"Murder on the Orient Express"journal: plot)

Essay by mayankJunior High, 9th grade April 2007

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Hercule Poirot, a private detective, boards the Taurus Express, a train going to Stamboul. In Stamboul, Poirot boards the Orient Express. When Poirot boards the Orient Express, Ratchett, an old wealthy man asks Poirot if he will work for him explaining to him that he has been receiving threatening letters. Early in the morning the train is stopped, Poirot informed by the conductor that the train is stopped because of a snow bank. The next morning, Poirot’s friend, M. Bouc informs Poirot that Ratchett has been murdered and the murderer is still on the train. Poirot starts to investigate the case. Poirot examines Ratchett's body and notices that Ratchett has been stabbed twelve times. The window is left open in Ratchett's compartment, probably to make the investigator think the murderer escaped out the window, but there are no footprints outside the window in the snow. A handkerchief with the initial "H", a charred piece of paper with the name "Armstrong" and some other items are found in the compartment.

The piece of paper with the word “Armstrong” helps Poirot figure out who Ratchett really is and why someone would want to murder him. A few years back, a man named Cassetti kidnapped a three-year old girl, Daisy Armstrong. Cassetti collected a ransom from the wealthy Armstrong family, but killed the child anyways. Poirot concludes that Ratchett is Cassetti. The interviews start with the conductor, then Hector McQueen. Poirot knows that McQueen is involved with the case because he knows about the Armstrong note found in Ratchett's compartment, Hector is surprised that Poirot found the note because he thought it had been completely destroyed. He interviews Mrs. Hubbard. She claims that the murderer was in her cabin. All of the passengers give Poirot suitable alibis during their interviews. After looking at...