Agatha Christie - The ABC Murders

The PlotThe story revolves around a series of murders committed by a mysterious killer known only as "ABC." The victims are chosen seemingly at random, with the only connection being their names and locations, which follow the alphabetical order. As the body count rises, Poirot is called in to investigate. He quickly realizes that the killer is leaving clues behind, taunting him with a copy of the ABC Railway Guide at each crime scene.The Characters

• Hercule Poirot: The brilliant Belgian detective, known for his meticulous attention to detail and his little grey cells.
• Arthur Hastings: Poirot's loyal friend and chronicler of his adventures.
• Chief Inspector Japp: The Scotland Yard detective who is initially skeptical of Poirot's methods but eventually comes to respect him.
• The ABC Killer: A cunning and elusive individual who keeps Poirot guessing until the very end.

Themes

• The psychology of the criminal: The novel explores the motivations of the ABC Killer, delving into the darkness of the human psyche.
• Justice vs. revenge: Poirot is determined to bring the killer to justice, but he also grapples with the question of whether revenge is ever justified.
• The power of observation: Poirot's success hinges on his ability to notice seemingly insignificant details that others overlook.

Adaptations

• The ABC Murders has been adapted for film and television several times, with the most recent adaptation being a BBC miniseries in 2018 starring John Malkovich as Poirot.

OverallThe ABC Murders is a suspenseful and thrilling read that will keep you guessing until the very end. It's a classic Christie novel that showcases her genius for plotting and character development.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Now then, my friend, mayI offer you a little refreshment your usual
whiskay? And so perhaps no thankssquire little early in the day as you
wish, you do not objective hadto make a little design, of course,
not though I can never understand whatyou see in that disgusting stuff.
And while I sipped my tisane,there is something I would like you to
take a look at, Hastings.It came by this morning's post. Prad

(00:24):
it, mister Eccuiparo. You fancyyourself, don't you, at solving mysteries
that are too difficult for our thickheaded British police. Let us see how
clever you can be. Perhaps you'llfind this not too hard to crack.
Look out for andover. On thetwenty first of the month, yours A

(00:45):
b C. We present John Moffattas Hercule Barrow in Agatha Christie's The ABC

(01:06):
Murders. It was the June ofnineteen thirty five. I've been away in
South America for some time, andwhen I came back to England, my
first thought was to call on myold friend ecul Puio. He was looking
wonderfully well, hardly a day olderthan when I had last seen him.

(01:26):
Even his gray hairs seemed to havevanished. Ah, but you have such
a beautifully unsuspicious mind. My friendexamined his tuttle A five it to bring
back the natural tone of the hairin five shades. Poiro, you've dyed
your hair. So that's why you'relooking in such fine fettle. I know,

(01:49):
my friend. It is not simplythe reviviit. It is the constant
exercise of the little gray cells.Just when I fear that has come to
retire and grow the vegetable marrows,another murder comes along. I am like
the prima Donna who makes positively thefarewell performance, and that performance it repeats

(02:13):
itself an indefinite number of times.But for all my old friends, gaiety
and vivacity, I could see thatsomething was troubling him. Was it the
letter from the mysterious Abc? Perhaps? What do you think, mon Ami?
Some mad manero? I supposeip,probably, But a madman is always

(02:34):
to be taken seriously. What haveyou done about it? What can I
do? I showed you to inspectOr Chap. He is of the same
opinion as you. They get thesethings every day at Scotland Yard. But
nevertheless, there is something about thatletter that I do not like, something
that is wrong, but I cannotsay precisely what it is. Well,

(02:55):
the twenty first is on Friday.If a whacking great train robbery takes place
at Amber on Friday, what acomfort that would be? How can a
robbery possibly be a comfort, becauseit would dispossess my mind of the fear
of something else, something else,murder, hastings, murder. Good morning.

(03:19):
I would like a second class ticketto Andover? Please handover? And
will you be traveling today? Sir? Oh, yes, by the next
train. I want to get thereas soon as possible. But Friday,
the twenty first of June came andwent, and there were no reports from
JAP of anything amiss in Andover.I was wrong. I thought there was

(03:42):
something of the odor of fish aboutthat letter. Instead a mere stupidity.
He lass, I grow old andsuspicious, like the blind watchdog who crowls
when there is nothing there. Sonow you're disappointed of being cheated of a
ready juicy crime. Juicy what aterrible word. Now I admit that I

(04:03):
would like to have been confronted bysomething or say, is something rare?
And what would be your ideal murdermystery, a very simple crime, a
crime with no complications, a crimethat was unimpassioned and tim How can a
crime be anteem Supposing that four peoplesit down to play bridge, and one,

(04:29):
the odd man out, sits ina chair by the fire. At
the end of the evening, thatman is found dead. One of the
four, while he is dummy,has gone over and killed him and intent
on the play of the hand.The other three have not noticed. Ha
ha. Fair would be a realcrime. I can't see any excitement in

(04:53):
that. Ah. Well, thatis because you have the melo dramatic soul
hastings for you. There must bethe curiously twisted dagger, the stolen eye
of the god, the beautiful womanwith auburn hair. Now you would like
not one murder, but this seriesof murders. I must admit that a

(05:13):
second murder in a book can oftencheer things up. If the murder happens
in the first chapter and you haveto follow up everybody's alibi into the last
page but one, it can geta bit tedious. Hello, good morning,
he's he's he's just yet it's jatfor you, Yes, Chief Inspector.

(05:39):
It looks as if I spoke abit too soon. There was a
murder in Andover last night. Andwho was it that was killed? An
old woman by the name of Asher. She kept a little tobacco and newspaper
shop and Over police think they canput their hand on the man that did
it, but they'd like to havea look at that anonymous letter of yours.
And in view of your involvement,I thought I might stretch point of

(06:00):
protocol and go down there myself.Huh, perhaps you and Captain Hastings might
care to join me on the tenpoint fifteen from Waterloo. When did they
find the body? At one o'clockthis morning, a constable was going on
his rounds and noticed that the shopdoor was unfastened. He went in and
found the body huddled behind the counter. It looks as if she was struck
down by a heavy blow on theback of the head while she was reaching

(06:23):
up for a packet of cigarettes fromthe shelf. And do they know when
the murder took place? Well,I've narrowed it down to between five point
thirty and six o'clock. And whois the man they reckon committed the murder?
Her husband? He's a German anda very unpleasant piece of goods by
all accounts. He had a jobas a waiter for a time, but
he took to drink, made himselfquite unemployable. He's got the shakes,

(06:47):
which doesn't do much for you whenyou serving a table. They separated years
ago, but he used to comearound every now and then to get money
out of of the drink. Sometimesyou get quite violent, apparently. And
what does he say, rather whatyou'd expect that he was off on a
pub crawl with his mates. Wasanything taken from the shop, well,
so as you notice. But therewas one thing that might interest the apio.

(07:11):
There was a railway guide turned facedown on the counter, open at
andover a Bradshaw or an ABC onABC. So it is not a coincidence.
That was clearly meant for me.Hmm, some old enemy of yours
perhaps. Anyway, if it's allthe same with the Apuio, I'd like

(07:32):
to take a look at the bodyas soon as it's convenient. She must
have been beautiful once. What makesyou say that? Look at the line
of the jaw, the molding ofthe head. Don't they think much force
would have been needed to strike theblow? You mean, could a seventy

(07:55):
year old alcoholic with shaky hands havedone it there? So it could equally
well have been done by a woman. I suppose it could. And did
the dead woman have any children?No? There is a niece I believe,
very reliable by all accounts. She'sin service at a house near Overton.
That he's far from here, acouple of miles of most. Then

(08:16):
I should like to go and talkto her straight away. Wouldn't it be
better to go to the scene ofthe crime. No, I prefer to
grew that later. Do you knowthe name of this niece, Inspector Jacques,
just a minute and get it writtendown somewhere ah here. It is
Mary Drower. She was very goodto me always. She brought me up

(08:39):
after my mother died. She didn'thave an easy life, and she went
through a lot of trouble on accountof that German fellow, my old devil
she used to call him. Didhe threaten her? Oh, we used
to say the most awful things,that he cut her throat and such like.
So you were not very surprised whenyou heard what had happened, But
I was. I never believe forone moment that he'd really lie and on

(09:03):
her. He wasn't as if shewas afraid of him, more like the
other way around. Have you supposethat he did not kill her? Suppose
that it's was somebody else. Haveyou any idea who that someone else might
be? And all, sir,it doesn't seem very likely, does it.
You never heard her mention anyone whohad a grudge against her, never,

(09:24):
sir. Now tell me Mary,did your aunt ever get anonymous letters?
What kind of letters? And lettersthat were not signed or signed by
somebody calling themselves ABC? No,sir, nothing like that. What is
this all about, sir? Presentwhen it's in the dark, there is

(09:45):
no direction. Now if I wantyou at any time, Mary, can
I write to you here? Oh? I shan't stay on here now,
sir. I only came here tobe near Auntie. I don't care for
the country very much. Now thatshe's gone, go back to London skuy
for a girl there. In thatcase, here is my card. Let
me know where you are living,please, sir. Is there something quick

(10:09):
going on? Yes, my child, there is something quicker going on.
Later you may be able to helpme. It was five point thirty by
the time we reached Missus Asher's shop, and then I realized why Poirot had
delayed. He wanted to see theplace at the same time at which the
murder had been committed. There wasno mistaking the shop. The sign could

(10:33):
be read clearly from the end ofthe street. Could that be why?
Perhaps? But let us go inside, Not that there was very much to
tell us anything. There only thecounter where the ABC guide had been left,
and the place where Missus Asher hadmet her death while reaching for a
packet of cigarettes for a customer.So here is a further proof of mister

(10:54):
Asher's innocence. If he had beenhaving a quarrel with his wife and threatening
her, she would have facing himacross the counter, you said, a
further proof? What was the othersuch a manners has been described to us
could not possibly have written that preciselyprinted letter. But let us take a
look at the bedroom upstairs. Iimagine the police have already been over everything

(11:18):
up here pretty thoroughly old. Willit jump on some well darned underwear,
a pair of cheap news stockings anda novel called Green Oasis, A poor
Praham. There is nothing for ushere, Hastings. We can leave the

(11:39):
rest of the police report. Now, with great haste, my friend,
we might manage to catch the seventwo back to London. So what do
you think, Paria? The crimewas committed by a man of medium height
with red hair and a cast inthe left eye. He limps slightly on
the right foot and has a molejust below the shoulder blade. Pioh,

(12:01):
you're having me all, Well,what do you expect, my friend?
You fix upon me a look ofdog like devotion and demand of mere pronounsmo
ala shella colms. Now for thetruth. I do not know what the
murderer looks like, nor where helives, nor how to sit handsome him.

(12:22):
If only he left us some clue. Oh, yes, the clue,
which is always the clue that attractsyou. But there is no cigarette
ash, only an A B Cguide with no fingerprints on it. We
do not even know what we arelooking for. We are like children playing
cash cash in the dark. Inthe days that followed, I find Prior

(12:48):
curiously reluctant to discuss the case,and I thought I knew the reason.
He had sustained a defeat. ABChad challenged him and ABC had won.
The crime attracted little attention in thepress, and I was certain that we
had heard the last of it,when on July the twenty fifth, another

(13:09):
letter arrived by the six o'clock post. But read it to me, Hastings,
to read it, dear mister Poiro, Well what about it? The
Andover business went with a swing,didn't it. But the fund's only just
beginning. Let me draw your attentionto Bexhill on sea date the twenty fifth
of July. What a merry timewe're having yours ABC. Good God?

(13:35):
Does this mean he intends to commitanother murder? But naturally, Hastings,
did you expect the and of abusiness to be an isolated case? Shit?
We must be up against a homicidalmany exactly, and this time the
surname of the intended victim will beginwith the letter B. But there must
be something we can do to stopit. I will warn the police,
of course, But however, wellwe are prepared. What is the sanity

(13:58):
of Scotland yard against the inn sanityof one man. I remember the long
continued success of Jack the Ripper.Oh it's horrible, yes, his teens,
it is horrible. I am afraid, I am very much afraid.
But all we can do is wait. On the morning of the twenty fifth

(14:22):
of July, we were up early, but we had scarcely begun breakfast when
there was a repeated ring at thedoor. It was jap It's happened,
Quara, But the letters said thetwenty fifth. I mean it's only half
past seven. It took place inthe early hours of this morning, shortly
after midnight. Had Bexhill on see, Yes, the body of a young
girl's being found on the beach,strangled. She's been identified as Elizabeth Barnard.

(14:45):
She was a waitress at one ofthe cafes, lived with her parents.
And there's something you should know,Quaro. Yes, an ABC guide
was found underneath her body. Openat the page for Bexhill And are you
going down there now? Not possible, I'm afraid, Quara. I've got
my hands for with the astweld businessinspector. Chrome's gone down there. I

(15:05):
have an idea you may find thathe's not exactly quite your type. The
body was found by one of thosefresh air early morning kernels that abound in
places like this. He was outwith his dog about six am, went
along the front in the direction ofCooden and down to the beach. Dog
ran off and sniffed at something,wouldn't leave it alone, and the colonel

(15:26):
took a look for himself. Theyvery properly didn't touch the body, but
went off and rang the police.And the time of death was around midnight,
between midnight and one am. Yourhomicidal joker is a man of his
word, mister Quarra. If hesays it's the twenty fifth, it will
be the twenty fifth, even ifonly by a few minutes. Yes,
his her personality is fell into it. To you as it happens. I've

(15:48):
been going into the psychology of theseries Killer. On the surface, the
fellow looks the same as your eye, but there are various tests, you
know, verbal traps, that sortof thing. Quite more, there was
nothing of that kind in your day. Once you can induce a man to
give himself away, you've got him. He knows, you know, and
his nerve goes hmm. Even inmy day that happens sometimes. What can

(16:12):
you tell me about the dead girl, Inspector. She was twenty three years
of age and worked as a waitressat the Ginger Cat Cat on her I
know that I was wondering if shewas pretty pretty. She didn't look very
pretty in the mortuary, and withwhat was the girl's tangle with her own
belt? Ah, At last apiece of definite information now that tells something.

(16:37):
It was a thick knotted affair.Apparently the pathologist is having a look
at it. The girl was livingwith her parents, I understand. Yes,
they've got a bungalow about half amile from here, and there are
other members of the family. There'sa sister works for a typing bureau in
London. She's on her way downnow. And there's her fiance, Donald
Fraser, An, a state agentScottish. Apparently the girl was supposed to

(17:00):
have been out with him last night. But I shall know more when I've
seen the parents. I was justabout to set off there. When you
arrive, we will accompany you,inspector as you wish, mister Quaro.
I don't think we should all crowdin on them together. Rather overwhelming for
them. Don't you think if you'veany questions you wish to put to mister
and missus Bernard, perhaps you couldwait until I've had a word with them.

(17:22):
It doesn't seem as if he's veryimpressed by your legendary reputation. On
the contrary, my friend, heis very impressed by it. That is
why he is so anxious that Ishould not, how do you say it,
steal any of his lightning. Well, since we've been relegated to the
kitchen, perhaps we should make ourselvesa cup of coffee. Oh no,
no, no, no, no, his things. I know exactly the

(17:45):
kind of coffee they would have ina house like this. Oh what are
you doing here? Are you thepolice? Well? Not exactly. Oh
I see, Well, I don'tthink I've got anything to say to you.
My sister was a nice, brightgirl with no man friends. I'm
not a reporter, if that's whatyou're getting at. Where's mom and dad?

(18:06):
Your father is showing the police yoursister's bedroom. Your mother's in the
sitting room, I believe. Sowho exactly are you? I? Mademoiselle
am ACULEI oh I heard of you. You're the fashionable private sleuth, aren't
you? As a description, Isuppose it must suffice somehow. I don't
think why mister Hercule pere to concernhimself with our humble little crime. Mademoiselle,

(18:30):
what you do not see and whatI do not see would probably fill
a volume. But what I amseeking at this present moment is the truth.
Now that you are satisfied that myfriend histings is not from a sensation
on a daily paper, it wouldgreatly assist me if you could tell me
what you really felt about your sister. Bessy was an unmitigated little ass.

(18:56):
You are intelligent, mademoiselle. Itake it that the opposite of what you
said is true about the men friends. There wasn't any harm in Betty.
She wasn't the weekend in kind,nothing of that sort. But she liked
being taken out and dancing and cheapflattery and that kind of thing. Andrew
felt perhaps that she was behaving unfairlytowards her fiancee, towards mister Fraser.

(19:21):
That's it exactly. Done's a veryquiet sort of person, but he did
resent certain things, and then heand then he would do watch, Mademoiselle.
I was afraid he might chuck heraltogether. He's a good, steady
type. H SECONNSI. We donot speak the truth any longer, at
least't mademoiselle. It is no ordinarymurderer that we have to deal with.

(19:48):
This is a homicidal maniac who isworking his way through the alphabet. A
few weeks ago a murdering, andof her last night he chose bex Hill.
Is this true? It's perfectly true, miss Ballard. You mean that
Betty was killed by a man exactly, so you see the inflammation you can
give will not harm anyone. Allright, mister Poaro, I'm going to

(20:11):
trust you. Don is a veryquiet person, but he bottles things up,
and when he loses his temper,he loses it with a vengeance.
One time he got so violent thatBetty got quite frightened. When was this
just over a month ago? Shetold Don she was going into Hastings to
see a girlfriend, but he foundout that she'd been over to Eastbourne with

(20:33):
some man. He was a marriedman. As it happened, Don got
all white and shaking, saying thatone day, yes, mademoiselle, that
he'd kill her. And so whenyou heard of Betty's death this morning,
you were naturally afraid. Well,I didn't think that he'd actually done it,
but oh, that'll be done.Bring him in here. I would

(20:55):
like to have a word with himbefore our good inspector takes him in hand.
She told me she was going toSaint Leonard's with a girlfriend, and
did you believe her? I supposeI did when she said it, But
afterwards there was something in her manner. I began to wonder, yes,
and I was ashamed of myself forbeing so suspicious. I hung about outside
the Ginger Cat Cafe, watching tosee where she would go. But then

(21:18):
I thought she might catch sight ofme. So what did you do?
Eventually I went over to Saint Leonardgot there by eight o'clock, but there
was no sign of her anywhere.And then I thought this man might have
taken her in his car to Hastings. So I went on there, looked
in her tails and restaurants, andhung around the cinemas and must have been
out of my mind. Even ifshe was there, it wasn't very likely

(21:40):
that I catched sight of her.There were scores of places he could have
taken her to other than Hastings.In the end, I just gave up
and came back. And what timewas there, I don't know. It
must have been well after midnight.Ah, So that's why you've got to
May I introduce Miss Meghan Barnard andmister Donald Fraser This is Inspector Chrome from

(22:03):
Scotland. Ard Addie, why doyou have been pursuing your investigations, Inspector?
I have been conversing with these twocharming people, endeavoring if I could
to find something that might throw lighton this strange case. Ah. Yes,
but now we will leave you topursue your inquiries. Inspector Or.
If I am Mademoiselle Banar Monsieur Fraser, did anything strike you para? Only

(22:32):
the amazing magnanimity of the murderer,Hastings, What do you mean by that?
Franz Asher would have been arrested forthe murder of his wife, Donald
Fraser would be the principal suspect forthe murderer of Betty Barnard if it had
not been for the warning letters ofABC. Is he then so soft hearted
that he cannot bear others to sufferfor something they did not do? A

(22:57):
soft hearted murderer, no, Hastings, I think not. The press were
full of it. The death ofmissus Asher at Andover had attracted little or
no attention, But the murder ofa pretty young waitress strangled with her own
belt at Bexhill on Sea was justthe thing to fill the pages of the

(23:18):
popular papers. There were interminable conferencescalled by the Assistant Commissioner at Scotland Yard
to determine whether to make public thefull facts, and this put my old
friend into something of a quandary.It is difficult for me, you understand,
I am, you might say,an interested party. The challenge was

(23:38):
sent to me if I want thefacts suppressed, will it not be thought
that I am afraid for my reputationand yet to give the caseful publicity?
Is what the criminal seeks, notaoriety. Since there was no line of
action that he could profitably pursue,Quarra was given to broodying endlessly on the

(24:00):
character or the possible character of hisadversary. I ask myself what passes in
the mind of the murderer he kills, It will seem from his letters poor
Laspar to amuse himself. Can thatreally be true? If he kills merely
to amuse himself, he would notadvertise the fact, since otherwise he could

(24:22):
kill with importunity. Is there,in fact some link between his mania and
his victims? Or is he someonewho, unknown to myself, I have
vanquished in my career. As forInspector Chrome. He decided that he would
wait until the arrival of the thirdletter and then tell the public exactly what

(24:42):
the situation was. It will probablycreate a bit of a panic in the
town in question, but it willput everyone whose name begins with See on
their guard, and it will putABC on his metal. They'll be determined
to succeed in spite of it all, and that's where we'll get him Sionately,
things did not work out as Chromehad planned. The third letter arrived

(25:03):
late one evening by the ten pmpost. It has come open at Hastings.
We cannot afford to waste a singlemoment read it. Dear mister Parlo.
Not so good at these little criminalgains as you thought you were,
are you? Perhaps you're getting ratherpast your prime. Let's see if you
could do any better this time.I made it deliberately easy for you,

(25:27):
Churston on the thirtieth, do tryand do something about it. It's a
bit dull having it all my ownway. Good hunting ever, yours,
ABC, Churston. Where exactly isthat Hastings? When must that lets are
written? Is there a dation onit? It was written on the twenty
seventh. But did I hear youcorrectly? Did he give the date of

(25:48):
the murder as the Surtius? Yes, that's right, But hestas during your
to realize today is the Surchius?What has he saying on the Oblook,
he must have got the address.That's wrong, Acio Pio white Horse Mansions,
and there's a note scribbled on it. Not known that white Horse Mansions
try white Haven, Manchons, Monteux. We have lost two whole days and

(26:11):
there is only one hour and fortyminutes of the thirty hath left. Where
is this place, Cheston? I'lllook it up in the ABC. Churston.
Here we are Devon, two hundredand four miles from Paddington, population
three hundred and fifty six. Surelyour murderer is bound to be noted in

(26:33):
a place of that size. Isthere a train tonight? Yes, at
midnight sleeping cart and Newton Abbott getsthere at eight minutes past six in the
morning and reaches Churston at seven fifteen. We will take that train. Histings,
you will hardly have time to getany news before we start. Does
it greatly matter whether we receive badnews tonight or tomorrow morning? I will
telephone to inspect a krong, toexplain to him what has happened. I'll

(26:56):
throw a few things into a suitcase. Beato will travel down with us on
the same train. But what areyou doing, his sings, I'm packing
for you. I thought he wouldsave time. But is that a waightful
for a coat? And see whatyou have done to my pajamas? If
the hair wash breaks, what willbefore them? But Pa, this is

(27:17):
a matter of life and death.What does it matter what happens to your
clothes? You have no sense ofproportion, he seeings. We cannot catch
the train earlier than it leaves,and to ruin our clothes will not be
the least helpful in preventing a murder. He Oh, just look at the
cases in this shirt. We've gotall available men on the lookout, and

(27:37):
they're doing their best to warn anyonein justin whose name begins with the letter
C. There's just a chance,may I see the letter here? Of
all the damned luck the stars intheir courses fight for this fellow. You
don't think he did it on purpose? Oh no, I understand this man's
psychology. He's got his own rules, crazy rules maybe, And hereby by

(28:00):
them. That's where his boastfulness comesin. I'd almost bet he was drinking
white horse whiskey. A si anentedyou, sir. He prints the letter
with the buttle in front. Whateverhappens, justin is our best place to
be. Our murderer is there,or has been there today. We'd better
be getting on board, spect crop. I brought a note from Scotland Yards.

(28:22):
They said it was most urgent.Thank you, sargant. Is it
to do with the murder, yes, and it's about as bad as it
can be. Sir, Carmichael Clarkhas been found with his head bashed in.
Let us get on the train.There is no time to be lost.

(28:42):
Trout specialist, wasn't he? Ihad an idea of that. An
aunt of mine consulted Carmichael Clark someyears back. It must have been quite
a time ago. He's been retiredfor five years. He's got a very
valuable collection of Chinese pottery and porcelain. That's all I know about him.
And now there will be no needto make the publish. The death of
such an eminent man, following soclosely on the strangling of a flirtatious waitress,

(29:06):
is certain to make the sens session. I suppose there's no doubt that
it is our man, none whatsoever. I'm afraid the body was found in
a field, and the murderer hadplaced a copy of the ABC Guide faced
downwards on the body. So nowthe whole country we'll be looking for ABC.
Unfortunately, that seems to be whathe wants. Let's hope that it
may be his undoing. We canonly trust that he'll become drunk with his

(29:29):
own cleverness. But we'd better beturning in. I've arranged for us to
go up to the house as soonas we arrive, so that we can
have a word with Franklin Clark,the dead man's brother. But why it
all sounds utterly fantastic. What possibleearthly benefit can there be from such a
crime, even in the most diseasedimagination. You go straight to the point,

(29:52):
mister Clark, it's not much goodlooking for motives at this stage.
That's a matter for an alienist,though I may say I've had a certain
experience of criminal lunacy, and themotives are usually thoroughly inadequate. There is
a desire to assert one's personality,to make a splash in the public eye.
Now is that true, monsieur Poo, Absolutely true. No, at
any rate, such a man cannotescape detection. Mon will cry a ah,

(30:15):
but they are cunning, Saint John, and you must remember. Will
you let me have a few facts, please, mister Clark, certainly,
if we could begin with the actualcircumstances of the murder. Not for some
time now. My brother's been inthe habit of taking a stroll after dinner
every evening. The police rang herelast night, some time after even o'clock,

(30:37):
with some warning about people whose namesbegan with Sea. They were acting
on my instructions, mister Clark,not that m has been the buffer discovered
that my brother had not returned fromhis walk. He got together a search
party of swords, and we foundthe body by the side of a field
about three quarters of a mile away. He'd been struck a blow on the
back of the head. And wasyour brother, and his usual health and

(30:57):
spirits yesterday, even no unexpected letters, nothing that might have disturbed him.
No, he was quite his usualself, not upset or worried in any
way. No, I didn't saythat to be upset and worried was my
brother's normal condition, And why wasthat. Well, you probably don't know
that my sister in Lord Lady Clark, is suffering from an incurable cancer and

(31:17):
cannot live much longer. Her illnesshas prayed terribly on my brother's mind.
I was shocked at a change inhim when I returned a little while ago
from the east. Supposing, misterClark, that your brother had been found
at the bottom of a cliff orwith a revolver besides his body, what
would have been your first thought thathe committed suicide? Anyway, it wasn't
suicide. You say that it wasyour brother's custom to take a stroll every

(31:41):
evening. Yes, that is so, and everyone in the house knew of
this, of course. And whatabout in the village. Strictly speaking,
we haven't got a village. There'sa post office and a few cottages at
Churston Ferry's, but that's about it. So I suppose any stranger hanging around
the place would be easily noticed.Not at this time the year, places
positively swarming with trippers from Talquea andpainting. Elbery Cove is a well known

(32:05):
beauty spot, I'm afraid too wellknown for my liking. So a stranger
wouldn't be noticed, not unless helooked off his hair. This man doesn't
look off his head. He mayhave been spying out the land beforehand and
discovered your brother's habit of taking anevening stroll. Do you happen to know
whether any stranger came up to thehouse yesterday and asked to see Sir Carmichael.
I believe the local police have alreadyquestioned the butcher and the housemaide on

(32:25):
that point, and they saw noone. Oh, I'm sorry, I
didn't realize that. Oh, thisis miss Gray, i'd brother's secretary Thlaora.
This is Inspector Chrome of Scotland Yard, Monsieur Priano, and mister Captain
Histick. How do you do,miss Gray? Is there any way in
which I can be of any help? Did you deal with Sir Carmichael's correspondence?

(32:46):
Yes, all of it? Didhe ever receive any letters signed ABC
ABC? No, I'm sure hedidn't. He didn't mention anyone hanging around
during his evening walks later, No, nothing of the kind, And you
yourself have no no strangers, notnear the house elsewhere. Practically everyone one
meets as a stranger at this timeof year, mister Clark, I'd be

(33:07):
grateful if you could take us overthe ground of your brother's evening walk.
Of course, Inspector, would youcare to join us? Thora, Yes,
yes, I'll come. All thismust have come as a terrible shock
to you. It seems quite unbelievable. I'd gone to bed last night when
the police rang up. I heardvoices and came down to find out what
the matter was. The butler andmister Clark were just sitting out with lanterns.

(33:30):
What time did Sir Carmichael usually comeback from his evening walk About a
quarter to ten. He let himselfin by the side door and generally went
straight to bed, or sometimes hewent up to the gallery where he kept
his collections. If the police hadn'trung up, his absence wouldn't have been
noticed until he was called in themorning. It must have been difficult breaking

(33:51):
the news to his wife. LadyClark has kept under morphine a good deal.
I think she's in two days tocondition to appreciate much of what goes
on around her. From here,the path goes down to the cove,
but at this point my brother turnedoff across the fields, back towards the
house, and it was there thathis body was fine. Yes, I'll

(34:15):
take you to the place. There'sa gap in the hedge here. Yes,
it all seems clear enough. Theman would have stood in the shadow
of this tree in the gathering dusk. Your brother wouldn't have noticed anything until
the blow fell. Hold up forher, it's pretty beastly. But there's
no use shirking facts. No,it's not that I was thinking about D.

(34:38):
About D You mean the next murder, mademoiselle. Something's got to be
done and the man's got to bestopped. We'll get him now never you
worry. I'm wondering where he isat this moment, but he may not
be far away. It's not twelvehours since it happened. What is passing
through his mind? Where is heplanning to strike next? Sir Carmichael Clark

(35:08):
murdered terrible tragedy at Cheston. Onlya month ago, England was horrified by
the brutal murder of a young witressat Begs Hill. It may be remembered
that an ABC guide figures in thatcase. An ABC was also found by
the body of Sir Carmichael Clark,and the police inclined to the belief that

(35:29):
both crimes were committed by the sameperson is a homicidal lunatic going the runs
of our seaside resorts. Can Itake your order, sir? But what?
Ah? I'm sorry? What didyou say your order? Sir?
What can I get for you?Oh? A cup of coffee, if

(35:50):
you please? And a scone?Oh? Who has a different cha cream?
Very well, sir? Are youall right? Yes, yes,
it's just a headache. I getthem quite badly every now and then.
Sometimes I hardly know what I'm doing. So where do we go from here?

(36:16):
We go? Nowhere? His chans, What would be the point?
But you can't just sit here athome? That is precisely what I need
to do, my friend. Thepolice are running round making the routine inquiries.
But it is in my brain andnot in my feet, that my
strength lies in the little gray cells. All the time I am reflecting.

(36:39):
But what can you possibly gain byreflection? You know all the facts of
the three cases? By heay,it is not the fact that matter.
It is the mind of the murderer, the mind of a man precisely and
therefore not to be arrived at ina minute. When I know what the
murderer is like, I shall beable to find out who is. And

(37:00):
in the meantime, people are dyingright and left, three people, and
there are what is it to aboutone hundred and twenty road deaths every week?
Now that is entirely different, isprobably exactly the same to those who
die. But at least I haveone project that will please you, since
it is active and not passive.Also it will involve a lot of conversation

(37:23):
and practically no thought. What isit the extraction from the friends and relatives
of the deceased of all that theyknow. You suspect them of keeping things
back? No, not intentionally,But the act of telling what you know
involves selection. People say what theythink is important, but quite frequently they

(37:44):
think wrong. And how do youpropose to get them thinking in the right
direction? By discussing a certain happening, or a certain person, or a
certain day over and over again.It is like looking for the needle in
the haystack. I grant you,but the haystack there is a needle of
that, I am certain. Howdo we go about this? We do

(38:06):
very little hastings. Yesterday I receiveda letter from Mary Drawer, the niece
of Missus Asher, the woman killedat Anderba. Already she has written to
Megan Barnard, the sister of thegirl who was strangled at Bexhill. She
thought that if they got together theymight find out more about the murderer.
And to day I received a letterfrom Franklin Clark, who has I believe

(38:30):
a similar proposal to put to me. Do not despair, my friend.
The hunt for the needle in thehaystack is about to begin. Frankly,
I'm not satisfied. But the waythe investigation is going, I've no doubt
that Inspector Chrome is a very efficientofficer. But to tell you the truth,

(38:50):
he puts my back up that airof always knowing best. My idea
is that we oughtn't to let thegrass grow under our feet. Just what
I'm always telling for I've got tobe prepared for the next So you think
there will be a next murder,don't you? Certainly? So what is
your idea? Exactly? Well,I propose that we form a special legion
to work under your orders of thoseclosely associated with the murder victims. By

(39:14):
putting our heads together, we mightdiscover something also when the next warning comes,
If we're all there on the spot, we might possibly recognize some person
as having been there at the sceneof one of the previous crimes. There
is one little difficulty, mister Clark. The relatives and friends of the other
victims are hardly in your sphere oflife. They are employed persons, and

(39:36):
though they might be given a shortvacation, naturally I shall foot the bill.
The members will be paid for theirservices according to what their normal earnings
are, with any additional expenses.And who do you propose to form this
legion? I've already been in touchwith Megan Bernard, and I gather that
the niece of the woman who haskilled at and over a Mary Dravaton,

(39:57):
Well, I gather she's already comeup with a similar ide. Then there's
Betty Balad's fiance, Donald Fraser.Anybody else? Well, yes, miss
Gray, Miss Gray. You see, Miss Gray was with my brother over
two years. She knows the countrysideand the people around far better eyed.
Then she will be very valuable.I was saying only the other day to

(40:20):
Hastings that a rapproche more of thepeople consent was desirable. It may provide
the vital breakthrough that we so urgentlyneed a few days later, the Special
Legion met in Prior's apartment. Ofcourse, he was unable to resist the
occasion to deliver a little speech.Madame monsieur, you know what we are

(40:43):
here for. We have three murders, an old woman, a young girl,
and a man in his sixties.Only one thing links these people together,
the fact that the same person killedthem, and that person has so
far covered his tracks completely. Perhapsquite right, Hastings. We must not
rule out the possibility that our ABCis a woman. The police have vague

(41:07):
suspicions, but nothing on which theycan act. Nevertheless, they must exist
other indications which are not at allvague. For example, the assassin did
not arrive at bex Hill at midnightand find conveniently on the beachy young lady
whose name began with me. Mustwe go into all this? It is
necessary to go into everything, misterFraser. You are not here to save

(41:30):
your feelings by refusing to think ofdetails, but if need be, to
harrow them by going into the matteras deeply as possible. I make the
assumption that one of you, perhapsall of you, knows something that they
do not realize they know. Itis like a jigsaw puzzle. Each of

(41:50):
you may perhaps have a piece,apparently without meaning, but which, when
it is put in its place,may show a definite portion of the picture
as a whole. Words, Whatdid you say? What you've been saying?
It's just words, it doesn't meananything. Well, I think it
makes sense. It's often only whenyou're talking things over that you can see
your way clear. And what doyou think, miss Gray? I think

(42:14):
that the principle of talking over thingsis always sound. Quite right, my
dear, suppose you all go overyour own remembrances of the time preceding the
murder. How shall we start withyou, mister Clark? In the morning
I went off sailing. Now reflectdid you notice anyone on your way down
to the sea that morning? Oh? Lots of people. There was a

(42:37):
remarkably fat woman in a striped silkdress, two young men with the fox
tailer on the beach throwing stones forit, and a girl with yellow hair
screaming as she ran into the sea. You are a good subject, mister
Clark, And what about you,Miss Gray? I did the correspondence with
Sir Carmichael and saw the housekeeper.In the afternoon. I did some needlework.

(42:59):
It was quite an ordinary day.I went to bed early, Miss
Ballard. Can you trace your memoriesof the last time you saw your sister?
It was about a fortnight before herdeath. I was down for the
weekend and we went over to SaintLeonard's. And can you remember what she
talked about? Yes, she saidhow much she disliked Milli Bigley, Milly

(43:20):
Bigley. She was another waitress atthe cafe. And what can you remember
about the day she was killed?After I'd talked to you, sir,
Yes, just one little thing.Mamma bought Betty some new stockings on the
day before it happened. I foundher crying over them. I bought them
for Betty, she said, andshe never wore them. And what about
you, mister Fraser? You saidthat at first you waited for a while

(43:43):
outside the cafe to see which wayBetty might go. Did you notice anyone
at all while you were waiting there? There were a number of people walking
along the front. I really can'tremember any of them. But however preoccupied
you were, I don't remember anything. Miss Strawer. I suppose you got
letters from your aunt. Oh,yes, sir, there was one only
two days before the murder. Shesaid that the old devil had been round,

(44:07):
meaning mister Asher, Yes, andshe'd sent him away with a flea
in his ear, and she expectedme over on the Wednesday it was.
It was going to be my birthday. Oh I'm sorry, sir. Oughtn't
we to be making plans for thenext of course we should. The moment

(44:28):
the next letter arise, we shouldall join forces. But we do not
have to wait until then. Youmust continue to search your memories. And
there are a few practical things youcan do. Of course, I'll make
a note of them. Go ahead. I consider it possible that the waitress
Millie Bigley may have something to tellus, a Millie Biglely. Perhaps,

(44:49):
sir, you might try showing signsof interest in her. Mister Fraisser,
I must say, I don't muchcare for the idea. Is it altogether
necessary? Shall I try my handwith them? Monsieur Pollow got your own
part of the world to attend to. Oh? Yes, of course,
But perhaps miss Clay might have leftDevon for good, Monsieur Puer. Miss
Gray very kindly stayed on to helpme clear things. But naturally she prefers

(45:13):
a post in London, and howis lady Clark? Oh? Pretty bad?
I was wondering whether you might perhapsfind time to pay her a visit.
She told me that she was sorryshe hadn't been well enough to see
you, and asked whether it wouldbe too much trouble to go down to
Devon and talk to her. Certainly, mister Clark, shall we say the
day after tomorrow? Excellent? I'lllet the nurse know. Mister er.

(45:37):
I suggest that you talk to thechildren in Andover. I noticed many of
them playing about by missus Asher's shop. It is possible that they may have
noticed someone becaming suspiciously. Yes,sir, be children in and Over?
Do you think we might draw ourmen out if we were to? In
certain advertisement in one of the newspapers? You know? ABC urgent? I

(46:01):
am close on your track? Whatabout something for my silence? X y
Z Well, nothing quite as crudeas that, but you get the idea.
I see, mister Clark, thatyou are, if I may say
so without being offensive, still aboy at heart? Oh? Do you
think so? There? Still wecan do no harm to try? See

(46:24):
advertisement? Ah? Do you reallythink any of these lines will lead to
anything Quara. Oh, it isalways possible. M in the midst of
tragedy we start the comedy, isit not? So? What on earth
you talking about? Did you notnotice the sudden jealousy of Miss Gray when

(46:45):
mister Clark suggested he might have aword with a wairess enter. Oh,
Miss Gray, forgive me, butI thought there was something I should tell
you, mister Perra. But certainly, Mademoiselle, it is just this.
Mister Clark very generously gave you tounderstand that I left his brother's house at
my own wish. But as amatter of fact, it was not quite

(47:07):
like that. Lady Clark insisted thatI should leave. But she suddenly took
an unreasoning dislike to me and insistedthat I should leave the house. I
think it's splendid of you to comeand tell us this. It is always
better to tell the truth. Ididn't want to shelter behind mister Clark's chivalry.
She have been very honest, Mademoiselle. It was rather a blow to

(47:29):
me. I always thought Lady Clarkwas rather fond of me. One lives
and learns. That was all Ihad to say. Goodbye, Monsieur Bouero
why Mademoiselle Captain Hastings. Well,I call that very sporting of her.
She's got courage, that girl,and calculation. What do you mean by

(47:53):
that? I mean that she takesto safeguard herself. She is certainly a
lovely girl. Ah. I cannotrid my mind of the impression that something
was said in our conversation this afternoonthat was significant, but I cannot pin
down what it was. No matter. Presently it will come to me.

(48:15):
In the meantime there is Lady Clark. Perhaps she will enlighten me on her
reason for dismissing your beautiful miss Gray. I never thought it would be that
way round. I was so surethat I should be the first to go.

(48:36):
Carl was never ill. Was itFranklin who asked you to come here?
Yes, Lady Clark, I dohope he isn't going to be foolish
over that girl. He's so easilytaken in, despite having knocked around the
world so much. He has animpulsive nature, Oh yes, sir,

(48:58):
and so very chivalrous. Everything isso dim. One's body is such a
nuisance when it gets the upper handand it's conscious of nothing else. Whether
the pain will hold off or not. I know, Lady Clark, it

(49:19):
is one of the tragedies of hislife. It makes one so stupid.
I can't even remember what it wasI wanted to say to you. Was
it something to do with your husband'sdeath? Oh? Yes, yes,
yes, it must have been mad, poor creature, the murderer. I
mean, I've always been so sorryfor mad people. You haven't caught him

(49:45):
yet, No, not yet.The man must have been hanging round the
house all day. But no strangercame to the house. You say so
the servants missus Gray, Oh,that girl is a liar. I didn't
like her. Car thought the worldof her. Such a good worker,

(50:06):
he said, so brave she was. She was supposed to be an orphan.
I soon sent her packing. Franklinhad the impertinence to suggest that she
might be a comfort to me.Comfort to me. The only thing that
would give comfort to me, Itold him, would be to see the

(50:29):
back of her. I didn't wanther to make a fool of Franklin.
I. I didn't want him toget mixed up with her. He's like
a boy, no sense. That'sone thing about being ill. People can't

(50:50):
argue with you. Why did yousay that miss Gray was a liar,
because she is. You said thatshe told you no one came to the
house that day. Yes, well, then I saw her with my own
eyes out of this window, talkingto a perfectly strange man on the doorstep.
What did the man look like?An ordinary sort of man, a

(51:10):
tradesman, No, a shabby sortof person. Ah, I can't remember.
I'm a little tired. Hah ughah, please please, you must

(51:30):
go now, forgive me. Bythe time Puaro returned from Devon, the
fourth letter, written in that painstakinglycareful print with which we were by now
all too familiar had arrived for him. Still no success. What do you

(51:54):
and the police think you are doing? Poor mister Poiro. I'm quite sorry
for you you. We've a longway still to go Tipperary. No,
that comes further on. The nextlittle incident will take place at Doncaster on
September eleventh. So long ABC,we had better inform Inspector crom Hastings right

(52:17):
and warn mister Clark to be readyfor action. I'll take the letter with
me if i may, mister Quarofor our fingerprint experts. If you'd care
to make a comedy, No,no, she's not necessary. What are
your plans, inspector fairly comprehensive ones, mister Clark. You've got a tricky
task in your hands, and whatthe fancy old ABC has done you again?
The public won't have much to criticizein our arrangements this time. The

(52:42):
eleventh is until Wednesday of next week. That gives us ample time for a
publicity campaign in the press and willdraft the extra police into Doncast on a
fairly large scale. The whole ofthe town, police and civilians will be
able to catch one man, andwith reasonable luck, we ought to get
him. It's easy to see you'renot a sporting man in specce. What
do you mean by that? Whydon't you realize that next Wednesday the Sat

(53:04):
Ledger is being run at Doncaster.I hadn't taken that into account. It
does rather complicate matters. ABC isno fool, even if he is a
madman, quite ingenious. It iswell planned. When I has to admit
it, it's my belief that themurder will be committed on the race course.
Rob Saint Ledger is actually being run. I'll telephone the Assistant commissioner if
I name mister Quara. By allmeans Inspector, and we had better convene

(53:28):
an emergency session of the secret Legion, mister Clark. But how can we
be on the lookout for this manwhen we know nothing about him? None
of us has ever seen him orspoken to him. We've all gone over
everything that we know over and overagain. Not everything. For instance,
Miss Gray told us that she didnot see us speak to any stranger at

(53:49):
the house on the day that SirMichael was murdered. Yes, that's right,
is it? Then? Why didLady Clark tell me that she saw
you from her window standing on thefront door talking to a man. Lady
Clark must have made a mistake.I never spoke to oh, I remember
now. How stupid. I'd forgottenall about it. But it wasn't important,

(54:14):
just one of those people who comearound selling stockings. I was just
crossing the hall when he came tothe door. But he was quite a
harmless sort of person. I supposeThat's why I forgot all about him.
Stockings, stockings? What is it? What is it that I'm trying to
remember? Won't you? I haveit? You have what you remember?

(54:37):
The shop? In andover in missusAsh's bedroom on a chair we found a
pair of new stockings. Yes,and mother bought Betty a pair of new
stockings on the day before the murder. It is the same pattern three times
repeat it. That cannot be acoincidence. Now tell me, mademoiselle,
is it not true that your motherbought those stockings not at a shop,

(55:00):
but from someone who came to thedoor. Yes, yes she did.
She said something about being sorry forthose wretched men who go around and try
to get orders. But what's theconnection. A man comes rome selling stockings.
That proves nothing, does it not? Three crimes? And every time
a man comes around selling stockings andspying out the land. Describe him,

(55:22):
mademoiselle. I can't. He hadglasses, I think, and it is
shabby over there, Come, mademoiselle. You can do better than that.
He's stooped. I hardly looked athim. Well, he wasn't the sort
of man you'd noticed. You're quiteright, mademoiselle. The whole secret of
the murders lies in your description ofthe murderer. He wasn't the sort of

(55:45):
person you'd notice. There is nodoubt about it. That is our murderer
a second class return. Please,and we're with their beaties. Don't cast
her. I'm going to Oncaster andwhen would you be coming back? Sir?
Oh, very soon. I don'tthink that I shall be staying long.

(56:10):
We all gathered together at Doncaster onthe morning of the eleventh of September.
I was sure that we were buildingon a false hope, on the
chance of recognizing among a crowd ofthousands of people a face glimpsed only for
a moment. But I told youI never really looked at him. You're
all depending on me, and Ishall let you down because even if I

(56:31):
did see him again, well,I mightn't recognize him. Now then,
mapetitu, this is no time forthe hysteria. You will certainly recognize that
man if you see him again.How could you be so sure? Because
in the end, the red alwayssucceeds the black. What do you mean
by that, Monsieur Baro? Ispeak the language of the tables at Rolette.

(56:52):
There may be a long run onthe black, but in the end
red must turn up. You meanthat luck always turns. A murderer is
always a gambler, and like manygamblers, a murderer often does not know
where to stop. With each crime. His opinion of his own abilities.
He is strengthened, his sense ofproportion is warped. He does not say

(57:14):
I have been lucky. He onlysays I have been clever, and his
opinion of his cleverness grows. Andthen miss Ami, the balls pins,
and the run of the color isover. You believe that will happen in
this case? I believe that ourluck has already turned the clue of the
stockings. What's the beginning? Imust say of very heartening, monsieur Paro.

(57:35):
We all need a bit of comfort. It seems to me highly problematical
that we can accomplish anything of practicalvalue. Don't be such a defeat is
done, and now it is timeto make the beginning. This morning you
will each cover a different area ofthe town. This afternoon you will all
concentrate your attention on the race course. Mister Clarke will give you the executives.
Now go and get whatever you needfor the day. I warn you

(57:59):
it maybe a long one. Hadyou, my friend, you are determined
to accompany the expedition. Oh yes, I shouldn't be happy staying here doing
nothing. And would I be correctin supposing that you intend to be a
cavalier to one of the ladies.Yes, that was the general idea.

(58:20):
M M. And which lady doyou propose to honor with your company?
I haven't really considered all Miss Barnard, perhaps she is rather the independent type,
and Miss Gray, that's a betteridea. Well, my friend,
I'm sorry to interrupt your plans,but I must request you to turn your
thoughts elsewhere. The person you areto Wescott is Mary Drawer, and I

(58:46):
must request you not to leave her. Why is that because my good friend,
her name begins with a D ninepet. Please there you are,
sir, and Thruffin's changed. Thefilm's just beginning in a cinema and I

(59:13):
had forty men out on the racecourse. How was the man cub with a
knife? And I have to admitit was a pretty audacious piece of work.
The killer was making his way outalong the road. He pretended to
stumble, and he leaned over theseat in front to pick up his hat.
He stabbed the man sitting there andslipped an ABC guide under the seat,
and nobody noticed. They just thoughtthe fellow was asleep. Has the
dead man been identified? He has, and ABC seems to have slipped up.

(59:37):
This time the man was called Earlsfield, George Arlsfield. Curious. What's
even more curious is that the chapsitting two seats away, the one who
realized that the victim was not justhaving a good sleep, was a schoolmaster
called Roger Downs. Did ABC simplyget the wrong man? Do you think
there's a young lady here, inspectorfrom the White Swan O'Dell? She thinks

(59:57):
she may have some information on themurder? You better share and than silent,
and you call members. This isinspector Crawl and a French gentleman Belgium,
do please sit down? Thank you, sir? What is your name?
Marjorie Stroud? Sir? And whathave you to tell us? It?
With a gentleman in Room fifteen?Sir? I went up to take
him his hot water and knocked onthe door, otherwise I wouldn't have gone

(01:00:20):
in, and he were at thebasin washing his hands. Go on,
it's your hot water, sir,I said, Oh, I've already washed
him cold, he said, AndI happened to look in the basin and
it was all red, and hehad his coat off. He were holding
the sleeve of it as if he'dbeen washing it in the basin. Can
you describe this man for ass rathershabby looking? He stooped and wore glasses.

(01:00:43):
When was this about a quarter tofive? Sir? But that was
over two hours ago. Why didn'tyou contact us at once? If we
did hear about the murder till halfhour ago, then I sort of put
two and two together. Is thisman still there? Do you know?
I don't think so. One ofthe lads in the courtyard said he thought
he saw him sneaking off that way. We'll get over there straight away.
Will you come with us, misterPharrah, here's a register, sir.

(01:01:07):
Doesn't look as if he left aproper address, Camden Town, and even
that's probably not true. And what'shis name? His writing's very cramped,
Alexander Bonaparte cussed ABC. Looks asif he's going to run er, sir.
What about his luggage? There's agood sized suitcase left here full of
cardboard boxes. Anything in them?Stockings, sir, Silk stockings. Congratulations,

(01:01:31):
mister p your hunch was right.I hope that the Doncaster business might
have knocked some of the stuffing outof chrome. But now that you can
see where he's going. At last, there's no stopping him. He's managed
to establish quite a detailed little timetablefor ABC selling stockings in Andover and Bexhill

(01:01:52):
and Churston. And he's found outthe various hotels where he was staying.
But that's only the half of it. What's he discovered, Well, he
hasn't discovered anything. He's had avery useful tip off from a man called
Hartigan, whose girlfriend's mother lets outrooms at a house in Camden Town.
Camden Town. He'd been reading aboutthe case in the papers and got very

(01:02:13):
suspicious on account of a chap calledCust, who'd had a room in the
place for over a year. Whatmade him suspicious, Well, apparently Cust
had told the people at the housethat he was off to Cheltenham for a
day or two. But Hartigan happenedto be at Euston station and noticed him
getting on a train for Doncaster.And what kind of a man did you
say? This? Mister Cust wasa man who'd come down in the world

(01:02:35):
a bit, but the sort ofcreature Reckon would never harm a fly.
We've got him, mister Poro,we've got him. Oh, do take
a seat inspector. Thank you.Oh hello Jack, I've been telling these
good gentlemen about your little tip off. I didn't realize you'd heard about it.
We went round to the house inCamden Town this morning, cust came
without any trouble. You seem morebewildered than anything. A search of his

(01:02:59):
rooms revealed a number of packages ofhosiery, and at the back of the
cupboard where they were stored, wefound a parcel much the same size and
shape, but which turned out tocontain not silk stockings, but eight new
ABC guides. And what did shesay about those? What you'd expect.
He'd never seen them before in hislife. But there was something else that
we found. You see, therewas no sign of the knife in his

(01:03:21):
room. It would have been theact of an ambac to bring that back
from Doncaster with him. Just youwait, mister Quarra. I asked myself
where in the house he might havehidden it, and I got the answer
straight away. The hall stand.Gosh, no one ever moves a hall
stand with a lot of trouble.We got it out from the wolf felt
as if it weighed a ton,and there it was the knife. The

(01:03:44):
knife Jap, not a doubt ofit. The dried blood still on it.
But that's astonishing. There is oneminor little snag, but I'm sure
there's an answer to it. Caustseems to have an alibi for the Bexhill
killing, some fanatical dominoes player whocalled at him in the hotel in Eastbourne
where he was staying and forced himto play dominoes until the small hours of
the morning. However, we've gothim for the dom Caster killing. A

(01:04:08):
little task for you, perhaps borafind out how he managed to strangle Betty
Barnard while he was allegedly playing dominos. Anyway, I'm off back to the
yard. I might as well comewith you, so love Bade. Tell
me, Hastings, do you can'tsider the case ended? Well, yes,

(01:04:32):
practically speaking, they've got the man, they've got most of the evidence,
but where is the motive. Theman's a madman. The man.
Until we know about the man,the mystery is as deep as ever.
All along I have been groping myway trying to get to know the murderer,

(01:04:55):
and now you are here. Ashe sings that I do not know
him at all. Well, that'seasily arranged. Why don't you go and
see this Alexander Bonaparte cast for yourself. I don't imagine there be any difficulty.
Do you know who I am?No? No, I can't say
I do. I am Hercule POIhoo oh, yes, I am the

(01:05:20):
man to whom you wrote the letters. Those letters weren't written by me.
I've said so over and over again. But if you did not write them,
who did? An enemy? Imust have an enemy. Everyone's hand
has always been against fear all mylife. Nothing has gone right for me.

(01:05:41):
I got this wound in my headin the war. I could never
hold down a decent job after that. Towards the end, I'd hardly got
enough left of my little savings tohold body and soul together. And then
I got this offer to go roundselling stockings. But you are aware of
the fact that the firm you sayemployed you denial knowledge of you. But

(01:06:04):
I've got all their letters tell mewhere to go and down on what dates.
But the police say that those letterswere written on your own typewriter.
But the typewriter was sent to meby the firm at the beginning of the
job. The letters were written afterthen, mister cast and what about the
ABC guides that were found in yourcupboard. I knew nothing about them.

(01:06:28):
I thought they were more packages ofstockings. I didn't even bother to open
them. It's all a plot againstme, can't you understand. Look at
the second crime, the murder atBexhill. I was in an hotel playing
dominoes. You play the game verywell, I understand, Oh yes,
I do. I used to playevery lunchtime at a cafe in the city.

(01:06:54):
You meet a lot of interesting peoplethat way. There was one gentleman
who talked to me for hours.Was I've never forgotten him because of what
he told me. I thought bythe end that I'd known him all my
life. What was it you toldyou, mister cust It gave me a
turn, a nasty turn. Wewere talking about your fate being written in

(01:07:17):
your hand, and he showed mehis hand and the lines that showed he'd
have two near escapes. One wasbeing drowned and and I've forgotten what the
other one was. And then hetook my hand and what did he say
he saw there? He said,I was going to be one of the

(01:07:39):
most celebrated men in England before Idied. Said, the whole country would
be talking about me. And then, yes, mister cust he said,
it looked as though I might dieof violent death, and he laughed.
Almost looked as if you might dieon the scaffold, he said, Well,

(01:08:04):
he was only joking. But it'sit's my head, you see.
I suffered badly with my head,and there are times when I don't know,
when I don't know. But youknow, do you not that you

(01:08:29):
committed the murders? Yes, Iknow, but I am right? Am
I not? You do not knowwhy you did them? Oh? I
don't. I don't know why.During the next few days, Prior was

(01:08:54):
very busy. There were mysterious comingsand goings on which I was not invited
to accompany him. He was alwaysfrowning to himself and talked very little,
although he did on one occasion payme a singularly backhanded compliment. While I
was asking myself certain questions, Iremembered a remark of yours, a remark

(01:09:17):
absolutely shimmering in its clear vision.Did I not unsay you had a genius
for stating the obvious? It isthe obvious that I have neglected. The
following day, he asked me tocall an emergency session of our special Legion.

(01:09:39):
All along I have been worried aboutthe why of this case. The
mystery was not the mystery of themurders, but the mystery of ABC.
Why did he find it necessary tocommit these murders? And why did he
select me as his adversary? Butwhat's the point of asking these questions now,

(01:09:59):
monsieur. A man has been arrested, but for me, the mystery
has not been sold. Mademoiselle Gray, Let me go back to the very
beginning, the arrival of the firstletter. It seemed to me at once
that there was something very wrong aboutit, and you were quite right.
But I did not pay sufficient attentionto my feeling, my very strong feeling.

(01:10:24):
And when the first murder was committedand then the second, I concentrated
on one question. Why did ABCneed to commit these murders? Isn't there
such a thing as blood lust?You are quite right, mademoiselle. But
a homicidal maniac desires to kill asmany people as possible. Such a killer
is consent to hide his traces,not to advertise them. When we consider

(01:10:47):
the first three victims selected, themurderer could have done away with them without
incurring any suspicion. Why did hefeel it necessary to draw attention to himself
because he wanted to say score overyou. It is a very pathetic motive
for murder, mister Fraser. Ifound it quite inconceivable at this point to

(01:11:11):
enter into the mind of the murderer. And yet I did feel that there
were things I was beginning to learnabout him, what kind of things to
begin with, He had a tabularmind. His crimes were listed by alphabetical
progression, although the selection of hisvictims appeared to be completely haphazard. Then

(01:11:32):
ABC suggested what I may call arailway minded man. This is more common
in men than in women, thoughI still did not rule a woman out.
It might perhaps be the sign ofan underdeveloped mind. You mean,
a kind of overgrown schoolboy exactly.The death of Betty Barnard, and the

(01:11:54):
manner of her death, gave certainother indications. To begin with, she
was strangled with her own belt,And it was what you said to me,
Mademoiselle Meghan that instantly confirmed the wayI was thinking. You mean what
I said about her being a shamelessflat Sorry, don it was true,
you know it. She liked attentionfrom a personable male. Therefore, ABC

(01:12:18):
had to be a person with lessexappeal. I visualized the scene of Betty's
death. Thus they walked together onthe beach. The man admires her belt,
she takes it off. He passesit playfully round her neck, pretending

(01:12:39):
to strangle her. She giggles,and the pretense becomes the reality. Forgot,
I say no more, it isover. Then came the third murder
of Sir Carmichael, and then thefourth. But by then we had obtained
a vital indication the man selling stocking, and the police found the sleeve of

(01:13:01):
his jacket was all blooded in thenight behind the hall stand, and he
was arrested and charged and will probablyend his days in Broadmore, except for
one little thing. Alexander Bonaparte casthas an alibi for the night of the
crime at bex Hill. Yes,that's been worrying me all along, which
leads us to two very interesting speculationssupposing that he did not commit the murder

(01:13:28):
at bex Hill. Mister that justdoesn't make sense, he quired, Mademoiselle
I am for the truth. Supposingsomebody had forest told him, what would
he do commit a second murder orlie low and accept the death of Betty
Barnard as a kind of macable presence. But surely all the crimes must have
been committed by the same person,exactly, Mademoiselle Cray. Supposing that someone

(01:13:56):
else committed the bex Hill crime,could that person have been responsible for the
other crimes also? I did thenwhat I should have done. At first,
I examined the letters again. Ihad thought that what was wrong with
them was that they had been writtenby a madman. But this time I
came to a totally different conclusion.What was wrong with them was that they

(01:14:20):
had been written by someone who wastotally sane. But the man couldn't possibly
have been sane? Miss he wasit not your great Shakespeare who has said
you cannot see the trees for thewood. I don't think he. Actually.
Where do you notice a pin leastwhen it is in a pin cushion?
When do you notice any individual murder, least when it is one of

(01:14:44):
a series of unrelated murders. Irealized I had to deal with an intensely
clever, resourceful murderer, a personwho had thought up a most fantastical defense
for himself to create a homicidal murder. Surely that's impossibly for fit. Do
you think so? I had nowto review the ABC murders to trace the

(01:15:08):
guilty person. I could hardly imaginemissus Ashes, broken alcoholic of a husband
carrying out such an elaborate scheme.Betty Barnard's fiance, said Donald Fraser,
who was a possibility. John isn'tthat kind of person? Precisely, Mademoiselle.
His motive could only be jealousy,and jealousy does not tend to premeditation.

(01:15:31):
But when we come to the Carmichaelcrime, we are on infinitely more
promising ground. What exactly do youmean by that, mister Barra, Sir
Carmichael Clark was an immensely rich manwho inherits his money his wife who has
only a few months left to live, and then it goes to his brother,

(01:15:57):
Franklin Clark. But what possible motivecould I have a killing car?
Your motive, mister Clark, issitting by your side, miss Thora Gray,
But I've got nothing whatever to dowith it. You told my friend
Hastings, mister Clark, of thegreat affection your brother had for miss Gray.
He was like a father to her. You said, she knew very

(01:16:20):
well that there was a very strongchance that, on the death of your
sitter in law, Sir Carmichael wouldturn to this beautiful girl for sympathy and
comfort, and that it might end, as so often happens with elderly men,
in his marrying her. You judgedcorrectly or not that Miss Gray was
a young woman on the make.That's a monstrous thing to say. I

(01:16:43):
had no doubt that she would jumpat the chance of becoming Lady Clark.
There might be children, and yourchance of inheriting your brother's fortune would vanish.
This is all very ingenious and fancifulmos your part. But what about
the wretched mister cust got red handed? The blood in his coat and the
knife he hid in his lodgings.He made it neither crown the contrary he

(01:17:05):
had amitst the fact? Well,sure, he has neither the nerve nor
the daring, nor I may addthe brains to conceive the plan and carry
it out. But you, misterClark, fit the personality of ABC quite
perfectly, the attractive, free andeasy manner. Nothing simpler for you than

(01:17:27):
to pick up Betty Barnard, themeticulous tabular mind. Remember the notes you
made at our meetings and the irrepressibleboyish enthusiasm. But how could you account
for the fact that Cust It wasnot enough for you, mister Clark,
to devise this plan of a seriesof crimes to divert attention from the single
crime you intended to commit. Youneed it also to have a stoking horse.

(01:17:53):
Mister Cust has told me of anencounter with a stranger in a London
coffeehouse. You where that's stranger,mister Clark, cast was exactly the kind
of shrinking and insignificant person you needed. His absurdly bombastic Christian names spelling out
ABC gave you the basis for thewhole alphabetical plan because the man he was

(01:18:15):
intending to murder began with a C. You made your arrangements very carefully.
You sent a letter to cast purportingto come from a hoosiery firm, offering
him a good salary and a generouscommission. In Caste's name, you wrote
for a large consignment of hosiery tobe sent to him, and then you
subsequently sent him a parcel of ABC'spacked up so that he would think it

(01:18:39):
was another consignment of stockings. Youknew very well that he would not bother
to open it until the first batchwas exhausted. Your plans were so well
laid beforehand that you typed all theletters that were to be sent to him,
telling him what places he should callout with the stockings in advance,
for you had planned on exactly whatdates the murders would be committed. And

(01:19:01):
when you had written all your lettersto mister Caste, you sent off to
him the machine on which they hadbeen typed, as if from the hosiery
company, stating that it had beenloaned to him for his work. But
what was the point of us sothat when the police found the typewriter,
they would recognize it as the machineon which all the letters had been typed,
and Caste would be accused of havingset up the whole operation himself.

(01:19:27):
And that, of course, wasexactly what happened. By the time Caste
received the letters from what he believedto be the hosiery firm, your first
two victims had already been selected ironpay. Just so missus Ash's name was
written above her shop for all theworld to see, and since she was
often alone in there disposing of herpresented you with very little difficulty. In

(01:19:50):
Betty Barnard, you found exactly theeasy going, gullible girl to suit your
purpose. On the days you hadtold me the murder would occur, cast
followed his instructions and obediently presented himselfat Andover and bex Hill, and you
carried out the murders as you hadplanned. How unutterably cold blooded, which

(01:20:13):
brings us to the third murder,the real murder. From your point of
view, mister Clark, in yourletters to me, you had given ample
warning of ABC's intentions, which wasall very well for a town like Andover
or bex Hill. But since Churstonhas so few inhabitants, you had to
commit the murder before the police arrivedon the scene, and so you arranged

(01:20:39):
for your third letter to me tobe sent deliberately to the wrong address.
That that's what I say, andno one paid any attention to you.
From the very beginning I could notunderstand why the letters had been sent to
me personally and not to the policeor to a newspaper. And then I

(01:21:00):
realized why I had been chosen.The third letter had to go astraye.
This could hardly happen to a lettersent to Scotland Yard or to a newspaper,
But a private address was another matter. All you had to do was
to make a deliberate error, sothat by the time the letter reached me

(01:21:21):
the crime would have been committed.But what about mister Cust. He must
have committed the fourth moder by thetime mister Clark had reached the letter d
it mattered very little who was thevictim. By way of our special legion,
you were able, mister Clark toarrange to be on the scene yourself.

(01:21:41):
Mister Cust had been instructed by thehosiery firm to go to Doncaster,
and sure plan was to follow himaround and trust to opportunity, mister cast
went to a cinema and from thenit was simplicity itself. Took a seat
a little way away from him.When he got up to go, you

(01:22:03):
did the same. You pretended tostumble and stabbed the man asleep in the
row in front, and slipped theABC onto his knees. You contrived to
collide with mister Cust in the darkness, wiped your knife on his sleeve and
slipped it into his pocket. Butdid mister Cust really believe that he had
committed the murder. People in misterCust's condition often have blanks in their memory

(01:22:29):
and they cannot recall what they havedone. He was nervous, highly new
artic, and very susceptible. Hehad been in Andover and bex Hill and
Cheston, and his mind was alreadyin a state of confusion as to whether
he might be the murderer. Theblood on his sleeve, the knife in
his pocket where the final confirmation.It's an ingenious theory, Monsieur Pardo,

(01:22:54):
but you really don't have a singleshred of proof. No, no,
no, that he is not so. Mister Clark, you were quite safe
so long as no one suspected you. But once I was certain that you
were the murderer, proofs were notdifficult to come by. What kind of
proofs? Your photograph was picked outfrom half a dozen others by two people
who had seen you leaving a cinemaat Doncaster at a time when you were

(01:23:16):
supposed to be on the race coursekeeping an eye out for the murderer.
Hardly very conclusive. Milli Bigley,a waitress at that cafe in Beck's Hill,
recognized you as the man who tookBetty Barnard out for a drive on
that fatal evening. And finally,most damming of all, your fingerprint was

(01:23:38):
found on one of the keys ofthe typewriter you sent to cast, which,
if you are innocent, you couldnever have handled. Sir Monsieur Parle,
it looks as if my like hasrun out. Ha ha. You
said that red would be bound toturn up in the end, but it
was worth a gamble. It's nogood you're looking round for a way of

(01:24:00):
escaped mister Clark. The building issurrounded. Who the devil are you,
Chief Inspector jab of Scotland Yard.I must warn you that anything you may
say may be used in evidence againstyou. I have nothing to say.
Take him down to the car.Sergeant's up. I can't wait to see
Chrome's face when he learns about this. He was so certain that he'd got

(01:24:21):
his man. So what's to becomeof the unfortunate mister Cuss He has already
been released. One of the popularnewspapers has been pestering him for his life
story. He told me they hadoffered him a hundred pounds And what did

(01:24:42):
you advise him to do? Itold him to settle for nothing less than
five hundred, and not to confinehimself to one paper. I also told
him that he was now a veryfamous man at blast. He can live
up to his extravagant Christian names.Alexander Bonaparte. And you know it was

(01:25:04):
that fingerprint on the typewriter that reallyclinched it. It completely finished Franklin Clark
Off. Yes, they are usefulthings, the fingerprints. He put that
in for you, my friend.Can we just say it wasn't true,
not in the least. It isnot the clues that count, the footprints

(01:25:26):
and the traces of cigarette ash,but the steady penetration into the mind of
the murderer. And there is onlyone way by which that can be achieved.
What's that, Quarrow, by exercisingthe little gray cells, Monamie,
the little gray cells. In AgathaChristie's The ABC Murders, Hercule Quaro was

(01:25:55):
played by John Moffatt, Captain Hastings, Simon Williams, Chief Inspector, Jack
Philip Jackson, Franklin Clark, JohnRye, Alexander Bonaparte, Tust Jowen,
Meredith Lady Clark, Jane Wenham,Inspector Chrome, Tom George thora Gray,

(01:26:19):
Lucy Patterson, Mary Drower, GemmaSaunders, Meghan Barnard, Beth Chalmers,
Donald Fraser, Christopher Kellen, MarjorieStroud, Zana Harding Roots, the police
sergeant Tim Trelaw. Other parts wereplayed by members of the cast. The

(01:26:41):
ABC Murders was dramatized for radio byMichael Bakewell and directed by Enid Williams.