The Murder on the Links

1 A Fellow Traveller 2 An Appeal for Help 3 At the Villa Geneviève 4 The Letter Signed “Bella” 5 Mrs. Renauld’s Story 6 The Scene of the Crime 7 The Mysterious Madame Daubreuil 8 An Unexpected Meeting 9 M. Giraud Finds Some Clues 10 Gabriel Stonor 11 Jack Renauld 12 Poirot Elucidates Certain Points 13 The Girl with the Anxious Eyes 14 The Second Body 15 A Photograph 16 The Beroldy Case 17 We Make Further Investigations 18 Giraud Acts 19 I Use My Grey Cells 20 An Amazing Statement 21 Hercule Poirot on the Case! 22 I Find Love 23 Difficulties Ahead 24 “Save Him!” 25 An Unexpected Dénouement 26 I Receive a Letter 27 Jack Renauld’s Story 28 Journey’s End

I believe that a well-known anecdote exists to the effect that a young writer, determined to make the commencement of his story forcible and original enough to catch and rivet the attention of the most blasé of editors, penned the following sentence:

Strangely enough, this tale of mine opens in much the same fashion. Only the lady who gave utterance to the exclamation was not a Duchess!

It was a day in early June. I had been transacting some business in Paris and was returning by the morning service to London where I was still sharing rooms with my old friend, the Belgian ex-detective, Hercule Poirot.

The Calais express was singularly empty—in fact, my own compartment held only one other traveller. I had made a somewhat hurried departure from the hotel and was busy assuring myself that I had duly collected all my traps when the train started. Up till then I had hardly noticed my companion, but I was now violently recalled to the fact of her existence. Jumping up from her seat, she let down the window and stuck her head out, withdrawing it a moment later with the brief and forcible ejaculation “Hell!”

Now I am old-fashioned. A woman, I consider, should be womanly. I have no patience with the modern neurotic girl who jazzes from morning to night, smokes like a chimney, and uses language which would make a Billingsgate fishwoman blush!