The game is over! The murderer has been caught. Read the mystery from beginning to end as see what happens. Then read my brother's article on what really happened!
LIST OF CHARACTERS
Hercule Poirot: a famous Belgian private investigator
Sam Spade: an American gumshoe
Captain Henrik: of the Dutch ship Breda
Jon: a muttering disgruntle seaman
Gavid Jones: a young Welsh doctor
Elizabeth Jones: his wife
Vincent Scarletti: a New York mobster
Herbert Wilson: a bloodless London Merchant Banker
"Tex" Hogsetter: an ugly American
Mr + Mrs Engel: a German American tourist couple returning home
Miss Madeline: a French noble woman and vamp
Ann Lacland: a murdered British socialite
PRE-MURDER INFORMATION
1. Lacland and Madeline competed for the attention of Dr Jones, Scarletti, and Wilson.
2. Both spurned the affections of Tex.
3. Spade noted that Scarletti had a gun.
4. The Engel shared a table with Lacland who subtly made fun of them.
5. Seaman Jon was called down for being too familiar with passengers.
6. Lacland beat Madeline for the men's affections.
7. Madeline took up with Tex.
8. Mrs Jones was publically jealous of her husband attention to Lacland.
9. Scarletti, Jones, Wilson and Jon are noted as coming out of Lacland's room at unbelievably early morning hours.
10. The above realize that they are all seeing the same woman.
11. Tex and Madeline egg on the fight over who gets Lacland.
DISCOVERY
The Engels discovered Lacland dead at 9:30AM on the 9th day at sea (day 1 of the investigation). Her door was not locked and they stuck their heads in to see if she was up for breakfast.
They found her room in disarray and Lacland lying on the floor. Engel, a Spanish American war veteran, knew she was dead. He sent his wife to notify the Captain while he guarded the room. CRIME SCENE
A thorough inspection of the room and corpse reveals...
- 1. There was a struggle in the room that knocked over tables and chairs.
2. A vase and the phone were thrown. The vase broke on a wall.
3. Stains on Lacland's bed sheets indicate that she has sex one or two times the night of the murder.
4. There are three different brands of cigarette butts in the ash tray by the bed.
5. Someone riffled through Lacland's draws looking for something.
6. Lacland's nightgown was dishevelled and showed signs she was in a fight.
7. Lacland had bruises on her arms showing she had been held.
8. Lacland died in the early hours of the morning, no later than 4AM.
9. The cause of death appears to be a blow to the back of the head.
10. She has 2 bruises on her chest that appear to have occurred after she was dead.
11. The radiator across the zoom from the body has blood on it.
12. A pool of blood near the radiator indicates that the body must have lay there for a while after death.
THE MATRIX
Talk/Bargain
Heroic Action
Work/Prepare
Cowardly Action
Do Business
Wicked Action
Move
Fight
Have Fun
Love/Hate
Sad/Happy
Fear/Fearless
Envy
Make Friend/Enemy
Shame
Advantage
Reputation
Kill
Victory/Defeat
Political Agenda
Natural Disaster
Religion
Social Class
Politics
Justice
Tradition
Wealth/Power
Motivation
Loyalty/Honor
Personality
Knowledge
Logic Beyond your abilities
"Magic"
"Miracle"
"Monster"
"Adventure"
Wild Card
Mystery Supplement
Means
Motive
Opportunity
Move
Escape
Greed
Investigation
Anger
Interrogation
Envy
Question
Love
Clues
Fear
Mystery
Victim
Red Herring
Lie
Deduction
Intuition
Insight
Organization
Arrest
Jail
Court
Plan
Fight
Crime
Skill
Plot Device
Physical Evidence
Action
Action
Action
Wild Card
Wild Card
WHO CAN PLAY?
As always everyone is invited to participate in this game free of charge. Just send in 2 arguments for Poirot (to establish means motive and opportunity for the person you think murdered Lackland) and 1 argument for the murderer (you decide who you think did it and defend him by making misleading clues etc.). If you wish you may make 1 argument for Spade (he is not as smart as Poirot) and 1 argument for the murderer.
At the end of this game the players will have discovered who the murderer is by ruling suspects in or out. I for one am interesting in learning who did it.
LIST OF CHARACTERS
Hercule Poirot: a famous Belgian private investigator
Sam Spade: an American gumshoe
Captain Henrik: of the Dutch ship Breda
Jon: a muttering disgruntle seaman
Gavid Jones: a young Welsh doctor
Elizabeth Jones: his wife
Vincent Scarletti: a New York mobster
Herbert Wilson: a bloodless London Merchant Banker
"Tex" Hogsetter: an ugly American
Mr + Mrs Engel: a German American tourist couple returning home
Miss Madeline: a French noble woman and vamp
Ann Lacland: a murdered British socialite
PRE-MURDER INFORMATION
1. Lacland and Madeline competed for the attention of Dr Jones, Scarletti, and Wilson.
2. Both spurned the affections of Tex.
3. Spade noted that Scarletti had a gun.
4. The Engel shared a table with Lacland who subtly made fun of them.
5. Seaman Jon was called down for being too familiar with passengers.
6. Lacland beat Madeline for the men's affections.
7. Madeline took up with Tex.
8. Mrs Jones was publically jealous of her husband attention to Lacland.
9. Scarletti, Jones, Wilson and Jon are noted as coming out of Lacland's room at unbelievably early morning hours.
10. The above realize that they are all seeing the same woman.
11. Tex and Madeline egg on the fight over who gets Lacland.
DISCOVERY
The Engels discovered Lacland dead at 9:30AM on the 9th day at sea (day 1 of the investigation). Her door was not locked and they stuck their heads in to see if she was up for breakfast.
They found her room in disarray and Lacland lying on the floor. Engel, a Spanish American war veteran, knew she was dead. He sent his wife to notify the Captain while he guarded the room. CRIME SCENE
A thorough inspection of the room and corpse reveals...
- 1. There was a struggle in the room that knocked over tables and chairs.
2. A vase and the phone were thrown. The vase broke on a wall.
3. Stains on Lacland's bed sheets indicate that she has sex one or two times the night of the murder.
4. There are three different brands of cigarette butts in the ash tray by the bed.
5. Someone riffled through Lacland's draws looking for something.
6. Lacland's nightgown was dishevelled and showed signs she was in a fight.
7. Lacland had bruises on her arms showing she had been held.
8. Lacland died in the early hours of the morning, no later than 4AM.
9. The cause of death appears to be a blow to the back of the head.
10. She has 2 bruises on her chest that appear to have occurred after she was dead.
11. The radiator across the zoom from the body has blood on it.
12. A pool of blood near the radiator indicates that the body must have lay there for a while after death.
THE MATRIX
Talk/Bargain
Heroic Action
Work/Prepare
Cowardly Action
Do Business
Wicked Action
Move
Fight
Have Fun
Love/Hate
Sad/Happy
Fear/Fearless
Envy
Make Friend/Enemy
Shame
Advantage
Reputation
Kill
Victory/Defeat
Political Agenda
Natural Disaster
Religion
Social Class
Politics
Justice
Tradition
Wealth/Power
Motivation
Loyalty/Honor
Personality
Knowledge
Logic Beyond your abilities
"Magic"
"Miracle"
"Monster"
"Adventure"
Wild Card
Mystery Supplement
Means
Motive
Opportunity
Move
Escape
Greed
Investigation
Anger
Interrogation
Envy
Question
Love
Clues
Fear
Mystery
Victim
Red Herring
Lie
Deduction
Intuition
Insight
Organization
Arrest
Jail
Court
Plan
Fight
Crime
Skill
Plot Device
Physical Evidence
Action
Action
Action
Wild Card
Wild Card
WHAT HAS HAPPENED SO FAR
Day 1
M. Poirot examines Lacland's room alone and detects traces on man's musk aftershave in the air from which he concludes that there several men in the room the evening of the murder.
Poirot notes that Lacland was a strange woman since Spade heard her say to the Engels "But of course you know about protocols." Which they wouldn't know about if they were midwesterners and why were they discussing the subject anyway?
Spade searches the garbage chutes and discovers the remains of a blood covered man's dress shirt in the incinerator room. So the murderer must have been a man!
Vinny Scarletti tells Poirot that he has an alibi for last night. He was with Elizabeth Jones!
Tex and Madeline also quickly provide themselves with an alibi, by saying that they were together.
Unknown to anyone on board (yet!) is that the Bloodless Mr Wilson has a record in Bow Street for assault on Prostitutes.
And finally the scene focuses in on the murderer's hand, forging a note in Lacland's hand. "You are vulgar and beneath me. It's over between us. -Lacland."
Day 2
Poirot has the trash searched and discovers the letter (noted above). "Ah ze English and zer need to write letters! Zut Alors! Zis shows zat zere was a spurred love."
Poirot deduces that the murderer is a very fastidious man. "Note zat he wished the shirt burned rather than simply thrown overboard. And he did not search through ze trash for zis note. He is blind to his own peccadillos."
Poirot sends a Cable to captain Hastings to Check with inspector Japp about the connection between the suspects. While waiting for the reply, he ponders why a British socialite would mix with such middle class people. The the answer comes... or is it a greater mystery?
- HASTINGS TO POIROT STOP
JON DISINHERITED SON OF LANDED FAMILY RELATED TO LACLAND STOP WILSON WAS LACLAND'S FATHERS BANKER STOP WILSON RUINED FATHER STOP FATHER COMMITTED SUICIDE STOP LACLAND LIVED OFF HER MOTHERS MONEY STOP DR JONES LIVED IN KENSINGTON VILLAS BEFORE MARRIED STOP HAD RUN IN WITH THE YARD BUT GENERALLY SOUND STOP LACLAND HAD BEEN ENGAGED TO AN AMERICAN STOP FAMILY PREVENTED THE MARRIAGE STOP
Elizabeth Jones tells Spade that Scarletti is a liar! She spent the night with Gavid Jones, her husband! Spade is impressed by the tenderness in her voice and believes her. He thinks Jones is in the clear.
The murderer fearing that something in Lacland's papers might incrimenate him steals them arid throws them overboard. This meant breaking into her room and searching it again. Papers removed to the Captain's office are still safe (passport, identification papers).
Finally the body of a porter is found in a walk-in freezer. He turns out to be the man on duty on the night of the murder in the part of the ship where Scarletti and Hogsetter have their rooms.
Day 3
RADIO MESSAGE COLON PROSTITUTE DISCOVERED MURDERED IN LONDON PERIOD MAN ANSWERING DESCRIPTION WILSON SEEN IN NEIGHBORHOOD PERIOD HOLD FOR QUESTIONING STOP
Spade searches Scarletti's room and discovers that Vinny's aftershave smells like musk! I guess Americans have a pretty good sense of smell too. "Scarletti would be the type to murder woman wouldn't he?" Sam comments to himself.
Poirot, in the mean time, smells a familiar aftershave musk when the laundry basket is pushed by. He discovers that the smell comes from towels out of Dr Jones' room. "Does zis not remind youof ze casual blindness we have observed zus far In ze murderer?"
Dr. Jones notices that Mr Scarletti winces at supper when he sits down. The Dr. investigate, by bumping into him, and finds that Scarletti has a large gash on his right side. "This looks like it has two or three days healing in it. And M. Poirot, I would expect just such wounds to occur in a fight with a desperate woman."
Scarletti agrees with the Doctor and says that Elizabeth Jones was the woman who wounded him. He then introduces Spade and Poirot to his next door neighbor, who confirms that Vincent and some woman had a fight Scarletti's room on the night of the murder. "And yes! The bloody shirt was mine!"
The scene now shifts. The picture focuses in on the murderer forging an entry in the murdered porter's agenda (pocket calendar). "Meet w/Taffy -- 2AM -- Promenade" (Note: Taffy is an English slang term for a Welshman.)
Day 4
Poirot examines the dead porter's agenda and discovers that a page has been torn from it.
Acting on a tip from Scarletti, Poirot searches the Jones' room. The Good Doctor was in the mean time busy winning a shuffle board tournament. In Mrs Jones' effects he finds a torn pocket agenda which appears to perfectly match the page torn from the porter's calendar. In addition he discovers a letter opener with faint traces of blood on it!
Poirot asks the Captain to detain Mr Wilson as per the request of Scotland Yard. Once in custody, the previously restrained Banker breaks down. He cries like a baby and begins to admit to all the murders on board the ship as well as to offenses in London. Poirot is intrigued and questions him further. As he does so he cleverly asks about murders that took place in England and Scotland on the same day! Wilson confesses to both! From this the Dective concluded that the Banker is mentally deranged. He may indeed have killed the prostitutes in London but if anything his confession to killing Lacland exonerates him rather than implicates him!
Spade, still believing Mrs Jones' claim that she did not see Scarletti on the night of the murder, checks out the gangster's room. He finds a hand written inventory of rare art works in Lacland's New York City penthouse. The list is in Lacland's hand! Spade then confronts Scarletti with his findings. He presses him regarding the wound he sustained. Finally the tactic works and Vinny lashes back in anger. "Yea! I saw the bitch that night! She cut me, see. But it all happened in my room. My neighbor heard the whole thing! I spent the rest of the night tending my wound." Spade is stunned by the mobster's answers. Since there was no blood from the attacker in Lacland's room then Vinny may just well be telling the truth! Of course he could have attacked her later, but if he had lost one fight to her, is it reasonable to think he could have won a second?
Day 5
In the wee hours of the morning the scene focuses in on the murderer throwing a white dress shirt over-board. Whose shirt was it?
Poirot, who seems to have made a daily habit of searching Dr Jones' room, does so again. He discovers Mrs Jones' packing list. One of the Doctor's shirts is missing! "I 'ad my little suspicions which are more and more turning into certainties. Too much evidence was pointing to Dr Jones' having some connection to ze crime."
Poirot radios England to request that a search be made of the public records. "Parbleu!" A clerk finds an application for a marriage between Mr Jones and Miss Lacland dating two years before his present marriage.
Based on the evidence of the part of the porter's note book found in Jones' cabin, Poirot has the bounder arrested! He is clearly linked to the porter's crime scene. And the agenda said the porter was to meet "Taffy" a slang term for a Welshman - like Jones!
Poirot says to Spade, "I feel zat Doctor Jones murdered Miss Ann as well as ze unfortunate porter. But ze case still requires more details. We must make haste, the ship lands soon." Sam reassures him, "Don't worry, Hercule. The ship's crew have him locked up tight in the brig."
Dr Jones escapes from the brig in desperation. He is hidden somewhere on the ship! Late that night a much haggard Jones comes to Spades room to turn himself in. "You've got to believe me! I'm being framed! Some one is planting evidence against me. I don't know who it is but they are trying to pin the murder on me!" Sam stops and thinks about it for a moment. Scarletti identified the bloody shirt as being his. So why would the Doctor suddenly turn up with a shirt missing? Maybe the jerk is telling the truth after all. Spade turns to him and says, "I don't know what game is being pulled here, but I'm going to find out. Until then keep out of sight."
Day 6
Poirot radios England and has a search made of the public records. The clerk discovers a marriage license between Jones and Miss Lacland from two years before his present marriage.
Mrs Jones, on hearing of her husband's previous engagement crys out, "He lied to me! He must have been lying all along! He said he was just going out on the promenade to smoke. He must be the murderer. I want a divorce!"
Spade comes to Poirot and tells him about Dr Jones' accusation that he has been framed. "Obviously you will 'ave noticed, mon ami, zat zis Doctor Jones is a wild and unstable man. See 'ow 'e 'as lied to 'is poor wife. Mon Dieu! Who knows what a rejection like ze cruel note we know Miss Lacland wrote would effect a man with 'is precarious stability of mind." Spade agrees with Poirot and aids him in apprehending the obviously guilty Doctor.
Poirot presents his evidence to the Captain as to why Jones should be arrested for the murder of Miss Lacland. 1. Jones is a strong young man, perfectly capable of murdering a young woman. 2. His alibi for the night of the murder was a lie. His wife says so herself. He could easily have slipped down to her room without anyone seeing him. 3. But he clearly was seen by the porter, who was then killed to prevent this information getting out. He was probably trying to blackmail the Doctor. Which leads to why he did it. 4. The Doctor and Miss Lacland were to be married. That plan fell through. The Doctor married his present wife and did not see Anne until coming on board this ship. When he tried to rekindle their romance, she spurned him. He became unstable and killed her in a moment of passion! We must redouble our efforts to apprehend him.
Unfortunately, Doctor Jones tries to escape the ship in a life boat. He must have pulled the rope when he should have let it out. Anyway the boat tipped and Jones fell over board. He must have drowned.
AFTERWARD
"And zo it goes, mon ami." Poirot says to Spade, as they watch the sun set. "Ze murderer 'e is no more." "He sure is, Hercule. But you know, it still doesn't feel quite right. I just can't put my finger on it."
As Spade lights his last cigarette of the day, he ponders Belgium's greatest detective. Nervously mopping his forehead, like a man with a guilty conscious. Maybe someday Spade would figure it out.
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© Copyright 1993 by Chris Engle
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