Appointment with Death Page #4

Smile.

- Say "cheese".

- Cheese!

Lennox will settle me

in my chair outside my tent...

and, Nadine, you'll see

that I have my medicine.

I don't want to go to bed.

Why should I go to bed? I'm not going to.

Ginevra, go to your tent.

I'm not tired.

- Of course you are, go to rest at once.

- All right.

- Raymond.

- Yes, ma'am.

Why don't you ask Dr. King

if she'd like to join you on your walk?

You'd like that, wouldn't you?

And while you're there...

ask Lady Westholme if she could spare me

a moment while you're all gone.

Jefferson, Mother suggested

we go for a walk.

You know Qumran.

Where do you think we should go?

Well...

back in the hills.

It's quite lovely.

I've been there before.

- I bet you have.

- Would you like me to take you?

- Mother.

- Come now. Let's all be friends.

This is too confined a spot for tribulation.

Excuse me. I was wondering, Dr. King,

if you'd care to accompany us on our walk?

I should like that very much.

I do not believe in exercise after lunch.

I think I'll go to my tent and work.

My stepmother would like

a word with you later, Lady Westholme.

She would?

Shall we go?

So do I.

I thought we were all going for a walk.

I have permission to go with Miss Quinton.

She's going to explain the diggings to me.

- Well, have fun.

- Thanks.

Bye.

They've found some bronzes

with very odd markings on them.

All ready? Off you go, then.

I guess it must be very different

from England, Miss King.

Of course it's different.

- I've had enough.

- What's up, Lennox?

I'm going down.

Aren't you feeling well?

There he goes.

Well, what's the old saying?

You shouldn't join if you can't take a joke.

Don't you think

we should go down with him?

You said I should behave like a man.

I'm going back now.

No, on my own.

There's something I have to say and do

to prove to you that-

You don't have to prove anything

to me, Raymond.

To myself then.

- Where is everyone?

- They've gone down below, haven't they?

They've gone to see what was found today

at the digging.

No. No. No, please. Will you please...

Thank you, Carbury.

I don't know I'm sure whether

we should partition Palestine or not.

Maybe we should have left it to the Turks.

I never studied all that.

I was too busy with my medical curriculum.

It's a pity.

You learn so much about a place,

but only if one has prepared.

In my view the British-

Excuse me, Lady Westholme.

- Let me. I'm a doctor.

- She no answer, lady.

Let me do it, Ginny. Let me do it.

- Excuse me.

- Let me see.

What does she want?

I'm afraid I have some bad news.

Mr. Boynton, I'm sorry.

Your stepmother is dead.

- Careful, Margaret.

- You've got to take care of her.

There you are.

It's all right. It's all right.

But I just spoke to her an hour ago.

It's not possible.

What, in your opinion,

was the cause of death, Dr. King?

Heart failure seems the most likely.

And can you estimate a time of death?

Well, I'm not very experienced

at that sort of thing...

but I'd say a couple of hours ago at least.

I see.

You noticed the marks

on the wrist, of course?

No, what kind of marks?

Oh, yes, little pin pricks.

She had a bad heart condition.

I'm convinced she died of natural causes.

You know, when someone is hated

as much as Mrs. Boynton was...

a sudden death by natural causes

seems a little too convenient.

Do you think you've stumbled

on another murder, Monsieur Poirot?

Would you oblige me

by opening your medical bag?

Yes, of course.

Though, I really don't see what possible-

Someone has been here.

Excuse me.

This bottle of digitalis, was it empty?

No, it was full.

Really, Poirot...

are you sure you're not letting your

professional instincts run away with you?

Why should I do that, mon colonel?

Old woman with a heart condition...

- walking, heat.

- Yes-

Yes, I know she had pricks in the arm,

a family that hated her.

She could easily have taken

an overdose of her own medicine.

No, because it was her habit

to take that drug in water...

administered by her daughter-in-law.

You mean, she's a suspect?

My dear Colonel, everybody is a suspect.

Well, you're the expert,

but what do you want me to do?

That Doctor... What's her name?

Dr. King thought it was natural causes.

I'm convinced

that Mrs. Boynton was murdered.

Can you show me any evidence?

I can do better than that.

I can identify the guilty party.

Oh, my dear fellow,

I couldn't possibly ask you to do that.

I mean, you're on holiday after all.

I give you my word of honor.

You mean you'll give us a case

that will stick?

I don't know that I can do that,

but I can tell you who the murderer is.

Well, how long will it take? I can't keep

all these people here as suspects forever.

They'll soon run out of day trips

to take and insist on going home.

I will give you the truth in two days.

Very well. Very well, 48 hours.

In time for the coronation junket

at the American Colony.

You seem very certain.

I am very certain because, you see,

people like to talk...

and in talking they tell the truth.

Why? It puts much less of a strain

on the memory.

Oh, but, of course

you have to have the genius to listen.

Thank you very much.

Dr. King.

Very pretty, miss, for you special price.

Twenty dinars.

Offer him five.

But, sir...

Tea time. Come along.

Five dinars. I give in.

You still think someone killed her

with an injection?

Someone? You had as good a motive

as anyone.

Me?

Well, you called Mrs. Boynton an ogre,

did you not, back at the hotel?

I criticized her behavior.

And how did she respond to that?

Well, all she said was...

I never forget anything...

not an action...

not a name...

not a face.

Then you fell in love

with Raymond Boynton.

Of course his stepmother

could never allow such a marriage.

In any case he could never

leave home of his own accord.

That's rubbish. He'd already made up

his mind to do exactly that.

You had discussed it with him?

Yes.

Earlier yesterday afternoon?

Yes, as a matter of fact.

Dr. King, could you tell me exactly

what happened yesterday after lunch...

when I was no longer there?

Well, as you know...

- we were all going off for a walk.

- Yes.

It must've been about 3:15

when we left the camp.

Nadine was flirting dreadfully

with Mr. Cope.

Lennox was sulking,

and then suddenly he said...

I'm going down.

And what time was it?

- About quarter to 4:00.

- And then?

I stayed and talked to Raymond.

He said he was going back.

He said he had to prove something.

There's something I have to say and do...

It was 5.:
00, I'd say.

Perhaps he decided

to murder his stepmother.

Raymond's incapable of such a thing.

Excuse me, I heard him plot

exactly such a thing with his sister Carol.

I heard them by chance, aboard ship.

How is it you're always in the right place

to hear threats and plots, Monsieur Poirot?

Put it down to a gift, if you will.

When did you return to the camp?

About 6.:
00.

I saw Mrs. Boynton. The Arab

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