Agatha Christie's Poirot (1989–2013): Season 3, Episode 11 - The Mystery of Hunter's Lodge - full transcript
Hercule Poirot accompanies his friend Captain Hastings on a weekend shooting party at the home of Harrington Pace, but he isn't having a very good time. He comes down with the flu and takes to his bed but when Pace is shot dead in his study, he rises to the occasion to assist Inspector Japp in solving the case. Pace was not very likable and treated those around him badly. He refused to acknowledge his illegitimate half brother, who worked on the family estate as the gamekeeper, refusing him even a small loan that would allow him to marry. His two nephews did not benefit from the family wealth having been told they may inherit something on this death. The solution to the case lies in correctly identifying the mysterious housekeeper, Mrs. Middleton, whom Pace had hired for a month and determining her exact role in this mysterious affair.
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Silly old morning,
Uncle Harry.
They'll sort you out a loader.
Stoddard.
- Hastings.
- Ah, thank you.
Hastings?
Now, I shall need at least six.
No, no, no, no, eight,
for the Tetras à I'Hongroise.
I shall ask the hotel
to cook us some tomorrow.
It's not like ordering them
in a shop, Poirot --
I've got to shoot
the damn things.
I have every faith in your
marksmanship, Hastings.
ROGER:
You ready, old man?
Ah, Roger.
Mr. Poirot, it's taken me
10 years to get him up onto
Uncle Harry's moor -- I don't
want you missing the drive.
HASTINGS:
I'm ready.
For God's sake, Harry,
it's not much.
It'll mean I can marry again.
£300 is nothing to you.
Look bloody odd,
wouldn't it, Jack?
Me putting that sort of money
the way of my maid
and my gamekeeper?
Damn you!
I sometimes wonder which of us
was born a bastard.
Jack?
Stoddard.
Yes, Mr. Roger.
Look after Mr. Archie, will you?
Aye-aye, sir.
Right, Mr. Archie,
let's have a look here.
Now, what do you think?
Good luck, darling.
Mm.
- Bonne chance, mon ami.
- Thanks, old man.
ZOE:
Good shooting, Archie.
ARCHIE:
Thanks, eh.
Poor old Archie.
Hasn't a clue, I'm afraid.
He's your cousin, isn't he?
Yes. You've seen the guns
he turned up with?
[ Laughter ]
Still, he's only
a schoolteacher,
so on his salary,
what could you expect?
Now, this is you, old man.
- Good shooting.
- Thanks.
[ Whistling and calling ]
Into your shoulder, tight.
Stroke the cheek,
stroke the cheek, tight,
right, 90° angle.
Now, break!
Well, let's hope for a good bag.
MAN:
They're breaking, Mr. Pace.
Here they come.
[ Gunshot ]
[ Gunshots ]
Damn it.
[ Gunshots continue
in distance ]
M. Poirot?
- M. Poirot?
- Oh!
Pardon, madame.
The popping, you know.
Why did you come, M. Poirot?
The red grouse,
it must be eaten fresh,
while the gun is still smoking,
as we say.
Ah, a gourmet?
POIROT:
You are too kind, Mme. Havering,
but it is most rare
in my country, the tetras.
We make do with la gelinotte,
the wood grouse,
with a flavor -- it is piney.
Piney?
Yes, this is
not a word, "piney"?
Like -- Like a pine tree?
Oh, "piney."
Yes!
It's a very good word.
Here we are, sir.
Let's load, quick.
Watch him, Stoddard!
Ah!
STODDARD:
You've hit Mr. Pace!
Mr. Pace!
You bloody fool!
You bloody, bloody fool!
You damn near killed me!
And what the hell
were you doing, Stoddard!
You were supposed to be
looking after him!
Call yourself a gamekeeper?
You can't even pass muster
as a nursery maid!
Argh! Will you give me
a handkerchief?
Mr. Archie is a complete idiot.
ZOE: It looks like
Uncle Harry is all right.
Well, I'd better get back to
Hunter's Lodge --
make sure Mrs. Middleton
has everything under control
for lunch.
She's only with us pro tem.
[ Gunshots continue ]
M. Poirot,
may I entrust you with a task?
Madame?
ZOE: Look after cousin Archie
for me, will you?
I couldn't bear it
if he went back to his little
cottage and brooded.
He will not be able to brood
in the company of
Hercule Poirot, madame.
You are a treasure.
Oh.
[ Shivers ]
ZOE:
Ellie, where's Mrs. Middleton?
Up in her room, mum.
She done most of it.
She left us a note
to get on setting it out.
She's impossible.
Still, it all looks very nice.
- Thank you, mum.
- Thank you, mum.
I'm going to lie down
for a moment.
I've got a wretched earache.
The wind up there
is like a knife.
It's been snowing
up on the moor, you know.
Others will be here
in about half an hour.
Mrs. Middleton?
[ Speaking indistinctly ]
POIROT: For two hours, I am
waiting in the snow, Hastings!
The ice, it is
forming on my bones!
Ah, a log fire --
one of the better provisions
of the English.
HASTINGS:
Roger was saying
you keep an eye on the place
for the family.
Yes, I'm local -- the poor
relation that's available.
[ Hastings laughs ]
Damned invidious it is, too.
What is?
Some of my pupils' families live
six to a room.
This place lies empty
40 weeks of the year.
They only come up here
for the shooting.
Mrs. Middleton, where's my wife,
do you know?
- She's up in her room, sir.
- Her room?
She has an earache,
sir, I'm told.
Well, she damn well
ought to be here.
That sort of thing
won't get him very far,
not with Zoe.
Will you have
some more punch, girls?
Thank you, Mr. Payne.
Ah -- excuse me.
Uncle Harry, I'm really sorry
about your hand.
Don't think I'll take up
grouse shooting as a career.
Delighted to hear it.
A fellow asked me
the other day --
a Bolshie, you know --
asked me,
had I actually made anything
during my workless life.
"Certainly," I said.
"I made a lot of friends,
I made a lot of enemies,
and I've made a lot of money."
You all right, Poirot?
My feet, Hastings,
are still blocks of ice,
my lungs, they are full of
the gunpowder on the fresh air,
and my ears are
full of the popping,
and I am ill.
No, I am not all right,
Hastings.
Not at all.
Um, au revoir, M. Poirot.
Au revoir.
- Good to have met you.
- Thank you.
I have to be off.
It's a six-mile bike ride
for me, I'm afraid.
You are leaving?
One can leave?
Mr. Poirot, goodbye.
Ah, M. Havering,
goodbye, thank you.
Next year, we'll put you up
at the house.
No, the hotel's fine.
It's very comfortable.
- Bye, Roger.
- Goodbye.
Cheerio, thanks.
Hope his hand gets better.
I'm sure it will.
ZOE:
Bye, Archie. Take care.
Oh!
Oh, I'm sorry!
It's all right.
I'm all right.
Are you all right, Zoe?
Oh, yes, I had a filthy earache.
I'm fine now.
Take care of yourself, Archie.
Yes... yes, indeed.
Well, uh...
Bye, then.
I'll get myself ready,
then I'll be off to London.
I should make the 5:00.
Darling, couldn't
you catch the 6:15?
- Why?
- Mrs. Middleton wants to go
down to Stoddard's place
to pick up some game.
Oh, darling.
She makes such a fuss.
HARRY:
Bloody temporary staff.
Don't know what that agency's
playing at.
Ellie has to walk four miles,
and you never hear
her complaining.
It would be so much easier
if you gave her a lift.
She'd only have to walk back.
All right, all right,
I'll do it.
Mrs. Middleton?
Joan, would you like
a lift, too?
Mr. Havering could drop you off
on the way to Mr. Stoddard's.
Oh, thank you, mum.
ZOE:
Come along, then.
HASTINGS: I'm sorry
you didn't enjoy it, Poirot.
My enjoyment is yet to come,
Hastings.
I have given to the chef
his instructions.
What's that?
Mon Dieu.
Look at this, Hastings!
I am a corpse waiting to die.
I shall not survive to enjoy
my Tetras à I'Hongroise.
[ Whimpers ]
[ Train whistle blows ]
MAN:
All aboard!
It's the 6:15 going to all
stations to London King's Cross.
[ Train whistle blows ]
[ Dog whimpers ]
Now, you stay there.
You stay.
[ Train whistle blows ]
Hey, that's my bike!
[ Rattling ]
[ Gunshot, door closes ]
Mr. Stoddard!
Mr. Stoddard!
Fetch the police.
There's been a shooting.
Go!
[ Knocking on door ]
FORGAN: And you can confirm that
this is Mr. Harrington Pace?
MRS. MIDDLETON:
Yes, sir.
Mrs. Havering's in
a terrible state.
I've given her something
to help her sleep.
I let the killer in --
that's what I can't get over.
FORGAN:
Describe this man.
He was wearing a big overcoat,
and he had a beard --
a great, bushy thing.
He said he wanted
to see Mr. Pace,
so I showed him into
the gun room
like I always do
with visitors.
FORGAN:
Yes?
MRS. MIDDLETON: I went back
into the living room
and started clearing up,
and then heard the sound.
The shot.
Like someone knocking on
the door of hell, it was.
POIROT:
[ Coughing ]
[ Footsteps approach ]
[ Knock on door ]
Who is it?
HASTINGS:
It's me.
Come in, Hastings.
There's been a murder.
Who has been murdered?
Harrington Pace,
up at Hunter's Lodge,
shot with one of
his own revolvers.
Mon Dieu!
[ Scoffs ]
Oh!
You're still not well, Poirot.
Oh, I must confess,
I feel a little weak.
You get back into bed now.
You can leave this to me.
- Comment?
- This investigation.
You can leave it to me.
I'll report back to you,
of course.
I know these people, Poirot,
and I've got
one or two ideas already.
What are these ideas, Hastings?
You just relax.
Hastings, will you please stop
tapping your nose
in that theatrical manner,
and tell me all that you know?
I don't seem to be able to find
that Mrs. Middleton, Sarge.
What do you mean,
"can't find her"?
Oh, this is
the Scotland Yard fellow.
Find her!
Right ho, Sarge.
Japp, Scotland Yard.
Sergeant Forgan, Ashby Pickard.
Pleasant drive, sir?
Are you trying to be funny?
No, sir.
Rich, was he, the victim?
Oh, yes, sir,
Harrington Pace --
owned a stud outside
Newmarket,
a house in Belgravia,
and mooring in Monte Carlo.
And who stands to benefit?
Practically all of it goes to
his nephew, Roger Havering.
And where is he?
Spent the night at
his club in London.
Yeah, we phoned him there.
He's coming back
on the first train, sir.
He was shot by a man
who just turned up at the door
asking to see him.
Must have got away
through that window.
Hmm.
FORGAN: It was the gamekeeper
who came and got us.
Oh, he stood to gain, too, sir.
He's the only other
real beneficiary.
- Oh, yes?
- FORGAN: Pace left him £4,000.
Did he, by God?
Excuse me, Sergeant,
but she's not on the premises.
She's definitely gone.
Who's that?
The housekeeper, Mrs. Middleton.
She showed the killer
into the house.
She's our chief witness.
Better initiate a search.
How many men have you got?
Men, sir?
Just the one, sir -- him.
Well, you'll have to make
optimum use of your resources,
won't you?
Sir.
Roger, what a terrible thing.
I'm awfully sorry.
Thank you. I must go straight
to the lodge. Zoe needs me.
I think we ought to pop in
and see Poirot on the way.
He's feeling a bit poorly,
so I'm handling the case,
but we must keep him informed.
I am profoundly ill,
as you can see, but...
- I will do my best to assist.
- Thank you.
Uh, one thing, M. Havering,
- if you please.
- Yes?
Pardon, but what were you doing
when your uncle was killed?
Oh, it's all right.
Roger was on his way to London.
I spent the night at my club.
Police rang me there.
It's a horrible business.
You went to London by train?
ROGER:
Yes, I caught the 6:15.
You talk to anyone
on that train?
No.
POIROT: You arrived at your club
at what time?
Oh, about 10:00 --
Actually, it was a bit later,
I walked down from King's Cross.
Ah, that's fine.
Thank you.
Hastings?
We'll get on up
to the lodge, Poirot.
POIROT:
Very well, Hastings.
WOMAN:
Hello, reception desk.
Hello, yes,
this is Hercule Poirot,
room number 5,
I require, if you please,
a railway timetable.
ZOE:
I was in here with Mr. Pace
when there was
a knock at the door.
I heard Mrs. Middleton
go to answer it,
so I got up to see who it was.
Yes.
It was a man I didn't recognize,
so I waited for Mrs. Middleton
to show him into the gun room
and come and announce him.
What did he look like?
Average-ish height, hat,
specs, I think.
I couldn't be sure.
Beard.
What sort of beard?
Bushy.
He looked like
one of those anarchists
in a cartoon in "Punch."
Do you remember what time
this man arrived?
About a quarter to 7:00.
JAPP:
Please go on.
Well, Mrs. Middleton
knocked a minute later,
said the man
wouldn't give his name,
but wanted to see Mr. Pace.
Harry said
he'd see what he wanted.
He got up, and a few minutes
later, we heard the shot.
HASTINGS:
The housekeeper,
Mrs. Middleton, she was
in the room with you, was she?
Yes, she was clearing
the drinks glasses.
Did this man arrive by car?
I don't know.
I didn't hear anything.
Would you normally
hear a car arriving?
ZOE:
Oh, yes.
Yes, if he came by car, he
didn't bring it up to the house.
You carry on here.
Yes, sir.
This hotel of yours
presentable, is it?
Not too bad.
I'll book myself in.
What are their sandwiches like?
Sandwiches?
No idea.
Tell you what, I put my money
on this Middleton woman
being in league
with the killer.
On her own admission,
she shows the fellow in.
The next morning, she's gone.
Yeah, but she's the only person
who's had a proper look
at the killer.
What if she saw through
his disguise?
Disguise?
What disguise?
Bushy beard and glasses?
And suppose she saw who it was
under the disguise.
Perhaps we better start looking
for another body, not a witness.
ANSTRUTHER: Well, Mr. Poirot,
you get that down you,
and I reckon you'll live
to fight another day.
Oh.
Thank you very much,
Mr. Anstruther.
- [ Knock on door ]
- Come in.
Ah, Chief Inspector Japp.
Hastings, this is Mr. Anstruther
of the London, Midland,
and Scottish Railway.
Afternoon, gents.
Well, if you'll excuse me,
I have to get back.
A railway don't run itself,
you know.
I'll drop in tomorrow
with some more blackberry tea.
Thank you very much.
ANSTRUTHER: Oh, and don't forget
my bike, will you?
Certainly not.
That bike means a lot to me,
that bike does.
Man and boy, I've had that bike.
Au revoir.
Pauvre Mr. Anstruther.
He is a man obsessed.
Obsessed with what?
His bike?
Yes, indeed, Chief Inspector.
It has been stolen.
He is also obsessed
with other things.
He knows every final detail
about the movements
of the trains
in and out of
his little station.
Oh, yes? Been doing some
investigation, have we?
POIROT: How can I, Chief Inspector?
I am prostrated.
I toy with the little lines
of inquiry, that is all.
You, of course,
will be well ahead of me.
Well, we've got a description
of the murderer.
Yes, a man of medium height
wearing a broad-brimmed hat,
sporting a beard
that is large and fluffy.
How did you know that?
That is a description of the man
who stole the bicycle
of M. Anstruther.
It is essential
that we find it, Hastings.
Oh, right.
Find what?
The bicycle!
Also, I am most anxious
to establish whether or not
M. Archie Havering had an alibi
for the time
that M. Pace was shot.
[ Children talking ]
You didn't really like
your uncle, did you?
What are you implying?
Look, I'm sorry about this.
I'm afraid I have to ask you.
Poirot wants to know what
you were doing yesterday evening
at the time of
your uncle's death.
How dare you?
What on earth makes you think
I'd want to kill a man
like my Uncle Harry?
I tell you,
he was beneath contempt.
Mean and selfish.
You know Stoddard the gamekeeper
is his half-brother,
one of his father's bastards.
Good lord!
His own blood,
and he used him like a servant.
How did he get his money
in the first place?
I'll tell you.
He cheated his partner
in County Mayo,
then used the money
for profiteering on the war.
And people liked him!
He boasted about it,
and people applauded!
[ Door opens ]
Clear off!
[ Bed springs squeak ]
[ Telephone rings ]
Hello?
POIROT:
Chief Inspector?
Ah, how's the cold, Poirot?
POIROT: It is not a cold.
It is a deadly fever!
Hmm, nasty.
POIROT: However, I have asked
M. and Mme. Havering
to come to the hotel.
I am now convinced
that M. Roger Havering
has not been telling the truth.
You say, M. Havering,
that you arrived at London
at 9:00.
The only witness
that you can produce
is the doorman at your club
where you arrived at 10:00.
You say that you spent this hour
walking between King's Cross
at St. James', and yet,
you can describe
none of your movements,
no events, no street names,
rien -- nothing.
This isn't the line I've been
following at all, Poirot.
What are you driving at?
POIROT:
I am driving at
a curve in the line
of the local railway.
A loop of iron
which connects Ashby Pickard
with the little station
of Ashby le Walken.
What?
POIROT: It is quite possible,
M. Havering,
for a man to catch
the 6:15 train at one station
and get off at the next.
With the aid of a bicycle,
he returns to Hunter's Lodge
disguised with a beard
and wearing
a broad-brimmed hat.
He shoots the man
he wishes to shoot.
Then he catches the 7:20
from Ashby Pickard,
a train that is
faster than the 6:15,
which will get him to London in
time to be at his club by 10:00.
My God.
You're serious, aren't you?
It is a serious affair!
A man has been killed
and you are about to be
accused of his murder.
Me?
JAPP:
You, sir.
Do you not see it, monsieur?
You must tell us of your
movements that night.
Absolutely not.
I can't.
For God's sake, Roger, why not?
I just can't.
Well, Poirot?
Carry on, Chief Inspector.
I would like you to accompany me
to the local police station,
sir.
What?
I wish to question you in
connection with the murder
of your uncle,
Mr. Harrington Pace,
and with the disappearance of
the housekeeper, Mrs. Middleton.
[ Telephone rings ]
Yes? It's for you,
Chief inspector.
Japp.
Right.
What is it?
They found Mrs. Middleton.
We're not late, are we?
JAPP:
No, she hasn't arrived yet.
Shouldn't you be in bed?
Possibly,
but, please, do not fuss.
You looked like you were
at death's door last night.
POIROT:
Unfortunately, Chief Inspector,
it was my appetite
that was dead.
My Tetras à I'Hongroise,
it was fed to the cat.
Mrs. Middleton?
Yes, I'm Mrs. Middleton.
Well, what have you
brought me here for?
The instructions from the agency
were to go to Ashby Pickard
by train and I'd be met there,
and the engagement
would be for one month.
So, I did.
And I was met by a very nice
Irish lady who --
Irish? You sure?
Oh, yes!
She said she was Mrs. Pace.
And she said there'd been
an embarrassing mix-up.
What sort of mix-up?
She said they were
canceling the shooting this year
and there was no household
for me to keep.
So, anyway, she said
she'd be grateful
if I didn't say anything
to the agency
because she didn't want them
to think she was unreliable,
you know?
And she was very generous.
She said she'd give me
two months' wages in lieu
if I'd agree not to put myself
back on the agency books
for a full month.
JAPP:
And you agreed?
Yes!
She seemed very nice.
You kept very quiet
through all that.
I am unwell --
and it changes everything,
this testimony
of Mme. Middleton.
JAPP: Well, it all seems
pretty straightforward to me.
We still have to find
this other woman
who pretended to be
a housekeeper.
Agreed?
I think it would be
more fruitful
to find the bicycle
of M. Anstruther.
What on earth for?
Because, Hastings,
it was stolen
to transport a murderer
to Hunter's Lodge.
Why has it disappeared?
Sir, sir?
What is it, Forgan?
It's Mr. Havering, sir.
He's asking to see you.
I'll tell you what I was doing
if you promise not to tell Zoe.
Well, let's hope
it won't be necessary.
I'll make no promises.
Very well, then.
I was with Lord Quamby.
Lord Quamby?
The racing earl?
Yes, he's chairman of the board
in charge of on course betting.
I wanted him to get me
off the hook.
Well, buy me some time
on a couple of my debts.
Why were you so reluctant
to tell us this?
A few months ago, you see,
I promised Zoe
that I'd never back another
horse as long as I lived.
And will Lord Quamby
verify that you were with him?
Of course he will.
Tell me, Mlle. Joan,
on the night of the murder,
when was the last time
that you saw Mme. Middleton?
She was in the car
with Mr. Havering
when they dropped me off
at home.
He was on his way
to the station,
and he gave her a lift
over to Mr. Stoddard's house.
Mr. Stoddard the gamekeeper?
Yes, sir.
Ah, yes, of course,
M. Stoddard.
You hope to be his wife one day,
do you not?
No one's supposed to
know that, sir.
I comprehend.
Tell me more about
Mme. Middleton.
JOAN:
Oh, she was that strict.
Always leaving little notes
about the place, criticizing.
Mr. Stoddard didn't like her.
They used to be
quite sharp with each other.
Did Mme. Middleton ever talk
to you about herself?
JOAN:
No, not really.
She said she were from Ireland.
Mayo, I think.
She always kept herself
to herself, like.
Mlle. Joan, this apron?
Oh, that's
Mrs. Middleton's, sir.
Oh. Thank you.
That will be all.
So, when Harrington Pace
was living in Ireland,
he cheated his partner
and ruined him.
Then this mysterious woman,
who was also from County Mayo,
turns up
and replaces Mrs. Middleton.
She was probably a relation
of the ruined man.
She opens the door
to her accomplice,
the fellow with the bushy beard,
they kill Pace,
and both of them disappear.
Absolument, mon ami.
You have the story exact.
Oh.
STODDARD: In your
hunt countries, of course,
they use your gazehound,
hunts by sight.
For the moistness in our air,
we favor a dog
that hunts by scent.
And I tell you,
she's a prime example of that,
aren't you, huh?
She's the best of her kind,
she is.
That is most interesting.
Tell me, M. Stoddard,
if you please,
on the night
that M. Pace was killed,
Mme. Middleton
came to your house
to collect some game birds,
did she not?
No.
Oh, you're right.
I was expecting her,
but she never arrived.
I didn't see her
till much later,
when she came running down lane
to tell me about the shooting.
Chief inspector,
there is at Hunter's Lodge
a telephone, is there not?
Yes, there is.
Then why did not
Mme. Middleton herself
telephone to the police?
Aye, it crossed my mind then.
What she said was
that Mrs. Havering was near
hysterical at the horror of it.
She wanted to get her to sleep
before the police got there,
so she sent me to fetch them.
Ah, yes, she needed the time
alone in the house.
Yes, of course, of course.
M. Stoddard,
would you consider to involve
your excellent dog
in a little experiment?
She is clever with her nose,
you say?
She's got a nose that would
scent a poppy in
a bit of slurry, she has.
Eh bien, M. Stoddard,
our poppy, it is in here.
It is essential
that we determine
the whereabouts of the person
who calls herself
Mme. Middleton.
Easier said than done.
Not a glimmer.
Road, rail, local gossip,
nothing.
- That's why I think --
- Eh-up, eh-up!
- [ Dog whimpering ]
- What's it, girl?
What's the matter, girl, huh?
What's it, girl, huh?
Hey, hey, hey, hey.
So it's been buried?
Some thing.
It's a coat.
JAPP:
And a hat.
[ Dog whimpers ]
Hey, look at this.
Swipe me.
Bon! M. Anstruther,
he will be most pleased.
[ Whimpers ]
What a clever dog.
Everyone here?
In the gun room, sir.
M. Harrington Pace
was not a likeable man.
He used his wealth to control
his friends and his family.
For example, M. Stoddard,
his unacknowledged brother,
he employed as a gamekeeper,
but refused to lend him
the £300 necessary
to purchase his house
and to get married.
His nephew, M. Archie Havering,
he used as an estate manager,
paying him not with money,
but with promises of a legacy.
His other nephew,
M. Roger Havering,
was also made to dance
the attendance
by assurances of wealth to come.
There are, I think, here
motives for murder.
N'est-ce pas?
Now, look here, Poirot --
POIROT:
No, no, no, please, M. Roger,
I make not the accusations.
I merely speculate.
For instance, we know that
you could not have possibly
committed the murder,
because at 6:15 on that night,
you were boarding a train
for London.
But what we did not know
was that there was
another passenger
who also boarded that train.
This person
alighted from the train
at the very next stop
and stole the bicycle
of my friend,
M. Anstruther --
a curious thing to do, huh?
Hey, that's my bike!
POIROT: But the next thing
that this person did
was even more curious.
He buried the bicycle.
Then he buried all
the necessary accoutrements
of the bearded man...
...and turned himself
back into Mme. Middleton.
Mrs. Middleton
was the bearded man?
But, yes, Hastings.
You see, we only had the word
of Mme. Middleton herself
that a bearded man came to
the house that night,
but, of course,
that was not true.
No, I saw him.
Mme. Havering, if you please,
we will come to that
in a minute.
HASTINGS:
It's as I've said all along,
we've got to find
this Mrs. Middleton.
ROGER:
Well, may I suggest
that you get on
and do just that.
So far, all you've done is ask
impertinent questions
and treat respectable people
like a lot of criminals!
Please, M. Roger,
do not be in such haste.
We may know that you did not
commit a murder,
but there are other things
which are not yet so clear.
This crime was of a daring
most extraordinary.
It had to be like clockwork.
And the spurious Mme. Middleton
had to have an accomplice
to wind the spring.
JOAN:
Sorry, Mrs. Middleton.
POIROT: At a quarter to 6:00
on the night of the murder,
this spring,
it was ready for release.
The guests had departed,
Mlle. Ellie
had already gone home,
and Mile. Joan
had been offered a lift
in your car, M. Havering.
Mlle. Joan was duly dropped
at her cottage.
Mme. Middleton
was then to be driven to
the home of M. Stoddard
to collect some game birds,
but, of course,
she never arrived.
She was undergoing
a transformation.
It was essential, you see,
that a suspect should be seen
to alight from the train
at the very next stop,
a suspect that could well be
M. Roger Havering in disguise.
Why should I try to
incriminate myself?
Because, M. Havering,
you had planned most carefully
your alibi --
your meeting with Lord Quamby,
which you would seem to have
every reason for keeping secret,
but once you were forced to
reveal it and were released,
it was most unlikely
that the police
would suspect you
for a second time.
You're talking complete rubbish.
POIROT: No, no, no,
I think not, M. Havering.
You see, while you continued
your journey to London,
Mme. Middleton
returned to Hunter's Lodge.
[ Door closing ]
Your uncle was
a very wealthy man.
In time, you would
inherit his fortune,
but your gambling debts
grew heavier,
and M. Pace refused
to bail you out.
You desperately needed
the money now,
and so on that fateful night,
M. Pace was shot
in cold blood.
Prove it!
You just prove it.
That is a lying slander.
You're going to find yourself
in court, Mr. bloody Poirot!
And who is this Mrs. Middleton
I'm meant to have been
an accomplice of?
You can't even find her.
So you busy yourself
accusing everybody else!
You think that Hercule Poirot
is unable to find
this mysterious Mme. Middleton?
Hercule Poirot knows a way
to make Mme. Middleton
appear in our midst
as if by magic.
You do not believe in magic?
Very well.
I have only to tap with my cane
on the floor three times,
thus.
- Un...
- [ Tap ]
- ...deux...
- [ Tap ]
...trois.
[ Tap ]
[ Dog sniffs ]
[ Door opens ]
[ Dog sniffing ]
Can we not stop this charade,
Chief Inspector?
I don't know, sir.
I've always enjoyed party games.
Silly dog, what's it doing?
[ Dog whimpers ]
Will somebody take it away?
[ Dog snarls, barks ]
Stop it!
- Stop it!
- It's all right, Zoe.
Come on, girl.
Come on, heel!
That's it.
Good girl. Come.
ARCHIE: I don't know
what your silly game is,
but it seems to have gone
horribly wrong.
Now, leave her alone!
Zoe had nothing whatever to do
with this Mrs. Middleton!
On the contrary, M. Archie,
Mme. Havering had
a very close relationship
with the housekeeper,
Mme. Middleton.
The odd thing about it being
was that they were never once
seen together.
This temporary housekeeper
had only recently been employed
for the family's stay
at Hunter's Lodge.
She left little notes
for the servants
and kept herself to herself.
If the mistress was at home,
the housekeeper was absent.
When the housekeeper
was downstairs,
the mistress was in her room.
And that is where,
on the night of the murder,
after she had been interviewed
by the police,
Mme. Middleton
disappeared forever
from the face of the Earth.
Because it was you,
Mme. Zoe Havering,
together with your husband,
you planned and carried out
this murder ingenious.
Together, you plotted
to rid yourselves
of your uncle that was hated
and to lay your hands,
at last, on his money.
I must ask you both to come
with me to the police station.
How dare you?
This has gone far enough.
I do not intend to stand
idly by --
Oh, shut up, Roger!
But why did she have to
bury the bicycle?
How could she leave it lying
around, Hastings?
If it was found and identified
by M. Anstruther
as the bicycle that was stolen
outside the railway station,
then it would show
that the murderer
was still close
to Hunter's Lodge.
Oh, hello, Mr. Poirot.
M. Anstruther.
The blackberry tea
did the trick, then?
It did, indeed, monsieur.
It also stimulated the little
gray cells to such an extent
that it enabled me
to track down your bicycle.
ANSTRUTHER: It's a bit of
a blooming mess, isn't it?
- Yes, it got buried.
- Buried?
Buried.
It's all covered
in mud and mold.
And I regret that
I did not have the time
to clean it for you, monsieur.
ANSTRUTHER:
I don't know as I could be seen
riding about
on a thing like that.
That mud guard's all bent, too.
M. Anstruther,
do you or do you not
want your bicycle?
Oh... Oh, just leave it there.
I'll see if the boy
can do anything with it.
Is this gratitude, Hastings?
Is it for this
that Hercule Poirot
exerts his talents
on behalf of the world?
Do you expect gratitude?
Don't make me laugh.
Now you know what
a real detective feels like.
POIROT:
"A real detective"?
The Chief Inspector Japp
is truly most amusing,
- do you not think, Hastings?
- Oh, yes.
Most amusing.
For a policeman.
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Silly old morning,
Uncle Harry.
They'll sort you out a loader.
Stoddard.
- Hastings.
- Ah, thank you.
Hastings?
Now, I shall need at least six.
No, no, no, no, eight,
for the Tetras à I'Hongroise.
I shall ask the hotel
to cook us some tomorrow.
It's not like ordering them
in a shop, Poirot --
I've got to shoot
the damn things.
I have every faith in your
marksmanship, Hastings.
ROGER:
You ready, old man?
Ah, Roger.
Mr. Poirot, it's taken me
10 years to get him up onto
Uncle Harry's moor -- I don't
want you missing the drive.
HASTINGS:
I'm ready.
For God's sake, Harry,
it's not much.
It'll mean I can marry again.
£300 is nothing to you.
Look bloody odd,
wouldn't it, Jack?
Me putting that sort of money
the way of my maid
and my gamekeeper?
Damn you!
I sometimes wonder which of us
was born a bastard.
Jack?
Stoddard.
Yes, Mr. Roger.
Look after Mr. Archie, will you?
Aye-aye, sir.
Right, Mr. Archie,
let's have a look here.
Now, what do you think?
Good luck, darling.
Mm.
- Bonne chance, mon ami.
- Thanks, old man.
ZOE:
Good shooting, Archie.
ARCHIE:
Thanks, eh.
Poor old Archie.
Hasn't a clue, I'm afraid.
He's your cousin, isn't he?
Yes. You've seen the guns
he turned up with?
[ Laughter ]
Still, he's only
a schoolteacher,
so on his salary,
what could you expect?
Now, this is you, old man.
- Good shooting.
- Thanks.
[ Whistling and calling ]
Into your shoulder, tight.
Stroke the cheek,
stroke the cheek, tight,
right, 90° angle.
Now, break!
Well, let's hope for a good bag.
MAN:
They're breaking, Mr. Pace.
Here they come.
[ Gunshot ]
[ Gunshots ]
Damn it.
[ Gunshots continue
in distance ]
M. Poirot?
- M. Poirot?
- Oh!
Pardon, madame.
The popping, you know.
Why did you come, M. Poirot?
The red grouse,
it must be eaten fresh,
while the gun is still smoking,
as we say.
Ah, a gourmet?
POIROT:
You are too kind, Mme. Havering,
but it is most rare
in my country, the tetras.
We make do with la gelinotte,
the wood grouse,
with a flavor -- it is piney.
Piney?
Yes, this is
not a word, "piney"?
Like -- Like a pine tree?
Oh, "piney."
Yes!
It's a very good word.
Here we are, sir.
Let's load, quick.
Watch him, Stoddard!
Ah!
STODDARD:
You've hit Mr. Pace!
Mr. Pace!
You bloody fool!
You bloody, bloody fool!
You damn near killed me!
And what the hell
were you doing, Stoddard!
You were supposed to be
looking after him!
Call yourself a gamekeeper?
You can't even pass muster
as a nursery maid!
Argh! Will you give me
a handkerchief?
Mr. Archie is a complete idiot.
ZOE: It looks like
Uncle Harry is all right.
Well, I'd better get back to
Hunter's Lodge --
make sure Mrs. Middleton
has everything under control
for lunch.
She's only with us pro tem.
[ Gunshots continue ]
M. Poirot,
may I entrust you with a task?
Madame?
ZOE: Look after cousin Archie
for me, will you?
I couldn't bear it
if he went back to his little
cottage and brooded.
He will not be able to brood
in the company of
Hercule Poirot, madame.
You are a treasure.
Oh.
[ Shivers ]
ZOE:
Ellie, where's Mrs. Middleton?
Up in her room, mum.
She done most of it.
She left us a note
to get on setting it out.
She's impossible.
Still, it all looks very nice.
- Thank you, mum.
- Thank you, mum.
I'm going to lie down
for a moment.
I've got a wretched earache.
The wind up there
is like a knife.
It's been snowing
up on the moor, you know.
Others will be here
in about half an hour.
Mrs. Middleton?
[ Speaking indistinctly ]
POIROT: For two hours, I am
waiting in the snow, Hastings!
The ice, it is
forming on my bones!
Ah, a log fire --
one of the better provisions
of the English.
HASTINGS:
Roger was saying
you keep an eye on the place
for the family.
Yes, I'm local -- the poor
relation that's available.
[ Hastings laughs ]
Damned invidious it is, too.
What is?
Some of my pupils' families live
six to a room.
This place lies empty
40 weeks of the year.
They only come up here
for the shooting.
Mrs. Middleton, where's my wife,
do you know?
- She's up in her room, sir.
- Her room?
She has an earache,
sir, I'm told.
Well, she damn well
ought to be here.
That sort of thing
won't get him very far,
not with Zoe.
Will you have
some more punch, girls?
Thank you, Mr. Payne.
Ah -- excuse me.
Uncle Harry, I'm really sorry
about your hand.
Don't think I'll take up
grouse shooting as a career.
Delighted to hear it.
A fellow asked me
the other day --
a Bolshie, you know --
asked me,
had I actually made anything
during my workless life.
"Certainly," I said.
"I made a lot of friends,
I made a lot of enemies,
and I've made a lot of money."
You all right, Poirot?
My feet, Hastings,
are still blocks of ice,
my lungs, they are full of
the gunpowder on the fresh air,
and my ears are
full of the popping,
and I am ill.
No, I am not all right,
Hastings.
Not at all.
Um, au revoir, M. Poirot.
Au revoir.
- Good to have met you.
- Thank you.
I have to be off.
It's a six-mile bike ride
for me, I'm afraid.
You are leaving?
One can leave?
Mr. Poirot, goodbye.
Ah, M. Havering,
goodbye, thank you.
Next year, we'll put you up
at the house.
No, the hotel's fine.
It's very comfortable.
- Bye, Roger.
- Goodbye.
Cheerio, thanks.
Hope his hand gets better.
I'm sure it will.
ZOE:
Bye, Archie. Take care.
Oh!
Oh, I'm sorry!
It's all right.
I'm all right.
Are you all right, Zoe?
Oh, yes, I had a filthy earache.
I'm fine now.
Take care of yourself, Archie.
Yes... yes, indeed.
Well, uh...
Bye, then.
I'll get myself ready,
then I'll be off to London.
I should make the 5:00.
Darling, couldn't
you catch the 6:15?
- Why?
- Mrs. Middleton wants to go
down to Stoddard's place
to pick up some game.
Oh, darling.
She makes such a fuss.
HARRY:
Bloody temporary staff.
Don't know what that agency's
playing at.
Ellie has to walk four miles,
and you never hear
her complaining.
It would be so much easier
if you gave her a lift.
She'd only have to walk back.
All right, all right,
I'll do it.
Mrs. Middleton?
Joan, would you like
a lift, too?
Mr. Havering could drop you off
on the way to Mr. Stoddard's.
Oh, thank you, mum.
ZOE:
Come along, then.
HASTINGS: I'm sorry
you didn't enjoy it, Poirot.
My enjoyment is yet to come,
Hastings.
I have given to the chef
his instructions.
What's that?
Mon Dieu.
Look at this, Hastings!
I am a corpse waiting to die.
I shall not survive to enjoy
my Tetras à I'Hongroise.
[ Whimpers ]
[ Train whistle blows ]
MAN:
All aboard!
It's the 6:15 going to all
stations to London King's Cross.
[ Train whistle blows ]
[ Dog whimpers ]
Now, you stay there.
You stay.
[ Train whistle blows ]
Hey, that's my bike!
[ Rattling ]
[ Gunshot, door closes ]
Mr. Stoddard!
Mr. Stoddard!
Fetch the police.
There's been a shooting.
Go!
[ Knocking on door ]
FORGAN: And you can confirm that
this is Mr. Harrington Pace?
MRS. MIDDLETON:
Yes, sir.
Mrs. Havering's in
a terrible state.
I've given her something
to help her sleep.
I let the killer in --
that's what I can't get over.
FORGAN:
Describe this man.
He was wearing a big overcoat,
and he had a beard --
a great, bushy thing.
He said he wanted
to see Mr. Pace,
so I showed him into
the gun room
like I always do
with visitors.
FORGAN:
Yes?
MRS. MIDDLETON: I went back
into the living room
and started clearing up,
and then heard the sound.
The shot.
Like someone knocking on
the door of hell, it was.
POIROT:
[ Coughing ]
[ Footsteps approach ]
[ Knock on door ]
Who is it?
HASTINGS:
It's me.
Come in, Hastings.
There's been a murder.
Who has been murdered?
Harrington Pace,
up at Hunter's Lodge,
shot with one of
his own revolvers.
Mon Dieu!
[ Scoffs ]
Oh!
You're still not well, Poirot.
Oh, I must confess,
I feel a little weak.
You get back into bed now.
You can leave this to me.
- Comment?
- This investigation.
You can leave it to me.
I'll report back to you,
of course.
I know these people, Poirot,
and I've got
one or two ideas already.
What are these ideas, Hastings?
You just relax.
Hastings, will you please stop
tapping your nose
in that theatrical manner,
and tell me all that you know?
I don't seem to be able to find
that Mrs. Middleton, Sarge.
What do you mean,
"can't find her"?
Oh, this is
the Scotland Yard fellow.
Find her!
Right ho, Sarge.
Japp, Scotland Yard.
Sergeant Forgan, Ashby Pickard.
Pleasant drive, sir?
Are you trying to be funny?
No, sir.
Rich, was he, the victim?
Oh, yes, sir,
Harrington Pace --
owned a stud outside
Newmarket,
a house in Belgravia,
and mooring in Monte Carlo.
And who stands to benefit?
Practically all of it goes to
his nephew, Roger Havering.
And where is he?
Spent the night at
his club in London.
Yeah, we phoned him there.
He's coming back
on the first train, sir.
He was shot by a man
who just turned up at the door
asking to see him.
Must have got away
through that window.
Hmm.
FORGAN: It was the gamekeeper
who came and got us.
Oh, he stood to gain, too, sir.
He's the only other
real beneficiary.
- Oh, yes?
- FORGAN: Pace left him £4,000.
Did he, by God?
Excuse me, Sergeant,
but she's not on the premises.
She's definitely gone.
Who's that?
The housekeeper, Mrs. Middleton.
She showed the killer
into the house.
She's our chief witness.
Better initiate a search.
How many men have you got?
Men, sir?
Just the one, sir -- him.
Well, you'll have to make
optimum use of your resources,
won't you?
Sir.
Roger, what a terrible thing.
I'm awfully sorry.
Thank you. I must go straight
to the lodge. Zoe needs me.
I think we ought to pop in
and see Poirot on the way.
He's feeling a bit poorly,
so I'm handling the case,
but we must keep him informed.
I am profoundly ill,
as you can see, but...
- I will do my best to assist.
- Thank you.
Uh, one thing, M. Havering,
- if you please.
- Yes?
Pardon, but what were you doing
when your uncle was killed?
Oh, it's all right.
Roger was on his way to London.
I spent the night at my club.
Police rang me there.
It's a horrible business.
You went to London by train?
ROGER:
Yes, I caught the 6:15.
You talk to anyone
on that train?
No.
POIROT: You arrived at your club
at what time?
Oh, about 10:00 --
Actually, it was a bit later,
I walked down from King's Cross.
Ah, that's fine.
Thank you.
Hastings?
We'll get on up
to the lodge, Poirot.
POIROT:
Very well, Hastings.
WOMAN:
Hello, reception desk.
Hello, yes,
this is Hercule Poirot,
room number 5,
I require, if you please,
a railway timetable.
ZOE:
I was in here with Mr. Pace
when there was
a knock at the door.
I heard Mrs. Middleton
go to answer it,
so I got up to see who it was.
Yes.
It was a man I didn't recognize,
so I waited for Mrs. Middleton
to show him into the gun room
and come and announce him.
What did he look like?
Average-ish height, hat,
specs, I think.
I couldn't be sure.
Beard.
What sort of beard?
Bushy.
He looked like
one of those anarchists
in a cartoon in "Punch."
Do you remember what time
this man arrived?
About a quarter to 7:00.
JAPP:
Please go on.
Well, Mrs. Middleton
knocked a minute later,
said the man
wouldn't give his name,
but wanted to see Mr. Pace.
Harry said
he'd see what he wanted.
He got up, and a few minutes
later, we heard the shot.
HASTINGS:
The housekeeper,
Mrs. Middleton, she was
in the room with you, was she?
Yes, she was clearing
the drinks glasses.
Did this man arrive by car?
I don't know.
I didn't hear anything.
Would you normally
hear a car arriving?
ZOE:
Oh, yes.
Yes, if he came by car, he
didn't bring it up to the house.
You carry on here.
Yes, sir.
This hotel of yours
presentable, is it?
Not too bad.
I'll book myself in.
What are their sandwiches like?
Sandwiches?
No idea.
Tell you what, I put my money
on this Middleton woman
being in league
with the killer.
On her own admission,
she shows the fellow in.
The next morning, she's gone.
Yeah, but she's the only person
who's had a proper look
at the killer.
What if she saw through
his disguise?
Disguise?
What disguise?
Bushy beard and glasses?
And suppose she saw who it was
under the disguise.
Perhaps we better start looking
for another body, not a witness.
ANSTRUTHER: Well, Mr. Poirot,
you get that down you,
and I reckon you'll live
to fight another day.
Oh.
Thank you very much,
Mr. Anstruther.
- [ Knock on door ]
- Come in.
Ah, Chief Inspector Japp.
Hastings, this is Mr. Anstruther
of the London, Midland,
and Scottish Railway.
Afternoon, gents.
Well, if you'll excuse me,
I have to get back.
A railway don't run itself,
you know.
I'll drop in tomorrow
with some more blackberry tea.
Thank you very much.
ANSTRUTHER: Oh, and don't forget
my bike, will you?
Certainly not.
That bike means a lot to me,
that bike does.
Man and boy, I've had that bike.
Au revoir.
Pauvre Mr. Anstruther.
He is a man obsessed.
Obsessed with what?
His bike?
Yes, indeed, Chief Inspector.
It has been stolen.
He is also obsessed
with other things.
He knows every final detail
about the movements
of the trains
in and out of
his little station.
Oh, yes? Been doing some
investigation, have we?
POIROT: How can I, Chief Inspector?
I am prostrated.
I toy with the little lines
of inquiry, that is all.
You, of course,
will be well ahead of me.
Well, we've got a description
of the murderer.
Yes, a man of medium height
wearing a broad-brimmed hat,
sporting a beard
that is large and fluffy.
How did you know that?
That is a description of the man
who stole the bicycle
of M. Anstruther.
It is essential
that we find it, Hastings.
Oh, right.
Find what?
The bicycle!
Also, I am most anxious
to establish whether or not
M. Archie Havering had an alibi
for the time
that M. Pace was shot.
[ Children talking ]
You didn't really like
your uncle, did you?
What are you implying?
Look, I'm sorry about this.
I'm afraid I have to ask you.
Poirot wants to know what
you were doing yesterday evening
at the time of
your uncle's death.
How dare you?
What on earth makes you think
I'd want to kill a man
like my Uncle Harry?
I tell you,
he was beneath contempt.
Mean and selfish.
You know Stoddard the gamekeeper
is his half-brother,
one of his father's bastards.
Good lord!
His own blood,
and he used him like a servant.
How did he get his money
in the first place?
I'll tell you.
He cheated his partner
in County Mayo,
then used the money
for profiteering on the war.
And people liked him!
He boasted about it,
and people applauded!
[ Door opens ]
Clear off!
[ Bed springs squeak ]
[ Telephone rings ]
Hello?
POIROT:
Chief Inspector?
Ah, how's the cold, Poirot?
POIROT: It is not a cold.
It is a deadly fever!
Hmm, nasty.
POIROT: However, I have asked
M. and Mme. Havering
to come to the hotel.
I am now convinced
that M. Roger Havering
has not been telling the truth.
You say, M. Havering,
that you arrived at London
at 9:00.
The only witness
that you can produce
is the doorman at your club
where you arrived at 10:00.
You say that you spent this hour
walking between King's Cross
at St. James', and yet,
you can describe
none of your movements,
no events, no street names,
rien -- nothing.
This isn't the line I've been
following at all, Poirot.
What are you driving at?
POIROT:
I am driving at
a curve in the line
of the local railway.
A loop of iron
which connects Ashby Pickard
with the little station
of Ashby le Walken.
What?
POIROT: It is quite possible,
M. Havering,
for a man to catch
the 6:15 train at one station
and get off at the next.
With the aid of a bicycle,
he returns to Hunter's Lodge
disguised with a beard
and wearing
a broad-brimmed hat.
He shoots the man
he wishes to shoot.
Then he catches the 7:20
from Ashby Pickard,
a train that is
faster than the 6:15,
which will get him to London in
time to be at his club by 10:00.
My God.
You're serious, aren't you?
It is a serious affair!
A man has been killed
and you are about to be
accused of his murder.
Me?
JAPP:
You, sir.
Do you not see it, monsieur?
You must tell us of your
movements that night.
Absolutely not.
I can't.
For God's sake, Roger, why not?
I just can't.
Well, Poirot?
Carry on, Chief Inspector.
I would like you to accompany me
to the local police station,
sir.
What?
I wish to question you in
connection with the murder
of your uncle,
Mr. Harrington Pace,
and with the disappearance of
the housekeeper, Mrs. Middleton.
[ Telephone rings ]
Yes? It's for you,
Chief inspector.
Japp.
Right.
What is it?
They found Mrs. Middleton.
We're not late, are we?
JAPP:
No, she hasn't arrived yet.
Shouldn't you be in bed?
Possibly,
but, please, do not fuss.
You looked like you were
at death's door last night.
POIROT:
Unfortunately, Chief Inspector,
it was my appetite
that was dead.
My Tetras à I'Hongroise,
it was fed to the cat.
Mrs. Middleton?
Yes, I'm Mrs. Middleton.
Well, what have you
brought me here for?
The instructions from the agency
were to go to Ashby Pickard
by train and I'd be met there,
and the engagement
would be for one month.
So, I did.
And I was met by a very nice
Irish lady who --
Irish? You sure?
Oh, yes!
She said she was Mrs. Pace.
And she said there'd been
an embarrassing mix-up.
What sort of mix-up?
She said they were
canceling the shooting this year
and there was no household
for me to keep.
So, anyway, she said
she'd be grateful
if I didn't say anything
to the agency
because she didn't want them
to think she was unreliable,
you know?
And she was very generous.
She said she'd give me
two months' wages in lieu
if I'd agree not to put myself
back on the agency books
for a full month.
JAPP:
And you agreed?
Yes!
She seemed very nice.
You kept very quiet
through all that.
I am unwell --
and it changes everything,
this testimony
of Mme. Middleton.
JAPP: Well, it all seems
pretty straightforward to me.
We still have to find
this other woman
who pretended to be
a housekeeper.
Agreed?
I think it would be
more fruitful
to find the bicycle
of M. Anstruther.
What on earth for?
Because, Hastings,
it was stolen
to transport a murderer
to Hunter's Lodge.
Why has it disappeared?
Sir, sir?
What is it, Forgan?
It's Mr. Havering, sir.
He's asking to see you.
I'll tell you what I was doing
if you promise not to tell Zoe.
Well, let's hope
it won't be necessary.
I'll make no promises.
Very well, then.
I was with Lord Quamby.
Lord Quamby?
The racing earl?
Yes, he's chairman of the board
in charge of on course betting.
I wanted him to get me
off the hook.
Well, buy me some time
on a couple of my debts.
Why were you so reluctant
to tell us this?
A few months ago, you see,
I promised Zoe
that I'd never back another
horse as long as I lived.
And will Lord Quamby
verify that you were with him?
Of course he will.
Tell me, Mlle. Joan,
on the night of the murder,
when was the last time
that you saw Mme. Middleton?
She was in the car
with Mr. Havering
when they dropped me off
at home.
He was on his way
to the station,
and he gave her a lift
over to Mr. Stoddard's house.
Mr. Stoddard the gamekeeper?
Yes, sir.
Ah, yes, of course,
M. Stoddard.
You hope to be his wife one day,
do you not?
No one's supposed to
know that, sir.
I comprehend.
Tell me more about
Mme. Middleton.
JOAN:
Oh, she was that strict.
Always leaving little notes
about the place, criticizing.
Mr. Stoddard didn't like her.
They used to be
quite sharp with each other.
Did Mme. Middleton ever talk
to you about herself?
JOAN:
No, not really.
She said she were from Ireland.
Mayo, I think.
She always kept herself
to herself, like.
Mlle. Joan, this apron?
Oh, that's
Mrs. Middleton's, sir.
Oh. Thank you.
That will be all.
So, when Harrington Pace
was living in Ireland,
he cheated his partner
and ruined him.
Then this mysterious woman,
who was also from County Mayo,
turns up
and replaces Mrs. Middleton.
She was probably a relation
of the ruined man.
She opens the door
to her accomplice,
the fellow with the bushy beard,
they kill Pace,
and both of them disappear.
Absolument, mon ami.
You have the story exact.
Oh.
STODDARD: In your
hunt countries, of course,
they use your gazehound,
hunts by sight.
For the moistness in our air,
we favor a dog
that hunts by scent.
And I tell you,
she's a prime example of that,
aren't you, huh?
She's the best of her kind,
she is.
That is most interesting.
Tell me, M. Stoddard,
if you please,
on the night
that M. Pace was killed,
Mme. Middleton
came to your house
to collect some game birds,
did she not?
No.
Oh, you're right.
I was expecting her,
but she never arrived.
I didn't see her
till much later,
when she came running down lane
to tell me about the shooting.
Chief inspector,
there is at Hunter's Lodge
a telephone, is there not?
Yes, there is.
Then why did not
Mme. Middleton herself
telephone to the police?
Aye, it crossed my mind then.
What she said was
that Mrs. Havering was near
hysterical at the horror of it.
She wanted to get her to sleep
before the police got there,
so she sent me to fetch them.
Ah, yes, she needed the time
alone in the house.
Yes, of course, of course.
M. Stoddard,
would you consider to involve
your excellent dog
in a little experiment?
She is clever with her nose,
you say?
She's got a nose that would
scent a poppy in
a bit of slurry, she has.
Eh bien, M. Stoddard,
our poppy, it is in here.
It is essential
that we determine
the whereabouts of the person
who calls herself
Mme. Middleton.
Easier said than done.
Not a glimmer.
Road, rail, local gossip,
nothing.
- That's why I think --
- Eh-up, eh-up!
- [ Dog whimpering ]
- What's it, girl?
What's the matter, girl, huh?
What's it, girl, huh?
Hey, hey, hey, hey.
So it's been buried?
Some thing.
It's a coat.
JAPP:
And a hat.
[ Dog whimpers ]
Hey, look at this.
Swipe me.
Bon! M. Anstruther,
he will be most pleased.
[ Whimpers ]
What a clever dog.
Everyone here?
In the gun room, sir.
M. Harrington Pace
was not a likeable man.
He used his wealth to control
his friends and his family.
For example, M. Stoddard,
his unacknowledged brother,
he employed as a gamekeeper,
but refused to lend him
the £300 necessary
to purchase his house
and to get married.
His nephew, M. Archie Havering,
he used as an estate manager,
paying him not with money,
but with promises of a legacy.
His other nephew,
M. Roger Havering,
was also made to dance
the attendance
by assurances of wealth to come.
There are, I think, here
motives for murder.
N'est-ce pas?
Now, look here, Poirot --
POIROT:
No, no, no, please, M. Roger,
I make not the accusations.
I merely speculate.
For instance, we know that
you could not have possibly
committed the murder,
because at 6:15 on that night,
you were boarding a train
for London.
But what we did not know
was that there was
another passenger
who also boarded that train.
This person
alighted from the train
at the very next stop
and stole the bicycle
of my friend,
M. Anstruther --
a curious thing to do, huh?
Hey, that's my bike!
POIROT: But the next thing
that this person did
was even more curious.
He buried the bicycle.
Then he buried all
the necessary accoutrements
of the bearded man...
...and turned himself
back into Mme. Middleton.
Mrs. Middleton
was the bearded man?
But, yes, Hastings.
You see, we only had the word
of Mme. Middleton herself
that a bearded man came to
the house that night,
but, of course,
that was not true.
No, I saw him.
Mme. Havering, if you please,
we will come to that
in a minute.
HASTINGS:
It's as I've said all along,
we've got to find
this Mrs. Middleton.
ROGER:
Well, may I suggest
that you get on
and do just that.
So far, all you've done is ask
impertinent questions
and treat respectable people
like a lot of criminals!
Please, M. Roger,
do not be in such haste.
We may know that you did not
commit a murder,
but there are other things
which are not yet so clear.
This crime was of a daring
most extraordinary.
It had to be like clockwork.
And the spurious Mme. Middleton
had to have an accomplice
to wind the spring.
JOAN:
Sorry, Mrs. Middleton.
POIROT: At a quarter to 6:00
on the night of the murder,
this spring,
it was ready for release.
The guests had departed,
Mlle. Ellie
had already gone home,
and Mile. Joan
had been offered a lift
in your car, M. Havering.
Mlle. Joan was duly dropped
at her cottage.
Mme. Middleton
was then to be driven to
the home of M. Stoddard
to collect some game birds,
but, of course,
she never arrived.
She was undergoing
a transformation.
It was essential, you see,
that a suspect should be seen
to alight from the train
at the very next stop,
a suspect that could well be
M. Roger Havering in disguise.
Why should I try to
incriminate myself?
Because, M. Havering,
you had planned most carefully
your alibi --
your meeting with Lord Quamby,
which you would seem to have
every reason for keeping secret,
but once you were forced to
reveal it and were released,
it was most unlikely
that the police
would suspect you
for a second time.
You're talking complete rubbish.
POIROT: No, no, no,
I think not, M. Havering.
You see, while you continued
your journey to London,
Mme. Middleton
returned to Hunter's Lodge.
[ Door closing ]
Your uncle was
a very wealthy man.
In time, you would
inherit his fortune,
but your gambling debts
grew heavier,
and M. Pace refused
to bail you out.
You desperately needed
the money now,
and so on that fateful night,
M. Pace was shot
in cold blood.
Prove it!
You just prove it.
That is a lying slander.
You're going to find yourself
in court, Mr. bloody Poirot!
And who is this Mrs. Middleton
I'm meant to have been
an accomplice of?
You can't even find her.
So you busy yourself
accusing everybody else!
You think that Hercule Poirot
is unable to find
this mysterious Mme. Middleton?
Hercule Poirot knows a way
to make Mme. Middleton
appear in our midst
as if by magic.
You do not believe in magic?
Very well.
I have only to tap with my cane
on the floor three times,
thus.
- Un...
- [ Tap ]
- ...deux...
- [ Tap ]
...trois.
[ Tap ]
[ Dog sniffs ]
[ Door opens ]
[ Dog sniffing ]
Can we not stop this charade,
Chief Inspector?
I don't know, sir.
I've always enjoyed party games.
Silly dog, what's it doing?
[ Dog whimpers ]
Will somebody take it away?
[ Dog snarls, barks ]
Stop it!
- Stop it!
- It's all right, Zoe.
Come on, girl.
Come on, heel!
That's it.
Good girl. Come.
ARCHIE: I don't know
what your silly game is,
but it seems to have gone
horribly wrong.
Now, leave her alone!
Zoe had nothing whatever to do
with this Mrs. Middleton!
On the contrary, M. Archie,
Mme. Havering had
a very close relationship
with the housekeeper,
Mme. Middleton.
The odd thing about it being
was that they were never once
seen together.
This temporary housekeeper
had only recently been employed
for the family's stay
at Hunter's Lodge.
She left little notes
for the servants
and kept herself to herself.
If the mistress was at home,
the housekeeper was absent.
When the housekeeper
was downstairs,
the mistress was in her room.
And that is where,
on the night of the murder,
after she had been interviewed
by the police,
Mme. Middleton
disappeared forever
from the face of the Earth.
Because it was you,
Mme. Zoe Havering,
together with your husband,
you planned and carried out
this murder ingenious.
Together, you plotted
to rid yourselves
of your uncle that was hated
and to lay your hands,
at last, on his money.
I must ask you both to come
with me to the police station.
How dare you?
This has gone far enough.
I do not intend to stand
idly by --
Oh, shut up, Roger!
But why did she have to
bury the bicycle?
How could she leave it lying
around, Hastings?
If it was found and identified
by M. Anstruther
as the bicycle that was stolen
outside the railway station,
then it would show
that the murderer
was still close
to Hunter's Lodge.
Oh, hello, Mr. Poirot.
M. Anstruther.
The blackberry tea
did the trick, then?
It did, indeed, monsieur.
It also stimulated the little
gray cells to such an extent
that it enabled me
to track down your bicycle.
ANSTRUTHER: It's a bit of
a blooming mess, isn't it?
- Yes, it got buried.
- Buried?
Buried.
It's all covered
in mud and mold.
And I regret that
I did not have the time
to clean it for you, monsieur.
ANSTRUTHER:
I don't know as I could be seen
riding about
on a thing like that.
That mud guard's all bent, too.
M. Anstruther,
do you or do you not
want your bicycle?
Oh... Oh, just leave it there.
I'll see if the boy
can do anything with it.
Is this gratitude, Hastings?
Is it for this
that Hercule Poirot
exerts his talents
on behalf of the world?
Do you expect gratitude?
Don't make me laugh.
Now you know what
a real detective feels like.
POIROT:
"A real detective"?
The Chief Inspector Japp
is truly most amusing,
- do you not think, Hastings?
- Oh, yes.
Most amusing.
For a policeman.
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