Some questions without answers.

     I have made myself a list of the things, that needed explanation Here it is:

1. Who is the owner of the handkerchief with the initial H.? - being pressured, Princess Dragomiroff admitted, that the handkerchief belonged to her
2. Was the pipe-cleaner dropped by Colonel Arbuthnot, or by someone else?
3. Who wore the scarlet kimono?
4. Who wore the Wagon Lit conductor's uniform? - It is certainly someone from the outside
5. Why do the hands of the watch point to 1:15?
6. Was the murder committed at that time? - certainly not
7. Was it later?
8. Was it earlier?
9. Can we be sure that the victim was stabbed by more than one person? - It seems most logical, yes
10. What could be the other explanation of the wounds?

     Some questions were answered, some were not. The only thing we can do about it is think. We might come up with an idea, or deduct something by analysing the psychology of the suspects.

Let us all three close our eyes and think...

Lies, lies and even more lies...

     At this time of the year the trains are almost completely empty. Could it be coincidence that so many people  decided to travel at this particular day? And could it be coincidence that the murder happened on the congested coach? I say it is no coincidence, but which, and how many passengers took part in the murder? 12, I presume. Why? Because the victim was stabbed 12 times. The thing we need to know now, is who, of the 13 passengers, was truly innocent. But another question comes up: Why would those people want to take part in a murder of a man, who was a complete stranger to them? I have only one explanation to that: They have lied during the questioning and hid the fact of being related to the Armstrong kidnapping case.

Who do we really have on the train with us?

Deduction.

     Based on the evidence, I deducted the identity of the passengers.


Countess Adrenyi - Helena Goldenberg - the younger daughter of Linda Arden and sister to Sonia Armstrong.


Colonel Arbuthnot - A close friend of Colonel Armstrong


Mary Debenham - Was companion governess in the Armstrong Residence at the time of the kidnapping


Antonio Foscarelli - Was the driver of the Armstrong family


Greta Ohlsson - Was the nurse in charge of Daisy Armstrong


Edward Masterman - Was Colonel Armstrong's batman in the war and his servant in NY afterwards


Cyrus Hardman - Was in love with the servant which threw herself from a window


Caroline Hubbard - Linda Arden - Famous actress and the mother of Sonia Armstrong and Helena Goldenberg


Princess Dragomiroff - A close friend of Linda Arden and the Godmother to Sonia Armstrong


Pierre Michel - Father of the nursemaid who committed suicide


Hector MacQueen - Was in partnership with the Armstrong family


Hildegarde Schmidt - Was the cook in Armstrong household


     It came out, I was perfectly right about them, they admitted it themselves.

There are two possible solutions of this case...

The solutions.

     I ordered everybody to gather in the dining-car. The time came for me to present the solution to them. Actually, two distinct solutions. The first one was:

     Mr. Ratchett, who was aware of his one particular enemy gave his description to Mr. Hardman. He was to be a small dark man with a womanish kind of voice. He most likely joined the train at Belgrade, or more likely at Vincovci by the door left unbolted by Colonel Arbuthnot and Mr. MacQueen. Over his ordinary clothes, he wore the conductor's uniform and was provided with the key unlocking every door on the train, so he could easily go into any of the compartments despite them being locked. He stabbed Ratchett, put the weapon in Mrs. Hubbard's sponge-bag, not realising he had lost a button, put the uniform into one of the valises in an empty compartment and left before the train took off again. 

     My companions did not agree at all with the solution above, so I presented them the alternative one.

     Everything was planned way beforehand. The small, dark man with a womanish voice was a fictional character who could apply as well to a man or a woman from outside, who could be blamed for the crime without having an alibi. The idea of stabbing perfectly fit the situation. It was a  silent method and a dagger could be used by anyone, strong or weak. All twelve murderers entered Ratchett's compartment one by one through the communicating door in Mrs. Hubbard's compartment. None of the murderers knew which blow had actually killed Cassetti, but with so many blows, at least one must had done deadly damage. The letter which Ratchett received from the actual murderers was burnt, as it contained the key word - Armstrong, without which none of the passengers could have been suspected. When they realised that a part of their plan was impossible, because of the train running into a snow-drift they left us two 'clues' in Ratchett's compartment to confuse our investigation even more so. One incriminating Colonel Arbuthnot who had the strongest alibi, and the other pointing to Princess Dragomiroff who had an alibi provided by her maid and seemed too weak to stab Cassetti. The Wagon Lit conductor, Mr. Michell must have been involved in the murder, but that gave us 13 persons, not 12. I came to the conclusion that the innocent person would be the one who was to be a prime suspect, someone closest to the Armstrongs, which was Countess Adrenyi, so her husband must have taken her place.

     Justice finally found the monster which Cassetti was. We agreed to present the Yugo-Slavian police with the first option, to avoid ruining the lives, that those people still have to live.

Having placed my solution before you, I have the honour to retire from the case. Farewell, dear friends...