Original subtitles

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[Owl hoots]

[Footsteps]

[Grunting]

[Hawk screeches]

MAN: Honestly, sir, it's such a kick to meet

the famous Hercule Poirot.

uncle Arthur's told me masses about you, of course.

Have you been working on a case in Baghdad?

Non.

It's quite interesting actually.

Poirot got a telegram from an old flame of his

saying she was in a spot of bother

and coud he meet her in Baghdad .

Good-looking woman .

Said she was a Russian countess --

Countess Vera Rossakoff.

Really?

Thank you, Hastings, for explaining that

to Monsieur Coleman.

We've had a bit of excitement at Tell Yarimjah, too,

while you've been away, uncle Arthur.

Well, I've only been away a day.

Well, this morning, we had a dead Arab at the site .

Been strangled apparently ,.

Good Lord!

I say, that's Sheila Maitland!

Her father's a superintendent in the Baghdad police.

He must be up at the dig .

He doesn't approve of Sheila coming out here alone.

What ho, Sheila?

Will you take that machine away, Coleman?!

Fancy a race?

It may have escaped your notice that you're in a car

and I'm on a horse .

Ha ha!

Always good for a laugh , old Sheila .

Thank you, Hastings.

I say, Poirot, was that tactless of me,

mentioning the countess?

Could you ever be tactless, Hastings?

Any news of her yet?

Non.

It's odd though ,, isn't it?

I mean, she books into the hotel,

sends you this telegram , and then when you arrive ,

she's gone off on some trip.

Oui.

Hello.

Hello.

- Eric Leidner . - Ah!

You must be Hercule Poirot, Captain Hastings' famous friend .

It is an honor to meet an archaeologist

so distinguished , Dr. Leidner.

The honor is entirely mutual.

Do be careful -- that's Mr. Poirot's luggage.

Good afternoon , Superintendent .

I say.

Ah there you are Dr Leidner ,,..

We've had a bit of luck with --

I don't think you know Mr. Poirot.

Mr. Poirot, this is Superintendent Maitland

of the Baghdad Police .

? How do you do

Superintendent .

Right.

Now, look here,

this fellow who got himself strangled is on our records .

Name of Izzat Baqui --

small-time crook, dealing in stolen goods ,

stealing antiquities, selling drugs ,

prostitution.

So I want to question all your Arab workmen.

I still favor the idea he was buying stolen antiquities

from one of them.

Very well, whatever you think necessary.

Hmm.

I'm sorry for that.

This is where you'll be staying.

[Engine starts]

I only hope you'll be happy

in our rather primitive accommodation .

No, no, no, not at all, Dr. Leidner.

I am a man of the taste most simple.

[Speaks Arabic]

[Sighs]

HASTINGS: Nasty business,

this fellow being killed .

Yes.

We've had one or two suspidous characters

hanging around Tell Yarimjah --

since we started finding

the gold artifacts .

[Knock on door]

Um...

LEIDNER: You're looking for me, Annie?

Oh Dr Leidner yes ,.,.

I was just showing our distinguished guest his room .

Mr. Poirot, Miss Johnson, my right hand ,

you might say.

Oh Dr Leidner ,..

I'm delighted to meet you , Mademoiselle Johnson .

? How do you do

I wonder if you could come and cast your eye over the beads

I found this morning .

Sure.

Dinner's at 8:00, Mr. Poirot.

Where is the mosquito net, Hastings?

Oh we don't bother , with them here.

There's no body of water for miles,

so we only get the odd mosquito passing through, as it were.

Couple of little bites won't do you any harm .

I'm extremely sensitive

even to a couple of little bites, Hastings.

[Creaks]

Of course, everyone's getting frightfully excited

about the stuff that we're finding here .

MAN: Ah, Bill,

I was just coming to look for you.

Father Lavigny, this is Mr. Hercule Poirot,

he's come to stay with us.

Pleased to meet you , Monsieur Poirot.

Mon Père.

I have heard much about your exploits.

According to the log ,

there was a cylinder seal found by Mr Mercado yesterday .

which he gave to you to bring to the antica.

That's right, yes.

Do you know where it is?

I put it on that shelf there.

Well, it's not there now.

Well --

Everybody on the roof , please.

Old Leidner always insists upon a group photograph

whenever we have a distinguished visitor .

If the back row could move slightly to the --

to the left.

You're not quite symmetrical.

Yeah.

Captain Hastings, move those querns

if there's not enough room.

Madam Leidner, what is a quern?

A millstone.

They seem to find more of those than almost anything else.

.? LEIDNER: Where's Mr Mercado

Joseph doesn't like having his photograph taken.

And Mr Carey's not here ..

LEIDNER: He's still out at the dig.

Now, relax, please.

And look towards the camera .

Quite still.

[Shutter dicks]

I'm afraid you'll find us

a gloomy crowd tonight , Monsieur Poirot.

We're very distressed about the poor Arab who was killed .

Oui.

It is a circumstance most unfortunate Madame Leidner ,.

Was he one of your workmen?

It's hard to say ,

we have so many casual workers.

Oh God ,.

It's all right, Joseph.

ANNIE: What's wrong, .? Mr Mercado

- It's all right. - Sorry.

I was reading in my guide book last night

why this bit of Iraq used to be called Mesopotamia .

Apparently, it's Greek for "between two rivers."

I mean, you know hippopotamuses --

well, "hippo" means river, and "potamus" means horse ,

river-horse, you see.

No, er...

it's the other way around , isn't it?

"Hippo" means horse,

and "potamus" means river;

otherwise, it would be "between two horses."

So, as "meso" apparently means "between,"

Mesopotamia means "between two rivers."

Er...

the two rivers being the Tigris

and um that other one ,,.

The Euphrates.

Yes!

Between two rivers.

[Footsteps]

I should've thought you would have known by now

that dinner is at 8 00 :, Mr. Carey.

I'm sorry, Mrs Leidner ..

I thought that the work

was what was important here.

Not at the expense of everyone else's convenience.

We finished our soup , I'm afraid.

It's quite all right.

I had to finish

plotting those walls.

Yes.

Yes, of course.

It's been lovely weather again today hasn't it -- ,

out of the sun, of course.

LEIDNER: Ah, the fish!

The fish from one of those very rivers of yours,

eh, Captain Hastings?

HASTINGS: Oh, isn't that a sturgeon?

ANNIE: They call it a hybiarria out here.

It's absolutely delicious .

LAVIGNY: Arabs do not

unclerstand fish .

That Father Lavigny is a strange cove, isn't he?

There is certainly something odd about him .

Mais c'est curieux, hmm?

He is a philosopher,

an archaeologist, world renowned,

and from his books ,

I had the impression of a man of great enthusiasm,

of eloquence and yet he seems , not to be able to rub together

even the two words .

Hastings, perhaps tomorrow afternoon,

I shall return to Baghdad with the post car .

Poirot, look...

I've been married a few years now,

and I don't mind telling you

I've learned a thing or two about the fair sex.

Countess Rossakoff isn't coming back, you know.

That is as may be, Hastings.

But it has less to do with my decision

than the fact that in Baghdad ,

the rooms there are lit by electricity

and the sand it is not so , prevalent

as to get inside the uncler-vest.

I do not know how you've borne it for two weeks.

Well, family, you know.

I told young Bill I'd make it a decent visit .

You are a man of great courage, eh?

Good night Hastings ,.

Good night Poirot ,.

Sleep well.

[Grunts]

[Pot smashes]

[Scraping noise]

[Noise continues]

No!

No!

Nurse! Nurse!

Nurse...

I saw the face again.

And there's someone in the room next to mine,

I heard scratching on the wall!

It's all right, don't be afraid .

Get Eric!

Yes.

- Get him! - Yes.

[Panting]

[Knock on door]

NURSE: Dr Leidner .,

Dr Leidner! .

What is it?!

I saw the face again, at the window.

And I heard him ,

I heard him scratching on the wall.

What's the matter?

Mrs Leidner saw a face . at her window ,

and someone was moving about in the antica room.

Right.

Nurse.

It's all right.

Just breathe deeply .

That's right.

What are you doing , Father Lavigny?

I saw a light.

I thought someone was in here.

I'm just checking to see nothing's been touched .

? CAREY: What do you think

Well, it certainly looks like wax --

right here, by the handle .

CAREY: Mmm I noticed it , when I took its photograph.

? Could it be candle grease

From 6,000 years ago?

I don't think so .

Wasn't there some disturbance in here last night?

No candles though ,.

Father Lavigny had a flashlight .

? What was he doing in here

He heard a noise .

How's his latest translation?

Don't be unfair to Father Lavigny Richard ,.

We've only found four tablets and seals as yet ,

and one of those has disappeared .

I apologize, sir.

But everybody says he's a famous epigraphist,

I just look forward to seeing his first bit of work.

POIROT: It occurs to me, Dr Leidner .,

that your work and the work that I do have much in common .

Really?

All I've ever wanted to do

is dig in the earth ,

find out the secrets

that time has buried there .

Exactement.

The digging into the past .

The sifting of a mass of dross for the dues

and the people most important that you deal with

are those who are dead .

I bet you don't have as much paperwork.

Ah.

For the world , it is drowning in paper .

People will be thinking I'm insane.

Good heavens no ,.

Noises in the night, faces at the window .

No, there's something going on here.

I shouldn't be surprised if somebody weren't

trying to frighten the expedition off .

Do you really think so? You --

Who's that?

? What's he doing

- Captain Hastings! - It's all right.

You see the state I'm in?

[Speaking Arabic]

You know I'm very ashamed ,.

None of the men on the work can unclerstand me .

I was trying my Arabic on that man.

He's a townsman,

and I wanted to see if I got on any better, but no.

Dr Leidner says . my Arabic is too pure.

[Speaking Arabic]

He can go, next one.

- Go. - Name.

Poor little beggar.

About...

six years old I'd say ,.

Sent into the next world

with nothing but a little pot and a couple of bead necklaces .

Perhaps that is all any of us need Mademoiselle Johnson ,.

I know it's hard to believe , Mr. Poirot,

but I can't tell you what fun we used to have ,

Dr. Leidner, Richard Carey and I ,,

the first years we worked out here .

We were such a happy party.

But...

But what, ? Mademoiselle Johnson

Oh...

To be frank,

since Dr Leidner . got married --

of course, she's a very charming woman

and I can quite unclerstand why Dr Leidner fell for her .,

but if she's so nervous about coming to out-of-the-way places

that she needs a nurse to hold her hand,

she should've stayed in America.

And now the famous detective .

Oh, no, no, no, Mademoiselle Johnson ,

you are mistaken.

I assure you that my visit here, it is purely coincidental .

Huh.

There she is now.

HASTINGS: I say!

? Isn't that splendid

And it's almost undamaged . Look.

JOSEPH: I find their pottery crude

compared to the Egyptians .

Oh no Mr Mercado ,,.,

unsophisticated perhaps -- ,

JOSEPH: Oh my God! ,

MRS. LEIDNER: Sergeant! Sergeant!

[Grunting]

Are you all right, Captain Hastings?

Yes, I'm okay.

What was all that about, .? Mr Mercado

,? Well why do you ask me

The man is mad , obviously.

He said he was going to avenge his brother.

What brother?

I do not know any brother .

What kind of a place have I come to?

For years I've Iived in fear , of being murdered .

You can't mean it.

I assure you, Captain Hastings,

that I do .

But murdered by whom , ? Madame Leidner

When I was a girl of 20,

I married a young man in our State Department --

Frederick Bosner .

[Bells ringing]

I hardly knew him I suppose ,.

It was one of those foolish wartime marriages.

We'd only been married a few days

and he went away .

I never saw him again.

Frederick was killed in the war ,

but he was killed in America.

He was shot as a spy.

It was...

terrible...

terrible.

And then about , three months later,

an amazing thing happened .

HASTINGS: "I am waiting for you.

If you ever marry another man, I will kill you.

Signed Frederick " .

But this purports to come from your husband who is dead .

Exactly.

I thought I was mad or dreaming .

Eventually, I went to my father.

He worked in the State Department, too.

He admitted the truth --

my husband hadn't been shot at all,

he'd escaped .

The State Department had covered it all up anyway ,

and he was trying to protect me .

[Men shrieking]

But then Frederick had been killed

in a train wreck a few weeks after his escape,

and he saw no reason to burden me with the knowledge .

I shouldn't have told you this ,

I just thought you were someone I could talk to ,

a comparative stranger just here for a few days.

And you say now that you have received

more of these letters?

Some years ago when I got engaged to be married ,

a whole flurry of letters started .

I couldn't bear it .

I broke off the engagement.

It seemed that every time I became

even friendly with another man,

I was warned off .

And then there was silence for years.

I met Eric and we got engaged ,.

Nothing.

We married .

Nothing.

And then three weeks ago ,

I got this.

"I have arrived " .

But if this isn't your former husband ,

who is it?

I don't know .

Frederick had a much younger brother named William.

He was an unstable child ,

but he adored Frederick .

Perhaps he feels that any involvement

I have with another man is somehow betraying

his brother's memory.

And this William Bosner ,

you think that for this,

he might still be seeking the vengeance?

[Sighs]

The same night I received that ...

I saw the face at that window .

No!

For the first time.

No!

A dead face .

HASTINGS: I really don't unclerstand

why you're leaving, Poirot.

After all Mrs Leidner . told us this morning ,

I mean to say, there's a damsel in distress

if you like.

We're all in bally distress this year .

You wouldn't believe what a difference there is .

There's Carey.

Even he was quite cheerful last year...

believe it or not.

He's worked with Leidner for years, of course.

So has Annie Johnson.

She blames Mrs Leidner .,

thinks her presence spoils everything.

Is that your opinion, Monsieur Coleman?

No, she's just jealous.

She used to run round after old Leidner ,

darning his socks and making him tea in the old days.

I suppose she feels a bit inhibited

with Mrs Leidner around ..

- Ah. - Whoops.

- Oof! - That was a good one!

We don't have to get there in five minutes, you know.

Oh, that's half the fun of this run.

You're getting old , uncle Arthur.

POIROT: Speaking for myself,

Monsieur Coleman, I have aged 10 years

since I entered this automobile.

[Chuckles]

It's none of your damn business how I behave .

Of course it's my business.

Now, you listen to me, Mr. Richard Carey --

ERIC: Oh, there you are, Louise.

I thought Miss Johnson

might be up here.

She's just going out to the dig.

Oh good ,.

I'll try and catch her .

,? How you doing there Richard

I'll give you a hand .

[Vendor yells]

I'll post those letters now.

Thank you.

Oh, tell me, Monsieur Coleman,

do you recognize ? this handwriting

COLEMAN: It's the lovely Louise's.

? Madame Leidner

Yes. Why?

Oh, nothing.

It just reminded me of the handwriting

that I saw recently of someone else.

Good Lord .

Why would she write threatening letters to herself?

Oh I think that would , be an assumption

too great to make, Hastings,

on the grounds of the similarity of the handwritings .

But if it was so,

it would not be an occurrence unheard .

Pretty ruddy silly , if you ask me.

Ah, well, if only people would ask you Hastings ,,

they would refrain ,? from the ruddy silliness eh

Good night Hastings ,.

Good night Poirot ,.

Monsieur.

The key to my room, if you please.

Certainly, Monsieur Poirot.

The Countess Rossakoff,

she is returned yet to the hotel?

Not yet, Monsieur Poirot.

Oh. Merci.

Hello Richard ,.

Hello, Sheila. You're a long way from home.

If Mohammed won't go to the mountain...

Why do you never ? come into Baghdad

There's nothing in Baghdad that interests me particularly.

Really?

- I'm sure we could -- - Sheila.

Don't say another word .

I am very nearly old enough

to be your father.

I wasn't saying anything.

I don't know what you're talking about.

It must be the sun or something,

seems to have gone to your head.

[Flute playing Arabic music]

[Boy chanting]

Abdullah!

[Chanting]

Abdullah!

[Speaks Arabic]

[Woman screams]

Father Lavigny,

do you happen to know where my nephew is?

I was hoping he could run me into Baghdad again .

He's gone already , I think.

It's Friday and the workmen , are paid today.

He has to collect the money from the bank.

Oh, blast.

It's a bit dearer up there now.

Louise has been complaining lately

there's not enough room to walk about.

I'm just going to tell her the good news .

What time does Bill Coleman ? usually get back from Baghdad

Oh I do not know ,.

It is variable.

Oh my God! ,

Louise!

Oh, Louise!

She's dead .

Good God .

[Horn honks]

[Donkey brays]

No alcoves,

no wardrobes ,

and no curtains behind which anyone could hide .

HASTINGS: No.

The body was on this rug .

Leidner said he Iifted her head when he found her ,

but he didn't actually change her position.

POIROT: It all seems ,? so straightforward no

Madame Leidner she is lying , on the bed half asleep ,.

Someone opens the door ,

she looks up, rises to her feet and ...

And was struck down .

Oui.

Blood .

Very little.

The blood will have escaped internally into the brain.

? And the weapon

Was there no sign of that?

No.

Something heavy --

without any corners or edges .

POIROT: Welded perhaps ,,

by the strong arm of a man.

- Wielded. - Thank you, Hastings.

It all seems so straightforward .

Except for one thing --

if the person who entered the room was a stranger,

why then did Madame Leidner

not cry out ? for help immediately

Miss Johnson said she thought she heard a cry.

She was in the living room,

that's next-door but one to this.

Perhaps it wasn't a stranger.

POIROT: Yes, Hastings,

she may have been surprised to see the person,

but she was not afraid .

I doubt if anyone would hear a cry anyway.

The window was dosed .

It was always dosed in the afternoon

to keep out the flies.

Tell me Superintendent ,,

what is your opinion -- ? is that not blood

It looks like it.

I'll find out .

Good .

It is a puzzle, eh?

The walls, they are the most solid .

The windows , they are dosed and barred .

So the only way into this room

is through that door .

And the only way to that door is through the courtyard,

and the only way into the courtyard

is through the archway.

And beyond the archway ,

there are five persons.

And they all tell the same story --

that no stranger entered the courtyard today.

And I do not think that they are lying.

The room of Madame Leidner , it is there.

And you were working here .

So the door to her room ,

it is in your vision all of the time,

when you look up from your work?

That's right.

Nobody could have gone in there.

And you were here all of the time?

Except when I went up on the roof for a few minutes

to see Dr Leidner ..

But Abdullah was here then .

Ah yes yes Abdullah ,,,.

And you saw no other person enter this courtyard?

After Mrs Leidner had gone . into her room, no.

Captain Hastings

came in through the gate.

Wait -- there were a couple of minutes.

After I had been on the roof and I came down,

Abdullah was not here .

He'd crept off to see his Arab friends

in the guard tent .

And Abdullah ,,

how long had he been absent , do you think?

Not more than three or four minutes.

[Sobbing]

Come on, Marie.

She feels things too deeply .

[Sobs]

It's so terrible.

I was so fond of Louise .

Madame Mercado ,

could you please tell me what you were doing

? at the time of her death

I was washing my hair.

It seems so awful, I was quite happy and busy .

? So you did not leave this room

Not until I came out and heard what had happened .

It was awful.

? Did it surprise you

? What do you mean

Oh, no, it's just that she might have

confided to you something .

No.

No, dear Louise never told me anything --

anything definite that is ,.

Of course, there were the faces at windows and so forth .

MAITLAND: So there's nothing you can think of

? that would help us in any way

No. No, there isn't.

POIROT: Monsieur Mercado ,

could you tell me what ? you were doing at that time

I?

Um...

You were in your laboratory, Joseph.

Yes, I was.

My usual tasks.

And at what time ? did you go there

Um...

MARIE: At 10 minutes to 1:00.

That's right.

Did you come out into the courtyard at all?

No!

It's horrible.

I-I can't.

It's so horrible.

We mustn't give way, Joseph.

Well, no way in from here obviously.

The window was shut anyway .

Why do you think Mercado was so upset?

He's a rum cove, I must say.

It is probably as his wife says, Hastings,

he is still shaken by the attack on him

the other day by the workman .

POIROT: Tell me Dr Leidner ,.,

your love for your wife was your ruling passion.

That is true,

is it not?

Yes.

Then I must demand from you the whole truth.

I assure you, Mr. Poirot, I've kept nothing back.

No, no, no, no.

For example you have not told , to me why you invited

to join the expedition

Nurse Leatheran.

ERIC: I've explained that --

my wife's nervousness, her fears.

POIROT: No, no.

No doctor ,.

Your wife, she is in danger yes ,.

She is threatened with death, yes.

And you send not for the police ,

or not even for a private detective ,

but for a nurse.

I thought...

I...

POIROT: You see doctor ,, it all rings,

except for that one thing.

Why a nurse?

Well, there is an answer,

in fact, there can only be one answer --

that you did not truly believe that your wife,

she was in danger .

God help me .

I didn't .

Doctor did you suspect , that your wife

wrote those letters herself?

I thought that maybe

worrying and brooding over the past

might have possibly affected her mind.

I thought that she might have

somehow written those letters to herself

without being consdous of having done so.

That is possible, isn't it?

There are, as I see it, three possibilities.

Three?

Oui.

Solution number one --

and the simplest --

William Bosner, the young, unstable brother

of the first husband of Madame Leidner ,

still seeks the vengeance.

First, he threatens her and then

he carries out his threats.

But if we accept this solution,

then we have the problem of how he entered and departed

without being observed .

? And the second

Solution number two --

that for reasons of her own,

Madame Leidner writes to herself those letters

that are most threatening.

I thought that was the idea you favored .

But if this was true,

then the letters, they have nothing to do with the murder .

But now we come to solution number three,

and to my mind , the most interesting.

I suggest the letters, they are genuine.

That they are written by William Bosner,

the young brother-in-law of Madame Leidner ,

and that actually he is one of the staff of the expedition .

Excuse me.

LAVIGNY: I joined the expedition only about a month ago,

from the order of the Pères Blancs of Carthage.

POIROT: And before your arrival here, mon Père,

did you at any time make the acquaintance

? with Madame Leidner

No.

I'd never seen the Iady until I met her here.

The other day ,

Captain Hastings saw you talk to a man outside ,

and yet previously ,, this very same man

had been seen trying to peer in at one of the windows.

HASTINGS: It looked as if he was

hanging around the place deliberately .

That's what I thought.

I asked him what he was doing and told him to go away.

Bon.

MAITLAND: Father Lavigny is out of the question --

he's a well known man.

Anyway he only joined , the expedition last month .

I happened to take the telegram

from Dr. Leidner asking him to join

into Baghdad and sent it myself .

Dr Byrd had been taken ill ., had to go back to Boston.

But you do not appreciate

the point of importance, Superintendent.

If it is William Bosner who has done this thing ,

where has he been all these years?

He must have taken a different name,

he must have built up for himself a career.

The Countess Rossakoff?

I'm afraid not , Monsieur Poirot.

Good night .

I didn't even know Mrs Leidner . had been married before.

Oh, yes, American.

Went to the bad during the war.

I just wonder what's going to happen to the expedition now .

It's very much Leidner's show --

Sorry to interrupt.

Have either of you seen Miss Johnson?

She wasn't at dinner ,

she's not in her room either.

You don't think she's made off

with the family silver, do you?

No, of course not.

I just...

well, you know, with a murderer about ...

[Woman crying]

[Loud sobbing]

What's all this?

You mustn't sit here crying, all by yourself.

Don't Miss Johnson don't ,,.

Take a hold on yourself .

What's upset you, Miss Johnson?

It's just...

it's all so awful.

Now, you mustn't start

thinking about it again.

What's happened has happened and can't be mended.

It's no use fretting, you know.

No.

You're right, nurse.

I'm making a fool of myself.

It all came over me suddenly .

Yes.

Yes, I know.

A good night's sleep is what you need.

Yes.

Thank you, nurse.

You're a nice kind ,, sensible woman.

It's not often I make such a fool of myself.

ANNIE: She was never a nice woman.

Give that to me.

Any sign of the Countess yet, Poirot?

No, no.

And to tell you the truth , Hastings,

I begin to fear for her safety.

First, there was the telegram

stressing her need of help most urgently,

then her absence from the hotel at my arrival,

and now the continuing lack

of any sort of communication from her.

Yes, I see what you mean.

Bonjour, Mademoiselle Maitland .

Bonjour distinguished , Belgian 'tec.

You see, Hastings,

people begin to remember that I am not French.

POIROT: It is good of you to come,

ma soeur.

It is most interesting and important this news

of Mademoiselle Johnson .

Asseyez-vous, s'il vous plaît.

Mademoiselle .

She must have murdered Mrs Leidner ..

Well why else would she , burn that paper?

The writing was exactly like

the rest of the anonymous letters.

Yes, yes, Nurse Leatheran, but order and method, eh?

There is first a great deal

that you have to tell me.

Now I could not ask you , at Tell Yarimjah,

but the good Doctor Leidner , he worshipped his wife .

And he is sure that everybody else

felt exactly the same towards her .

But in my opinion,

that would not be human nature.

No, no, no. It is necessary for us

to discuss Madam Leidner with -- ? how do you say

,? The gloves removed eh

So...

who was there on the expedition

who did not like ? Madam Leidner

Oh...

Well, it's only my opinion.

Naturellement.

Well...

in my opinion,

little Mrs Mercado . really hated her.

POIROT: Ah.

And, er... ? Monsieur Mercado

Well, he was a bit soft on her, if anything.

Mrs Leidner had a nice .,

kind way of being interested in people .

It rather went to Mr Mercado's . head, I fancy.

Mrs Mercado wouldn't have been . too pleased about that.

I've seen her look at Mrs. Leidner

as though she'd like to kill her.

Oh.

I didn't mean to say ...

I mean, she --

No, no, no.

I unclerstand .

What about Monsieur Carey?

Well...

he was always very stiff with her.

And her with him .

Perhaps he was jealous like Miss Johnson,

him being an old friend of her husband's, too.

What ho, Sheila?

Look here -- I've bought two tickets

for the tennis dub dance .

That's not until the end of next month.

I know.

I wanted to get in before anyone else.

Will you come?

Oh, all right.

Yes I'd love to ,.

What is your opinion of the younger man, Hastings?

William Coleman, for instance?

I say steady on Poirot ,,, he's my nephew.

No, he's your nephew by adoption Hastings ,.

Yes, but all the same.

How old was he when he was adopted

by your sister ? and her husband

Oh, er, eight or nine.

His parents died shortly after the war.

They were some sort of distant cousins of Harry Coleman.

And where was that , Hastings?

In America, actually.

Bill had the most peculiar American accent when...

I say...

No.

You know well we must consider every possibility, Hastings.

Good Lord .

How are you getting on with our local mystery?

I've learned a great deal , mademoiselle,

about our victim.

And very often the victim, it is the due to the mystery.

That's rather dever of you, Mr. Poirot.

Merci mademoiselle ,.

It's certainly true

that if ever a woman deserved to be murdered,

Mrs Leidner was that woman ..

Miss Maitland!

Nurse Leatheran I'm afraid ,, was quite taken in by her,

as many other people were.

What Sheila's telling you, Monsieur Poirot,

take it with a pinch of salt.

She and Louise Leidner didn't exactly hit it off.

We didn't hit it off because Louise knew

that I saw through her.

In fact I wouldn't , have much objected

to putting her out of the way myself.

Then for the time of death of Madam Leidner Mademoiselle ,,

I hope you have a good alibi .

Alibi?

I was playing tennis at the dub.

You can ask anybody .

I was always taught you don't speak ill of the dead .

Oh that's stupid! ,

The truth's always the truth.

Louise Leidner was the sort of woman

who wanted to break things up just for fun,

for the sense of power.

And she was the kind of woman who had to get ahold

of every male creature within reach.

Have you told them ? about Richard Carey

About Mr. Carey?

Well I've mentioned , that they

didn't hit it off very well .

? "Didn't hit it off very well" You idiot!

He's head over heels in love with her.

[Speaking Arabic]

Tell me, Hastings, Monsieur Mercado --

is he right-handed ? or left-handed

Um right-handed I think ,,.

Yes.

[Panting]

Ah, bonjour, Monsieur Mercado .

Good morning .

Not many people visit me out here.

You dig too deep monsieur ,,

it is very difficult on the legs you unclerstand ,.

These people must have been jolly fit.

JOSEPH: The lower you get,

the more interesting it becomes.

Follow me, gentlemen.

One interesting thing

is that the pottery found above this level ,

it shows a marked difference .

Here, I will show you.

If you look at this piece --

Agh!

Something stung me.

A scorpion, perhaps?

Vite!

Merde, voilà.

JOSEPH: I knew I felt something.

But it is not a scorpion, though,

or it would be already swollen .

But one cannot be

too careful, eh, ? Monsieur Mercado

[Grunts]

Whoa!

That was neat, eh, Hastings?

What was that, Poirot?

? Did you do that

Oui.

I was the stinging insect and very neatly I did it too ,.

Regarde.

You did not see me eh ,, Hastings?

But what for?

I wished to observe his forearm, Hastings.

The left one.

? Did you not notice anything

Well, yes, I did, as a matter of fact.

- A lot of marks on the skin. - Oui.

I suspected but now , I had to be sure.

Monsieur Mercado he is addicted , to drugs, Hastings.

I see.

? So where does that Iead us

For the moment, I cannot say.

But facts, Hastings, facts,

those are the cobbles that make up the road

along which we travel.

Poirot wants to see if Miss Johnson

could really have heard Mrs. Leidner call out

when she was murdered , you see.

So if you could go in Mrs Leidner's room .

and just give a little cry ,

I'll go in the living room and see if I hear anything .

All right.

Oh, not a big scream or anything.

I mean, not madly terrified ,

just a little cry

as if you stubbed your toe or something.

Yes, I see.

Bonjour, Monsieur Carey.

Ready when you are .

No I've done it ,.

Oh.

Well I didn't hear anything ,.

Perhaps you should try it again a bit louder.

RICHARD: I'm hardly the right person to help you --

Mrs Leidner and I didn't get . on particularly well.

I suppose I was a bit resentful of her influence over Leidner .

We were polite to each other, but not intimate.

Hmm.

Explained most admirably , Monsieur Carey.

But there are stories going about

and one listens to these stories and perhaps --

What stories?

Oh, the usual sort of story -- about you and Madame Leidner .

[Scoffs]

What foul minds people have.

Vraiment.

,? They're dogs huh

However deep one buries an unpleasantness,

a dog he will always , root it out again.

As for myself I'm always ready , to be convinced of the truth .

You? Ha ha!

I doubt if you'd know the truth if you heard it.

Hmm.

Try me and see .

All right.

I hated Louise Leidner .

That's the truth for you.

That's the truth.

We tried it several times, getting Iouder and Iouder .

Even when Nurse Leatheran screamed quite IoudIy,

you couIdn't hear it in the Iiving room.

These mud-brick waIIs are damned thick you know ,.

Good Hastings good ,,.

The onIy way we heard it

was when we tried it with the window open .

The window to the room of Madame Leidner?

Yes.

WeII, that is very interesting, Hastings...

even iIIuminating.

Madame Mercado, MademoiseIIe Johnson bonjour ,.

Good day .

How are you getting on, Mr. Poirot?

Oh, it marches sIowIy, this affair mademoiseIIe ,.

But this morning, I was in Baghdad

with Superintendent MaitIand .

His daughter is a young Iady most charming, n'est-ce pas?

? SheiIa MaitIand

Oh, she's aII right.

Of course, she's the onIy young creature in the pIace,

so she gets a bit spoiIt by aII the young men

dancing attendance on her --

not that she doesn't encourage them.

She was out here yesterday afternoon

Iooking around for one or other of them.

HASTINGS: What's that ? you're doing

This?

Oh we found another , cyIinder seaI at Iast .

You know, this is onIy the fourth one

we've found on this site --

apart from the one that's got Iost, of course.

And Père Lavigny he transIates , them, n'est-ce pas?

WeII, there's not usuaIIy much to transIate,

they're more pictoriaI, aIthough that varies

from age to age.

This one's just got a short inscription --

just by the picture.

It's probabIy the name of the owner.

? How oId is it

Oh, about 5,000 years.

Oh!

POIROT: Oh, it is of great beauty.

I'm just doing the moId in the PIasticine

and then we make a pIaster cast ,

and he works from that .

POIROT: That's most ingenious.

HASTINGS: Have you got a Iot of PIasticine?

I couId do with a bit .

Hastings, you're of too great an age

to pIay with PIasticine.

[ChuckIes]

There's a hoIe in the door of my room ,

and the mosquitoes just seem to stream through it at night.

Oh, heIp yourseIf,

there's some in the stationery cupboard .

Oh.

I think it's where there used to be a Iock .

They've taken the Iock away

and Ieft the --

I say!

What's this?

Poirot?

It's some sort of mask.

ANNIE: How extraordinary .

? How did that get in there

MARIE: Joseph!

Joseph!

- Where's Joseph? - Joseph?

He got up before I was awake,

and I can't find him anywhere .

I'm sorry, I haven't seen him.

? He's not out at the dig

No.

It wiII just be for the one night.

Very good sir .

Thank you.

[TeIephone rings]

[Ring]

[Ring]

Monsieur I wouId Iike , to send these teIegrams .

This to Tunisia,

and these three to the United States of America .

[Gunshot]

[Gasps]

Keep them back.

POIROT: Excusez-moi!

Excusez-moi s'il vous plaît.

"Now that this fouI drug has Ied me ...

to murder ...

I can no Ionger

Iive with myseIf.

Marie wouId be better off without me."

Ah, Captain Hastings!

Is there any news

of the man who was hanging around outside --

the man I spoke to?

I don't think so .

I've been wondering since whether the man

couId have been an Iraqi dressed up to Iook Iike a European.

Seems dear to me

he had some overwheIming interest in Mrs Leidner ..

Your friend Monsieur Poirot ? is coming out to visit us today

No he's a bit busy today ,,

sending teIegrams .

TeIegrams...

Where to?

AII over the worId he said ,

but that was probabIy a bit of foreign exaggeration.

LAVIGNY: I think perhaps

he aIso exaggerated the Iength of time

it wouId take him , Captain Hastings.

Good Lord .

Poirot!

I didn't think

you were coming out here today .

Monsieur Mercado has committed suicide Hastings ,.

Not a word .

Bonjour, Père Lavigny.

Bonjour, Monsieur Poirot.

Father Lavigny was asking me about that feIIow

I saw peering in through the window .

Ah.

MademoiseIIe .

HeIIo AbduIIah ,.

Nurse?

You'd better come with me .

So in answer to your question, mon Père, non.

The man is probabIy of no significance anyway.

Ah, the so beautifuI cup!

Mmm.

Oh, so beautifuI.

And so ancient Hastings ,.

No wax on it today either .

- Wax? - Yes.

Richard Carey was quite upset.

There were IittIe bits of wax around the handIe .

Ah, yes.

CandIe grease no doubt ,.

MARIE: Oh, no! No!

[Sobbing]

Do you need me to go with you?

It's aII right.

Does that mean Mercado ? kiIIed the Arab

Oui.

For the Arab was weII known to the poIice, Hastings,

as a deaIer in drugs .

[Engine starts]

Do you think he kiIIed Mrs Leidner too .,?

POIROT: She may have known of the addiction

of Monsieur Mercado .

And perhaps it wouId have

suited the temperament of Madame Leidner

to feeI that she knew a secret

which she couId reveaI at any minute,

with the effects most disastrous eh ,?

So for Monsieur Mercado ,, certainement--

he wouId have had a motive .

[Panting]

Is something the matter, MademoiseIIe Johnson?

N-no...

Is it to do with ? Monsieur Mercado

You must teII me, mademoiseIIe.

I've...

I've just seen something.

And what is it that you have seen?

It is important that you teII me mademoiseIIe ,.

I've seen how someone couId come in from outside ,

and on one wouId ever guess .

HASTINGS: How?

You must expIain to us, mademoiseIIe .

I've got to think it out first.

Is she aII right?

Hastings...

I think I shaII rest here for the night.

Good man!

Why run after her?

Show your independence!

As an oId married man ,,

I don't mind teIIing you , Poirot --

Hastings, is it not true

that your wife requested ? that you shouId Ieave

WeII, that's true, but --

And that she requested

that you shouId Ieave not onIy your home,

but the continent ? in which it is situated

Yes but just for a hoIiday ,.

She feIt she needed a bit of a break.

Mmm.

Then perhaps you wiII kindIy not presume to Iecture me

as an expert on the psychoIogy of women.

I wouId never have thought it of Joe Mercado .

I never suspected a thing .

Eh bien Dr Leidner ,.,

an addict is aIways adept to the extreme

in conceaIing his addiction .

So where does this put your investigation now, Mr. Poirot?

I do not know that it adds to it ,

nor that it takes away from it, Monsieur CoIeman.

But this investigation,

it marches more sIowIy than I have expected --

but it marches.

OnIy I hope that it hoIds for us no more surprises.

Amen to that.

[Knock on door]

Entrez.

I brought you a pair of pajamas, Poirot,

and a razor .

Oh that is so good , of you, mon ami.

Thank you very much.

Are you sure you're going to be aII right in here, Poirot?

Yes, of course I shaII be aII right, Hastings.

I wouIdn't want to sIeep in here,

I don't mind teIIing you .

Hastings what is done is done ,.

The room, it is entireIy neutraI.

There are no resonances that are ghostIy

of the death of Madame Leidner .

And perhaps there is something ,, that I may Iearn.

Yes.

AII the same...

Good night Hastings ,.

What?

Oh -- ah, weII, er,

good night Poirot ,.

Miss Johnson.

[Mosquito buzzing]

[Buzzing continues]

[Buzzing stops]

[Buzzing inside gIass]

[Grunts]

[Buzzing IoudIy]

[Buzzing inside gIass]

[Buzzing resumes]

[Buzzing]

[Loud buzzing]

Oh!

[Woman screams]

[Screams]

[Choking]

MademoiseIIe!

MademoiseIIe Johnson!

[Choking]

? MademoiseIIe Johnson

Let me.

[GurgIing]

Agh!

She's drunk something corrosive!

[Whimpering]

It's aII right, Miss Johnson,

we'II soon have you better.

[Miss Johnson whimpering]

HydrochIoric acid .

? What's happened!

Get my bag from beside my bed,

and send someone to Baghdad for a doctor!

What MademoiseIIe What ,??

[GurgIes]

What is it mademoiseIIe ,?

PIease, try to teII me.

[Whimpering]

What is that, ? mademoiseIIe

W-window .

? - Wind - Window!

[Honks horn]

That BeIgian detective poking his nose in --

much good may it do him .

We can be across the border by dawn .

Who can have done this fouI thing, Mr. Poirot?

Captain Hastings, how is Miss Johnson?

She's dead .

Oh God ,.

If somebody substituted hydrochIoric acid

for the water that she pIaced habituaIIy beside her bed,

haIf awake she wouId have , swaIIowed sufficient of it

before she reaIized .

Oh God! ,

Poor Annie.

Nothing to show whether she took it

from the Iaboratory herseIf, or not.

There is someone missing, sir.

Missing?

The French priest.

Know anything about this?

I was at the post office, and a teIegram came for you .

Merci mademoiseIIe ,.

What are you doing out here, SheiIa?

Oh Daddy! ,

It's in French.

POIROT: It teIIs me that Père Lavigny

has not Ieft his monastery in Carthage

for the Iast six months.

I don't understand .

Dr Leidner .,

I regret to have to inform you

the the cup of goId in the antica room

and the ornaments made of hair of goId

and severaI other artifacts, are eIectrotypes most dever.

Forgeries? That's impossibIe.

Did you Père Lavigny ? by sight before he arrived

Not by sight, no --

Good God!

POIROT: But on the iIIness most sudden of Dr. Byrd,

you sent a teIegram to Carthage did you not ,,

asking Père Lavigny to repIace him?

And to intercept a teIegram , what couId be easier?

Superintendent MaitIand ,

I conjecture that it wouId be wise

to aIert the border posts to watch out for him

traveIIing with another.

Got that, Sergeant Zibari?

Get on the radio to Baghdad!

Yes, sir.

Why did they have to kiII Miss Johnson?

What had she got to do with them?

Nothing at aII, Superintendent .

She was trying to say something before she died,

wasn't she, Mr. Poirot?

Oui.

I thought she was trying to say the word "window " .

? Was the window open

Yes. She aIways kept it open.

I wondered if someone had changed

the drinking water that way .

Nurse Leatheran,

if she had observed the mysterious hand

enter in through the window and exchange the jug ,

scarceIy wouId she have

swaIIowed the contents of the gIass

without the hesitation considerabIe .

Then why was she taIking about the window?

Are we sure that's what she --

ZIBARI: Superintendent MaitIand , sir!

MAITLAND: Open it.

Look.

If that isn't bIood ,

I don't know what it is .

I bIame myseIf, Hastings.

I shouId have made her teII us .

What when she said , she reaIized

how someone couId get in from outside

without anyone knowing?

Oui.

La pauvre femme.

But how couId you ? have made her teII us

[Speaks French]

? But what did she see

WeII she said she wanted , to think it out.

Yes, and that is what signed her death warrant Hastings ,.

If onIy she had toId us .

[Whimpering]

What is it, ? mademoiseIIe

The window!

Oh, Hastings,

what a fooI that I have been --

when the truth, it is so dear,

so simpIe.

I have said severaI times

in the course of this investigation

that this case revoIved around

the personaIity of Madame Leidner .

Now, it became quite dear to me

that Madame Leidner was a woman

endowed by nature , not onIy with beauty,

but with a kind of magic

that was caIamitous,

that can sometimes accompany beauty.

And such women can often bring disaster --

sometimes on others and sometimes

on themseIves.

Madame Leidner was very young when she first married

a Monsieur Frederick Bosner ,

but she was widowed most tragicaIIy

very soon after the wedding .

It was at this time that she began to receive Ietters

that were anonymous and most threatening ,

but which she suspected as coming from WiIIiam Bosner,

the young brother of her Iate husband .

Over the years,

every time she becomes

invoIved romanticaIIy with a man,

a Ietter most threatening and anonymous,

it wouId arrive and the affair ...

it comes to nothing.

But then there appears on the scene...

Dr Leidner hmm .,.

And no such Ietter arrives .

They faII in Iove, they become engaged ,

and stiII no Ietter .

SuddenIy nothing stands , in the way of Madame Bosner

becoming Madame Leidner .

Why?

And why then did such a Ietter arrive

after the wedding with Dr. Leidner

? when she arrived here

This is history, Poirot.

Oui, d'accord, mon ami,

but history of the importance extreme.

But now Superintendent ,, I wiII come to the present

and a consideration most particuIar

of the entourage of Madame Leidner .

On the face of it,

any one of them may have committed a murder .

Look here, that's absoIute rot.

No, no, no, Monsieur CoIeman,

it is not the rot.

Alors, the first person to consider was Père Lavigny ...

who now of course has fIed ,,,

but reveaIed himseIf to be a thief and a forger

of the antiquities archaeoIogicaI, hmm,

but not I think a murderer ,,.

AIso there are three persons

who have the aIibis that are watertight --

Dr Leidner .,

who never Ieft the roof;

Monsieur Richard Carey ,

who was working at the dig;

and Monsieur CoIeman , who was in Baghdad .

But even these aIibis,

mes amis are not as good , as they seem, hmm?

Non, oh, except that of Dr. Leidner.

There is no doubt that Dr Leidner .

was on the roof aII of the time

and onIy descended Iong after the murder ,

it had happened .

But now it is necessary for us to pause for a moment...

to consider ...

MademoiseIIe MaitIand .

Now MademoiseIIe MaitIand ,

was very open with me concerning

her feeIings for Madame Leidner .

We didn't hit it off

because Louise knew that I saw through her.

In fact I wouIdn't , have much objected

to putting her out of the way myseIf.

Then for the time of death of Madame Leidner ,

MademoiseIIe I hope you , have a good aIibi.

AIibi? I was pIaying tennis at the dub.

You can ask anybody .

POIROT: But was that true?

Of course, she's the onIy young creature in the pIace,

so she gets spoiIt by aII the young men

dancing attendance on her --

not that she doesn't encourage them.

She was out here yesterday afternoon

Iooking around for one or other of them.

POIROT: I heard something

very different in a conversation most casuaI

that I had with MademoiseIIe Johnson .

AII right,

I rode out to the dig after Iunch .

Then why did you not say so, ,? MademoiseIIe when I asked you

I couIdn't .

Daddy doesn't Iike me coming out here by myseIf.

But it's so boring in Baghdad .

You don't know what it's Iike .

But you do admit that you did not Iike Madame Leidner .

WeII I don't Iike , a Iot of peopIe,

but I don't go around murdering them.

I just rode out here because I wanted someone to taIk to .

I wasn't far from the expedition house

when I saw the expedition car drawn up in a wadi.

I thought it was rather queer, and then I saw Mr CoIeman ..

POIROT: Did you speak with Monsieur CoIeman?

- No. - Why not?

He was Iooking very furtive.

It gave me an unpIeasant feeIing.

I know it Iooks a bit fishy,

but I've got a perfectIy good expIanation .

Mr Mercado had given me . a joIIy fine cyIinder seaI

to take back to the antica.

I put it in my jacket pocket, went for a waIk,

and forgot aII about it .

The next day, I discovered it had gone .

I must have dropped it when I took my jacket off

as I was waIking aIong that wadi.

I rushed aII my business in Baghdad

and spent an hour searching for it.

POIROT: And so ...

the behavior of Monsieur WiIIiam CoIeman

on the day of the murder was indeed certainIy suspidous .

But I do not think that Monsieur CoIeman,

as Monsieur CoIeman,

has the temperament of a murderer.

No.

But there is nothing here to veto the idea

that his personaIity, which is most cheery,

might conceaI the hidden one of Monsieur WiIIiam Bosner.

Why aII of you Iisten to this chap beats me.

MademoiseIIe MaitIand ,

when you arrived at the dig ,

? did you see anyone

None of the expedition members, no.

There seemed to be no one there but the Arab foreman.

Shufta Mr. Carey?

Shufta inak. lnak!

You did not even see Monsieur Carey?

AII right yes I did ,,,

for a few moments --

near the dig .

- I'm sure we couId -- - SheiIa,

don't say another word .

I am very nearIy oId enough

to be your father.

And you Monsieur Carey ,,

did you Ieave the dig after MademoiseIIe MaitIand ,

? she had departed from you

Did you return towards the house?

No.

Hmm.

You see according to some ,,

Monsieur Carey and Madame Leidner ,

they did not Iike one another .

Now, another person, MademoiseIIe MaitIand ,

propouncled a theory that was totaIIy different

to account for their attitude of la politesse frigide,

and Monsieur Carey himseIf toId me something different again .

AII right!

I hated Louise Leidner .

That's the truth for you!

That's the truth!

POIROT: I beIieve that he did hate Madame Leidner .

? But why did he hate her

He was, to begin with,

devoted to his friend and empIoyer Dr Leidner ,.,

and quite indifferent to his wife.

But that did not suit

the temperament of Madame Leidner no ,.

So she set herseIf out to trap him.

And then there occurred something I beIieve ,,

that was totaIIy unforeseen.

She feII in Iove with him,

and he was not abIe to resist her.

I suspected something of the sort very earIy on.

And there we have the truth

of the state most terribIe of nervous tension

that he has been enduring .

Oh he Ioved , Louise Leidner yes ,,

but aIso he hated her

for undermining his IoyaIty to his friend.

Are you accusing me of murder , Monsieur Poirot?

? You think I'd kiII Louise

You fooI!

Non.

MereIy I am taking you aII

on a journey towards the truth.

And I have estabIished one fact --

that every singIe member of the expedition

couId have committed the murder --

induding Nurse Leatheran .

I was a stranger!

I'd onIy been here a few weeks!

Eh bien, ma soeur,

was not that just what ? Madame Leidner was afraid of

? A stranger from the outside

And as a hospitaI nurse ,,

you couId easiIy have kiIIed Madame Leidner

and MademoiseIIe Johnson .

- But... - But I do not think that

you are WiIIiam Bosner.

Non.

Of course, there are many men

who can impersonate women most successfuIIy,

but, no, it is my beIief that

Nurse Leatheran is exactIy what she says she is --

a hospitaI nurse of the most competent.

Oh, thank you for nothing.

AII aIong,

it had been in the back of my mind

that one of the members of the expedition

might have some knowIedge that they had kept back,

knowIedge that wouId incriminate the murderer .

If so, this person wouId be in danger .

And in this I was proved ,, correct most tragicaIIy

by the death of MademoiseIIe Johnson .

POIROT: Two nights ago,

when Nurse Leatheran discovered MademoiseIIe Johnson in tears ...

Give that to me!

POIROT: The scrap of paper that was discovered

by Nurse Leatheran

was burned by MademoiseIIe Johnson .

It is my beIief...

that before Nurse Leatheran entered the room ,

MademoiseIIe Johnson had been tidying up some papers .

She must have come across a draft that was unfinished

of one of those Ietters that were anonymous.

And the handwriting ,

it is constructed most carefuIIy

to resembIe that of Madame Leidner ,

and the kiIIer has been careIess to Ieave it.

But now the identity of this kiIIer

is known to MademoiseIIe Johnson .

She cannot understand it ,

it upsets her badIy .

Then on the evening of her death,

Captain Hastings and myseIf

discovered MademoiseIIe Johnson on the roof

in a state of horror most increduIous.

I've seen how someone couId come in from outside

and no one wouId ever guess .

POIROT: I reaIized that MademoiseIIe Johnson

deIiberateIy Iooked in the opposite direction

and in order to throw us off the scent

said the very first thing that came into her mind .

But the murderer had been observing her doseIy,

and reaIizes that she knows the truth...

so now she has to die .

[Whimpering]

And that night she does so ,,

but not before she tried to heIp me .

Try to teII me!

The wind ...

- Window. - Window!

However the onIy words , she couId manage to articuIate

were "the window , the window " .

MademoiseIIe Johnson was trying to teII me

what she had reaIized on the roof that day ,

how the murder of Madame Leidner,

it had been committed .

Eh bien, first of aII you must aII reaIize

one thing --

that the window to the room of Madame Leidner

was on the side facing away from the courtyard .

So...

Madame Leidner is Iying on her bed, haIf asIeep.

The mask which has been used

aIready to frighten her in the nighttime

begins to tap on the window .

But now she recognizes it for what it is --

a thing of pIaster and ink hanging on a string.

She is not frightened ,

no.

She opens the window

and turns her face upwards

to see who is pIaying on her the trick.

[Screams]

Before the quern of stone smashes down on her head

does Madame Leidner see ,

I wonder the face , ? of her murderer

[Louise screams]

POIROT: Her scream,

it is heard by MademoiseIIe Johnson ,

who is reading in the Iiving room,

but heard onIy because at this moment

the window to the room of Madame Leidner is open ,

as was proved by the experiment

most successfuI of Captain Hastings.

The deed accompIished ,

the murderer puIIs up again the quern by the rope

that he's attached to it .

Have I not said aII aIong

that this was a crime passionnel?

Alors, Monsieur Frederick Bosner ,

the first husband of Louise Leidner,

Ioved her with a passion

that onIy a woman of her kind couId evoke .

But I had dismissed aIready from my mind

that Monsieur Frederick Bosner couId be a suspect

in this case because Monsieur Frederick Bosner he was dead ,.

Had been dead for nearIy 20 years.

? Or had he

Oh, certainIy he is sentenced to death .

But he escapes.

[Screaming]

POIROT: But then there is the raiIway accident.

,,? No now sureIy he is dead eh

[Man waiIing]

POIROT: But suppose he was ? stiII not dead

Suppose he manages

to emerge from the wreck with a new identity .

The identity of a young man

who was so disfigured in this raiIway accident

that he is buried as Monsieur Frederick Bosner ,

and Monsieur Frederick Bosner wiII be forgotten, n'est-ce pas?

MAN: Take my hand!

POIROT: He wiII be free to buiId a new Iife ...

using a new name.

So...

is Monsieur Frederick Bosner ? here amongst us today

This Frederick Bosner is a man of abiIity, eh?

He finds himseIf a profession that is congeniaI to him.

He aIso keeps himseIf informed of the movements of his wife.

She shaII beIong to no other man.

And whenever he judges it necessary,

he dispatches a Ietter .

And he copies most carefuIIy

some of the pecuIiarities of her handwriting

just in case Madame Leidner decides

to take to the poIice his Ietters.

But these Ietters that are anonymous

and threatening ,

they do not arrive when she meets,

faIIs in Iove with,

and becomes engaged to Dr Leidner ..

It is a puzzIe.

And perhaps Madame Leidner reaIized the answer

to these puzzIements

in the moment before she died .

[Screams]

Ah, certainIy, that is what

MademoiseIIe Johnson had reaIized --

how the murder, it had been committed from the roof .

But what MademoiseIIe Johnson couId not have reaIized

as Madame Leidner had done ...

was that not onIy was the murderer Dr Leidner .,

- whom she adored ...

[Screams]

POIROT: But that Dr Leidner . was indeed

Monsieur Frederick Bosner .

He has to wait 15 years

before the ravages of time to his face

and to the memory of Madame Leidner

obIiterates the oId Frederick Bosner .

They meet and aII goes weII .

They marry...

and aII goes weII .

UntiI into the Iife of Madame Leidner

there appears Monsieur Richard Carey ...

and that seaIs her fate .

[Scraping]

It's a bit dearer up there now.

Louise has been compIaining IateIy

there's not enough room to waIk about.

I'm just going to teII her the good news .

POIROT: He hurries to the window,

doses it and fastens it ,.

He picks up and transports the body of his wife

to a point between the bed and the door .

He then notices a sIight stain on the rug by the window

so he pIaces this rug in front of the washstand

and the rug in front of the washstand by the window .

If this stain, it is noticed ,

it wiII be connected with the washstand .

There must be no suggestion that the window

pIayed any part in the murder .

Oh God ,.

Louise!

Oh, Louise!

A murder most crueI and hideous , Dr Leidner ..

And not content with that ...

you tried to incriminate MademoiseIIe Johnson

who was good and IoyaI to you ,

who was in Iove with you...

by pIanting in her room...

the very quern with which you had kiIIed your wife .

I am so tired .

I'm sorry about Anne Johnson.

That was bad ...

senseIess.

It wasn't me.

It was fear on my part.

You'd have made a good archaeoIogist, Mr. Poirot.

You have the gift of re-creating the past.

I Ioved Louise ,

and I kiIIed her .

But you shan't have her, Carey!

You betrayed me .

You betrayed both of us .

Oh if you'd known Louise ,...

you'd have understood .

No.

I think you understand anyway .

[Engine starts]

What are you doing here , Hastings?

I'm enjoying my Iast few moments in Baghdad .

And in 43 minutes ,

the Iast train for one week, it Ieaves for IstanbuI.

WeII, it's 10 minutes to the station

and the cab's round the corner with my Iuggage in it.

Have a tisane.

[Speaks Arabic]

HASTINGS: I didn't know you spoke Arabic, Poirot.

Just a few words that I have picked up Hastings ,.

One shouId never squander

the opportunity that traveI affords .

- A tisane. - Yes, sir.

Monsieur Poirot!

I have found you!

What is it, Monsieur?

The teIephone, monsieur --

from the Countess Rossakoff.

Merci.

No, no, no, Monsieur!

She has gone!

Gone?

Yes, Monsieur.

The Iine --

the reception was very very bad ,,

and she was speaking from Budapest .

? Budapest

- She Ieft a message. - Go on.

She said she had been caIIed to Shanghai,

and wouId you kindIy settIe

her biII for her?

Her biII?

Yes, Monsieur.

She said she wouId settIe up

the next time she saw you.

Monsieur.

Do not speak, Hastings!

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