Hercule Poirot: The Adventure of Johnnie Waverly
Mystery:
A mysterious note was issued to Waverly family threatening to kidnap the little Johnnie at the specified time and date. Waverly family are to pay the ransom in advance to avoid little Johnnie been abducted.
Victim:
Little Johnnie Waverly, the only son, 3 yr old
-kidnapped for £ 50 000.
How was the crime committed:
- Mrs Waverly felt sick, suspected of food poisoning
- Mr Waverly found a note pinned to his pillow with the message: 'At 12 o'clock', after leaving the room for 10mins
- Mr Waverly fired the whole bunch of nurses due to suspicious inside doing. Only left 2 people he trusted.
They were:
-> Miss Colins, wife's secretary
-being employed for a month with very efficient knowledge
-> Mr Tredwell, Mr Waverly's butler
-who had worked a lifetime serving Waverly's family
- Little Johnnie was with his father & the police inspector until they went out of the house, hearing the policemen had caught someone.
- After that, they caught sight of Johnnie's flayen curls in a car that drove past the front of the house.
- heard the chiming of a church clock from the village, inspector checked the watch and it was exactly 1200pm. The clock in the house was faster by 10mins.
- Police chased after the car and found the boy was not Johnnie.
- (The account of the man caught by the Police trepassing the house): A man gave him money to deliver the parcel and the letter to Waverly House by 1200 at 1150am. The letter: '£75 000 to redeem Johnnie'.
- Johnnie was successfully kidnapped.
Hiding place in the house:
Since the police guarded the house inside and outside, the kidnapper must be in the house hiding.
There was priesthole in the house; a secret chamber in the house. However it was known only to Tredwell, Waverly family but not Miss Collins.
Suspects:
1) Mr Tredwell, the butler
- knew about the priesthole
- Mrs Waverly never liked him
2) Mr Waverly
- heed no advice from the police and always do things in his own way
- left his boy and went out to see the caught man
- the last person in contact with Johnnie
3) Miss Collins and Mrs Waverly
- Miss Collins was looking after the sick Madam in the room
- They were alibi for each other
- However, they could be in cahoot
Leads:
- small imprints of toy dog feet on the floor in the corner of the priesthole
- no footsteps on the floor of the priesthole
- Mrs Waverly was rich and it was her money that restored the impoverished estate; could not possibly have enemy
- Mrs Waverly was not fond of parting her money
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