Chapter 3 A Red Dressing Gown
and a Metal Button
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In the restaurant carriage, everything was ready — a pile of
passports and tickets, a plan of the carriage with the names of
the passengers marked on it, and writing paper, a pen and ink.
‘Excellent,’ said PoifoT ‘Our first interview will be with the
conductor. You probably know^semething about his character,
M. Bouc. Should we believe his evidence?’
‘Definitely,’ replied M. Bouc. ‘Pierre Michel has worked for
the company for fifteen years. A Frenchman — very honest.’
Michel entered the carriage. He seemed less upset than he
had been earlier, but he was still very nervous.
‘Now, Michel,’ said M. Poirot gently, ‘we have to ask you a
few things about last night. M. Ratchett went to bed — when?’
‘Soon after dinner, Monsieur - before we left Belgrade.’
‘Did you see anyone go into his compartment afterwards?’
‘His manservant, Monsieur, and his secretary. No one else.’
‘And was that the last time you saw or heard from him?’
‘No, Monsieur. He rang his bell at about twenty to one. I
knocked, but he called out, ‘Ce
n’est rien.Je me suis trompe
.’
‘And where were you at a quarter past one?’
‘Most of the time I was at my seat at the end of the corridor.
Soon after one — I don’t know when exactly — I went to the
next carriage to talk to a colleague about the snow. Then Mrs
Hubbard rang, and I spoke to her for a few minutes. Then I
brought you some water, Monsieur.’
20
He seemed less upset than he had been earlier, but he was
still very nervous.
‘And later?’
‘At about two o’clock M. MacQueen asked me to make his
bed. The English Colonel from number 15 was there with him.
When they had gone to bed, I sat at my seat until morning.’
‘Did you sleep?’
‘I don’t think so, Monsieur.’
‘Did you see any of the passengers in the corridor?’
The conductor thought for a moment. ‘One of the ladies
went to the toilet.’
‘Which one?’
‘I don’t know, but she was wearing a red dressing gown. It
had a Chinese-style picture on the back.’
‘And after that?’
‘You yourself opened the door and looked out for a second.’
21
‘Good,’ said Poirot. ‘I wondered if you would remember that.
Now, if the murderer came onto the train last night —’
‘There were no strangers on the train last night, Monsieur.
The door to the next carriage was bolted on the inside. I opened
the side door when we stopped at Vincovci at twenty past twelve,
but I was standing there all the time. No one came through it.’
‘What about the side door beyond the restaurant carriage?’
‘That is always bolted on the inside at night.’
‘It isn’t bolted now.’
The man looked surprised for a moment. ‘Perhaps one of
the passengers opened it to look at the snow,’ he said finally.
‘Monsieur, you do nohblame me?’
Poirot smiled at him kindly. ‘O f course not, my friend. Ah! I
have one other thing to ask you . A nother bell rang just after you
knocked on M. Ratchett’s door. Whose was it?’
‘Princess Dragomiroff’s, Monsieur. She wanted her maid.’
‘You called the maid?’
‘Yes, Monsieur.’
‘That is all. Thank you for your help.’
The conductor left the restaurant carriage and Poirot called
Mr MacQueen for another interview.
W hen MacQueen learnt that his employer had been the
criminal Cassetti, he was very angry. ‘How terrible that I helped
an evil man like that!’ he cried.
‘You seem to feel very strongly about this, M. MacQueen.’
‘Yes, I do. My father was on the legal team in the Armstrong
case. He knew that Cassetti was guilty, but things went wrong
in court and it couldn’t be proved. Well, I’m glad that he’s dead
— although I didn’t kill him myself, you understand.’
‘O f course, of course. Now, I must check the movements of
everyone on the train. What did you do last night after dinner?’
‘Well, I talked to some of the other passengers. At about
ten o’clock, I went into Mr Ratchett’s compartment and he
22
asked me to write some letters for him. Then I got into a long
conversation with Colonel Arbuthnot.’
‘Do you know what time you went to bed?’
‘About two o’clock, I think.’
‘Did you leave the train at any time?’
‘Arbuthnot and I got out at — what was the name of the place?
- Vincovci. But it was bitterly cold, so we soon came back in.’
‘By which door did you leave the train?’
‘By the one next to the restaurant carriage.’
‘Do you remember if it was bolted?’
MacQueen stopped to think. ‘Yes, I believe it was.’
‘And did you bolt it again when you got back on the train?’
‘I got on last, and no, I don’t think I bolted it.’
‘When you were with Colonel Arbuthnot,’ continued the
detective, ‘the door of your compartment was open, I think. Please
tell me who passed along the corridor after the train left Vincovci.’
‘The conductor - and a woman too, going towards the
restaurant carriage.’
‘Which woman?’
‘I don’t know. I just remember seeing a thin red dressing
gown. She was probably going to the toilet.’
‘Did you see her return?’
‘Well, no, I don’t remember seeing her.’
‘One more question. Do you smoke a pipe?’
‘No, sir, I don’t,’ replied MacQueen.
‘I think that is all at present. Thank you for your time.
I would now like to speak to M. Ratchett’s manservant.’
The American left and the thin, pale Englishman arrived.
The detective picked up his passport.
‘You are the manservant of M. Ratchett - Edward Henry
Masterman, age thirty-nine, a British citizen?’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘You have heard that your employer has been murdered?’
23
‘Yes, sir. A terrible crime.’
‘Please tell me when you last saw M. Ratchett.’
‘It was at about nine o’clock last night, sir. I went to Mr
Ratchett as usual, and "helped him to get ready for bed.’
‘What sort of mood was he in?’
‘Not a good one, sir. He had just read a letter and I think he
was upsetaboiatiTrtte-ctiticised everything that I did.’
‘Was that unusual?’
‘No, sir. He lost his temper easily.’
‘Did M. Ratchett ever take any medicine to help him sleep?’
Dr Constantine moved forward\a little to hear his answer.
‘Always, sir, when he was travelling. He said that he could
not sleep without it.’
‘Did he take it last night?’
‘Yes, sir. I poured it into a glass for him myself.’
‘Did you like your employer, M. Masterman?’
The manservant’s face showed no emotion. ‘He paid me well,
sir — but I’m not very fond of Americans.’
‘Have you ever been to America?’
‘NoN>ir.’
‘And what did you do after leaving M. Ratchett last night?’
‘I told Mr MacQueen that he was wanted. Then I went back
to my own compartment and read.’
‘You were in compartment number 4.’
‘Yes, sir, with a big Italian man.’
‘Does the Italian speak English?’
‘Well, a kind of English, sir. He’s been in America - Chicago,
I understand. We do not talk much. I prefer to read.’
‘What time did you go to sleep?’
‘I went to
bed
at about ten thirty, sir, but I didn’t sleep. I had
toothache.’
‘Did you not sleep at all?’
‘Yes, in the end. But not until about four in the morning.’
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‘Did you leave your compartment during the night?’
‘No, sir.’
‘And the Italian?’
‘No, sir. He slept all night.’
‘One last question. Do you smoke a pipe?’
‘No, sir. I only smoke cigarettes.’
‘Thank you, Mr Masterman. I think that is all.’
‘Excuse me, sir, but the American lady, Mrs Hubbard, says
she knows all about the murderer. She is very upset, sir.’
‘Then we should see her next, I think,’ said Poirot, smiling.
Mrs Hubbard entered the restaurant carriage talking excitedly.
‘Now who’s in charge here, because I have some very
important information.
Very
important.’
‘Please, Madame*, sit,’ said Poirot. ‘Then tell me everything.’
‘Well, I will tell you
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