Murder on the Orient Express

Agatha Christie 
™
 MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS 
130
9 
POIROT PROPOUNDS TWO SOLUTIONS 
The passengers came crowding into the restaurant car and took their seats round the tables. They 
all bore more or less the same expression, one of expectancy mingled with apprehension. The 
Swedish lady was still weeping, and Mrs. Hubbard was comforting her. 
“Now you must just take a hold on yourself, my dear. Everything’s going to be perfectly all 
right. You mustn’t lose your grip on yourself. If one of us is a nasty murderer, we know quite 
well it isn’t you. Why, anyone would be crazy even to think of such a thing. You sit here, and I’ll 
stay right by you—and don’t you worry any.” Her voice died away as Poirot stood up. 
The Wagon Lit conductor was hovering in the doorway. “You permit that I stay, Monsieur?” 
“Certainly, Michel.” 
Poirot cleared his throat. 
“
Messieurs et mesdames
, I will speak in English since I think all of you know a little of that 
language. We are here to investigate the death of Samuel Edward Ratchett—
alias
Cassetti. There 
are two possible solutions of the crime. I shall put them both before you, and I shall ask M. 
Bouc, and Dr. Constantine here to judge which solution is the right one. 
“Now you all know the facts of the case. Mr. Ratchett was found stabbed this morning. He 
was last known to be alive at 12.37 last night when he spoke to the Wagon Lit conductor through 
the door. A watch in his pyjama pocket was found to be badly dented, and it had stopped at a 
quarter past one. Dr. Constantine, who examined the body when found, puts the time of death as 
having been between midnight and two in the morning. At half an hour after midnight, as you all 
know, the train ran into a snowdrift. After that time 
it was impossible for anyone to leave the 
train
. 
“The evidence of Mr. Hardman, who is a member of a New York detective agency—” 
(Several heads turned, to look at Mr. Hardman.)—“shows that no one could have passed his 
compartment (No. 16 at the extreme end) without being seen by him. We are therefore forced to 
the conclusion that the murderer is to be found among the occupants of one particular coach—
the Stamboul-Calais coach. 
“That, I will say, 
was
our theory.” 
“
Comment
?” ejaculated M. Bouc, startled. 
“But I will put before you an alternative theory. It is very simple. Mr. Ratchett had a certain 
enemy whom he feared. He gave Mr. Hardman a description of this enemy and told him that the 
attempt, if made at all, would most probably be made on the second night out from Stamboul. 
“Now I put it to you, ladies and gentlemen, that Mr. Ratchett knew a good deal more than he 
told. The enemy, as Mr. Ratchett expected, joined the train 
at Belgrade or else at Vincovci 
by the 
door left open by Colonel Arbuthnot and Mr. MacQueen, who had just descended to the 
platform. He was provided with a suit of Wagon Lit uniform, which he wore over his ordinary 
clothes, and a pass-key which enabled him to gain access to Mr. Ratchett’s compartment in spite 
of the door’s being locked. Mr. Ratchett was under the influence of a sleeping draught. This man 
stabbed him with great ferocity and left the compartment through the communicating door 
leading to Mrs. Hubbard’s compartment—” 
“That’s so,” said Mrs. Hubbard, nodding her head. 

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