Agatha Christie's Poirot (1989) s01e03 Episode Script
The Adventure of Johnnie Waverly
Fifty thousand pounds? Fifty.
Last letter said thirty.
The one before that, twenty five.
You didn't tell me there was another one! I didn't take it seriously.
Damn it, old lady, this is England! People don't go around kidnapping children! Come on, car, try harder, car.
Careful, mommy, mind the car.
Miss Lemon? Yes, Mr.
Poirot? It is nearly 11:00 o'clock.
It is important that I have my tisane punctually.
Of course, Mr.
Poirot.
It's nearly complete, you see, my system.
Every one of your cases classified and cross-referenced, five different ways.
Five? Oh, yes.
In this cabinet, names of witnesses.
In this, name of perpetrator, if known.
Victim's trait or profession, type of case.
Abduction, addiction, adultery, see also under "marriage".
Bigamy, see also under "marriage".
Bombs See also under "marriage"? Mr.
Waverly to see you Mr.
Poirot.
Monsieur Waverly, good morning.
How do you do? Thank you, Miss Lemon.
You may now go back to your filing.
Miss Lemon dreams of the perfect filing system, besides which all the other filing systems will sink into oblivion.
This morning, she is close to the breakthrough.
Now, what brings you to consult Hercule Poirot? They've accepted me.
Accepted? Le Mans.
You remember I tried to enter the Lagonda? I got the entry form this morning, not that I can make head or tail of it.
How exciting! There's another Lagonda entered by Tony Branston.
Have you done racing before? No, well, not really.
Who's in with Poirot? A Mr.
Waverly.
It's a case.
This morning, I received this.
"You have not paid.
Your son will be taken from you at It will cost you fifty thousand pounds to recover him.
" Fifty thousand? Damned impertinence! But do you have 50 thousand pounds, Monsieur Waverly? Well, dare say I might be able to raise it.
I see.
You don't really think they'll do anything, do you? Mais certaînement! I see no reason to doubt it.
Dear God! Please, allow me to introduce you to Captain Hastings, an associate of mine.
Mr Waverly, a client.
- How do you do? - How do you do? Mr.
Waverly has received letters threatening to kidnap his son.
Really? In England? Could be some band of foreigners you know, some gang.
These letters give no indication that the writer is a foreigner.
Is there anyone you suspect, Mr.
Waverly? Good God, no.
No one who might bear you the grudge? Don't think so.
No.
Very well.
Poirot must himself, intercede.
Have you shown to Scotland Yard this latest letter? No, I came straight to you.
Didn't see much point.
They didn't seem interested the first time.
I understand your feelings, Monsieur.
But, now, we have, once again, to interview the intrepid Chief-Inspector Japp.
I don't want to be away from home too long.
Five minutes, no more, Mr.
Waverly, for me to pack a bag, and then we shall board the next train having seen the Inspector on the way.
I can drive you down.
No, no, mon ami, I would not dream of imposing on you.
She could do with a bit of a run.
It is not a dog, Hastings.
We'll meet you there this afternoon.
Miss Lemon, Captain Hastings and I will be away until tomorrow.
Hold the castle.
Chief-Inspector Japp can see you now, gentlemen.
Well, well, well Good morning, Chief-Inspector.
This is an unexpected pleasure, Mr.
Poirot.
Mr.
Waverly.
Monsieur Waverly has received another letter.
Monsieur Waverly felt that Scotland Yard was not convinced about the seriousness of the case.
So he came to you, hey, Mr.
Poirot? Mr.
Waverly is a man of fine judgement and intelligence.
Perhaps this is a serious matter.
You think so, hey? I think better the safeness than the sorrow, Chief-Inspector.
Very true, Mr.
Poirot, very true if you've got unlimited manpower.
We see a hundred of these every day, Mr.
Waverley.
If we was to go chasing about after every one A hundred, Chief-Inspector? Well, perhaps not a hundred.
You mustn't be too literal, Mr.
Poirot.
Every day? Every week, anyway.
This is some disaffected employee, some envious neighbour We are wasting our time, Mr.
Poirot.
No call to take harm, Mr.
Waverly.
I'm a simple country squire.
I pay my taxes, and I am used to something in return.
Now I know better.
There are a lot of taxpayers, Mr.
Waverly.
There are even quite a lot of country squires.
If we was.
.
You are not only uncooperative, sir, you're damned offensive.
As you so rightly point out, you were paying me to exercise my judgement and discretion as to what is a serious threat to public order and what is not.
And this is not.
Your superior shall hear of this.
I hope he enjoys it as much as I have.
That policeman's a fool.
Ah, no! Japp is a good policeman.
Prevention of crime is not what policemen are best at.
They would need to have one constable for every citizen and to go everywhere with him.
But, fortunately for the human race, most of us have our own little policeman up here.
But this kidnapper has perhaps no little policeman.
Thank you.
C'est magnifique.
This is the new house, built by an ancestor of mine in 1760, when the old manor was destroyed by fire.
And you are adding to your kinsman's great work? No, we embarked on a program of restoration about five years ago.
We had to stop for a bit, but I hope we can get going again soon.
There'd been Waverlys in these parts for 400 years.
Four hundred! And this land around here, it is all yours? No, not anymore.
Used to be, as far as you could see from the roof.
But, not anymore.
Marcus, you're back! Ada, this is Mr.
Hercules Poirot.
Enchanté, Madame.
Hercule.
What? Not Hercules, but Hercule.
Oh quite.
Famous detective.
I know.
I'm so glad you are here, Mr.
Poirot.
We didn't know where to turn.
The Police will apparently do nothing.
One is forced to pay for peace of mind out of one's own pocket.
But Captain Hastings has told me your charges are quite reasonable.
Indeed? Well, I didn't specify, of course, just in general terms.
You have got here with alacrity, my friend.
Touched 80 on the hog's back.
Captain Hastings is besotted by cars.
He was kind enough to tell me about the 24-hour race he's going in for.
We have serious business here, Hastings.
Let us not lose sight of this.
Oh, the kidnapping issue? Yes I had a word with Mrs Waverly about that, I don't think there's too much to worry about.
Work of a crank, those letters, I'd say.
That's very reassuring, Hastings.
Thank you.
But we must not try to walk before we can jump, huh? I will see the house now, Mr.
Waverly.
By all means.
Well, this is the sitting room.
Opens out onto the terrace, through the French windows, there.
Bon, and this the south side of the house, yes? Exactly.
And this room is communicating? With the library.
Bon.
Thank you, Mr.
Poirot.
Thank you.
All will be well, Madame.
Kidnapping is an easy job, mon ami.
Easy? Mais certaînement! That child could have been abducted at any time since its birth.
Four years ago.
Well, I didn't see that that advances us much.
Au contraire, it advances us enormously.
But enormously.
We must ask ourselves why they make things difficult by warning the Waverlys.
Some cases are simple, and some are très compliqués.
But all are of interest, huh because all, you understand, rest solely on the character of the participants.
Certainly.
Forgive me, it's difficult to make casual conversation, when tomorrow we may He is ready for bed now, Mrs.
Waverly.
Say good night, Johnnie.
Ah, so this is the famous Johnnie Waverly.
Good night, old chap.
- My car.
- I say, that's rather fine.
You see, Hastings? A fellow enthusiast.
Come tuck me up, mommy.
I'll come up in a minute, darling.
Thank you, Mrs.
Withers.
Good night.
Good night.
Darling! Come on, darling.
It will be all right.
Certainly, it will be all right, Madame.
At noon tomorrow, Johnnie will be surrounded by his friends, by his mother, his father, Hastings by Poirot! No one will kidnap Johnnie Waverly.
It is Mrs.
Waverly, she's been taken ill.
Suddenly woke up with dreadful cramps.
Doctor's with her now.
Cramps? It must be something she's eaten.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry if we woke you.
Bonjour, mon ami.
You slept well? Fine.
Excéllent.
And now we enjoy the famous English breakfast.
Well, you may.
What are you having, Hastings? Well, I think it is "Kedgeree".
Certainly rice, can't find anything else in it.
But, Hastings, where is this famous English breakfast? Well, didn't you notice the dinner last night? Just one potato each, not a big one.
One cutlet Mais oui, from an English dinner one expects no more.
But breakfast I wonder if they're not short of money, you know? The fire wasn't lit in my room last night.
Go get them here, now! This instant! Every man, Tredwell! Very good, sir.
Good morning.
Bonjour, Monsieur Waverly.
And how is Madame Waverly this morning? She's still weak, she won't be able to get up today.
But there's worse.
Look at this.
In my own bedroom! I went for my bath, I wasn't more than ten minutes.
When I got back, there it was, pinned to my pillow.
Just three words.
"At 12 o'clock.
" The nerve of the fellow! Precisely! There's a traitor somewhere.
Someone on my staff.
Well I know a trick worth two of that.
What are you going to do? Sack them, sack the lot of them! Unless one of them owns up, of course.
Tredwell will stay, of course, he's been here since I was a boy.
And Miss Collins.
I'm sorry, Miss Collins? My wife's secretary, nothing wrong with her.
My God, I can't abide a traitor! The staff are assembled, Mr.
Waverly.
Thank you, Tredwell.
Mr.
Waverly, I ask you to reconsider.
The emptier your house is, the easier it will be for the miscreant to move about unseen.
Nonsense.
Mr.
Poirot, you stick to your job and I shall stick to mine.
Then, we shan't fall out.
But to empty your house a few hours before the threat of abduction seems to me to be the height of folly.
How dare you, sir? You call me a fool? I'm doing what I consider best for the defense of my son.
Allow me to be the judge of that.
I cannot prevent you, monsieur.
Quite.
He is stubborn, that one, Hastings.
Mon Dieu! Wonders will never stop.
The Chief-Inspector Japp.
A change of heart, Chief-Inspector? Yes, you might say that, Mr.
Poirot.
Or you might say I don't wanna see some poor amateur get himself in a fix.
Ah, you are too kind, Chief-Inspector Japp.
Your great heart will be your downfall.
True, true.
Now, then, where is the simple country squire? You'll find him in the hall, sacking all his staff.
Oh, dear.
Got out of bed the wrong side, did he? Perhaps.
Bonne chance! One of you is responsible.
I expect an answer.
Well? I'm waiting.
Not too fast, mind.
Don't worry, I won't go over 80.
Kilometers? Miles.
Whatever happens, Hastings, we must be back before 12.
I will not be treated in this manner! There is nothing more to be said, Mrs.
Withers.
There is a great deal more to to be said, Mr.
Waverly.
I will not.
.
You may pack your bag and collect a week's wages from Miss Collins.
And what am I supposed to tell Johnnie? You will say nothing to him.
He is in Miss Collins' care for the moment.
You may go, Mrs.
Withers.
What are you doing here? Good morning, Mr.
Waverly.
I brought some men down with me.
I'll disperse them around the house, if that's agreeable to you, sir? You were doing the building work up at Waverly, were you? We'll be again soon, so he keeps telling me.
I'll believe it when I see it.
I don't reckon she cares about the house, that sort of thing.
- Really? - No.
The whole place could fall down, as far as she's concerned.
She's the one with the money, although you'd never know it, the way she carries on.
Right, one man at the end of the path that leads to the stables, there.
Right.
Beacher, at the head of the stables.
One man by the main door, of course.
Osborne, by the front door.
Two on the perimeter.
George, Smith.
And a couple here by the Servants' quarters? That's it.
And scrambled eggs was it? Mais certaînement! And the little sausages? Oh, yes, sir.
Flavored kidneys? Kidneys, yes.
What about bacon? Crisp? Of course.
And tea? Or a nice pint of home brew? Beer? For breakfast? Two pints, please.
But Hastings, we've got to be back before 12.
Plenty of time.
Right you are, gentlemen.
What an admirable young woman.
So Hastings, the renovations at Waverly Court will continue.
I didn't trust that builder you know, Poirot.
Seems to me he resents the Waverlys.
Perhaps.
Johnnie'll be in here with me, with perhaps you here by the windows.
Good.
And Poirot guarding the door into the hall.
I don't know about that, sir.
If there was to be any rough stuff, I don't know if Mr.
Poirot would be be the first person I'd think of.
Brain work, yes, rough stuff, dubious What about his colleague, Hastings? That would be more like it, sir.
Do you know what I think? I think someone's tampered with this.
Someone's tampered with this to keep us out of the way.
How would they have known we were going to use the car? Carefully.
Gently now, Johnnie.
Stroke her gently.
She likes it.
She likes you.
How are you feeling now, darling? Oh I feel heaps better.
It must have been something I ate.
Well, you just stay in bed and rest.
I'm going to take Johnnie down with me now.
Why can't he stay? Well, he'll be happier downstairs.
Miss Collins can stay with you.
Bye-bye, darling.
Come on, up you come.
Sure you don't need me? No, no.
You keep Mrs.
Waverley company.
Just for half an hour.
Bye, mummy.
Bye.
Well, it's not the carburator, anyway.
This is not what I long to hear, Hastings.
I want to hear what it was, not what it was not.
Better still, I want to hear the motor! - And two blows on the whistle if anyone's apprehended.
- Right, sir.
- The men all in position? - Yes, sir.
Where the hell is Poirot? They went out in the car, sir, just as I was arriving.
Right, Sergeant, keep the men on their toes.
In the car? Do you know where they were going? They didn't confide in me, sir, I'm afraid.
We caught him, sir! We caught him, sneaking through the bushes.
Look at this, sir.
Do you know this man, sir? I've never set eyes on him.
Here's a pretty parcel, if you like.
A bottle of chloroform, cotton wool pad, and a letter addressed to you, Mr.
Waverly.
I don't know anything about this.
I was given that to deliver.
Who by? By a gentleman.
A gentleman I met, on the road.
"You should've paid up.
" "To ransom your son will now cost you 70,000.
" "In spite of all your precautions," "he has been abducted at 12 o'clock on the 29th, as I said.
" I should have paid up, should I? You think you could Johnnie.
Twelve o'clock! Mon Dieu! The agony! Are you going to do something or are you not? When the time comes to act, Poirot will act.
A pleasing little problem, hein? Obscure and charming.
Someone fools us all, simply by putting the clock forward 10 minutes.
Pleasing? Charming? My child has been kidnapped! Oui Madame, but he is safe.
Rest assure, those miscreants will take the greatest care of him.
Is he not, to them, the goose that lays the golden eggs? Nobody's seen an eye or a hair of that car.
I've given the Surrey Police a full description, but he'll probably switch cars as soon as he can, or go toward somewhere.
What about the ruffian you caught? Name's Joe Rogers, so he says.
He's sticking to his story, anyhow.
Perhaps Poirot can move him.
With all due respect, Mr.
Poirot, if my lads can't shift him Poirot shall act.
Captain Hastings, the voiture, it is recovered? Damned thing was out of petrol.
The gauge is stuck at full.
Come, we have work to do.
The boy's gone.
I know, one of the bobbies told me.
- Bonjour, Monsieur Rogers.
- Here! He is saying good day, you ignorant man.
I would like you please to tell me your story again, monsieur.
How you came into possession of that package? I told him all that.
Tell me.
Well, this geezer gave it to me, didn't he? Did he? Well, I just told you.
And what did he say, this geezer? He said I was to take the package and to deliver it to the big house.
At the side door, he said.
He gave me a ten bob note, he did.
He said I was to deliver it at 10 to 12, spot on.
And what time did you meet him, do you know? Yeah, I do, as it happens.
It was a quarter past ten.
And can you describe him? Well, there was something queer 'bout him.
He wasn't tall, no taller nor me.
- And he wore a "tache".
- "Tache"? Moustache.
And he was all dressed up in a sort of grey uniform, with flickings and a cap.
Like a chauffeur livery? How old the man was he? Oh, I dunno.
It's funny, though, his voice was queer, too.
You know what? You know that fellow running errand in a monkey suit? The toffee-nosed one? Toffee-nosed? Monkey suit? You know, is he the butler or something? Anyway, if he was to have a son, that's just what this geezer would've looked like.
Like Mr.
Tredwell's son! Don't get excited, Mr.
Poirot.
Mr.
Tredwell was with Mr.
Waverly every minute between 10 o'clock and half past.
I got that from Mr.
Waverly already.
But has Mr.
Tredwell got a son? Well some other explanation will present itself.
Thank you, Mr.
Japp, you have been most helpful.
And you, Mr.
Rogers.
Well, thanks very much.
Never you mind about that, my lad.
I'm taking you down to the local lockup.
What's the charge? Vagrancy.
You can't do that, I've got ten bob in me pocket.
Tell the magistrate all about it.
Come on, lads.
I'm going back to London to organize a search there.
The answer is here, my friend, not in London.
The answers may be, Mr.
Poirot, but the boy is in London.
I'll lay odds on that.
Good day to you.
Mr.
Tredwell, come in.
Come in and sit down.
I would prefer to stand, sir, if it's all the same to you.
By all means.
You have worked here for many years, sir? I came as an underfoot man.
Of course, there was a much larger staff, in those days.
I see.
So, if anyone knows the family secrets, it would be you, n'est-ce pas? I'm sure, sir, there are no secrets in the Waverly family.
Of course not.
Mr.
Waverly is the most upright of men.
He and his father before him.
Of course.
And Madame Waverly? A happy marriage? I'm sure, sir, Mrs.
Waverly is a fine woman.
Of course she has made changes.
This is not the sort of establishment she was brought up to, for all her money.
Quite.
But, well, I think she is beginning to appreciate the Waverly way.
Miss Collins, can I ask you about the boy's nurse? She'd only been here for about six months.
Was she trustworthy? Eminently, I should have thought.
And she'd left the house, by the time of the kidnapping, anyway.
Quite so, quite so.
She may have had accomplices inside the house.
Was there anyone she was particularly friendly with? Anyone of the staff? I'm sure I couldn't say.
I don't listen to tickle-tackles from below-stairs, I'm afraid.
Oh no, no, I didn't suggest Excuse me, I did not know you were still in here.
No, that's fine, we were just about finished, hein, miss Collins? Are you sure? Oh, yes.
Thank you.
Merci, Mademoiselle.
Anything? What about you? - I learned a lot from Mr.
Tredwell.
- And? There is one thing I do not understand.
I don't understand any of it.
Non, non, mon ami, it is simple, but for the one thing.
Here is the child, here in this room, guarded by his father and the Inspector Japp.
Now, the false alarm is raised and the Inspector and Waverly foolishly rush out, leaving the child undefended.
Yes? - Yes.
- Bon.
Now, the kidnapper comes in and takes away the child.
Where? What do you mean, "where"? Well, they can not go out this way.
Waverly and the Inspector had just gone and there are still policemen standing not 20 meters away.
This way.
Yes.
But to what end? The front of the house has a policeman outside the door, the backdoor likewise.
At that side of the house, the Rogers has been caught and excitement reigns.
Hmm, a problem, hein? I see what you mean.
The tunnel.
Commo? The tunnel.
What tunnel? A lot of catholic houses used to have priest holes.
Places where the priests used to escape to, if the King's men came looking for them.
Where is it, this tunnel? Sacré! Where does this lead? Comes out of the mausoleum, 'bout half a mile away.
I need a lamp de poche.
What is that - a lamp at the pocket? - A torch? - A torch! - I've got one in the car.
- Bon.
Who would know of the existence of this, Mr.
Waverly? Not easy to say.
A few people who've visited the house, I suppose.
Mainly just family.
I see.
Servants? One or two of them, I suppose.
Miss Collins? No, I am sure not.
Tredwell? He's bound to, I suppose, he's been with us so long.
And the child's nurse, Mrs.
Withers? I wouldn't have thought so, no.
Here we are, one each.
Good.
Come, Captain Hastings, we embark on a voyage into darkness.
I'll come with you.
Non, non, Captain Hastings and I must go alone.
There are some stairs going down.
Forward, mon brave.
Tell me, what do you make of this case? You don't expect me to think in the dark, do you? Ah, Hastings, the little grey cells, sometimes, they work even better in the dark.
But always we come back to the same question.
Why would anyone warn the Waverlys before they kidnap the child? I suppose they hoped to get the money without actually being forced to do it.
But this does not alter the fact that they were making a thing difficult that was perfectly easy.
If they do not specify a time or day, nothing would be easier for them to wait their chance, carry off the child in a motor one day when he is out with his nurse.
I suppose so.
I can see a light up ahead.
Good.
I'm bored with this tunnel.
Very sweet.
Very nice.
See, the car could be waiting here, well away from the house.
The child could be brought through the tunnel to the car.
The driver makes the getaway hooting as he passes in sight of the house.
It is a farce! Nothing more.
Everything goes to show that there was an accomplice inside the house.
The mysterious poisoning of Madame Waverly Poisoning? My poor Hastings! So innocent.
Non, non, non, it is nice.
But surely you can not imagine it was by accident that Madame Waverly was conveniently kept out of the way on the day of the kidnapping? Good God! Point number two Someone in the house must have pinned the final note to Mr.
Waverly's pillow.
Yes, I see that.
Point number three The putting on, of the clock, ten minutes.
All inside jobs.
Now, we have four people inside the house.
Madame Waverly and Miss Collins we can exclude.
The one is How you say en lit? Bedridden, yes? The other, Miss Collins, is with her.
Then, that leaves Mr.
Waverly and Tredwell.
So it does.
Hastings, I've had enough of this case.
There is a train to London in 40 minutes.
Well, I'll drive you to No, Hastings, I'll take the train.
Where are you going? Captain Hastings has been kind enough to drive me to the station.
Then, I shall proceed to London.
But the case? My son? You haven't done anything! But I have done everything, monsieur.
Then, where is he? I will give you the address.
It's a blank sheet.
Because I am waiting for you to write it down for me.
You will take Captain Hastings and me to the boy, now.
If you do not, Madame Waverly will be informed of the exact sequence of events that made up this dastardly crime.
He is all right.
He is well cared for.
Of that I have no doubt.
Jessie! Daddy! Daddy! Johnnie's nurse.
Of course, of course! You are Mr.
Tredwell's daughter? Niece.
I am sure your ingenuity will be equal to the task of explaining the boy's reappearance.
If I did not believe you to be a good father, at heart, I would not be so willing to give you another chance.
I'll do anything to avoid a scandal.
Precisely.
Appearance is what matter, hein? That was why it was intolerable that your wife should call a hold to the restoration work of the house.
Having a rich wife is not the same as being rich oneself, monsieur.
Don't worry.
I've learnt my lesson.
Good.
Your name is an old and honoured one.
Do not jeopardize it again.
I shall be sending you my bill.
Drive, Captain Hastings.
Won't you let me into the secret? How did you know? It was obvious.
Who sends away the servants? Can write the notes? Who can drug his wife? Who could put the hands of the clock forward? Who could establish an alibi for his faithful retainer, Tredwell? Tredwell has never liked his mistress, Mrs.
Waverly, but, he is devoted to his master.
There were three of them in it: Waverly, Tredwell and his niece, Jessie Withers, who gets herself sacked as noisily as possible, so that she can arrange the decoy, Rogers, pick up the boy from the mausoleum, and drive him away to the little cottage in the woods.
It was apparent, Hastings.
I shall see you in London.
Why won't you let me drive you? Hastings, the train has one advantage over the car.
It does not often run out of coal.
Last letter said thirty.
The one before that, twenty five.
You didn't tell me there was another one! I didn't take it seriously.
Damn it, old lady, this is England! People don't go around kidnapping children! Come on, car, try harder, car.
Careful, mommy, mind the car.
Miss Lemon? Yes, Mr.
Poirot? It is nearly 11:00 o'clock.
It is important that I have my tisane punctually.
Of course, Mr.
Poirot.
It's nearly complete, you see, my system.
Every one of your cases classified and cross-referenced, five different ways.
Five? Oh, yes.
In this cabinet, names of witnesses.
In this, name of perpetrator, if known.
Victim's trait or profession, type of case.
Abduction, addiction, adultery, see also under "marriage".
Bigamy, see also under "marriage".
Bombs See also under "marriage"? Mr.
Waverly to see you Mr.
Poirot.
Monsieur Waverly, good morning.
How do you do? Thank you, Miss Lemon.
You may now go back to your filing.
Miss Lemon dreams of the perfect filing system, besides which all the other filing systems will sink into oblivion.
This morning, she is close to the breakthrough.
Now, what brings you to consult Hercule Poirot? They've accepted me.
Accepted? Le Mans.
You remember I tried to enter the Lagonda? I got the entry form this morning, not that I can make head or tail of it.
How exciting! There's another Lagonda entered by Tony Branston.
Have you done racing before? No, well, not really.
Who's in with Poirot? A Mr.
Waverly.
It's a case.
This morning, I received this.
"You have not paid.
Your son will be taken from you at It will cost you fifty thousand pounds to recover him.
" Fifty thousand? Damned impertinence! But do you have 50 thousand pounds, Monsieur Waverly? Well, dare say I might be able to raise it.
I see.
You don't really think they'll do anything, do you? Mais certaînement! I see no reason to doubt it.
Dear God! Please, allow me to introduce you to Captain Hastings, an associate of mine.
Mr Waverly, a client.
- How do you do? - How do you do? Mr.
Waverly has received letters threatening to kidnap his son.
Really? In England? Could be some band of foreigners you know, some gang.
These letters give no indication that the writer is a foreigner.
Is there anyone you suspect, Mr.
Waverly? Good God, no.
No one who might bear you the grudge? Don't think so.
No.
Very well.
Poirot must himself, intercede.
Have you shown to Scotland Yard this latest letter? No, I came straight to you.
Didn't see much point.
They didn't seem interested the first time.
I understand your feelings, Monsieur.
But, now, we have, once again, to interview the intrepid Chief-Inspector Japp.
I don't want to be away from home too long.
Five minutes, no more, Mr.
Waverly, for me to pack a bag, and then we shall board the next train having seen the Inspector on the way.
I can drive you down.
No, no, mon ami, I would not dream of imposing on you.
She could do with a bit of a run.
It is not a dog, Hastings.
We'll meet you there this afternoon.
Miss Lemon, Captain Hastings and I will be away until tomorrow.
Hold the castle.
Chief-Inspector Japp can see you now, gentlemen.
Well, well, well Good morning, Chief-Inspector.
This is an unexpected pleasure, Mr.
Poirot.
Mr.
Waverly.
Monsieur Waverly has received another letter.
Monsieur Waverly felt that Scotland Yard was not convinced about the seriousness of the case.
So he came to you, hey, Mr.
Poirot? Mr.
Waverly is a man of fine judgement and intelligence.
Perhaps this is a serious matter.
You think so, hey? I think better the safeness than the sorrow, Chief-Inspector.
Very true, Mr.
Poirot, very true if you've got unlimited manpower.
We see a hundred of these every day, Mr.
Waverley.
If we was to go chasing about after every one A hundred, Chief-Inspector? Well, perhaps not a hundred.
You mustn't be too literal, Mr.
Poirot.
Every day? Every week, anyway.
This is some disaffected employee, some envious neighbour We are wasting our time, Mr.
Poirot.
No call to take harm, Mr.
Waverly.
I'm a simple country squire.
I pay my taxes, and I am used to something in return.
Now I know better.
There are a lot of taxpayers, Mr.
Waverly.
There are even quite a lot of country squires.
If we was.
.
You are not only uncooperative, sir, you're damned offensive.
As you so rightly point out, you were paying me to exercise my judgement and discretion as to what is a serious threat to public order and what is not.
And this is not.
Your superior shall hear of this.
I hope he enjoys it as much as I have.
That policeman's a fool.
Ah, no! Japp is a good policeman.
Prevention of crime is not what policemen are best at.
They would need to have one constable for every citizen and to go everywhere with him.
But, fortunately for the human race, most of us have our own little policeman up here.
But this kidnapper has perhaps no little policeman.
Thank you.
C'est magnifique.
This is the new house, built by an ancestor of mine in 1760, when the old manor was destroyed by fire.
And you are adding to your kinsman's great work? No, we embarked on a program of restoration about five years ago.
We had to stop for a bit, but I hope we can get going again soon.
There'd been Waverlys in these parts for 400 years.
Four hundred! And this land around here, it is all yours? No, not anymore.
Used to be, as far as you could see from the roof.
But, not anymore.
Marcus, you're back! Ada, this is Mr.
Hercules Poirot.
Enchanté, Madame.
Hercule.
What? Not Hercules, but Hercule.
Oh quite.
Famous detective.
I know.
I'm so glad you are here, Mr.
Poirot.
We didn't know where to turn.
The Police will apparently do nothing.
One is forced to pay for peace of mind out of one's own pocket.
But Captain Hastings has told me your charges are quite reasonable.
Indeed? Well, I didn't specify, of course, just in general terms.
You have got here with alacrity, my friend.
Touched 80 on the hog's back.
Captain Hastings is besotted by cars.
He was kind enough to tell me about the 24-hour race he's going in for.
We have serious business here, Hastings.
Let us not lose sight of this.
Oh, the kidnapping issue? Yes I had a word with Mrs Waverly about that, I don't think there's too much to worry about.
Work of a crank, those letters, I'd say.
That's very reassuring, Hastings.
Thank you.
But we must not try to walk before we can jump, huh? I will see the house now, Mr.
Waverly.
By all means.
Well, this is the sitting room.
Opens out onto the terrace, through the French windows, there.
Bon, and this the south side of the house, yes? Exactly.
And this room is communicating? With the library.
Bon.
Thank you, Mr.
Poirot.
Thank you.
All will be well, Madame.
Kidnapping is an easy job, mon ami.
Easy? Mais certaînement! That child could have been abducted at any time since its birth.
Four years ago.
Well, I didn't see that that advances us much.
Au contraire, it advances us enormously.
But enormously.
We must ask ourselves why they make things difficult by warning the Waverlys.
Some cases are simple, and some are très compliqués.
But all are of interest, huh because all, you understand, rest solely on the character of the participants.
Certainly.
Forgive me, it's difficult to make casual conversation, when tomorrow we may He is ready for bed now, Mrs.
Waverly.
Say good night, Johnnie.
Ah, so this is the famous Johnnie Waverly.
Good night, old chap.
- My car.
- I say, that's rather fine.
You see, Hastings? A fellow enthusiast.
Come tuck me up, mommy.
I'll come up in a minute, darling.
Thank you, Mrs.
Withers.
Good night.
Good night.
Darling! Come on, darling.
It will be all right.
Certainly, it will be all right, Madame.
At noon tomorrow, Johnnie will be surrounded by his friends, by his mother, his father, Hastings by Poirot! No one will kidnap Johnnie Waverly.
It is Mrs.
Waverly, she's been taken ill.
Suddenly woke up with dreadful cramps.
Doctor's with her now.
Cramps? It must be something she's eaten.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry if we woke you.
Bonjour, mon ami.
You slept well? Fine.
Excéllent.
And now we enjoy the famous English breakfast.
Well, you may.
What are you having, Hastings? Well, I think it is "Kedgeree".
Certainly rice, can't find anything else in it.
But, Hastings, where is this famous English breakfast? Well, didn't you notice the dinner last night? Just one potato each, not a big one.
One cutlet Mais oui, from an English dinner one expects no more.
But breakfast I wonder if they're not short of money, you know? The fire wasn't lit in my room last night.
Go get them here, now! This instant! Every man, Tredwell! Very good, sir.
Good morning.
Bonjour, Monsieur Waverly.
And how is Madame Waverly this morning? She's still weak, she won't be able to get up today.
But there's worse.
Look at this.
In my own bedroom! I went for my bath, I wasn't more than ten minutes.
When I got back, there it was, pinned to my pillow.
Just three words.
"At 12 o'clock.
" The nerve of the fellow! Precisely! There's a traitor somewhere.
Someone on my staff.
Well I know a trick worth two of that.
What are you going to do? Sack them, sack the lot of them! Unless one of them owns up, of course.
Tredwell will stay, of course, he's been here since I was a boy.
And Miss Collins.
I'm sorry, Miss Collins? My wife's secretary, nothing wrong with her.
My God, I can't abide a traitor! The staff are assembled, Mr.
Waverly.
Thank you, Tredwell.
Mr.
Waverly, I ask you to reconsider.
The emptier your house is, the easier it will be for the miscreant to move about unseen.
Nonsense.
Mr.
Poirot, you stick to your job and I shall stick to mine.
Then, we shan't fall out.
But to empty your house a few hours before the threat of abduction seems to me to be the height of folly.
How dare you, sir? You call me a fool? I'm doing what I consider best for the defense of my son.
Allow me to be the judge of that.
I cannot prevent you, monsieur.
Quite.
He is stubborn, that one, Hastings.
Mon Dieu! Wonders will never stop.
The Chief-Inspector Japp.
A change of heart, Chief-Inspector? Yes, you might say that, Mr.
Poirot.
Or you might say I don't wanna see some poor amateur get himself in a fix.
Ah, you are too kind, Chief-Inspector Japp.
Your great heart will be your downfall.
True, true.
Now, then, where is the simple country squire? You'll find him in the hall, sacking all his staff.
Oh, dear.
Got out of bed the wrong side, did he? Perhaps.
Bonne chance! One of you is responsible.
I expect an answer.
Well? I'm waiting.
Not too fast, mind.
Don't worry, I won't go over 80.
Kilometers? Miles.
Whatever happens, Hastings, we must be back before 12.
I will not be treated in this manner! There is nothing more to be said, Mrs.
Withers.
There is a great deal more to to be said, Mr.
Waverly.
I will not.
.
You may pack your bag and collect a week's wages from Miss Collins.
And what am I supposed to tell Johnnie? You will say nothing to him.
He is in Miss Collins' care for the moment.
You may go, Mrs.
Withers.
What are you doing here? Good morning, Mr.
Waverly.
I brought some men down with me.
I'll disperse them around the house, if that's agreeable to you, sir? You were doing the building work up at Waverly, were you? We'll be again soon, so he keeps telling me.
I'll believe it when I see it.
I don't reckon she cares about the house, that sort of thing.
- Really? - No.
The whole place could fall down, as far as she's concerned.
She's the one with the money, although you'd never know it, the way she carries on.
Right, one man at the end of the path that leads to the stables, there.
Right.
Beacher, at the head of the stables.
One man by the main door, of course.
Osborne, by the front door.
Two on the perimeter.
George, Smith.
And a couple here by the Servants' quarters? That's it.
And scrambled eggs was it? Mais certaînement! And the little sausages? Oh, yes, sir.
Flavored kidneys? Kidneys, yes.
What about bacon? Crisp? Of course.
And tea? Or a nice pint of home brew? Beer? For breakfast? Two pints, please.
But Hastings, we've got to be back before 12.
Plenty of time.
Right you are, gentlemen.
What an admirable young woman.
So Hastings, the renovations at Waverly Court will continue.
I didn't trust that builder you know, Poirot.
Seems to me he resents the Waverlys.
Perhaps.
Johnnie'll be in here with me, with perhaps you here by the windows.
Good.
And Poirot guarding the door into the hall.
I don't know about that, sir.
If there was to be any rough stuff, I don't know if Mr.
Poirot would be be the first person I'd think of.
Brain work, yes, rough stuff, dubious What about his colleague, Hastings? That would be more like it, sir.
Do you know what I think? I think someone's tampered with this.
Someone's tampered with this to keep us out of the way.
How would they have known we were going to use the car? Carefully.
Gently now, Johnnie.
Stroke her gently.
She likes it.
She likes you.
How are you feeling now, darling? Oh I feel heaps better.
It must have been something I ate.
Well, you just stay in bed and rest.
I'm going to take Johnnie down with me now.
Why can't he stay? Well, he'll be happier downstairs.
Miss Collins can stay with you.
Bye-bye, darling.
Come on, up you come.
Sure you don't need me? No, no.
You keep Mrs.
Waverley company.
Just for half an hour.
Bye, mummy.
Bye.
Well, it's not the carburator, anyway.
This is not what I long to hear, Hastings.
I want to hear what it was, not what it was not.
Better still, I want to hear the motor! - And two blows on the whistle if anyone's apprehended.
- Right, sir.
- The men all in position? - Yes, sir.
Where the hell is Poirot? They went out in the car, sir, just as I was arriving.
Right, Sergeant, keep the men on their toes.
In the car? Do you know where they were going? They didn't confide in me, sir, I'm afraid.
We caught him, sir! We caught him, sneaking through the bushes.
Look at this, sir.
Do you know this man, sir? I've never set eyes on him.
Here's a pretty parcel, if you like.
A bottle of chloroform, cotton wool pad, and a letter addressed to you, Mr.
Waverly.
I don't know anything about this.
I was given that to deliver.
Who by? By a gentleman.
A gentleman I met, on the road.
"You should've paid up.
" "To ransom your son will now cost you 70,000.
" "In spite of all your precautions," "he has been abducted at 12 o'clock on the 29th, as I said.
" I should have paid up, should I? You think you could Johnnie.
Twelve o'clock! Mon Dieu! The agony! Are you going to do something or are you not? When the time comes to act, Poirot will act.
A pleasing little problem, hein? Obscure and charming.
Someone fools us all, simply by putting the clock forward 10 minutes.
Pleasing? Charming? My child has been kidnapped! Oui Madame, but he is safe.
Rest assure, those miscreants will take the greatest care of him.
Is he not, to them, the goose that lays the golden eggs? Nobody's seen an eye or a hair of that car.
I've given the Surrey Police a full description, but he'll probably switch cars as soon as he can, or go toward somewhere.
What about the ruffian you caught? Name's Joe Rogers, so he says.
He's sticking to his story, anyhow.
Perhaps Poirot can move him.
With all due respect, Mr.
Poirot, if my lads can't shift him Poirot shall act.
Captain Hastings, the voiture, it is recovered? Damned thing was out of petrol.
The gauge is stuck at full.
Come, we have work to do.
The boy's gone.
I know, one of the bobbies told me.
- Bonjour, Monsieur Rogers.
- Here! He is saying good day, you ignorant man.
I would like you please to tell me your story again, monsieur.
How you came into possession of that package? I told him all that.
Tell me.
Well, this geezer gave it to me, didn't he? Did he? Well, I just told you.
And what did he say, this geezer? He said I was to take the package and to deliver it to the big house.
At the side door, he said.
He gave me a ten bob note, he did.
He said I was to deliver it at 10 to 12, spot on.
And what time did you meet him, do you know? Yeah, I do, as it happens.
It was a quarter past ten.
And can you describe him? Well, there was something queer 'bout him.
He wasn't tall, no taller nor me.
- And he wore a "tache".
- "Tache"? Moustache.
And he was all dressed up in a sort of grey uniform, with flickings and a cap.
Like a chauffeur livery? How old the man was he? Oh, I dunno.
It's funny, though, his voice was queer, too.
You know what? You know that fellow running errand in a monkey suit? The toffee-nosed one? Toffee-nosed? Monkey suit? You know, is he the butler or something? Anyway, if he was to have a son, that's just what this geezer would've looked like.
Like Mr.
Tredwell's son! Don't get excited, Mr.
Poirot.
Mr.
Tredwell was with Mr.
Waverly every minute between 10 o'clock and half past.
I got that from Mr.
Waverly already.
But has Mr.
Tredwell got a son? Well some other explanation will present itself.
Thank you, Mr.
Japp, you have been most helpful.
And you, Mr.
Rogers.
Well, thanks very much.
Never you mind about that, my lad.
I'm taking you down to the local lockup.
What's the charge? Vagrancy.
You can't do that, I've got ten bob in me pocket.
Tell the magistrate all about it.
Come on, lads.
I'm going back to London to organize a search there.
The answer is here, my friend, not in London.
The answers may be, Mr.
Poirot, but the boy is in London.
I'll lay odds on that.
Good day to you.
Mr.
Tredwell, come in.
Come in and sit down.
I would prefer to stand, sir, if it's all the same to you.
By all means.
You have worked here for many years, sir? I came as an underfoot man.
Of course, there was a much larger staff, in those days.
I see.
So, if anyone knows the family secrets, it would be you, n'est-ce pas? I'm sure, sir, there are no secrets in the Waverly family.
Of course not.
Mr.
Waverly is the most upright of men.
He and his father before him.
Of course.
And Madame Waverly? A happy marriage? I'm sure, sir, Mrs.
Waverly is a fine woman.
Of course she has made changes.
This is not the sort of establishment she was brought up to, for all her money.
Quite.
But, well, I think she is beginning to appreciate the Waverly way.
Miss Collins, can I ask you about the boy's nurse? She'd only been here for about six months.
Was she trustworthy? Eminently, I should have thought.
And she'd left the house, by the time of the kidnapping, anyway.
Quite so, quite so.
She may have had accomplices inside the house.
Was there anyone she was particularly friendly with? Anyone of the staff? I'm sure I couldn't say.
I don't listen to tickle-tackles from below-stairs, I'm afraid.
Oh no, no, I didn't suggest Excuse me, I did not know you were still in here.
No, that's fine, we were just about finished, hein, miss Collins? Are you sure? Oh, yes.
Thank you.
Merci, Mademoiselle.
Anything? What about you? - I learned a lot from Mr.
Tredwell.
- And? There is one thing I do not understand.
I don't understand any of it.
Non, non, mon ami, it is simple, but for the one thing.
Here is the child, here in this room, guarded by his father and the Inspector Japp.
Now, the false alarm is raised and the Inspector and Waverly foolishly rush out, leaving the child undefended.
Yes? - Yes.
- Bon.
Now, the kidnapper comes in and takes away the child.
Where? What do you mean, "where"? Well, they can not go out this way.
Waverly and the Inspector had just gone and there are still policemen standing not 20 meters away.
This way.
Yes.
But to what end? The front of the house has a policeman outside the door, the backdoor likewise.
At that side of the house, the Rogers has been caught and excitement reigns.
Hmm, a problem, hein? I see what you mean.
The tunnel.
Commo? The tunnel.
What tunnel? A lot of catholic houses used to have priest holes.
Places where the priests used to escape to, if the King's men came looking for them.
Where is it, this tunnel? Sacré! Where does this lead? Comes out of the mausoleum, 'bout half a mile away.
I need a lamp de poche.
What is that - a lamp at the pocket? - A torch? - A torch! - I've got one in the car.
- Bon.
Who would know of the existence of this, Mr.
Waverly? Not easy to say.
A few people who've visited the house, I suppose.
Mainly just family.
I see.
Servants? One or two of them, I suppose.
Miss Collins? No, I am sure not.
Tredwell? He's bound to, I suppose, he's been with us so long.
And the child's nurse, Mrs.
Withers? I wouldn't have thought so, no.
Here we are, one each.
Good.
Come, Captain Hastings, we embark on a voyage into darkness.
I'll come with you.
Non, non, Captain Hastings and I must go alone.
There are some stairs going down.
Forward, mon brave.
Tell me, what do you make of this case? You don't expect me to think in the dark, do you? Ah, Hastings, the little grey cells, sometimes, they work even better in the dark.
But always we come back to the same question.
Why would anyone warn the Waverlys before they kidnap the child? I suppose they hoped to get the money without actually being forced to do it.
But this does not alter the fact that they were making a thing difficult that was perfectly easy.
If they do not specify a time or day, nothing would be easier for them to wait their chance, carry off the child in a motor one day when he is out with his nurse.
I suppose so.
I can see a light up ahead.
Good.
I'm bored with this tunnel.
Very sweet.
Very nice.
See, the car could be waiting here, well away from the house.
The child could be brought through the tunnel to the car.
The driver makes the getaway hooting as he passes in sight of the house.
It is a farce! Nothing more.
Everything goes to show that there was an accomplice inside the house.
The mysterious poisoning of Madame Waverly Poisoning? My poor Hastings! So innocent.
Non, non, non, it is nice.
But surely you can not imagine it was by accident that Madame Waverly was conveniently kept out of the way on the day of the kidnapping? Good God! Point number two Someone in the house must have pinned the final note to Mr.
Waverly's pillow.
Yes, I see that.
Point number three The putting on, of the clock, ten minutes.
All inside jobs.
Now, we have four people inside the house.
Madame Waverly and Miss Collins we can exclude.
The one is How you say en lit? Bedridden, yes? The other, Miss Collins, is with her.
Then, that leaves Mr.
Waverly and Tredwell.
So it does.
Hastings, I've had enough of this case.
There is a train to London in 40 minutes.
Well, I'll drive you to No, Hastings, I'll take the train.
Where are you going? Captain Hastings has been kind enough to drive me to the station.
Then, I shall proceed to London.
But the case? My son? You haven't done anything! But I have done everything, monsieur.
Then, where is he? I will give you the address.
It's a blank sheet.
Because I am waiting for you to write it down for me.
You will take Captain Hastings and me to the boy, now.
If you do not, Madame Waverly will be informed of the exact sequence of events that made up this dastardly crime.
He is all right.
He is well cared for.
Of that I have no doubt.
Jessie! Daddy! Daddy! Johnnie's nurse.
Of course, of course! You are Mr.
Tredwell's daughter? Niece.
I am sure your ingenuity will be equal to the task of explaining the boy's reappearance.
If I did not believe you to be a good father, at heart, I would not be so willing to give you another chance.
I'll do anything to avoid a scandal.
Precisely.
Appearance is what matter, hein? That was why it was intolerable that your wife should call a hold to the restoration work of the house.
Having a rich wife is not the same as being rich oneself, monsieur.
Don't worry.
I've learnt my lesson.
Good.
Your name is an old and honoured one.
Do not jeopardize it again.
I shall be sending you my bill.
Drive, Captain Hastings.
Won't you let me into the secret? How did you know? It was obvious.
Who sends away the servants? Can write the notes? Who can drug his wife? Who could put the hands of the clock forward? Who could establish an alibi for his faithful retainer, Tredwell? Tredwell has never liked his mistress, Mrs.
Waverly, but, he is devoted to his master.
There were three of them in it: Waverly, Tredwell and his niece, Jessie Withers, who gets herself sacked as noisily as possible, so that she can arrange the decoy, Rogers, pick up the boy from the mausoleum, and drive him away to the little cottage in the woods.
It was apparent, Hastings.
I shall see you in London.
Why won't you let me drive you? Hastings, the train has one advantage over the car.
It does not often run out of coal.