Poirot Bk38: Early Cases (12/6)

Hercule Poirot: The Third-Floor Flat

Murdered:

Miss Ernestine Grant murdered in her own flat. She was shot and put behind the curtain.

Sequence of Event:

1) Pat forgot to bring her house key. Jimmy & Donavan climbed into the 3rd flat instead of the 4th flat from the chute.

2) Donavan could not switch on the kitchen light.

3) Jimmy switched on one light and they found the room was not Pat's flat.

4) They went back to open the door for the girls at the 4rd floor.

5) There was blood at Donavan hand but he did not hurt himself.

6) Jimmy suggested to go down the apartment to investigate.

7) Donvan daresay that there wasn't anything really wrong

8) Jimmy found the dead lady, Mrs Ernestine

Clue:

-Donavan got stained with blood while touching the red table cloth-> The murder was committed near the table and the body was moved to the window and hid behind the curtain.

- Miss Ernestine's maid turned in about 10 o'clock, everything was quiet and she thought her mistress had gone to bed. She took in the letters which had come by evening post.

- Maid went out at 5 o'clock so the estimated time of death was 8pm.

- There was small letter in the pocket of the dead woman:

-> 'I will come to see you in this evening at half past 7' ( no fingerprints on it)

- found silk handkerchief with Initials - J.F =>John Fraser.

Suspects:

1) John Fraser, still an unknown person

- murderer was careful in leaving no fingerprint and cautiously hid the body but could not have possibly left behind the letter and the handkerchief.

Leads:

Poirot pulled off some tricks and found a letter and a key in Donavan's pocket.

Poirot Bk38: Early Cases (6/6)

Hercule Poirot: The king of clubs

Murdered: Henry Reedburn, the impressario

He was found dead in his library with a bruise between the eyes and a heavy blow at the back of his head.

Connection:

Zara, the clairvoyant, read cards for Valerie & M.Le Prince.

The last card was King (club)-> Beware, a man holds her in power puts her in great danger.

Poirot Bk38: Early Cases (4/6)

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

Poirot Bk38: Early Cases (2/6)

Poirot: The Adventure Of The Clapham Cook

Mystery:

The mysterious disappearance of a cook, Mrs Eliza Duhn happened on a Wednesday.

-She sent a letter for her box 2 days later, which was already packed and corded before she left.

-Seemed that she had already determined not to return

Coincidentally, there was another mystery.

An absconding clerk, Davis, was from the same bank as Simpson, was caught embezzling £50 000 worth of negotiable shares.

Suspects:

1) Davis, the defaulting clerk

- could have fled away with Eliza

- however the idea was absurd as Eliza was a middle aged stout with grey hair.

2) Mr & Mrs Thed, a stingy employer of Eliza

- could have forced Eliza to leave before paying her salary as she left before being paid.

- had no disagreement with Eliza as the cook.

3) Simpson, a tenant

- honest young man working in the same bank as Davis

4) Annie, another parlourmaid of the house

- (On her account): she had no disagreement with the Eliza and Eliza cooked the meal before leaving the house and even mentioned about the food in the house.

- she knew what Eliza's favourite food: stewed peaches

- ( Simpson's account): couldn't say if the maid & the Eliza in good terms, could only suppose so

5) Carter Paterson, the man who came for the trunk

6) Mr Crotchet, lawyer

- beaded man with hat

-came to ask Eliza to accept the will

Clues:

The box which cook left behind, also called Trunk, was huge in size

Lead:

After Poirot put up advertisement and found Eliza

Eliza's story was: A beaded man told her that she would inherit the house and money but she had to give up on her domestic job.

(Eliza's account): she sent a letter to Mrs Trod, asking for her luggage, and did not receive her luggage in her truck but separate parcel.