Murder on the Orient Express: A Hercule Poirot Mystery: The Official Authorized Edition (Hercule Poirot Mysteries, 9)

I - The Facts

I - An important passenger on the Taurus Express

It was about 5 o'clock on a winter morning in Syria. Along the pavement

The train, pompously named Taurus Express in international railway timetables and consisting of two normal carriages, a sleeping car and a dining car with kitchenette, had already formed at Aleppo station.

Near the ladder of one of the sleeping car doors, a young French lieutenant in uniform ( ) was talking to a small man hooded up to his ears, whose only visible features were a reddened nose and the tip of an upturned moustache.

It was bitterly cold, and the task of escorting a distinguished foreigner to the station was certainly not one to be envied, but Lieutenant Dubosc carried it out with manly courage, polite words came out of his mouth in polished French, and although he knew nothing of certain events, he had heard rumours that hinted at a mysterious affair. The general - his general - seemed to be in an increasingly bad mood lately. Then the stranger from England had arrived, a Belgian by all accounts, and his arrival had been followed by a week of strange tensions in military circles. Strange things had happened: a very distinguished officer had committed suicide, another had resigned; anxious and worried faces had suddenly become more serene and certain rather strict military precautions had become less strict. As for the general, one could have said that he was suddenly ten years younger.

Dubosc had overheard part of the conversation between him and the stranger. "You have saved us, mon cher," said the general in a frail voice, his snow-white moustache quivering as he spoke. "You saved the honour of the French army, thanks to you a great bloodshed was avoided! How can I repay you?"

To these words, the stranger (his name was Hercule Poirot) had replied, among other things: "Do you think I have forgotten that you saved my life back then?". The general had then said that that episode belonged to the past, that he was not guilty of anything, and after a few more allusions to France, Belgium, fame, honour and other such things, the two had embraced each other affectionately and the conversation had ended there.

Lieutenant Dubosc still did not know what had happened; he had been assigned to accompany Poirot to the station where he was to catch the Taurus Express, and had obeyed with the eagerness and enthusiasm befitting a young officer with a promising career.

-Today is Sunday,' he said at one point. - Tomorrow night, Monday, you will be in Istanbul.

It was not the first time he said the same thing. The conversation that takes place on a platform between those who leave and those who stay is subject to a series of repetitions.

-In fact, ' agrees Mr Poirot.

-And you plan to stay there for a few days?

-Mais oui. I have never had the opportunity to visit Istanbul. It would be a real shame to go through this.... comme ça. - He snapped his fingers and made a meaningful gesture. - I'm in no hurry, I want to be a tourist for a few days. -Ah, the Hagia Sophia Mosque, how wonderful! - Said Lieutenant Dubosc, who had never seen it before.

A sudden gust of icy wind blew around the two men, who were shivering. The lieutenant took the opportunity to glance furtively at his watch: 4.55 am. Five minutes to go. Certain that the Belgian had not noticed this manoeuvre, he hurried to find another topic so as not to interrupt the conversation.

-Few travellers at this time of year," he noted, glancing at the windows of the sleeping car.

-In fact, said Poirot.

-Let's hope you don' t get snowed in.

-Does this happen sometimes?

-Yes, it happened, but not yet this winter.

-Let's hope so. The weather bulletins from Europe are bad.

-Very bad. In the Balkans, for example, it has already snowed a lot and threatens to snow again.

The conversation threatened to backfire and Lieutenant Dubosc hastened to avert the danger.

-So tomorrow evening at seven forty he will be in Constantinople.

-Yes, said Poirot. And he added, also eager to keep the conversation going: -I have heard that the mosque of St Sophia is beautiful.

-Truly great!

Above their heads, the curtain of a window was pulled back, revealing the face of a young woman: she was looking at the canopy without lowering the glass.

Mary Debenham had hardly slept since she left Baghdad the previous Thursday. That is, she had not been able to sleep on the train that took her to Kirkuk, nor in the so-called Mosul rest home, nor last night. Tired of the enforced and nerve-wracking vigil in the compartment, however heated, that she occupied, she had pulled back the curtain to look out of the window.

It must have been Aleppo. Of course there was nothing to see but a long, dimly lit pavement. From an undefined place, an angry roar was heard in Arabic: probably an argument was going on. The two gentlemen under her window spoke French: one was a French officer, the other a small man with a huge upturned moustache. Mary smiled: she had never seen such a loaded man.

Then he saw the conductor of the sleeping car approach the two men to warn them that the train was about to leave, and heard him politely ask Monsieur to enter the compartment. The little man took off his hat.... What a strange egg-shaped bald head, thought Mary. Although plagued by serious thoughts, the girl smiled. This guy is really funny!

Lieutenant Dubosc now makes his farewell speech to Poirot. He had been preparing it in his head for some time, it was a very polished speech, very polite and appropriate to the occasion. Mr Poirot, who is not one to be defeated, responded accordingly.

-En volture, Monsieur,' repeated the host.

Mr Poirot finally boarded the train: he seemed to hesitate. The Belgian waved his hand in greeting, the Frenchman froze and returned the military salute. At that moment, with an anxious snap, the train slowly began to move.

"En fin!" murmured Mr Hercule Poirot to himself.

-Voilà, Monsieur,' said the conductor with a grand theatrical gesture, so that Poirot could see the comfort and convenience of the compartment assigned to him. Then he pointed to the neatly arranged suitcases. - The briefcase - I put it there, you see,' he added.

The outstretched hand had another meaning: Poirot understood and placed a folded banknote in it.

-Thank you very much, sir. - The conductor has become talkative and more helpful than ever. - I have tickets for the gentleman. You should also favour me with your passport.... This interrupts the journey to Istanbul, doesn't it?

-Yes. Not many travellers, apparently.

-No, monsieur, there are only two others, both English: an Indian colonel and a young woman from Baghdad. Do you need anything, monsieur?

Poirot asked for half a bottle of mineral water.

It was uncomfortable to board the train at 5 a.m., two hours before dawn; Poirot did not think he could sleep for long, huddled as he was in a corner; instead he dozed off almost immediately.

He woke up at 9.30 a.m. and went straight to the wagon restaurant for a hot cup of coffee.

At that moment only one lady was present: certainly the young Englishwoman the presenter had mentioned. She was tall, thin, brunette, in her early twenties. There was a confidence in the way she ate, in the way she called the waiter to ask for more coffee, that testified to a habit of travelling and a knowledge of the world. Hercule Poirot, who had nothing better to do, made an effort to study his travelling companion without attracting attention. He judged her to be one of those young women who can take care of themselves anywhere: She must have been cold and a little haughty. Poirot did not like the severe regularity of her features nor the delicate whiteness of her skin; he admired instead the beautiful wavy black hair and the calm, impersonal grey eyes. But she, Poirot finally decided, was a little too haughty to be called a jolie femme.

Then another traveller entered the wagon restaurant. He was a tall man, between forty and fifty, thin, tanned, his hair greying at the temples. "The Indian colonel," Poirot said to himself.

The newcomer bowed slightly to the girl.

-Good morning, Miss Debenham.

-Good morning , Colonel Arbuthnot.

-Can I?

-Of course! Sit down.

The officer sat down, called the waiter over and ordered eggs and coffee. His gaze lingered on Hercule Poirot for a moment, then he turned away indifferently.

The two Englishmen were not very talkative; they exchanged only a few more short and trivial sentences, then the girl got up and went back to her compartment.

At breakfast, Poirot noticed that they were again sitting at the same table. They were now talking a little more animatedly. The colonel talked about the Punjab and from time to time asked the girl a few questions about Baghdad, where, he could easily understand, she had worked as a governess in some family. From the conversation that followed, Poirot realised that the two of them had discovered they had mutual friends, which immediately made them less forthcoming and, contrary to English usage, almost friends. The colonel then asked her whether she wanted to go directly to England or stay in Istanbul.

-No, I am going directly to England.

-Don't you think that's a shame?

-Two years ago I made the same trip, then with a three-day stay in Istanbul.

-I understand. Well, I confess that I am glad, because I too do not stop.

At this point, the colonel bowed a little awkwardly and blushed slightly.

He is very sensitive, our colonel,' Poirot said to himself, amused.

Miss Debenham replied that she was pleased, but in a distant tone.

Then Poirot watched as the colonel led them back into the compartment. Poirot got up, got out as well and joined them in the same carriage.

Shortly afterwards, the train crossed the beautiful Taurus landscape. The two Englishmen standing behind the window looked on in admiration. Miss Debenham suddenly sighed and Poirot heard her murmur:

-Oh, how beautiful it is here! I wish... I wish...

-How? - asked the colonel.

-I wish I could enjoy it, this beautiful landscape! Arbuthnot took on a more determined expression and something

Then he said in a low voice: 'I wish you had nothing to do with this!

-Sst ! Pay attention, please!

-No problem,' said the colonel, looking at Poirot contritely. Then he added: 'I don't like that I have to be a governess.

The girl laughed, a laugh that could have been described as a bit forced.

-Oh, she mustn't say such things! The trampled and harassed governess is now just a myth.

They said no more to each other. Perhaps the colonel was now ashamed of his outburst.

The train arrived in Konya at around 11.30 in the evening. The two Englishmen got off to stretch their legs and walked back and forth on the snow-covered platform. Poirot was content to observe the feverish activity at the station from the window. After about ten minutes, however, he told himself that a fresh breeze would do him good. For his part, he climbed onto the platform and strolled back and forth.

At some point he passed the tractor and heard soft voices: he immediately recognised who they were, barely visible in the shadows of a freight wagon.

-Maria . - Arbuthnot said. But the girl interrupted him.

-No, not now, not now. When it's all over. Then...

Conspicuously, Poirot turned back, rather perplexed. If he had not heard the colonel speak, he would hardly have recognised in the woman's trembling voice the confident, almost cold tone that Miss Debenham had assumed up to that moment. The next morning he thought that the two English travellers might even quarrel. They hardly spoke to each other, and the girl looked worried and troubled: her eyes circled as if she had slept badly, her face pale and gloomy.

It was about 2.30 p.m. when the train came to an almost sudden halt. The heads of curious or restless passengers peered out of the windows. Along the tracks a small group of men could be seen talking to each other and pointing at something under the dining car. Poirot looked out in turn and asked the conductor of the passing sleeping car why. The man answered him, Poirot winced; turning around, he almost bumped into Miss Debenham; he had not realised he was behind her.

-What happened? - Miss Debenham asked in French. - Why the stop?

-Not serious, mademoiselle, something caught fire under the dining car. Meanwhile, the fire has been extinguished and the Breakdown. Don't worry, there is no danger.

She made a gruff gesture, as if to say that the danger did not matter, and answered:

-Yes, yes, I understand: but it is the weather that worries me. We will definitely be late.

-Yes, probably,‖ agrees Poirot.

-But we must not delay! This train is due to arrive in Istanbul at 6.55pm. Then it takes another hour to cross the Bosphorus and catch the Orient Express at nine. If we were a few hours late, we would miss our connection!

-Yes, that could also happen... - said Poirot. He looked at the woman with some curiosity. The hand she held against the window trembled slightly and her lips quivered as well. - 'Is it really that important to you, mademoiselle? - she asked. -very important. I must not miss the Orient Express for any reason. She turned her back on him and went into the corridor to join the colonel.

Arbuthnot.

However, his concern was in vain. Ten minutes later, the train set off again and arrived in Haydapassar only five minutes late; he had made up most of the time lost during the journey. The Bosphorus was rough that day and Poirot did not enjoy the short crossing. Arriving at the port of Galata, he had himself taken directly to the Tokatlian Hotel.