Michael Fassbender by Jim Maloney Page A

and so Richard needed to revise his will. He was the eldest of a family of seven, of which only he, a reclusive brother Timothy and a sister Cora, the youngest, are still alive. As well as his nephew, George, Richard had two nieces, Susan and Rosamund – the children of siblings who have already died. His decision was to split his wealth into six portions, for his five blood relations and a sixth for Helen, the widow of a beloved brother killed in the recent war.
    The day after the funeral Cora is beaten to death in her sleep and Entwhistle calls on his old friend Poirot (David Suchet) to investigate. Poirot questions the family members at Richard’s magnificent estate, Enderby, for which Rotherfield Park in Hampshire was used. Themotive for Cora’s murder is unclear. There was no theft. But her timid maid, Miss Gilchrist, tells how she overheard Richard telling Cora that he suspected he was being poisoned. Has she been murdered to stop her from speaking out? Poirot warns Entwhistle that Miss Gilchrist may herself be a target for the murderer.
    Cora had been a keen artist and collector of paintings from local sales. The day after her funeral, an art critic friend of hers arrives to evaluate her most recent acquisitions. His visit had been planned before her death, but he finds nothing of value. That evening, Miss Gilchrist is nearly killed by arsenic poison in a slice of wedding cake apparently sent to her through the post.
    In typical Agatha Christie fashion, there are plenty of red herrings. None of the family is above suspicion as they were all alone on the day of Cora’s murder with no firm alibis. Susan, who inherits her Aunt Cora’s property, is married to dispensing chemist Gregory, who had been responsible for deliberately administering a non-lethal overdose to an awkward customer. The other niece, Rosamund, is hiding a secret, which turns out to be her husband’s infidelity and her own pregnancy. The unpleasant Timothy Abernethie might have been able to commit the murder of Cora, as might his wife, Maude and so, too, could the seemingly genteel Helen. Or perhaps George himself might have killed his uncle in anger after their argument.
    But then something occurs to Helen and she telephonesEntwhistle with the news that she has realised what struck her as odd on the day of the funeral. But before she can say what it is she is hit on the head. While Helen is away recovering, Poirot – ever the one for a sense of theatre – gathers everyone to Enderby Hall for the denouement. It’s gasps and dropped jaws all round as he reveals that it wasn’t Cora at Richard’s funeral but Miss Gilchrist in disguise. She had put a sedative in Cora’s tea and left her at home while she attended the funeral and reading of the will. None of the family had seen Cora for over 20 years so fooling them wasn’t too difficult. She wished to plant the idea that Richard’s death had been murder so that, when Cora herself was murdered, it would seem that the same attacker was responsible.
    Miss Gilchrist had copied Cora’s mannerisms, in particular a characteristic turn of her head. But Helen had realised that ‘Cora’ had turned her head to the left, not the right. Miss Gilchrist had made the mistake of practising in a mirror without taking on board that the reflection was a reverse of reality. She had deliberately poisoned herself with the arsenic-laced wedding cake to avoid suspicion.
    It transpires that Miss Gilchrist was sure that one of the paintings Cora had recently bought was by Vermeer. Aware that her art-critic friend was bound to recognise it when he visited the following day, Miss Gilchrist hastily hatched a plot and covered the Vermeer with a painting she had done herself. But she was unable to cover up the fresh scent of the paint. Once accused, Miss Gilchrist breaks down andadmits that she murdered Cora because she hated her and desperately wanted enough money to be