Murder On The Orient Express Page #10

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C'etait un cauchemar.

Bien, Mr. Ratchett.

May you now have

pleasant dreams.

At 1:
15 came Mrs. Hubbard's

announcement

that there was

a man in her room,

who had, for reasons which I dare

not even guess, shed a button.

The next morning,

the murder was discovered.

Dr. Constantine sets

the time of the murder

anywhere between

midnight and 2 a.m.

Now, I came to various conclusions.

The clumsy clich?

of the smashed watch

registering 1:
15

had been done deliberately

to excite my disbelief.

And since Mr. McQueen

had overemphatically said

that Ratchett spoke

no languages,

I was being deliberately

maneuvered into believing

that Ratchett was already dead

when a voice cried out

from his room in French.

In other words,

I was being forced

into the theory

that the murder was

committed before 1:15.

A period for which every single

one of you had an unshakable alibi.

But...

...supposing that the crime

had not been committed earlier,

but later than 1:15...

...when all the noises and incidents

designed to confuse me

had died down.

And I had lapsed into sleep

because the train was now silent...

...and at peace.

Silent, yes.

At peace, no.

By 2:
00, the murder was afoot.

Envisage it.

For my daughter.

My granddaughter.

In memory of Colonel Armstrong...

...a great soldier

and an even greater friend.

And for Mrs. Armstrong.

They took me into their home

and their hearts.

For their Daisy and mine.

Oh, God, forgive me.

For my...

My sister and my...

...niece.

Cassetti.

For the grief you brought

to my beloved wife.

Vigliacco.

Schweinehund.

For my beloved goddaughter.

For Mother Armstrong...

...from Hector.

For my gentleman.

To Paulette,

with love.

And with mine,

God rest the soul

of my dear, dead daughter.

I repeat...

...a repulsive murderer

has himself

been repulsively and, perhaps,

deservedly murdered.

But in which of the two ways

that I have suggested?

In the simpler way,

by the Mafioso

disguised as

a wagon-lit conductor?

Or in the more complex way

that I have just outlined...

...which involves many questions

and, of course...

...considerable scandal?

Signor Bianchi, it is for you,

as a director of the line,

to choose the solution that we shall

offer to the police at Brod.

Though I confess...

...I am in two minds.

Though I...

I think the police at Brod

would prefer

the simplicity of the first solution.

We have the uniform...

...to show the police.

If we have the uniform,

there must have

been a man in it.

So therefore,

I elect the first solution.

Here, here.

Hercule.

I thank you.

My friend.

Now I must go and wrestle

with my report to the police

and with my conscience.

Mama.

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