies. The three discuss whether he is real and if so, where is he or who is wearing a disguise? Perhaps the woman with the red kimono and the small man in the conductor's uniform were accomplices. Poirot says the kimono will probably be found in a man's luggage, and. if Hildegarde Schmidt is innocent, the uniform will be found in her luggage. While the Doctor and M.Bouc think about this odd prophecy, Mrs. Hubbard comes in. She yells that she found a bloody knife in her purse, and faints!

The knife is inspected and Mrs. H gets some liquor. M. Bouc comes up with a theory: the murderer left Ratchett's room, came through the connecting door to Mrs.H's room, drops the knife in her purse, and ran out her door. Poirot nods, but gives one of his puzzled looks. Mrs. H moves into another room. Her luggage is inspected, but nothing is found.

Poirot searches the other passengers' luggage. The Colonel has a pack of pipe cleaners. Poirot talks to the Princess, who wanted a brutal murder for Cassetti, but wouldn't have the strength to commit one. Miss Debenham is talked with, and she starts to lose her temper. The uniform is in Hildegarde's luggage. Poirot calms her, saying she is innocent and "you are a good cook, are you not?" She replies: "Yes, indeed, all my ladies have said so. I-", she looks scared again. A key is found in the uniform's pocket, one that could unlock all doors. Poirot finds the kimono in his luggage.

After meeting up with M.Bouc and the doctor, Poirot says he found some valuable information. MacQueen mentioned that Ratchett didn't know any languages. On the night of the murder, the conductor knocked on his door. Someone in his compartment said it was an accident, in French. The phrase was not an easy one to say, either. They go back to the watch, and how if the time was changed the only good time to go in Ratchett's compartment would have been when the train was at a stop. The handkerchief could belong to Mrs. H, Hildegarde, or Hermione Debenham. The doctor thinks it belongs to Mrs. H, M. Bouc thinks Ms. Debenham. The doctor thinks the pipe cleaner was dropped on purpose to incriminate the Colonel. No one could be disguised as the small dark man, because they are too tall, too broad, or didn't leave their rooms the whole night. As they talk about how two people could have committed the crime, Poirot wants to know who did it.

As confusing as the mystery keeps getting, Poirot has a few theories. He says: "a remark made by M. Bouc...we were surrounded by people of all classes, of all nationalities...somewhat rare at this time of year...the position of Mrs. Hubbard's sponge-bag, the name of Mrs. Armstrong's mother, the detective methods of M. Hardman, the suggestion of M. McQueen that Ratchett himself destroyed the charred note we found, Princess Dragomiroff's Christian name, and a grease spot on a Hungarian passport." Poirotthinks the Countess' real name is Helena Goldenberg, sister of Mrs. Armstrong. Countess Andrenyi spilled grease on her passport to not show her Christian name and possible suspicion and Princess Dragomiroff lied about knowing where Daisy's aunt is.

The Countess confesses she is Helena Goldberg. She didn't want to be blamed for the murder. She stills says the handekerchief isn't hers. Poirot asks about the nurse who killed herself. Her name was Suzanne and she was French, but Helena doesn't now her last name. Helena says the name of the governess was Stengleberg.

Poirot thinks Helena is innocent. Princess Dragomiroff walks in, saying: "I believe, Monsieur...that you have a handkerchief of mine." The Princess explains that the "H" on the handkerchief is the Russian character "N." She doesn't know how the handkerchief got in Ratchett's room.

The Colonel is interviewed again. He says he didn't kill Ratchett, and didn't even talk to him. Poirot about what Ms. Debenham said to the Colonel: "Not now. When it's all over. When it's behind us," but Arbuthnot refuses to tell him.

Ms. Debenham is talked to, and Poirot gets her to admit being the governess. She was afraid that if people found out she had any connection to the Armstrongs they might not hire her. Mary tells Poirot she did not recognize Countess Andrenyi, since she hadn't seen her for three years. Mary breaks down in tears and Colonel Arbuthnot, still in the room, threatens Poirot. M. Bouc is, again, astonished at Poirot's abilities, he cannot figure how he knew the Mary worked at the Armstrong house. Poirot tells M. Bouc he knew it was Mary because the Countess tried so hard to protect her. The Countess described her governess as a big, red-haired woman—the exact opposite of Mary. The countess, thinking of Debenham, told Poirot the name of her governess was Freebody. In London there is a store Debenham and Freebody—it was the first name she thought of.

M. Bouc says he wouldn't be surprised if everyone on the coach had something to do with the Armstrong family. Poirot tells him that his remark is profound. The Italian is called once again to the dining car. Antonio admits he was the Armstrong's chauffer, but that he didn't murder Ratchett. Greta Ohlsson is called in. She admits she was Daisy Armstrong's nurse and regrets not telling Poirot earlier. Masterman is called next. Masterman immediately approaches Poirot and immediately tells Poirot he was Colonel Armstrong's batman ( I'm not sure what that is) in the War and was his valet afterwards. Masterman pleads Antonio's innocence, saying Antonio is harmless.

Hardman comes in. Hardman says he had no connection, and thinks he is the only one without a connection. Hardman asks if Poirot has any idea about the identities of the American and her maid. Poirot, smiling, suggests they might be the cook and the housekeeper. Hardman asks if Poirot knows who murdered Ratchett. Poirot replies: "I have known for some time." He tells Hardman to call all of the passengers into the room.

Come back next week for the conclusion!

Murder on the Orient Express Part 5

Hey Readers!

This post will sum up the last of the interviews. This case gets more and more complicated!

Colonel Arbuthnot is up. He speaks coldly, almost rude. Poirot wants his opinion on Ms. Debenham, who is also English and who talks with Colonel a lot. He doesn't think shehad anything to do with the murder or that she knew about Ratchett. At 1:15, he was talking to MacQueen in his room. At 1:45 he left Hector's compartment, and saw the conductor enter the room. He also noticed a woman with strong perfume in the hallway while talking with Hector. He smokes a pipe. The Colonel knew of Col. Armstrong, Daisy's father. Poirot suspects he knew him personally. When thinking about the murder, Arbuthnot says the mafia-like murder should have been a trial by a jury. Poirot looks at him, in thought. The Col. saw someone in Cyrus Hardman's room looking out suspiciously. Poirot thinks the phsychology of the murder doesn't quite fit the Colonel, even though he is the only one who smokes a pipe.

The American travelling salesman Cyrus Hardman is next. He dresses flashy and acts kind of cheap. He reveals that he is really a detective, and his personality becomes more normal. Ratchett hired him as a bodyguard. Ratchett told him to look out for a dark, small man with a womanish voice. He didn't know Ratchett was Cassettu, but he didn't know much about the case to begin with. He accepts a cigarette from Poirot, who finds it interesting that Ratchett's description doesn't fit anyone on the train.

The Italian is after Cyrus. He talks a lot. He stayed in his compartment all night. M. Bouc thinks he is guilty, but Poirot points out that there is no evidence against him. The phsychology of the crime is more Anglo-Saxon, Poirot thinks.

Miss Debenham is next. She is quick to answer, and isn't very stressed about the murder. Poiort says that is very Anglo-Saxon of her. She saw a figure in a kimono at 5 a.m.

Poirot thinks the murder is too complicated for people to make up alibis, as M.Bouc thinks. Hildegarde Schmidt is last. She is the Princess' maid. She read to her for 30 minutes that night, but Hildegarde can't remember at what time. She saw a conductor like the person Ratchett described. She doesn't own a kimono. She's stoic and hardly talks. When shown the handkerchief, her face reddens, but she says it isn't hers. She tears up at the mention of the Armstrong case. All three conductors are brought in, and none of them are the one she saw.

Come back for Part 6!

Murder on the Orient Express Part 4

Hi Readers,

Last post left off whe nPoirot is interviewing suspects. As you know, there are still more people to go...

The Swedish lady is questioned next. Her name is Greta Ohlsson. She opened Ratchett's door by accident, since Mrs. Hubbard's door is right next to it. She was probably the last one to see him alive. After Greta got some aspirin from Mrs. Hubbard, she told her to check that the door connecting the room to Ratchett's was bolted. She went to sleep close to midnight. Greta is in the same compartment as Mary Debenham, and she reports that Mary didn't leave, because she is a light sleeper and would have heard her. Greta doesn't own the kimono Poirot say on the night of the murder. She didn't know about the Armstrong case, but started crying when Poirot told her about it.

The button from a conductor uniform is shown to Pierre Michel. M.Bouc says he thinks the assassin dropped the button. Pierre freaks out and yells that he isn't guilty. He had been talking with other conductors at the time of the murder, and they vouch for him. Poirot thinks it makes sense that Pierre didn't run into the man who was in Mrs. Hubbard's room, as she didn't ring her room bell for a few minutes, and the person easily would have left during that time. M. Bouc still believes the Italian murdered Ratchett, but Masterman shares Foscarelli's compartment. It seems that all the compartments were full at the time of the murder...

The next person interviewed is Princess Dragomiroff. After giving basic info, like that her first name is Natalia, she describes her routine that night. She went to bed right away but couldn't sleep well because of rheumatism pains. She rang for her assistant that's she has had for 15 years, Hildegarde Schmidt, who gave her a massage till she fell asleep again.

The Princess tells Poirot that the night before she retired to bed immediately after dinner and read until 11 p.m. At about 12:45 she rang for her maid, Hildegarde Schmidt, who massaged her and read to her until she felt sleepy. That was from about 12:45 to about 30 minutes later, but the Princess wasn't sure. She reveals that the mother of Daisy Armstrong was her goddaughter. She says that Sonia Armstrong (the mother) had a sister, but the Princess hadn't contacted her in a long time. The Princess says she doesn't own the red kimono. When Poirot tells her his name she says, "Yes. I remember now. This is Destiny."

Count Andrenyi and Countess Andrenyi are called next to be interviewed, but only the Count appears. All he says is tha he and his wife heard nothing all night and they have nothing else to say. Poirot keeps saying he saw the Countess, but the Count doesn't listen. The Count gives Poirot their passports and there is a spot of grease on Elena's. The name on the Countess's passport is Elena Maria Goldenberg, she is age 20. The Count eventually leaves to get the Countess. She claims she never went to America with her husband. The Count smokes cigars, and she claims to not have a red kimono.

That's it for now, come back next week for part 5!