It’s strange—I developed a strong aversion to the sight of those faulty ‘e’s as I wrote this story, but now that they are gone, I rather miss them.
The new typewriter was a gift from Poirot. A few weeks after the trial of Lenore Lavington was concluded, having noticed that I had sent him no new pages to read, he arrived at Scotland Yard with the most elegantly wrapped box I have ever seen. He said, ‘You have abandoned your writing?’
I made a non-committal noise.
‘Every story needs an ending, mon ami. Even if we do not like the resolution, it is still necessary to finish what we have started. The loose threads, they must be gathered in.’
He put the parcel down on my desk. ‘This gift, I hope, will encourage you to complete your account.’
‘Why does it matter?’ I asked. ‘There’s a strong chance no one will ever read my scribblings.’
‘I, Hercule Poirot, will read them.’
Once he had left my office, I unwrapped the package and stared at the shiny new machine. I was touched that he had cared enough to buy it for me, and, as always, in awe of his cleverness. Of course I would have to finish writing the story after a gesture like that. So, here I am, finishing it. Which means it is my duty to report that the trial of Lenore Lavington did not go the way I hoped it would. She was convicted of the murder of Kingsbury, and the attempted murder of Annabel Treadway, but, thanks to Rowland McCrodden’s advocacy on her behalf, she was spared the gallows. I happen to know, though I should prefer not to know it, that Mrs Lavington receives regular visits in prison from a devoted John McCrodden—while poor, loyal Kingsbury lies dead.
‘Do you believe justice has been done?’ I asked Poirot, when we learned that Mrs Lavington would not pay with her life for the crimes she had committed.
‘A jury found her guilty, mon ami,’ he said. ‘She will spend the rest of her days in prison.’
‘You know as well as I do, she’d have hanged if it weren’t for Rowland McCrodden’s efforts, made for all the wrong reasons. Every judge in the land knows him to be the most passionate advocate of the death penalty, and suddenly he is on the side of compassion for a distraught woman who simply made a terrible mistake in a moment of weakness? That powerful speech delivered by Lenore Lavington’s barrister was McCrodden’s creation, and the judge knew it. The same Rowland Rope who has sent dozens of less fortunate fellows off to the gallows, without a thought for whom they might love or who might love them, purely because none of them happened to be his son! It’s not right, Poirot. That isn’t justice.’
He smiled at me. ‘Do not torment yourself, my friend. I concern myself only with bringing to light the facts of the case, and securing the guilty verdict for the criminal, not with the punishment that follows. I leave such considerations to a higher authority. The truth has been recognized, in a court of law—that is what matters.’
We sat in silence for a few moments. Then he said, ‘You perhaps do not know that there is somebody who has announced his intention to behave as if Lenore Lavington were dead—who has vowed never to write to her, and to burn any letters she might send to him.’
‘Who?’
‘Her son, Timothy. This, I think, will be an additional punishment. To be cast aside by one’s own child, whatever one has done—it is a terrible thing.’
I did not know if Poirot meant, with this observation, to imply that I ought not to judge Rowland McCrodden too harshly. I decided that, if that was his intention, it would be unwise to prolong our discussion of the matter, so I said nothing.
And now, having come to the end of this account, I see that Poirot was absolutely correct: to record that a story ended unsatisfactorily is still, somehow, considerably more satisfying than to offer no resolution at all.
This, then, is the end of ‘The Mystery of Three Quarters’.
Edward (with a flawless ‘E’!) Catchpool
Acknowledgements
I am hugely grateful to the following people:
James Prichard, Mathew Prichard and everybody at Agatha Christie Limited; David Brawn, Kate Elton and everyone at HarperCollins UK; my agent Peter Straus and his team at Rogers, Coleridge & White; my wonderful publishers William Morrow in New York, and all my Poirot publishers all over the world who have helped to distribute the books far and wide; Chris Gribble, who read and enthused at a crucial early stage; Emily Winslow who made editorial suggestions that were meticulous and invaluable, as always; Jamie Bernthal-Hooker, who did a million helpful things, from proof-reading to researching to title brainstorming; Faith Tilleray, who designed me a stunning new website and then became my marketing guru; my family—Dan, Phoebe, Guy … and Brewster in particular on this occasion, for reasons that will be clear to anyone who reads the book!
Thank you to competition winners Melanie Vout and Ian Manson, who supplied the names Peter Vout and Hubert Thrubwell respectively. They are both wonderful names! A massive thank you, also, to all the readers who have loved The Monogram Murders and Closed Casket, and my other books, and have written/tweeted/messaged me to tell me so—your enthusiasm makes it all feel so worthwhile.
ALSO BY SOPHIE HANNAH
The Monogram Murders
‘It is hate that makes people kill … not love.’
Hercule Poirot’s quiet supper in a London coffee house is interrupted when a young woman confides to him that she is about to be murdered. She is terrified, but begs Poirot not to find and punish her killer. Once she is dead, she insists, justice will have been done.
Later that night, Poirot learns that three guests at the fashionable Bloxham Hotel have been murdered, and a cufflink has been placed in each one’s mouth. Could there be a connection with the frightened woman? While Poirot struggles to connect the bizarre pieces of the puzzle, the murderer prepares a hotel bedroom for a fourth victim …
‘Grips from the very start. Hannah gets it right in every particular.’
THE TIMES
‘Immensely satisfying—an ingenious ending’
INDEPENDENT
‘A highly readable locked-room mystery with a delectable twist.’
MAIL ON SUNDAY
‘Superbly orchestrated … as exhilaratingly complicated as anything by Christie.’
SUNDAY TIMES
ALSO BY SOPHIE HANNAH
Closed Casket
‘What I intend to say to you will come as a shock …’
Lady Athelinda Playford has planned a house party at her mansion, but it is no ordinary gathering. She announces that she has decided to change her will, cutting off her children and leaving her fortune to someone who has only weeks to live …
Among Lady Playford’s guests are Belgian detective Hercule Poirot and Inspector Edward Catchpool of Scotland Yard, who have no idea why they have been invited … until Poirot starts to wonder if Lady Playford expects a murderer to strike. When the crime is committed, and the victim is not who Poirot thought it would be, will he be able to solve the mystery?
‘Sparkling second outing for Hannah’s reimagined Poirot’
SUNDAY TIMES
‘Offers a clever twist which the Queen of Crime would have applauded’
DAILY EXPRESS
‘Another satisfying addition to the Agatha Christie canon’
IRISH TIMES
‘A novel fizzing with ideas and spikey dialogue’
SUNDAY EXPRESS
About the Authors
SOPHIE HANNAH is an internationally bestselling writer of crime fiction, published in more than 35 languages. Her novel The Carrier won Crime Thriller of the Year at the 2013 Specsavers National Book Awards. She lives with her husband, children and dog in Cambridge, where she is a Fellow of Lucy Cavendish College, and as a poet has been shortlisted for the TS Eliot Prize. Sophie has written two previous Hercule Poirot novels, The Monogram Murders and Closed Casket, both of which were top five Sunday Times bestsellers.
AGATHA CHRISTIE is known throughout the world as the Queen of Crime. Her books have sold over a billion copies in
English with another billion in foreign languages. She is the most widely published author of all time, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare. She is the author of 80 crime novels and short story collections, more than 20 plays, and six novels written under the name Mary Westmacott.
Also by Sophie Hannah
Little Face
Hurting Distance
The Point of Rescue
The Other Half Lives
A Room Swept White
Lasting Damage
Kind of Cruel
The Carrier
The Orphan Choir
The Telling Error
Pictures Or It Didn’t Happen
A Game for All the Family
The Narrow Bed
Did You See Melody?
Hercule Poirot mysteries
The Monogram Murders
Closed Casket
About the Publisher
Australia
HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty. Ltd.
Level 13, 201 Elizabeth Street
Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia
http://www.harpercollins.com.au
Canada
HarperCollins Canada
Bay Adelaide Centre, East Tower
22 Adelaide Street West, 41st Floor
Toronto, Ontario, M5H 4E3
http://www.harpercollins.ca
India
HarperCollins India
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Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201 301, India
http://www.harpercollins.co.in
New Zealand
HarperCollins Publishers (New Zealand) Limited
P.O. Box 1
Auckland, New Zealand
http://www.harpercollins.co.nz
United Kingdom
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
1 London Bridge Street
London, SE1 9GF
http://www.harpercollins.co.uk
United States
HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
195 Broadway
New York, NY 10007
http://www.harpercollins.com
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