AGATHA CHRISTIE

\
Y F R A N C O I S R I VIÈRE.
ADAPTED B BY MARC PISKIC
ILLUSTRATED
HARPER
An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers
77-85 Fulham Palace Road
Hammersmith, London W6 8JB
www.harpercollins.co.uk

First published by HARPER 2007

1

Comic book edition published in France as Le Crime du Golf

© EP Editions 2003
Based on The Murder on the Links ©1923 by Agatha Christie Limited,
a Chorion Companv. All rights reserved.
www.agathachristie.com

Adapted by Francois Riviere. Illustrated by Marc Piskic.

English edition edited by Steve Gove.

ISBN-13 978-0-00-725057-8
ISBN-IO O-00-725057-6

Printed and bound in Singapore by Imago

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,

stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise,
without the prior permission of the publishers.
 vidi

These were battlefields

in the war

An army officer! How exciting!

Wait ‘til I tell my sister. We are
both actresses, kind of travelling
performers.
1. Yes, I know. I was wounded on
> Somme. Captain Hastings at your
vice, Madam!

You may call me Cinderella.

I think the name rather
suits me.

Goodness me. Ha/ What will my

friend Poirot say when I tell
him I met Cinderella?
LONDON, THE NEXT DAY, AT POIROT'S You are almost on time for
RESIDENCE. breakfast this morning, mon ami.
You have recovered from the
Channel crossing?

Well, I certainly wasn’t

seasick on such a short
"a
There is nothing of interest.
journey! Have you read Only bills ... The great
vour post? criminals, they no longer exist.
See for yourself, mon ami.

And this one? A letter

“We would be most
from Jack the Ripper
grateful if you would
] issuing me a challenge.
come and give a talk on
perhaps?
the art of detection to
a Boy Scout troop in
Reading...”

J No, Poirot. Here is something

distinctly out of the ordinary.
It has “Come quick!" scrawled
at the bottom.

A Mr Renauld of Merlinville-sur-Mer asks you to There is no time

come urgently to France. He fears for his life to lose. Will you
and is willing to pay whatever you desire. He z ’ accompany me?
adds that you may need to go to Santiago. A j Across the
That’s in Chile! Channel once
more, Hastings!
47 SEA BETWEEN DOVER AND CALAIS ...

I am wondering, mon bon ami, if this Monsieur Renauld could “ eee P

$ SE - Come quick!”? Probably a way of making sure
be the South American millionaire of that name. But I am you'd come. You know, I thought I'd heard his
concerned by his postscript X
name before ...

>= < pe- — pe SSE lee, i

2 Se = eS =e b ee a P J — SSS
r = = \ 7
No one to meet us! This makes me y, 4 a, À, ar I) }
uneasy — Renauld wrote that he j : R
A i
M GA
- |
|
_—_—ats__—_———__—
4 f]
would send a car. Can you find a ED
@ taxi, Hastings? “a |
$ Rea | : í \

Villa Geneviève,
please, driver. ý
— — Qs.

aai
—— Then we must look |
. =e E] for it, mon ami. Í

- ER y SanLEDAS 2
Villa Genevieve, I it’s alittle further ; ma
mademoiselle? | down the road,
hidden behind the
Mon Dieu, Hastings, the police!
We are too late ...
 Monsieur Renauld But it was he who asked
was murdered Poirot to come!
this morning

That upsets our

theories considerably!

Poirot, allow me to introduce Monsieur Hautet,

the examining magistrate in charge of the
case ... and Dr Durand, who can confirm the
time of death.

The body was

overed early

We are indebted to you, Monsieur

Poirot. I hope you will honour us by
lieve my friend, Hercule Poirot, assisting our investigations.
something of importance to
show you

Indeed, Monsieur Hautet. I have a

letter from the deceased, which
may be of assistance to you.
naid discovered Madame Renauld bound and gagged...’ ‘Her husband's body was found later in a shallow grave ...’

Madame Renauld was freed at once

by the maid, Frangoise Arrichet. Would
you like to speak to her?
4 Tellme, did you notice
} anything unusual last
evening?

Er... no. Madame went to

bed early. Monsieur sent
the chauffeur home and
was in his study as usual
until ... er...

Please
continue.
Then what
happened?

Er... [let the lady

in, like I do every
evening ...

Well, this is a surprise!

So Monsieur Renauld
and Madame Daubreuil
were ... ahem! Are you
sure there can be no
doubt about it?

Madame Daubreuil. She's a friend

of Monsieur. She lives at Villa
Marguerite, down the road.
Er . Well, Monsieur was very rich and
Madame Daubreuil very poor. But she was I don’t think she suspected anything ...
He came up ten minutes after me. I heard
always very elegantly dressed. She lives at least not in the beginning. But then she
nothing after that. In my opinion, Monsieur,
quietly with her daughter. I think she has, started to suffer, to grow pale. But it’s
the Mafia were on his track!
what one would call, a history! not surprising when such things are going
on. No reticence, no discretion!

Indeed? And what

did Madame Renauld
have to say about What time did Monsieur
this — friendship? Renauld go up to bed?

Monsieur Poirot, this is

Ernest, Monsieur Renauld’s
valet ... Madame Daubreuil? No,
she didn’t come. A lady
came here, but it was
someone else.

Thank you, mon ami.

Ernest, did you let in
Madame Daubreuil last
evening?
AN i
Had you seen her .
before, Ernest? OE TATE
if No, Monsieur. But .. and I heard Monsieur say
she spoke English ... to her as he opened the
door, “Yeas, yeas— but
for Gaud’s saike go naww!”
 l, gentlemen, what are
to make of these two
ontradictory witness This letter, Monsieur
It was Ernest who let in the Poirot, was found in
visitor. And clearly Françoise | the dead man’s pocket.
dislikes Madame Daubreuil.

A good point, Monsieur Bex. But

I was forgetting ...we haven't yet
told Monsieur Poirot there was yet
another woman in Renauld's life!

You're right. The murder

ilence frightens me ... Why have 2
Renauld was involved with was committed by a man.
ritten for so long? If vou don’t love
e, I think TIIkill myself... if there this English woman. He
woman, youre the one TII kill... I love comes here, meets Madame
i “Bella”. This is very intriguing, Daubreuil and starts an af fair
with her. A jealous woman
such as Bella could have
stabbed him, but how could
she have moved the body and
dug the gr

The letter you

received from
Monsieur complicates
matters ...

Renauld was a man of the world.

He would not be likely to call upon
a detective to protect him froma
lovesick woman!

I'm sure the answer lies in

Santiago. I'll cable the city’s
AT THE BACK OF THE HOUSE ....
TEs TR
One can see by his face that he was
stabbed in the back. With what
e committed?
Te i.

The body is in here. We

brought it here after
removing it from the
grave dug by the
murderer.

A pretty
tool

Madame Renauld will Thank you for coming, Monsieur

see you. Please try Poirot. Please sit down,
not to distress her gentlemen ...

aware that this is not the

J way of Hercule Poirot!
 Yes. It sounded to me like Spanish,
Did they speak the kind spoken in South America
to one another? One of them asked my husband,
“The secret! Where is it?” And the
other added, “Where are your
keys?”

my husbar i paper-knife.
Then tk for him to get up
and accompany them into the
bathroom

Françoise told me that the safe What's this? Look at this

had been forced open. Then watch. It says seven o'clock
those two villains made my Your husband sent me a But the timeis only five.
husband go with them. But he letter claiming he was in
had time to tell me he would be danger. Do you know
back before dawn. Poor man! anything of this?

No. But certainly he had

many enemies.
 Madame, do you know of
a woman named Bella? And
Possibly the watch gains, is are you aware that vour
that so, madame? husband received a visitor
last evening?
Yes it gains a little. But
not that much.

You must now be very

courageous, madame.
If you feel up to it,
we must ask you to
undertake the painful
task of identifying your
husband's body.

AY
DANY,
Never before have I heard such love
and grief in a woman's voice. My little
idea was all wrong. Eh bien! I must

BEEZ
 Hm... I would expect that the
i That is the bedroom where we E
i were, is it not? It would be easy $f
attackers would force open
the window.
i to reach it!

Nf Yes but there would

N Í] be footprints in the
| flowerbeds.
€
Ye
|
Åj)
ry
5,

It is strange to me that the

servants heard nothing,
Hastings

Here are plenty

of footprints for
you, Inspector

> 4 N
lS ae A ae
No doubt they belong 4 I have a little idea that 2 I too have something to =
to the gardener. So you think them of no q these footprints are the 1 =< || show vou. Shall we proceed, Sa
importance? I do not agree a 4 most important things we Ẹ A. S| gentlemen? i

a have seen yet. x ` j 9 —

ANU =
with you!
% 5 aM ; NAN Ze -
J- T 7 XN MN? | S |
ji ¢ wayQi
AAS
A 7 AY
 The links are not
completed yet. They are
due to open next month

Goodness, how
dreadful! Not No, I know who that
I was wondering how
Í long it would take the
Paris Surete to
interfere!

4 Inspector Giraud, this is

Monsieur Poirot, who needs
no introduction. i Hercule Poirot?
4 ^ name from the
old days!
 They were made by §
I know all about the case, Ay A s the workmen ...
Monsieur Bex, and I think this is i> [A p
where we'l find a clue. I see your i This is where the assailants
men have been trampling all over fq came through the hedge. The
the footprints! = footprints in the middle belong
to Monsieur Renauld

One of the assailants wore these |

gloves. They probably belong to That’s of no
Renauld’s gardener. And the grave : interest to me.
was dug with a spade from the
house

And does this lead pipe also

belong to the murdered
man?
 It was a strange place,
Monsieur Giraud, to
choose to bury the body.
The workmen could hardly
miss it Exactly. That confirms that the
murderers must be foreign.
They weren't aware that work
on the golf course had not yet
been completed.

Whe. ppb Be it

Unless they wanted the

body to be discovered! Mon cher Hastings, you
have just seen at work
a human foxhound.
If you say so,
mon ami... 3
Well at least he’s
doing something.

He is? And what about that

piece of lead pipe? Let Giraud
carry on with his search ... Im
going to use my little grey Because they wanted to
First there is that watch, which is two know “the'secret” Poirot
hours fast. And some other little points,
which don't seem to fit in. For instance,
if the murderers’ object was revenge,
why did they not just stab Renauld in
his bed?

Sd

Eon

14
 Ah, and you planted
These geraniums are
some just yesterday,
Tell me, my good fellow, gE 1 al magnifice PA did you not?
how long have you been ae |l yy been planted long?
working here? s f

= Yes, some time ago.

\} But they have to be
replaced regularly.

Monsieur has a
sharp eye.

They are truly splendid. Might I have Ah, Poirot, now I

a cutting? see! How clever

At last I am on the right

track! But Hastings, I am
sure Giraud will take not
the least interest in these
footprints.
 She is a mysterious woman.
Nothing is known of her Such a beautiful
young girl must wonder
about her mother's
mysterious past. Let’s
see if we can discover
alittle more of it!

recently deposited in her

Ee ME
bank

And what of her

dauahter?

We are sorry to disturb

you, mademoiselle. Will it be
possible to speak with vour
mother?

I shall fetch her.

Please come in

What is it you want, We have come to ask whether

gentlemen? vou can throw any light on the
circumstances of Monsieur
Renauld’s death, madame.

KQ
Bin
g

N
H
À
 You have no right to z
ask me such questions!
It’s utterly improper.

\ Madame, we are investigating a

I] murder! Did Monsieur Renauld confide
| in vou that he was in danger? Did he
ever mention Santiago?

(M i J he

Sometimes a man
The French police are
confides in his mistress
a marvel, Hastings. The
fm rather than his wife
information they possess
about everyone's life is
4 extraordinary.

- — a a 1 Ja E P } i |
> Í Pi -
E = i n
E ; | z =
coma jA
Hautet, vou ie —
insult me. Kindly [E ] 7 Monsieur
leave my house: q 7 | i Poirot!

I beg your pardon, Monsieur Poirot. But is it true that

Monsieur Renauld called in a detective before he died —
and that you are he?

It is quite true,
mademoiselle.

It's Mademoiselle Daubreuil!

She must have something to
 Is anyone ... suspected? b

; =~ :
r aS ME (E |
j AN,
2 4|

I shall let you into a

im secret. Suspicion at
q present has fallen on two
x Chileans from Santiago. Oh! — look at
the time! Imust ff l
return home.
Maman will have

:
Took
SA
LSae VE
You are clearly quite taken by Myself, I am wondering why her
that young girl, Hastings. Ah, mon ami, she is not for mother’s face seems so familiar
vou! Some of the greatest MJ tome. I rather fancy it was in
4 murderers had the faces connection with a murder!
f of angels. The face of
D Hf Madonna may conceal a
I] malformation of the

—
Á
ta.
 This way, mon ami. How Ẹ
is Madame Renauld?

She is still
terribly upset.

å Madame never offered

Ah! True unto death PN X 4 Monsieur Renauld a word
... and beyond! ca j V MN h of protest. Even though
However, surely S 7 j: he was often far from
vour mistress would fi kind to her and had a
have been justified [E } P fierce temper.
not to grieve ...? À

Indeed! And when did | I see. Thank you for the

this occur? information, monsieur. Ah, the human foxhound!
Not at all, mon ami. Go
ahead!
It was the day Jack left Poirot, if you'll allow me,
for Paris. Monsieur was I'd rather like to see
what ud’s up to.
 Roe You too! What a
ma surprise!

ae So you remembered
i +. my name ...
q =

Of course. But aren't

vou going to tell me the
real one now, vou little
mystery? Or why
you're here?

K Not quite so
xpensive if you
4 \ know where to go...
y At chic and expensive
A watering-places?
Oh, that! I suppose you've heard N
of members of my profession |
“resting”?
And what are you doing in j 4 ise How thrilling! I'd love to Oh, come on, do
Merlinville? Surely you're not - see where the wicked show me ...
in on the crime at the Villa i ieg LKA deed took place.
Geneviève? "ED But look here,
miss ... that’s
impossible.

Yes ... In fact I'm

here with my friend
Hercule Poirot, the
great detective.

Oh, it's too much... I don’t

feel very well ... Water,
quick! I need water ...
So the poor man’s
And ... that dagger
body is in here?
there in the glass jar?

That's the
murder weapon.

Come, sit down...

You should never
have asked me ...

21
 Stop, stop, stop ... Don't
g say anything! Giraud has vital
H information on the gardener’s
boots. He takes them off
before going to sleep!!! l

And he has made another very eer >

discovery. A cigarette stub and a i
matchstick, which Giraud says are
commonly found in South America!

Very little. I am more

interested in who let the
murderers into the house and
afterwards deliberately left
the door open. Any theory
which does not take that
detail into account will prove
worthless.

i ae ENS
Ah, Monsieur Giraud, just in time! This is Monsieur Hercule
Tell me, does something strike Poirot = and his friend, aa
vou as familiar about this case? Captain Hastings. Monsieur

ea
»| f Stonor?

a famous detective! I gather

A strange question! The that Monsieur Renauld sent
seaside air clearly doesn’t e; for your assistance?
appear to suit vou, sir! In any
case, Monsieur Renauld's
secretary has arrived.

No, but it
doesn't
surprise me
abit.

22
 Did Monsieur Renauld
] ever mention the
name Duveen?
in Santiago?
Since he returned from r any secret relating to
South America, about
two vears ago. A mutual
friend

a word about his

life. All I knew
was that he was
J French-Canadian.

What about a
woman named

Bella? Duveen? Are

vou suggesting he had
amist Till bet my
bottom dollar you're
wrong about that!

d yet we hav from Were you aware that Monsieur

| You're barking up the wrong tree!
Bella to the deceased ... who was Renauld made a new will just two
Blackmail, that’s what it was! Four
i igue at the time of weeks ago, leaving everything to
thousand pounds in two months
his wife?
| she extorted from him. Madame

No. He drew one up a year and

a half ago, in which his wife and
son inherited equally.
 Monsieur Jack!

We thought you were

sailing for Argentina.

It’s all right, Stonor, I'm The ship was delayed. I saw
better now. But look who's the news of my father’s death
just arrived. in the newspaper.

These gentlemen are convinced

that your father’s past held Precisely. And is it
some mystery. not in connection
with this mystery
I was going at my
that you were sailing father’s request.
to Argentina? He said it was a
very important
matter.

But I decline to state

j Did yon father have Can you confirm that you had a what the quarrel was
enemies in Santiago? > Y violent quarrel with your father By about!
before you left? A quarrel
during which, according to

LY /
Eh bien. I, Hercule
Poirot, will inform
you, Monsieur
Giraud.

None to my knowledge. I am
convinced my mission was
connected with business a. }
interests. eS
r . That may be so.

wh
 | You were aware of this —
a | A | c| ame?
kg I'll grant you that’s true. I love Mademoiselle 4 attachment, madame?
The sub ject of the quarrel was F
Daubreuil and I wish to marry her. When I told my
Mademoiselle Marthe Daubreuil.
father, he flew into a rage. I lost my temper too

I feared it. I should prefer Jack to marry

an English girl, or at least a French girl whose
mother had a better reputation!

auld, why did Í I left in a fury, in danger of

| Very well. Now we must
r object? missing my train to Paris. I
| show you the murder
wrote to Marthe, and her | weapon. I fear it may
reply reassured me. She was
| distress you, monsieur.
He spoke of a shameful mystery certain my father would give | understand the paper-
way and let us get married in
surrounding Marthe and her mother. theend X l knife was a present
But he refused to discuss the matter j = l h from you to your
further. Finally he reminded me he ‘i mother?
could take away my allowance at any |
time.
 i u No matter, Hastings.
I am glad I was not in your Maybe some good has
shoes when you had to J come of it. In taking
g confess to those gentlemen! advantage of the
That I had been taken in by a
situation, the murderer
beautiful creature who insisted
on seeing the murder weapon? Yes,
blundered!
that was embarrassing. But it was
my own fault.

Please accompany me to my room,

mon ami. There is something I must
tell you. But wait one little moment ...

Poirot, don’t be so
mysterious. What is it
What distracts you now, vou really think, for
Hastings? Some young beauty? Indeed so. I too have suspected
goodness’ sake?
her from the very beginning. As
z a vou know, I examined her wrists.
’ She was certainly tied up tightly.
Perhaps she had an accomplice?

Di Be serious, Poirot! I was just considering

} that Madame Renauld is the only person to
, benefit from her husband's death.
E
be

À
x
Fi t x
) N vA
— i Nm RE Wi will explain, nian
a | Da is Wa : - Bülnotawordio |
Giraud, eh?
 The last train leaves Merlinville
Everyone agrees that at seventeen minutes past
the crime was committed midnight, furnishing a perfect
at two in the morning. alibi. And the watch was damaged
Madame Renauld says she £ 4 so as to appear that it stopped
heard the clock strike r when the crime took place. But
while the men were in the it did not stop ...
room. ButI,Hercule Poirot,
say that it is untrue.

Then we must inquire at

the station. They cannot
fail to have noticed
two foreigners take
that train!

Tut! Tut! Surely you do not believe that rigmarole of Madame Renauld was not the They smoothed
the masked men! You heard me say to Giraud, did you 4 murderess, although she was them over with the
not, that the details of this case seemed familiar? I gardener’s rake. Come,
certainly lying. She said the
believe the murderer is dragging a red herring across let us have lunch.
murderers left through the
our tracks! window ...

But there were

no footprints!
=

z : 5 You do go on, Poirot!

I so enjoy hearing of your little I don't in the least bit
romantic adventures, mon ami. Do intend to see Miss
vou propose setting up a harem?
Cinderella again ...

27
 That was an excellent meal. But
now I shall leave you, mon ami. I shall return tomorrow. Keep an eye on
I must go by train to Paris. Monsieur Giraud! And cultivate the company
of Monsieur Jack. I should like to know what
kind of couple he and Marthe Daubreuil make.

A young, dark-haired Englishwoman?

There is no such lady staying here.
What do you mean Hm, a short gentleman with a round
by that, Poirot? head and stiff moustache has asked
me the same question ...
We shall see ...
And please, do not
accompany me to
the station. You must
pay a visit to your
Mademoiselle
Cinderella.

PA

l= }

RY
 i
What are you doing, Giraud? È phi

Exactly what you were doing,

Monsieur Hastings. What have
you done with your Belgian

A good thing too!

The longer he stays
there, the better.

Deen
iid T AURU
a /
BR eee
r ` Wee, I/

29
 Monsieur Hastings? I was told to
psWho a inform you that another crime has
is it? been committed at Villa Genevieve!

i a

382 Vw \
NA
$å
y 2

f yA / |

Oh, Monsieur
Hastings! It's at J
another murder! gJp

P I dont know, monsieur. A stranger.

Stabbed in the heart not far from
p where they found Monsieur.
| |

’ G m

Ah! Monsieur Hastings. I'm

expecting the doctor any
minute. But as far as I can tell,
the man has been dead for at
least twelve hours.

A fine detective you are!

Did I suggest he was
murdered in this
Ei greenhouse?

morning. Surely you don't think

he was killed right here?

50
 Another murder? Ah,
then I have everything
wrong. Giraud will mock

There has been another

murder. We must go to Villa
Geneviève at once!

But the doctor said something Mon Dieu! Listen to me, Hastings.
extraordinary — that the man The victim was found near where
had been dead for at least Monsieur Renauld’s body was
forty-eight hours. discovered. And — hmm — he was
stabbed in the chest.

‘ll never believe it. That devil

iraud has taken matters into his
own hands. I was there when
Madame Renauld and Madame
Daubreuil saw the body. Neither Poirot, you're pulling my leg!
of them recognized him. How did you know ...

The dagger was still in

The little grey cells, mon ami! the wound, you say?
Now follow me. We shall take You are sure it was
a short cut across the golf the same one?
course.

Perhaps Jack Renauld had two

identical paper-knives made ...

J That seems
rather
unlikely!
< i = i] 5 5 S 3 kaifs] oO 5 ding
Reie
to my examin ation, the man
was n ot killed. Rather he died.
Died of an epileptic fit!

32
 You are mistaken! Do
you remember the
Beroldy case? This,
mon ami, is Madame
Beroldy.

Quite correct! Moved

young wife of a wine merchant, by her tears and her
accused of persuading her lover 4 charm, the jury acquitted
to murder her husband so she = Madame Beroldy, and she
could marry the American } left Paris with her small
millionaire who adored her. His i child and...
name was ... Georges Conneau?

And vou believe the same Besides, why would Madame

scenario was repeated here, Daubreuil murder Monsieur
and Madame Daubreuil — Renauld? She does not benefit
or Beroldy — murdered from his death. Let me remind
Monsieur Renauld?! you that Madame Beroldy had an
American millionaire waiting to
step into her husband's shoes.

ell
N
EZ

I should like to pay

Psst! Mademoiselle! May I
Mademoiselle Daubreuil a
have a little word with you?
visit. Will you accompany
me, Hastings?

a8

If you wish, Monsieur

Poirot.

No, mon ami, the case is more complicated.

Madame Beroldy was acquitted. In law, she
is innocent. Nor is there any evidence that
she was Renauld’s murderer
 You know that Monsieur
Perhaps he does ... but I know Jack is
innocent! I must tell you something
Monsieur Giraud doesn’t know.
A few hours before
he died, I saw
Monsieur Renauld. He
was arguing with a
stranger!

Let us go and find

out what Jack was
oing at the Villa that

Jack Renauld is under arrest for his

father’s murder! Please accompany me
to the library, and I'll explain everything.

The dispute between the two men gave us There is one thing you have
the motive. As to the means, Jack was in Madame Renauld lied to protect the j failed to take into account If
Merlinville that night. Then we found a i murderer. For who else would she lie? Jack believed he was to inherit,
cond victim, stabbed with the same A | why would he bury his father's
er. Only Jack could have taken it ... =a Jf | body? It was in his interest that
| it be discovered quickly!

You are wrong!

a Somebody else could
have taken it.
 Poirot, there is someone we have
overlooked— Georges Conneau,
MadameEberly S loyer, Yes, like you I believe
q Conneau is still alive, or
was until recently.

Let us suppose that after his escape Pare: Now suppose that Jack Renauld comes on
he became a ruthless criminal. He
Gonies toler invilleswhere tie
SHS Ue unser SST eels
with a rich Englishman. The two meet
the scene. Madame Daubreuil tells him about
her past and warns of the danger to her

happens to find the woman he Peles and Cormeau stabs Renauld. daughter. They make a pact and Jack
never ceased to love ... at moment, Madame Daubreul convinces his mother to become an
appeals Me maidenehdrags hen mte accomplice. She permits herself to be
the greenhouse before falling down in
gagged and bound ...
an epileptic fit ...

Ten days later he Renauld sent his son a cable,

You should write for the cinema, mon ami! wrote to me, imploring a bidding him leave for Argentina ...
But my theory happens to be the truth. my assistance. That evening he was visited by a
Remember how Monsieur Renauld changed [> pe- mysterious lady.
after he came to Merlinville? Consider also A
his friendship with Madame Daubreuil, and
the large sums of money paid to her. Then
Monsieur Renauld quarrelled with Jack over
his son's wish to marry Marthe Daubreuil. The
next day Renauld altered his will, leaving his
fortune to his wife.

35
 Hastings, think of the letter
Does that shed new
light on the matter,
signed “Bella” in the dead man's But why, Poirot?
mon ami?
overcoat. You remember I
noted the coat was very long?
Perhaps it belonged to Monsieur For one very simple reason.
Jack Renauld? 7 Monsieur Renauld had
You mean Georges
arranged for a murder to
Conneau was
take place that night.
blackmailing him? fs
So, the letter was written to Jack
Renauld, who in his haste took the
wrong overcoat? Then Bella Duveen
wrote the letter, and it was she who
came to the villa that night. She
confronted Jack's father, who tried
to pay her off. Renauld was desperate
for her to leave ...

But what about the second We know how dearly Madame Yes, Hastings. But he did
victim? Did you not say it was Renauld loved her husband. Now, not intend to die. He would
Conneau, the lover of Renauld’s did Madame Dubreuil not blackmail flee to another country,
wife? Renauld? And isitnota fact that tobe joined in time byhis | And fortuitously, a vagabond comes
we know nothing of Renauld’s wife. All they needed was | into the garden one day. He and Renauld
A P past? He could not allow his son to a body to substitute fight, the tramp suffers an epileptic fit,
But, mon ami, do younot § marry the daughter of his former for him ... and dies!
understand me? Conneau a} i) accomplice. There was only one
and Renauld are one a l way out.
and the same!

He planned his own death?

 So Renauld and his wife quickly
conceive a plan. Nobody from the
house must see the body. Madame
Renauld alone must identify it.

= (am

Then he was stabbed in the back! The

Renauld sent me a letter asking for help, in 4 cunning murderer availed himself of
order to impress the magistrate. The paper- 4 j j the same devices used by Renauld.
knife was used a murder weapon, to give lf Vz L) This has been a particularly perplexing
Madame Renauld's story credence. She was > mystery,
bound and gagged by her husband, who left }
through the window, smoothing his footprints as
he left. He went to the golf course and, having
used a lead pipe to disfigure the victim's face,
began to dig a grave ...

You're marvellous, Poirot,

absolutely marvellous!

Whereas Giraud found

one clue and followed Poor Madame Renauld.
the wrong trail! No To find that it was her
method, Hastings! husband who had been
murdered. And then to
find her son accused ...

And forced to admit that Madame

Daubreuil was her husband's mistress, Certainly! They were duplicates, and one belongs Like father,
rather than admit the truth of the to Jack. But far more significant is the question of like son!
blackmail Jack's heredity. As the saying has it ...

And the dagger, Poirot? There

must have been two of them?
 George Conneau’s son, is
capable of anything? Exactly! Mon ami,
what time is the
afternoon boat
for England from We shall just
Calais? have time to
catch it!

Are you going to

explain why we are
here, Poirot? We are going to look for a witness, mon cher Hastings —
Miss Bella Duveen ... I know nothing about her, but I can
guess a good deal. She is sure to be on stage, and it is
likely she should be the first love of Jack Renauld, a
young man with plenty of monev. I found this photograph
among Monsieur Jack's belongings.

Good heavens, it’s

Cinderella! Surely she can’t
be involved in this dreadful
business!

As soon as we reach
»| London, we must visit an
acquaintance of mine, a
theatrical agent.

What’s the matter,

mon ami? Are you
feeling seasick?
 By the Lord! It’s the Dulcibella Kids!
They're sisters — acrobats, dancers.
They're appearing tonight at the
Coventry Theatre.

Go, by all means,

Haven't we seen enough,
mon ami. But I am
Poirot? I must get some air ...
enjoying myself!
 ay 3 | Err]

a Z l Don't cry, child. You're safe here

h -d P avou sittingiat tie I'll take care of you. I know
everything ...
h front ... you and your
friend. He's the famous E- MA >y
detective, isn't he? : Aa
t
ae © i
f TAA

Good heavens!
Cinderella!

| >
Cvs
SS g
E ap |
5E |

It was you who

took the dagger,
wasn't it?

I was afraid there would }ji

be fingerprints on it.
Are you going to give
me up to the police?

No, Ci nder ella, I won't.

Becau: seIlove you.

<
a
‘os

40
fi
E You came to see Mr Renauld that night. He You saw aman leave, wearing Jack’s
tried to give you money, but you refused overcoat. You'd threatened to kill
it. You left, but waited outside ... ] him before, in your letter. Your anger
drove you mad, and you struck.

u're right, you're right! And you still wa

ove me?

I cannot help myself Cinderella.

Love has been too strong for me.

Love has changed you, Hastings. Why

did you not tell me you knew this
Hastings. Let her go. I
shall not pursue her

§ Poirot, I'm sorry. But sometimes one has no choice.

And I'm certain Miss Duveen was not involved
in the crime. I travelled home from France with
her that day, and I would swear to that in a court
of law!
 We must pay a visit to Monsieur
So you are my enemy now, Hastings ... Hautet. I wish to know how Jack
But does your blind faith in Miss Duveen Renauld intends to conduct his
prevent you from realizing that Jack defence.
Renauld may now be wrongly convicted?
That would be your fault.

Ihave a letter for you,

I was told you had returned to Will you permit me to be Poirot. Many thanks, I shall return this
England, Monsieur Poirot. I am present during Jack evidence to you tomorrow.
glad to see that is not the case. 2 Renauld’s interrogation?
Frankly, many points are still I have some sympathy
obscure to me. í | for the boy.

ist a.

Indeed. It gives one - = But I am not in the least

pause to think, eh, Tm glad you're satisfied! Jack Renauld
Giraud? satisfied of young
is innocent.
Renauld’s guilt at
last.

You've come to observe the

conclusion of the case? Jack
Renauld is making no attempt to
defend himself. It’s extraordinary!

42
 See That: infernal Giraud will Why,
What Stonor!
are you I must stand by Jack Renauld. He's behaving very queerly, Poirot.
N EE
> = i I'll never believe he is a
ay for his crowing! doing here?
pay 5 murderer. But can it be
proved?

\ \> That may be

WA difficult...

Monsieur Renauld, do
you recognize this
weapon?

which I gave to my mother

as a present.

Jack is heading for

disaster ... Look! 1 Are you Mr
9 Hautet, the
examining

|
Yes, madame,
but I forbid J
 “My dear Hastings — By the time
you read this letter Bella will have
given herself up. Im tired out with

Bella was so in love with Jack! She got it

nto her head that he was keen on another “The next day Bella had
girl and she made up her mind to go to arranged to meet me in
Merlinville and try to see him. I tried the hotel, but she never
everything to stop her from going.” turned up. Then I read
about that awful crime
in the paper.”

“I decided to go to the “There was only one

villa, where I ran up against thing for me to do: get
vou. Then I saw the dead hold of the dagger and
ave escape with it. I
pretended to faint ...”

“I took the train for

Calais and then the
boat to England. When
we were in mid-Channel
I threw the dagger into
the sea.”

“Bella was already in London, looking

like nothing on earth. I told her what
I'd done and she began laughing ... it
was horrible. But we had to continue
our tour. And then I saw you in
Coventry that night ... That's all I
can Say.”

Dulcie Duveen”
the time that it was She doesn’t say
the sister? whether or not she
cares for me ...

Yes, mon ami. But I said nothing to

vou because I was hurt at your
lack of faith in me.

Poirot, are you going to

tell me what we're doing?
 Yes! Young Marthe Dubreuil was the killer
of Monsieur Renauld, and I knew she would Marthe Dubreuil's mother had extracted
return to murder Madame Renauld as well. thousands from Monsieur Renauld. She was,
after all, the notorious Jeanne Beroldy, and her
I needed someone to prevent it — and voila,
daughter was just as greedy! Marthe knew that
I called upon the acrobatic prowess of
Mademoiselle Dulcie Duveen! Monsieur Renauld opposed her marrying Jack,
so she decided to kill him. Jack had already given
her the third dagger, identical to the others.

Once Renauld was dead, A happy ending! Cinderella prevented

Marthe knew she could the death of Madame Renauld — and
marry Jack. He was heir to found Prince Charming, eh, Hastings?!
a fortune! But she would need
to kill Madame Renauld as well
for them to inherit it all.

Dulcie Duveen suspected

her sister had killed Monsieur
Renauld as an act of revenge
because she thought the
dagger was Bella's. So she
stole it and threw it into the
sea. I realized then that the
murder weapon must have
been the one belonging to
| Marthe Daubreuil!

46