MUSIC: 'Alice Blue Gown' by Harry Austin Tierney ♪ I once had a gown It was almost new ♪ ♪ Oh, the daintiest thing It was sweet Alice blue ♪ ♪ With little forget-me-nots Placed here and there ♪ ♪ When I had it on I walked on air ♪ ♪ And it wore and it wore And it wore... ♪ Lucy.

Hello, darling.

DOOR OPENS PRIEST: The Lord is my shepherd.

I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures.

He leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul.

SHE BREATHES HEAVILY HEARTBEAT POUNDING HEAVILY Merci.

- Sante.

- Sante.

Alors... Mademoiselle Lemarchant.

For starters, Monsieur Poirot, that is not my name.

Pardon.

But I understood it was... ..Mademoiselle Lemarchant that I was to meet.

That is the name I was given as a child.

My real name is Crale.

Lucy Crale.

Crale?

Now I seem to remember...

Yes, my father was Amyas Crale, the artist.

And my mother was... - Caroline.

- Caroline... Crale.

- That's right.

Yes.

Yes.

A story most tragique.

But it was a long time ago, yes?

- Fourteen years.

- Fourteen years?

You know...

I saw a picture that your father painted... ..in the Tate.

Girl In Shadow.

Girl In Shadow.

That was the one.

It is a composition most striking, eh?

Yes, he was a great painter.

His reputation is, yes, considerable...

I'm not here to discuss his art, Monsieur Poirot.

I'm here because I want you to investigate his murder.

I was seven at the time.

Too young really to know anything about it.

We lived in Devon in a house called Alderbury.

My parents were very much in love.

And in many ways, it was an idyllic childhood.

But then, one day, I was suddenly taken from my home... and sent to relatives in Canada.

And, finally, when I turned 21, they were obliged to tell me the truth.

For one thing, I came into my own money.

And then, you see, there's the letter...

The letter?

Which my mother wrote me just before she died.

That was the first I knew... that my mother was hanged for killing my father.

And what did she write?

Quite simply that she didn't do it.

She's innocent and that I could always be sure of that.

And that is what I want you to prove.

But why Hercule Poirot, Mademoiselle?

I've heard about you.

The things you've done.

The way you work.

It's psychology.

It's your forte, n'est-ce pas?

Oui, c'est vrai.

My success, it is founded on psychology or... ..the why of human behaviour.

It is this that I use.

Tout de meme, Mademoiselle, it is so long since it happened.

Secrets and lies, Monsieur.

The past keeps pulling me back.

It won't let me be.

And until these ghosts are laid to rest...

..I can't move on.

Bon.

I am honoured by your faith in me.

But...

I cannot, you understand accept your assurance of the innocence of your mother.

Eh, bien, if she was guilty, what then?

I have to know the truth, Monsieur.

And if the truth is not what you wish to hear?

I have to know.

JUDGE: From there to a lawful place of execution, where you will be hanged by the neck until dead.

Not one of my greatest successes, I have to say.

The defence was suicide, yes?

Didn't go down too well, I'm afraid.

Amyas Crale simply wasn't that kind of chap.

Wine, women, beer... the lusts of the flesh, you know.

The idea of his killing himself out of conscience... Well, frankly, I don't think he had one.

So in your opinion, Sir Montague, Caroline Crale, she was guilty?

I rather thought we were taking that for granted.

Did she ever admit as much?

Monsieur Poirot, she didn't need to.

I knew we'd lost as soon as she stepped into the witness box.

'She certainly had motive.

'Amyas Crale was always getting mixed up 'with some woman or other, 'but this was rather different.

'The girl, Elsa Greer... just turned 18.

'Quite a looker, I must say.

'She knew what she wanted, and that was Amyas Crale.

'She got him to paint her, 'and he ended up falling for her.'

Caroline Crale was overheard to say that... ..if he didn't give her up, she would kill him.

What was the evidence against her?

She stole some poison from a neighbour, who dabbled in herbs and the like.

She hid it in a scent bottle when the police found it in her room, she claimed she meant to kill herself.

What she couldn't explain why the bottle was empty and only her fingerprints were on it.

We contended, of course, that Amyas Crale had used it to kill himself.

But if he had, his fingerprints would have been on it as well.

And how did she give it to him, this poison?

Used a pipette to spike his beer.

- Pardon, Monsieur, "spike"?

- Er, tampered.

Took him a bottle while he was painting.

The police found the pipette crushed near the scene of the crime.

Oh, the prosecution had a field day.

So... she put the coniine into the bottle before taking it to him?

No, there was no coniine in the bottle at all.

Only in the glass.

- I see.

Was that you being inscrutable, Monsieur Poirot?

No, no, no, no.

Pardon.

But there were, I believe, other people present at the time.

Oh, yes, there were.

Let me think... Five, if memory serves.

'Philip Blake, a stockbroker, 'one of Crale's best friends.

'Meredith, his elder brother, 'lives across the estuary from the house 'where the murder took place.

'Elsa Greer, of course.

'Currently Lady Dittisham, 'although nowadays she spends most of her time 'in the gossip columns and the divorce court.

'And the governess.

Miss... Wilson?

'Williams!

That's it.

'Very capable, but not exactly a barrel of laughs.'

Then of course, there was Angela, Caroline's half-sister.

She'd been packed off to school by the time of the trial.

Poor thing.

She had perhaps the problems?

There was a rather unfortunate incident when she was a toddler.

Caroline Crale, as a young girl, threw a bit of a tantrum.

I did argue that she was not of sound mind, but...

Fascinating creature.

I'll never forget her, you know.

She had a quality one couldn't help but admire.

Somehow, she was... above it all.

What people will do in the name of love.

It makes fools of us all, n'est-ce pas?

Eh, bien, I thank you, Sir Montague.

You have been most helpful.

A pleasure meeting you, Poirot.

Tell to me, if you please, if, as her daughter hopes, Caroline Crale did not kill her husband...

But she did, old boy.

Take my word for it.

..then it makes the logic that one of these five people must have done so.

There's no reason why any of them should.

No, but all the same, I think I should pay to them each a visit.

Get five different versions of the same event.

- Thank you, Hollinghurst.

- A pleasure, Mr Blake.

Thoroughly good egg, old Hollinghurst, even though he does bat for the other side.

Tally-ho!

Tally-ho.

Well, who'd have thought it?

Raising a glass with the famous Hercule Porrow.

Poirot, Monsieur.

Hercule Poirot.

Poirot.

Porrow!

Could never get my tongue around French.

Let's keep the old entente cordial, eh?

But I am Belgian, Monsieur, not French.

So, what can I do for you?

It is the Crale case, Monsieur.

It is that which I wish to discuss with you.

What the hell for?

Because I have accepted, Monsieur a commission to review the case.

From whom?

Lucy Crale.

- Lucy Crale?

- Oui, Monsieur.

Nothing to discuss.

Five minutes of your time, Monsieur Blake, is all I ask.

What the hell's she poking her nose in for?

- She wishes to know the truth.

- Everyone knows the truth.

But all she wishes is to assess for herself the facts.

It's over.

Dead.

Buried.

As are her parents, Monsieur.

Amyas Crale... was the best friend a chap could have.

Knew each other since we were children.

We all did.

Myself, my brother, Caroline.

'Neighbours, you see, down in Devon.

'Amyas was a great fellow.'

All that talent, that... lust for life, wiped out because of her.

You did not like her?

Rotten, through and through.

And Amyas could never see it.

But he was also something of a rotter, was he not?

That's what she'd have you believe.

She liked playing the injured party, and did it very well, but... underneath it all, she was cold and calculating.

Had a devil of a temper.

Tried to kill her baby sister, for God's sake.

- Do you say true?

- Damned right.

Chucked a paperweight at her and blinded the little blighter in one eye.

Disfigured for life.

Do you know the reason for this fit of temper?

Sibling jealousy.

Simple as that.

'And it was jealousy that made her kill Amyas.

'I tell you, 'that woman was trouble.

'Even as a girl, the way she played us boys along.'

PHILIP CHUCKLES 'Gave us all the once-over, but finally settled on Amyas.

'Not surprising, really.

'He was in line to inherit Alderbury 'and was showing talent as an artist.

'A rich genius.

What could be better?'

It is surprising, is it not, how soon in life the die is cast?

Yes, I suppose it is.

Anyway, after the marriage, I kept my distance, for a while at least.

But I soon succumbed to temptation.

Temptation, Monsieur?

Alderbury.

'A place I couldn't resist.

'I had some of the happiest times of my life in that house.'

HOOTER PARPS GIRL: He's here.

PHILIP: 'That September, 'like the summers of childhood, 'I was hoping for a peaceful few weeks.'

Uncle Phil!

'But I should have known better.'

Morning, Mr Blake.

Good morning, Mrs Spriggs.

- Good to see you again.

- Good to see you, too.

CAROLINE: Amyas, please!

They've been at it for hours.

Hello, Uncle Phil.

Hello, there.

My, you've grown.

Angela looking after you, is she?

No?

No?

- Come on, Lucy, catch me!

- Give her a chance, now.

Wait for me, Angela.

CAROLINE: Why won't you listen to me, Amyas?

Caroline, for God's sake!

That's right.

Run away like you always do.

OBJECT SHATTERS There goes the jardiniere.

PHILIP: 'There was always something of an atmosphere.

'But this time, you could cut it with a knife.

'And I soon saw why.'

Amyas, old chap.

How the hell are you?

Lovely, isn't she?

Sometimes, I wish I'd never met her.

Thank God you've turned up.

Living in a house full of women is enough to send any man off his chump.

Philip, how lovely to see you.

- Hello, Caroline.

- Just in time for lunch.

Will Elsie be joining us?

- Elsa.

Amyas is doing her portrait.

Skittish little thing.

She should watch all that sun, you know.

Can be very ageing.

Things are a bit rocky at the moment.

Is it serious, then, Elsa and you?

It'll be a damned good painting.

That's not what I asked.

You know me, Phil.

I can't help myself.

But then, things got worse.

'Amyas and Caroline's half-sister Angela 'had been bickering all morning.'

Would you stop that, please, Angela?

- What?

- Slurping.

- I'm not slurping.

- Yes, you are.

Amyas.

I thought I might try that other kimono.

The canary yellow.

It could look rather stunning against that water.

Don't you think?

Canary?

How lovely.

Of course, on some people, it might look a little... How shall I put it?

Don't worry, Caroline.

I'm young enough to carry it off.

We're not changing anything.

Did you hear that?

It's like feeding time in the monkey house!

Why can't you just leave me alone?

PHILIP: I haven't seen this before.

It's by Wolgemut Dahl, a young Norwegian.

Extraordinary, don't you think?

Everyone's talking about him.

Got a sense of humour, I'll give him that.

Don't you agree, Miss Williams?

Beechwood, isn't it?

Thank you, Mrs Spriggs.

This room would be so lovely if it weren't so cluttered.

When I'm living here, I'll throw out all the rubbish, which, let's face it, is practically everything.

And I've always thought copper-coloured curtains would be simply divine.

Don't you think they'd look rather lovely in the setting sun?

Are you thinking of buying, then, Elsa?

That won't be necessary.

You seem to have lost me, my dear.

All this pretence.

It's so dishonest.

Amyas and I love each other and we're going to be married.

So I shall be moving in.

As I suspected, my dear, you're completely insane.

That bloody bisque's given me the most frightful indigestion.

Ask Mrs Spriggs for some bicarbonate of soda.

Good thinking.

By the way, Elsa says you want to marry her.

Is this true?

Is it true?

It's only fair that she should know.

Amyas, is it true?

Then... it is.

If you'll excuse me, I'll...

I'll just... You know, looking back...

..I wouldn't be surprised if she'd made up her mind to kill him then.

Amyas, do tidy yourself up.

We're going over to Meredith's for tea, remember?

Oh, yes, I'd forgotten.

Philip, you should do some fishing while you're here.

The sea's probably swarming with mackerel.

So, we all trooped off to Merri's.

Not very merry that afternoon.

Amyas can't do this.

Looks like he's going to.

He can't just leave his wife and child for some slip of a girl.

She's too young to know what she's doing.

She knows, all right.

PHILIP: 'Poor old Merri.'

All that sensitivity... No use at all.

Hard to believe we come from the same stable.

After tea, he took us to his lab.

Coniine?

I've never heard of this.

It's distilled from the flowers of the spotted hemlock.

It's, er, highly poisonous, but it can be efficacious in the treatment of whooping cough.

'Then he had the cheek to read us some classical tripe 'about the death of Socrates or Plato or some such nonsense.'

MEREDITH: "The man who administered the poison "pinched his foot and asked if he felt it.

"Socrates said no.

"Then he did the same to his legs, "and gradually moving upwards in this way, "he let us see that he was getting cold and numb.

"He said that when it reached the heart, "Socrates would be gone."

Back at HQ that evening, Amyas and Angela had a God Almighty row about something or other.

But that was nothing out of the ordinary.

I even think she might have thrown something at him.

Can you remember what?

Good Lord, no.

It was 14 years ago.

Oh, yes.

Yes, of course.

You are being most helpful, Monsieur Blake.

The next morning, when I came downstairs, I heard Amyas and Caroline at it in the library.

'I don't know where they got the energy from.'

AMYAS: It's true, I swear to God!

CAROLINE: You and your women.

Some day, I'll kill you, Amyas.

- Don't be an idiot.

- I swear to God I will!

Good morning.

Lovely day.

I want to get on.

- I'll go change.

- Don't be long.

Bloody women.

PHILIP: 'And off he went, back to his painting, 'while I went back inside.'

DOOR SLAMS - Good morning.

- It's too cruel.

Too cruel!

'She hardly noticed me.'

'And now, of course, I know why.'

TELEPHONE RINGING Hello.

What the hell's the matter?

I heard these noises... in the laboratory.

So I went to have a look.

The coniine bottle was not only out of place, but it was practically empty, and I swear to you, Phil, that, yesterday, it was full.

- Are you sure?

- Of course I'm sure!

I'm very... careful about these things.

And I knew at once, it must have been Caroline.

I should have gone straight to Amyas and warned him.

That's absurd.

Caroline wouldn't dream of such a thing.

Then what's your explanation?

- You're being so hard on her.

For God's sake!

PHILIP: Discuss it after lunch.

AMYAS: I'll see to her packing.

- What are you two up to?

- Oh, what a surprise.

- Yes, er... - We were just having a chat... about Angela and school.

I'm not at all sure it's the right thing.

Sorry about that.

Hello, everybody.

I'd kill for a cold beer.

I'll send some down.

DOOR CLOSES I think we could all do with one.

PHILIP: 'And that's when it happened.'

Why don't I take it?

Oh, no.

Enjoy the sun.

'At the time, I reasoned it might be jealousy.

'That she couldn't stand the thought 'of the two of them being alone together.'

I...

I should have realised, but instead, I just sat and watched.

I had the chance to save him and...

..I did nothing.

You reproach yourself unduly, Monsieur Blake.

Amyas didn't join us for lunch.

And then Caroline took him coffee.

So calm and collected, and yet... she must have known by then, he'd be dead.

Miss Williams went with her and then... Meredith wandered off.

But it wasn't long before we saw him again.

Get a doctor.

Quick!

- What's wrong?

- It's Amyas.

What?

I'm afraid he's dead.

Amyas!

Phone the doctor.

I'll take care of her.

She was like an avenging Fury.

I've never seen anything like it.

You killed him!

You killed him!

My Amyas!

You've killed my dearest friend.

No.

He did it himself.

Tell that to the police.

They didn't believe her either.

POIROT: Eh, bien, Monsieur Blake.

The truth... it has the habit of revealing itself.

Monsieur Poirot.

Lady Dittisham.

Let's get on with it, shall we?

I said all I had to say about the Crale case many years ago.

But I found your letter rather intriguing.

How lucky you are curiosity got the better of me.

Indeed I am, my lady.

It must be very painful for you to recall.

Painful?

No.

My father was a mill hand, worked his way up and made a mint.

You can't do that with thin skin.

And I, Monsieur Poirot, am my fathers' daughter.

I am not as sensitive as you might think.

Then that makes my task a little easier.

One so often jumps to the wrong conclusion.

At the trial, for example, people thought what a terrible ordeal it must have been for me.

The brutish questions.

The ghastly journalists.

The mindless screaming crowds.

But the English are a people very moral, n'est-ce pas?

That's one way of looking at it.

Alors, if you did not find the trial an ordeal, how did you find it?

I enjoyed it.

You see, I got exactly what I wanted.

And what was that?

Caroline Crale at the end of a rope.

Coffee?

Thank you, Tipping.

You said in your letter that a Mademoiselle... - ..Lemarchant.

- That's right.

..had commissioned you.

I don't believe I know her.

Why, she is the daughter of Amyas and Caroline Crale.

Oh, yes, of course.

There was a child... Oh, dear.

Does she think it was my fault?

That is a possible interpretation.

Oui.

How very stupid.

Cream?

No, no, no.

Merci.

So you take no responsibility?

Why should I?

I loved him... and I would have made him happy.

And that woman killed him to stop that from happening.

You have to understand... ..Amyas Crale did not seduce an innocent young girl.

'It wasn't like that at all.'

Elsa Greer.

As soon as I laid eyes on him, I knew I had to have him.

I want you to paint me.

I don't do portraits.

I'm rather rich, you know.

I can afford to pay.

And what makes you think I'd want to paint you?

But you do, don't you?

And I always get what I want.

So, when do we start?

If I paint you, you realise I'll make love to you.

I'd have thought that went without saying.

So he invited me down to their house.

Quite bold of him, really.

'But Caroline didn't seem to mind.

'She didn't like me, but, then, why should she?

'And we never said anything 'that she couldn't have overheard.

'But we were more than aware of what was going on.'

What is it?

I think you ought to go back to London.

But the picture... we've hardly started.

I can't paint you, Elsa.

Why?

You know why.

ELSA: 'So I left.

I didn't write or telephone.

'And then after ten days...' DOORBELL CHIMING 'He couldn't keep away.

We were together for two weeks.

'And soon, we realised 'that we had to be together.

Always.'

I want you to come back to Alderbury.

I've decided to finish the painting.

What about Caroline?

What about her?

Shouldn't you tell her?

What on earth for?

She's bound to find out sooner or later.

We'll get the picture finished first.

But you will tell her, won't you?

Yes.

Promise?

Promise.

Do you think she'll make a terrible fuss?

She always makes a fuss.

She loves me.

Then she should put your happiness first.

ELSA: 'He painted in a kind of frenzy.

'I'd never seen him like that before.'

AMYAS: Keep still, for God's sake.

ELSA: 'I was convinced we should tell her, 'but Amyas wouldn't hear of it.

'And then one day, I... 'lost my patience.'

Amyas and I love each other and we are going to be married.

So I shall be moving in.

Amyas was furious.

But he had to admit what I said was true.

And I still think I was right.

Honesty is, after all, he best policy.

Don't you agree, Monsieur Poirot?

Desirable certainly, but not always advisable.

We believe in plain-speaking where I come from.

I'm very pleased to hear it, Madame.

But Caroline had a devious way about her.

When we went to Meredith's for tea that afternoon, she behaved as if nothing had happened.

I even began to think she was taking it rather well.

How wrong I was.

If you please to tell me, Lady Dittisham, in plain-speaking... if when you were all assembled in the laboratory of Monsieur Blake, you observed Caroline Crale take the coniine?

No, I did not.

'I seem to remember chatting to Meredith in the doorway, 'so I wouldn't have been able to see a thing.'

Caroline.

Sorry, Merri, it's such a fascinating collection.

ELSA: 'But of course she did take it.'

And we all know why.

Perhaps not everyone is as sure as you.

I actually heard her threaten him.

CAROLINE: You and your women.

Some day, I'll kill you.

- Oh, don't be an Idiot.

- I swear to God I will.

You can threaten me all you like.

I am going to marry Elsa and nothing's gonna stop me!

I'll kill you rather than let you go.

PHILIP: Morning.

AMYAS: For God's sake!

Lovely day.

I want to get on.

- I'll go change.

- Don't be long.

ELSA: 'Which I did.

'Then I went to join him... 'and I poured him a beer.'

She's making a terrible song and dance.

I told you she would.

To my Mona Lisa.

My darling Amyas.

God, it's warm.

I can get you a cold one.

On that seat.

Sit down.

Now.

He painted as if his life depended on it.

Dear Amyas.

I loved him so much.

It happened shortly after that.

I popped up to the house to fetch a shawl and when I came back, she was there.

Sorry about that.

Hello, everybody.

I'd kill for a cold beer.

I'll send some down.

ELSA: 'She must have known then what she meant to do.

'She brought it back about ten minutes later.'

Urgh, it tastes foul.

Everything tastes foul today.

Too much bile, my dear.

It'll choke you one of these days.

ELSA: 'I didn't suspect a thing.

'About 40 minutes later... 'he complained of stiffness and pains.'

Ow!

Bloody rheumatism.

'Then the bell sounded for lunch and Meredith came to fetch me.

'Amyas decided to skip lunch, as he often did.'

Old grumpy doesn't want any lunch.

So we left him... ..to die alone.

ELSA: Amyas.

Amyas!

'And I just knew it was Caroline.'

How could she do that?

How could she?

It is a story... ..most... tragique, n'est-ce pas?

Hanging was too good for her.

FROM GRAMOPHONE: 'Love Duet From Tristan And Isolde' POIROT: Monsieur Blake?

Little Lucy... A grown woman?

One can hardly believe it.

Time passes swiftly, does it not?

Poor child.

Such a terrible shock.

How much better to let it all be.

The whole point, you see, is that Amyas Crale was an artist.

And his art was his passion.

When he painted, he was like a man possessed.

He meant to finish that portrait, whatever the cost.

Elsa was terrifically enthusiastic about the painting.

And... Caroline...

Yes?

I'd always been... ..well, very fond of her.

Come on, Merri.

Come on.

'There was a time when I'd hoped to marry her.

'But that was soon nipped in the bud.'

Still, I remained, if I may say so, devoted to her service.

Dear God...

When I think of what they did to her... ..strung up like an animal...

Such a... gentle creature.

ELSA LAUGHING 'I remember a conversation we had 'shortly after it all began.'

AMYAS: No, no, no.

That looks great.

Hold it there.

Do you think he really cares for her?

HE SIGHS DEEPLY Well... he's very committed to the painting.

ELSA LAUGHING CAROLINE: He's in love with her, isn't he?

A little, perhaps.

A great deal, I think.

There's only one person he really cares for, I think that's you.

These infatuations, they come and they go.

That's what I used to think.

But this time, I have a feeling it's serious.

ELSA LAUGHING She's just a girl.

But that's the trouble.

The way she looks at him.

So intense.

I'm afraid, Meredith.

It's...

It's nothing.

I hope you're right.

But I can't help feeling I'd like to take a hatchet to her.

- A hatchet?

- It's a small axe.

I know what a hatchet is, Monsieur.

I was commenting rather on her remark.

It was merely to make a point.

She made her point a little more forcibly, did she not, with her baby sister Angela?

Ah.

The paperweight.

- Oui.

It was a moment of sibling jealousy, for which she never forgave herself.

And disfigured the girl for life?

Well, that was the problem.

It was a constant reminder.

She tried desperately to make amends, which, in turn, made Amyas very jealous.

You knew him for many years, n'est-ce pas?

Since boyhood.

But he was always more Philip's friend... ..than mine.

POIROT: 'You did not like him?'

MEREDITH: 'I thought his conduct 'was frankly disgraceful.'

Don't you understand?

This painting's the best thing I've done and I'm determined to see it through.

No.

I think it's a disgrace...

The way you treat Caroline.

The way you've always treated her.

What about Lucy, for heaven's sake?

You can't just throw it all away.

You're a good man, Merri.

But such an old softie.

Wait till the picture's finished.

Then you'll see I was right.

MEREDITH: 'That grin he gave me.

'I'll never forget Caroline that afternoon.

'She made such an effort, and yet behind it all...' MEREDITH: Is anything the matter, my dear?

Everything.

It's gone.

Finished.

When she said at the trial that she took the poison to kill herself, I swear she was speaking the truth.

But why did you take your guests into the laboratory?

- Someone must've suggested it.

- Caroline Crale?

I often took guests into my laboratory.

It wasn't unusual.

- This is valerian.

- The one that cats like?

MEREDITH: Yes, they can't get enough of it.

It can be used as a sleeping draught.

Elsa, you should have a sniff.

Eurgh!

'I got a lot of pleasure from my brews.'

Gathering the plants at night, macerating them, all the rest of it.

It's astonishing how a simple decoction can work wonders.

Coniine?

I've never heard of this.

It's distilled from the flowers of the spotted hemlock.

Isn't that what Socrates took?

That's right.

You know, there's the most moving description of his death in Plato's Phaedo.

I could read it to you, if you'd like.

PHILIP YAWNS Sorry.

Sorry.

It must be the heat.

"And the man who administered the poison "pinched his foot and he asked if he felt it.

"Socrates said no.

"Then he did the same to his legs "and gradually moving upwards in this way, "he let us see that he was getting cold and numb."

"He said that when it reached the heart, "Socrates would be gone."

And that is how Amyas met his fate... ..the very next day.

When did Madame Crale take the coniine from the bottle?

Just before she came into the study, I...

I think Philip and Angela left first followed by Amyas.

'I was in the doorway waiting to lock up 'having a word with Elsa, 'and I suppose that's when she took it.'

- Caroline?

- Oh, sorry, Merri.

It's such a fascinating collection.

LOCKS CLICKING LOCK CLICKS, BIRDS FLUTTERING Phil, it's Meredith.

Something terrible's happened.

'He immediately suspected Caroline.'

Quite unfairly, in my opinion.

Who else would have done it, it must have been Caroline?

'Then, as we approached the water garden, 'we overheard Amyas and Caroline 'having a rather heated discussion, 'I think about Angela being packed off to school.'

CAROLINE: It's shameful behaviour.

MEREDITH: 'I was in such a state, 'I didn't pay much attention.'

AMYAS: I'll see to her packing.

Philip blamed himself... for not acting sooner.

But how on earth could anyone have assumed at that point that someone had murder in mind?

'I needed time to think.

'So, just before lunch, 'I sat above the water garden where Amyas was painting Elsa.'

ELSA: I'd like the bull to kill the man.

Then I can sit there like a Roman empress in the colosseum.

'So radiant.

'Full of life.

'More alive than any person I have ever known.'

AMYAS: Keep still!

MEREDITH: 'The blind confidence of youth.'

AMYAS: Bloody rheumatism.

ELSA: Poor old thing.

LUNCH BELL RINGING Old grumpy doesn't want any lunch.

MEREDITH: 'The problem was, 'he often looked like that when he was working.

'So I didn't think anything of it.'

Elsa.

I could eat a horse.

You know, I do so wish that... What?

Well, that you and Amyas would stop it.

Just stop it.

He has a wife and child.

His place is with them.

Oh, Meredith.

SHE LAUGHS After lunch, they had coffee on the terrace.

Caroline took a cup down to Amyas and Miss Williams accompanied her.

I followed shortly afterwards, I think, to walk off my lunch.

MISS WILLIAMS: Mr Blake!

Mr Blake!

What's wrong?

- A terrible thing.

- What on earth is it?

Mr Crale... he's dead.

Would you be so kind as to call a doctor?

Oh, my God... MEREDITH PANTING HEAVILY Get a doctor.

Quick!

- What's wrong?

- It's Amyas.

What?

I'm afraid he's dead.

CUP SHATTERING Amyas.

Poor child.

She just couldn't believe that life could play so cruel a trick.

'Caroline stood there quite calmly 'and said he must have done it himself.'

So you are perfectly convinced, Monsieur, that she was guilty?

She was provoked... in the extreme.

But you do not believe it was suicide?

Caroline did it.

I'm sure of it.

And anyway... Well, if she didn't... Hercule Poirot, Mademoiselle.

Lucy Crale?

She must have been very young when last you saw her.

Seven-and-a-half.

Charming... A little too quiet.

Lived in a world of her own.

If you please to tell me, Mademoiselle... her parents, they were most devoted, yes?

One does occasionally find, Monsieur Poirot, a husband and wife so wrapped up in each other that the child hardly seems to impinge.

So more like lovers than husband and wife?

If that's how you wish to put it.

Did you like Madame Crale?

Yes.

I was very fond of her.

And your pupil?

Angela was a most interesting... if difficult girl.

I cherish the belief that I've played a modest part in her success.

Have you read her book on the tombs in the Fayum?

Sadly, no.

It's compelling stuff.

Read it.

POIROT: Yes.

Yes, yes, I shall.

You must have been upset when she was sent away to school?

No, no, not at all.

Her home life was hardly what one would term "ideal".

Caroline indulged her.

Amyas got jealous.

He and Angela would fight.

She'd end up playing some spiteful trick.

Although, of course, far greater ructions prevailed.

You mean Elsa Greer?

Exactly.

What was your opinion of her?

She was thoroughly unprincipled.

And also very much in love.

His death must have been for her a shock most terrible.

And it was entirely her fault.

- Mademoiselle Greer?

- The way she carried on.

She even had the insolence to suggest they were going to marry.

It's only fair that she should know.

Amyas?

Is it true?

Then it is.

MISS WILLIAMS: 'The look she gave him.

'Magnificent.

'And then she walked out.

'Head held high, her grace and dignity unsullied.'

Was she aware of how much you admired her?

I believe I... ..hope that I... adequately expressed my support for her.

- Mrs Crale.

- Not now, Miss Williams.

- I just wanted to tell... - Another time, please.

Yes, of course.

I'm sorry.

I think you're wonderful.

Oh, but you don't know.

And then?

Mademoiselle?

And then they all went to tea at Meredith Blake's.

And that evening after dinner, the usual arguments began about Angela and school.

Now, you listen to me.

The fees are paid.

The uniform's bought.

ANGELA: I'm not going!

CAROLINE: It's a lovely school, darling, right in the middle of the Downs.

I'm sure you'll make lots of nice friends.

I don't want any friends.

You won't get any if you carry on like this.

Why do you want to get rid of me?

Nobody wants to get rid of you.

You know we all love you.

He doesn't!

He wouldn't care if he never saw me again.

AMYAS: Too right!

Always screeching like a fishwife.

You'd know all about them.

Now, look here, girlie!

- I wish you were dead.

CAROLINE: Angela!

SHE SOBS MISS WILLIAMS: I followed Angela to her room and reprimanded her sharply.

The next morning was so beautiful, I fondly thought it might restore some peace to our lives.

Little did I know, it was the harbinger of murder.

Angela!

'Angela had yet again disappeared.

'I thought for a swim.

But there was no sign of her.'

MISS WILLIAMS: Angela!

So I returned to the house.

Mrs Crale was about to serve some beer before lunch, so I offered to help her.

'We went to the cellar, which was used for cold storage.

'As we arrived, we found Angela 'behaving in a most suspicious manner.'

What on earth are you doing with that?

I was just...

I hope you weren't thinking of drinking it.

I'll take it, if you don't mind.

Would you mind serving the others?

I'll pop this down to Amyas.

And all this time Mademoiselle Greer was sitting for Monsieur Crale?

Yes.

Oh, he got what he deserved.

Well, he acted very badly.

Oui, c'est vrai.

But... he was, well, a great artist, n'est-ce pas?

Great?

Couldn't even draw.

His perspective was terrible.

His anatomy was all over the place.

I know what I'm talking about.

I studied art as a girl in Florence.

Tell me, Mademoiselle, you were with Madame Crale when she discovered the body, yes?

No, not exactly.

We went down from the house together after lunch.

'She was taking Mr Crale some coffee 'and I was going to the beach to look for Angela's jersey.'

CAROLINE: Amyas?

Amyas?

Mrs Crale?

It's Amyas.

He's dead.

Mr Blake!

Mr Blake!

What's wrong?

MISS WILLIAMS: 'I bumped into Meredith Blake.

'I told him the terrible news 'and asked him to telephone the doctor.'

'I was most concerned about Mrs Crale.

'I didn't want her to be left alone.'

Did you get an impression of what Madame Crale was thinking at that time?

It was impossible to tell.

She was stunned.

What view did she adopt officially... ..as to his death?

Suicide.

What, even in private to you?

She had no doubt whatsoever.

And what did you say to her?

Is that chair uncomfortable, Mademoiselle?

It's perfectly comfortable, thank you.

You were about to tell me?

I-I-I...

I think I said, "Certainly, Mrs Crale, it must have been suicide."

- Did you believe that?

- No, I did not.

But, understand this, I was entirely on her side.

You would have liked to see her acquitted?

Of course I would.

A woman of honour, of dignity, hanged like a carcass in a butcher's shop!

Poor Lucy.

Having to be confronted by all of this.

Still, it is always better to face the truth.

But there is more to it than that.

She wants to prove her mother to be innocent.

Then her wish will not be granted.

Before she was hanged, Caroline Crale wrote to her daughter a letter in which she solemnly swears her innocence.

It would perhaps have been better... ..to tell her daughter not to judge.

You seem very sure of her guilt.

It's hard to believe otherwise.

And yet you profess to have loved her?

I did love her.

I di...

If that is all.

Ah, yes, yes.

Of course.

Thank you very much for your time, Mademoiselle.

You have been most helpful.

I know that she was guilty, Monsieur.

Without a shadow of a doubt.

POIROT: May I ask how?

MISS WILLIAMS: 'After bumping into Meredith Blake, 'and informing him of Mr Crale's death, 'I returned to the water garden.

'Mrs Crale was not in command of herself, as I implied.

'It was the fear on her face that told me the truth.

'That's when I knew she had poisoned her husband.'

And I, for one, do not blame her.

She never knew what I'd seen.

And I never told her.

In fact, I never told anybody.

During the trial, I was never asked a question to which I returned an untrue answer.

But I was guilty of withholding certain facts.

And I do not repent of that, Monsieur Poirot.

I would do so again.

ANGELA: ..ancient and highly sophisticated civilisation... ..was, in fact, just as corrupt and venal as society is today.

Since then, there have been other key excavations but none as remarkable as Chagar Bazar.

Thank you.

ANGELA: Thank you so much for coming.

Thank you.

Bye-bye.

Thank you.

Hercule Poirot, Mademoiselle.

The Chagar Bazar dig was quite simply extraordinary.

Did you read my account of it in the National Geographic?

Sadly, no.

I have not yet had the...

Fairly definitive, though I do say so myself.

Little Lucy...

I'd so like to see her.

- You have not kept in contact?

- No.

Not nearly as much as I should have done.

It's admirable she wants to clear her mother's name.

Ha.

Then you approve?

Of course.

Caroline didn't do it.

I've always known that.

You surprise me, Mademoiselle.

Everyone else with whom I have spoken...

I know.

I know.

Circumstantial evidence was overwhelming.

That's frankly why I've never attempted anything myself.

I knew my sister extremely well.

She quite simply couldn't have killed anyone.

But human nature has the infinite capacity to surprise.

ANGELA: Oh... Not in this instance.

- How can you be so certain?

Because I am.

But I'm afraid, Mademoiselle, that will not stand up in court.

Just as well, I was never called to give evidence.

- But if you had been?

- This is why I know.

But, for many, that would prove the exact opposite.

As they claimed at the trial.

This was a moment's rage, which haunted her for the rest of her life.

She never forgave herself.

As a result, she was constantly on her guard.

I'm not saying she was meek or timid, quite the opposite.

But murder?

Never.

Never.

'It was an idyllic summer in so many ways, 'what I can remember of it.'

Oh, come on, Lucy, do shoot me.

That's the whole point.

THUNDER RUMBLES ELSA: Whoo... ELSA LAUGHING 'If only that woman hadn't come into our lives.'

ELSA: All this pretence.

It's so dishonest.

Amyas and I love each other and we're going to be married.

So I shall be moving in.

ANGELA: 'Then when Amyas came out...' Why did Elsa say she's going to marry you?

How the devil did you hear that?

The window's open.

It's damned rude, eavesdropping.

- But why did she say it?

- It was a joke.

- Didn't sound funny to me.

- Enough, all right!

Come on.

'And then on our way to tea at Meredith's, 'I confronted Caroline.'

ANGELA: Is it true?

- What, darling?

That Elsa's going to marry Amyas?

Only after I'm dead.

ANGELA: The rest of the day is a blur.

I can remember Meredith reading something rather beautiful about Socrates.

"He said that when it reached the heart, "Socrates would be gone."

'And then Amyas and I having a real humdinger after dinner.'

Now, look here, girlie!

ANGELA: 'I even think I threw something at him.'

And then the next day, the day it happened... ..again it's all very vague up until the point Meredith came panting down the path.

I kept saying to myself, "Amyas is dead."

But it didn't seem real.

'Then the doctor came.

'The police came 'and they brought him up to the house.'

I want you to go to Grandma's with Lucy.

No, no.

I don't want to go.

I want to stay with you.

- I know, my darling.

But it's best that you do.

It'll be easier that way, believe me.

No, please.

I don't want to leave you.

For me, my darling.

Do it for me.

And you must try not to think about it.

SHE SOBS There's nothing to worry about.

I promise.

'And that was the last time I ever saw her.

'The end of summer... 'It was the end of childhood.'

A few days later she was arrested.

I was sent to school in Germany.

Lucy was sent to relatives in Canada.

Just before she was hanged, she wrote me a letter.

I've never shown it to anyone.

But I think you should read it.

Merci, Mademoiselle.

CAROLINE: 'My darling Angela, 'I want you to know that it is all all right.

'I have never lied to you 'and I don't now when I say that I am happy.

'That I feel a peace that I've never known before.'

It's remarkable.

She was a remarkable person... and innocent.

But the letter, it does not say so explicitly.

Because she didn't need to say it.

Then how do you think Amyas Crale died?

Suicide.

But is that not out of character?

As you said before, human nature has an infinite capacity to surprise.

Ah.

Then you can see no other explanation?

You mean someone else might have killed him?

- Oui.

- I think it unlikely.

But if, for one second, we consider the possibility, what then?

I would say Philip Blake might be your man.

Now, that interests me very much, Mademoiselle.

May I ask why?

I cannot see what possible motive he could have.

He was the best friend of Amyas Crale, n'est-ce pas?

Or were the two men rivals perhaps over Elsa?

Not Elsa.

One night that summer, I got up to go to the bathroom.

'And as I opened the door, 'I saw Caroline coming out of Philip's bedroom.'

She had a look on her face at the time I didn't really understand.

But looking back... - I got the impression from Monsieur Blake, that always he disliked your sister.

I have, I confess, precious little experience of affairs of the heart.

But what other explanation could there possibly be?

This could be a disaster.

You can trust me, Mademoiselle.

♪ I once had a gown It was almost new ♪ ♪ Oh, the daintiest thing It was sweet Alice blue ♪ It warms my heart to see you all together again.

Is Lucy joining us?

This is very good of you, Mrs Spriggs.

A pleasure, sir.

It is really.

I'm very proud of you, my dear.

I wish someone would tell us the point of all this.

If you will excuse me... Lady Dittisham, I am delighted that you could make it.

I hope it's worth it.

God, this place is falling apart.

I thought that before we join the others...

I'd kill for a Martini.

..we might have a little word.

You don't let up, do you?

- To come straight to the point.

- I am pleased to hear it.

After the trial, did Meredith Blake show any interest in you at all?

MEREDITH: Animals!

Stupid, unthinking animals!

What a terrible ordeal for you, my dear.

What a brave girl you are.

Elsa.

I've had special feelings for you ever since we met, you know.

And now you're all alone in the world... Oh, do shut up.

POIROT: Were you not surprised?

Just faintly nauseated.

Can I have my martini now?

But of course.

Well... what a hoot.

HE SIGHS Can't one have a moment's peace?

You were not entirely honest with me, I think, when we had our chat in London.

- Is that so?

- Yes, indeed, Monsieur Blake.

On at least one night during that summer, Madame Crale was seen coming out of your room at an hour somewhat compromising.

Who told you that?

It's none of your damned business.

I am afraid that it is, Monsieur, if this matter is to be laid to rest.

She thought she might try it on.

He's going to leave me.

I know he is!

I can't bear the thought of being without him.

Oh, Philip... Philip.

Sometimes, I get so lonely, I feel I'm going mad.

She always thought she could get what she wanted.

But that didn't wash with me.

I think you'd better go back to bed.

PHILIP: So, you see... when I said I didn't like her, I wasn't telling fibs.

Non.

Merci, Monsieur.

Actually... ..it's not quite true.

Monsieur Blake, are you all right?

It was all such a mess.

Always has been... since we were children, when she was always ready with some snide remark.

Amyas and I... ..we... ..we were true friends.

'She couldn't stand it.'

PHILIP SNIFFLES 'He meant everything to me.

'Everything!'

PHILIP SOBS 'Meredith knew, I think.

'Caroline suspected.'

Nothing she could say changed anything.

It's Amyas, isn't it?

Still Amyas.

You just can't get him out of your head.

Do you have any idea how pathetic you are?

It just made me hate her all the more.

HE EXHALES DEEPLY I, er...

I trust you'll keep this to yourself.

- Of course.

- Hm... Not that I care much anyway.

BELL RINGING How kind of you to come.

Do you think we could get on with the business at hand?

Indeed, Monsieur, I was about to suggest the very same.

POIROT: Eh, alors, where to begin, huh?

As you know, it was my purpose to discover the truth about the murder of Amyas Crale.

We all know the truth.

Yes, indeed, Monsieur Blake.

But, sometimes, what we accept as the truth may not be the full story, n'est-ce pas?

And sometimes... it may not be true at all.

D'accord.

This is what I learned.

That at no time did Caroline Crale protest her innocence, except in her letter to her daughter.

That, in the dock, she showed no fear.

That in a letter to her sister, she expressed acquiescence in her fate.

And in the opinion of everyone... pardon, with one exception most notable, Caroline Crale was guilty.

- Of course she was.

But it was not for me to accept the verdict of others.

Non.

It was necessary for me to examine the facts and to ensure that the psychology of this case accorded itself with them.

Now, there is no doubt whatever she had the ample motive and much of the evidence, it tells against her.

The scent bottle discovered in her room.

The poison that she admitted to stealing, eh?

The row with her husband in which she had threatened to kill him.

None of this seems incorrect... ..psychologically.

But then we come to something that does not quite ring true.

After Meredith Blake discovers the poison is missing, he rows over here to discuss it with his brother.

'On their way up to the house, 'they overhear a discussion 'between Caroline Crale and her husband 'on the vexed subject 'of Angela being sent away to school.'

CAROLINE: It's shameful behaviour, Amyas.

You're being so hard on her.

We'll discuss this after lunch.

AMYAS: It's all settled.

I'll see to her packing.

POIROT: 'Now, that does strike me as odd.'

They have just had a row most horrific, in which she has threatened to kill him and yet a short time later they're having an argument relatively trivial in which Monsieur Crale says he will see to Angela's packing.

Now, does that not strike you as strange?

Why should he do her packing when there is her sister or the governess or the housekeeper?

I did not know Monsieur Crale, but, you know, somehow, I cannot picture him folding neatly the skirts, the blouses or the underwear.

Another thing that struck me as odd.

Having just threatened to kill him... ..Caroline Crale offers to bring to her husband a cold beer.

Dissimulation.

You think so?

But if she intends to poison him, would it not be more intelligent to... What is the word?

Spike.

..the supply of beer that he has in the water garden when no-one was about, hm?

Alors, Caroline Crale brings to him the beer from the house.

He drinks it.

He says, "Everything tastes foul today."

And after lunch, she finds him dead.

We know all this.

Oui, oui.

Bien sur, but... ..now I offer some information which is new.

'After asking Meredith Blake to call for a doctor, 'Mademoiselle Williams returns to the water garden.'

- You actually saw her do that?

- That settles it.

- Not necessarily.

- That is what I saw.

There's only your word for it.

I'm not accustomed to having my word doubted.

And I do not doubt it, Mademoiselle Williams.

I believe what you saw took place exactly as you say that it did.

And because of what you saw...

I know that Caroline Crale was not guilty.

Well, how the hell did you work that out?

Oh, do calm down.

POIROT: I will tell it to you.

Mademoiselle Williams saw Caroline Crale wipe off the fingerprints from the beer bottle, and impose the prints of her husband onto it.

Onto the bottle, mark.

But the coniine was in the glass, not the bottle.

The police found no traces of it in the bottle.

No coniine had ever been in the bottle.

And Caroline Crale, she did not know that?

She, who has poisoned her husband, did not know how he had been poisoned?

So why make it look like suicide?

Because she knew who was the culprit, and would do anything rather than let that person be suspected.

So who could it be?

There was only one person... ..whom she would be willing to protect at all costs.

Mademoiselle Warren, I would like to read the letter your sister wrote to you.

No!

But, Mademoiselle...

I realise what you're suggesting.

I deny it utterly.

That letter was meant for my eyes only.

- Aunt Angela, please.

- No!

For my mother's sake.

LUCY: Please.

Merci, Mademoiselle.

"My darling Angela, "I want you to know that it is all all right.

"I have never lied to you and I don't now "when I say that I am happy..." CAROLINE: 'That I feel a peace that I've never known before.

'Don't look back and don't grieve for me.

'Live your life and succeed.

'It's all all right, my darling.

'It's all all right.

'I'm going to Amyas and I'm happy 'and you must be, too.

'One has to pay one's debts.'

BOTH: "Your loving sister, Caroline."

It is a beautiful letter, non?

And also quite remarkable for it contains one omission that is most striking.

There is no protestation of innocence.

Because it was unnecessary.

Qui, bien sur, she thought her sister knew she was innocent for the best of all possible reasons and her only concern was to comfort, to reassure, and to avert the possibility of you having to confess.

"It's all all right, my darling.

"It's all all right."

She wanted me to be happy.

It's as simple as that.

Yes, indeed.

And so that the burden of your guilt may not be too great, she tells to you, "One must pay one's debts."

And now, at last, she has the chance to repay the debt she owes you for the injury she caused you all those years before.

And now the trial, the sentence, nothing can touch her... ..because, finally, she felt redeemed.

She felt, oui, at peace with herself.

And in the light of this... ..everything falls into place.

- Now, look here, girlie!

- I wish you were dead.

'When Angela threw the paperweight at Amyas Crale, 'the memory that haunts her is brought to life most vividly.

'Then, the next morning, 'she sees Angela tampering with the beer...' I'll take it, if you don't mind.

'..which she then brings to Amyas.'

AMYAS: It's foul.

Everything's foul today.

POIROT: And after lunch... ..she finds him dead.

Alors, she is convinced he has been poisoned, but, who could have done it?

And then... suddenly, it hits her.

The resentment of Angela over the school, her disapproval of Elsa, her rage the night before, her tampering with the beer.

And she remembers, oh, so well... ..her own violent emotions at that age.

So, yes, Angela... it has to be.

And the one thought... ..that springs into her mind... ..is how to protect her.

'So she wipes the fingerprints from the bottle, 'puts her husband's there instead 'to make it look like suicide, 'sends Angela out of the country as soon as possible, 'hoping against hope that she does not confess.'

If I'd done it, Of course I'd have confessed.

I'd never have let Caroline suffer for what I'd done.

But you did tamper with the beer, did you not?

I can't remember that.

Monsieur Blake, you say that you heard a noise in the laboratory on the morning of the murder?

Yes.

It was probably a cat.

Or probably not.

I would suggest rather, it was someone who got in through the sash window and took something from the shelf.

The valerian!

- Ah.

- To put in Amyas's drink.

I remember taking it.

Oh, Angela.

- Was it really that day?

POIROT: Oui, Mademoiselle.

And this is valerian.

- The one that cats like?

- They can't get enough of it.

POIROT: And it was the description by Monsieur Blake which gave to you the idea.

Yes.

I remember getting out some beer and Caroline catching me before I could put the stuff in it.

I never connected it with that particular day.

She thought it was me.

I didn't kill him.

I didn't kill him!

Of course not, my dear.

Can't you see she's telling the truth?

I see it quite clearly.

Because I know very well who killed him.

Don't you think you're milking it a bit, old man?

POIROT: It is the oldest story in the world, huh?

Two women and one man.

What we have taken for granted is the man would leave his wife for the other woman.

But I would like to suggest to you now that he had no intention of doing anything of the kind.

After all, the women he had fallen in love with in the past never expected too much from him, but this time, it was different.

She was just a girl... ..who saw the world in black and white.

She had the passion for him... and so assumed he had for her.

She assumed without question it was for life.

So, naturally, he would leave his wife.

- He said he would.

- A little white lie, perhaps.

All he really wanted was to finish the painting.

And nothing could be allowed to stand in the way.

And when Elsa Greer let the cat from the bag, he was furious, but he was not concerned unduly.

After all, Caroline had only to put up with things for a few days longer.

Then he would tell her the truth and she would believe him as so often before.

And Elsa Greer, she would get over it soon enough.

But by that last evening, I believe that he was getting worried that Caroline Crale was taking things more seriously than usual.

And by the following morning, I think that he had decided to come clean.

You're the only woman in my life, Caro.

You always were.

You always will be.

You know that.

She is nothing to me.

Nothing.

She was, yes.

She knocked me for six to start with, but now it's gone.

It's over.

I swear to God.

She's just a kid.

A passing fancy, that's all.

You and your women.

Some day, I'll kill you, Amyas.

- Don't be an idiot.

- I swear to God, I will.

'What he did not know 'was that Elsa Greer had overheard every word.'

And the account that she gave to me of the conversation... ..was not the true one.

You're very sure of yourself, aren't you, Monsieur Poirot?

Of this, Lady Dittisham, yes, I am.

'When Amyas Crale came down and said he wanted to get on, 'you said you had to go and change.'

AMYAS: Don't b e long.

Which you did... ..eventually.

I wonder, do you realise how angry was Madame Crale with her husband for his treatment of you?

How very touching.

'When Philip Blake 'encountered her coming out of the library...' - Good morning.

- It's too cruel.

Too cruel.

'..it was of you she was thinking.

'I wonder what she would have thought 'had she known that at that very moment 'you were in her room preparing to murder her husband, 'and put the blame on her?'

You see, something else that I am sure of, Lady Dittisham, is that in the laboratory on the previous afternoon, you would have seen Caroline Crale steal the poison.

'Monsieur Blake had his back to the room 'while he was talking to you.

'So it was perfectly possible for you to see her.

'The only person who could do so.'

Sorry, Merri.

It's such a fascinating collection.

POIROT: 'And once you had the poison... '..you went to join Amyas in the garden... '..poured him some beer...' To my Mona Lisa.

'..and he tossed it back in his usual manner.'

My darling Amyas.

POIROT: 'As he painted, you watched and watched, 'waiting for the poison to take its effect.

'A short time later, you went to fetch a shawl 'and Caroline Crale again took the opportunity 'to confront her husband on your behalf.'

It's shameful behaviour, Amyas.

You're being so hard on her.

For God's sake!

It's all settled.

I'll send her packing.

And it was this that the Blake brothers misheard on their way up from the jetty.

An error that is understandable, n'est-ce pas?

You then returned with the shawl.

And then Caroline Crale, she played straight into your hands, for she brought to her husband a bottle of cold beer.

Urgh!

It tastes foul.

Everything tastes foul today.

"Everything tastes foul today."

Which suggests that he had tasted something else unpleasant before the beer that Caroline Crale had brought to him.

'And so, you sat... 'and posed... 'and chatted and waved to Meredith Blake.

'Oh, you played your part beautifully.'

Bloody rheumatism.

While Amyas Crale painted on and on until his limbs failed and his speech thickened and he lay sprawled there on the bench, helpless, with his mind still clear.

'When Meredith Blake appeared from the shade of the path 'into the sunlit garden, he could not see clearly.

'Only his friend turning slowly around... 'unable to convey to him the fact 'that he was in the grip of a paralysis that was fatal.

'En route to the house, 'you crushed the pipette underfoot, 'the traces of which the police later found.'

And then went to lunch... ..leaving Amyas Crale to his fate.

Thank you, Monsieur Poirot.

Mademoiselle.

Amyas dead.

Caroline hanged.

After all these years... After all these years.

PHILIP SOBS You're very clever, aren't you?

I hope you don't expect me to confess.

So what are you going to do?

I shall do what I can to induce the appropriate authorities to grant to Caroline Crale the posthumous free pardon.

And me?

What are you going to do about me?

I shall lay my conclusions before the necessary people.

It they decide that there is a case against you, they may act.

But it is my opinion... ..that the evidence is not sufficient.

Inferences only, huh?

Not facts.

Moreover, I believe they will not be anxious to proceed against a... ..person in your position.

When I saw Caroline take the coniine, I thought she meant to kill herself.

But the next morning, when I overheard them talking about me, I...

I loved him.

And he was just stringing me along.

And she felt sorry for me.

I watched him die, Monsieur Poirot... ..and I never felt more alive.

But what I didn't understand was that I was killing myself.

It was as if they hadn't died at all.

But I had.

I died, Monsieur Poirot.

Elsa!

Come on, then, Lucy.

Shoot me.

You know you want to.

Do not listen to her, Mademoiselle.

That's right.

Just pull the trigger.

If you do... she will have won.

ELSA: 'Come on.

Do it.'

You're not afraid, are you?

If you kill her, you kill yourself.

Just one little squeeze, that's all it takes.

Spare her, Mademoiselle, and justice may still be done.

HEART POUNDING Lucy, shoot me.

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