Summary

Throughout this section, action builds to the novel's climax as Poirot considers the situation and confronts the passenger/suspects with his deductions.

Poirot rejoins M. Bouc and Dr. Constantine, who comment on how impossible the entire case seems. Poirot, however, says this very impossibility is what makes it so intriguing - it must, he says, be thought carefully about (see "Quotes", p. 189), adding that all the evidence he needs is contained in what has already been learned in conversation with the passengers and in the search of their luggage. He offers an example - MacQueen has said at least twice that Ratchett spoke no English. This, Poirot suggests, indicates that the person heard by both himself and by Michel crying out in French that he was having a nightmare was the murderer. This leads to excited commentary and conjecture from both M. Bouc and...