And Then There Were None Chapter 10

Lombard and Vera are talking in the living room. Vera is still having trouble believing that one of them is the killer. Lombard is sure of it, though, and he tells he that he's sure she isn't the killer. Vera returns the comment, saying that she can't imagine Lombard is the one that set all of this up. Lombard thinks Wargrave is the killer, and he offers his theory: "...he's played God Almighty for a good many months every year. That must go to a man's head eventually. He gets to see himself as all powerful, as holding the power of life and death - and it's possible that his brain might snap and he might want to go one step farther and be Executioner and Judge Extraordinary." Chapter 10, pg. 152 Vera admits that it's possible, but thinks that Armstrong is the killer. After all, the first two murders were poisonings, and who would know about poison better than him? He's also the only one with medical knowledge, so he could have claimed that Macarthur had been dead for a good while when he found him, and no one would be able to question him.

Meanwhile, Rogers is asking Blore if he has any idea who the killer could be. Blore has a theory, but he isn't telling what it is. In the smoking room, Armstrong and Wargrave are talking. Armstrong wants nothing more than to get off the Island, but Wargrave tells him it's hopeless. All they can do is lock themselves up in their rooms and try to figure out who the killer is. Armstrong wants to know how they'll do that without any evidence. Wargrave says that despite the lack of evidence, he's got a pretty good idea who the killer is. In fact, he's quite sure of it...

Emily sits in her bedroom, writing in her diary. In the middle of her entry she blacks out, and her hand automatically writes "THE MUDERER'S NAME IS BEATRICE TAYLOR". When she wakes, she's startled to see the sentence: "Did I write that? Did I? I must be going mad..." Chapter 10, pg. 159

Everyone gathers again in the living room. They try to pass the time with tea and conversation. Vera asks Emily if she'd like to pour the tea. Emily declines, and mentions that she's lost some grey wool. As they all drink their tea, somewhat relaxed, Rogers enters and asks if anyone has seen the red oilsilk curtain that was in the bathroom. No one has any idea what happened to it. Rogers leaves the room, and everyone quiets down, once again suspicious of each other. After another hour, everyone goes to bed, locking their doors and blocking them with furniture. On his way to bed, Rogers carefully locks up the dining room, so that no one can get at the remaining seven Indian figures.

Topic Tracking: Trust and Suspicion 8
Topic Tracking: Trust and Suspicion 9
Topic Tracking: Guilt and Responsibility 10
Topic Tracking: Clues 5