An unexpected case.

     The window in Ratchett's room was wide open. One could think that the murderer escaped that way, but no. It couldn't be. If he escaped through the window, he would have left a trail, footsteps, something. But nothing like that was found outside. It was just a blind. Could the murderer be amongst us?

    Mr. Mitchel, the Wagon Lit conductor told us how the body was discovered. The servant knocked several times on Ratchett's door, but there was no answer, so he let him be. Half an hour ago the restaurant-car attendant came to ask if the man was taking dinner. Getting no response, he called the Wagon Lit conductor to open the door for him with his key, but there was a chain at the door. They broke off the chain and saw Ratchett lying in his bed dead, with blood all over his chest. With the door chained and closed from the inside it could have as well been a suicide. But surely, a man committing suicide would not stab himself in different places twelve times... It seemed very strange to me.

     The chef of the train claims it must have been a woman. The blows were delivered randomly, some with great strength, some were just scratches. It was like someone had shut their eyes and delivered each blow blindly.

" Women are like that " the chef of the train said. " When they are enraged, they have great strength "

It seemed as he was experienced in such situations...

I told my companions about the offer Ratchett has presented me with. If it was indeed some kind of a gangster or a gunman, he must have been an amateur.

     I guess it is best that I investigate the case, and we just present te murderer to the Yugo-Slavian police. We will avoid a monotonous investigation led by their police. I requested a plan of the Stanboul-Calais coach, all of the passports and tickets. The murderer is someone from the Stanboul-Calais coach for sure. There can't be any other option.

The murderer is with us-on the train now...