Chapter 7:
The Witness in Danger

Fear spreads across the steamship Karnak. Everyone keeps their doors locked. Nobody feels safe.

At 2:00 PM, Hercule Poirot goes to Cabin 22 to speak with Louise Bourget again. He knocks on the wooden door. There is no answer.

Poirot turns the handle and steps inside.

Louise lies on the floor next to her bed. She is dead.

Poirot kneels down to inspect the body. A small, sharp surgical knife lies on the floor next to her hand.

„She was killed with a doctor’s knife,“ Poirot whispers to Colonel Race. „And look at her hand.“

In Louise’s dead hand, Poirot finds a small piece of a burned French banknote.

„She tried to blackmail the murderer,“ Poirot explains sadly. „The killer came here to pay her, but brought a knife instead of money.“

Suddenly, another passenger, Mrs. Otterbourne, runs down the corridor. Her eyes are wide with excitement.

„Mr. Poirot! I saw him!“ she shouts loudly. „I saw the man who went into Louise’s cabin!“

Poirot grabs her hands. „Who was it, Madame? Tell me quickly!“

„It was—“ Mrs. Otterbourne begins.

BANG!

A loud gunshot ring out through the window behind her! Mrs. Otterbourne stops talking. She falls to the floor.

Poirot and Colonel Race rush outside to the deck. They see a heavy pistol lying on the floor, but the deck is completely empty. The killer ran away into the dark corridor.

Poirot returns to the dining room and sits quietly. He closes his eyes and thinks about all the clues:

1. Jackie shot Simon in the leg in front of two witnesses.
2. Simon could not walk because of his broken leg.
3. Jackie stayed in her cabin with Cornelia all night.
4. Linnet was shot dead while sleeping.
5. Louise was killed because she saw the murderer.
6. Mrs. Otterbourne was killed before she could say the killer’s name.

Poirot opens his eyes. A sharp smile appears under his big black mustache.

„Mon ami,“ Poirot says to Colonel Race. „The puzzle is complete. I know who killed Linnet Doyle, Louise Bourget, and Mrs. Otterbourne. Call everyone to the saloon!“

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Key Words to Learn

1. Surgical (adjective) – Used in medical operations by a doctor.
2. Banknote (noun) – A piece of paper money.
3. Blackmail (verb) – To demand money from someone by threatening to tell their secret.
4. Corridor (noun) – A long hallway with doors leading into rooms.
5. Puzzle (noun) – A game or problem that tests a person’s knowledge or intelligence.

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Comprehension Questions

1. How is Louise Bourget killed?
   
2. What does Poirot find in Louise’s dead hand?
   
3. Why did the murderer kill Louise?
   
4. What happens to Mrs. Otterbourne when she tries to tell Poirot the killer’s name?
   
5. Where does Poirot ask Colonel Race to gather all the passengers at the end of the chapter?

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Answer key:

How is Louise Bourget killed?
(Answer: She is killed with a doctor’s surgical knife.)

What does Poirot find in Louise’s dead hand?
(Answer: A small piece of a burned banknote.)

Why did the murderer kill Louise?
(Answer: Because she saw the murderer and tried to blackmail them for money.)

What happens to Mrs. Otterbourne when she tries to tell Poirot the killer’s name?
(Answer: She is shot and killed through the window.)

Where does Poirot ask Colonel Race to gather all the passengers at the end of the chapter?
(Answer: In the saloon.)

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1. The Forensic Timeline Reconstruction

Skill Tested: Chronological deduction and cause-and-effect mapping.

• Task: The excerpt mentions events that happened before the scene, during the scene, and clues gathered by Poirot. Place the following six events in the exact chronological order in which they actually happened in the story’s timeline (from earliest to latest), rather than the order they appear in the text:
  
  • A) Mrs. Otterbourne is shot through the window.
  • B) Jackie shoots Simon in the leg in front of witnesses.
  • C) Louise Bourget tries to blackmail the murderer with a piece of a burned French banknote.
  • D) Linnet Doyle is shot dead while sleeping.
  • E) Poirot discovers Louise dead on the floor of Cabin 22.
  • F) Poirot reviews the six numbered clues in the dining room.

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Correct chronological order

B – D – C – E – A – F

1. B – Jackie shoots Simon in the leg in front of witnesses.
2. D – Linnet Doyle is shot dead while sleeping.
3. C – Louise Bourget tries to blackmail the murderer with a piece of a burned French banknote.
4. E – Poirot discovers Louise dead on the floor of Cabin 22.
5. A – Mrs. Otterbourne is shot through the window.
6. F – Poirot reviews the six numbered clues in the dining room.

Step-by-Step Explanation

• 1st: Event B (Jackie shoots Simon)
  • Why: This event starts the main sequence of events. In Clue #1 and #2, Simon is shot in the leg first, which leaves him immobilized before Linnet is killed.
• 2nd: Event D (Linnet is shot dead)
  • Why: Linnet is killed overnight while sleeping (Clue #4), which occurs after Simon is shot and placed under care.
• 3rd: Event C (Louise tries to blackmail the murderer)
  • Why: Louise was killed because she witnessed the murderer (Clue #5). Her blackmail demand—represented by the burned banknote fragment—happened before her death when she arranged to meet the killer in exchange for money.
• 4th: Event E (Poirot discovers Louise dead)
  • Why: Poirot goes to Cabin 22 at 2:00 PM to talk to Louise and finds her body with the knife and banknote fragment.
• 5th: Event A (Mrs. Otterbourne is shot)
  • Why: As Poirot and Race are processing Louise’s cabin, Mrs. Otterbourne runs up to reveal who went into Louise’s cabin. She is shot mid-sentence through the open window.
• 6th: Event F (Poirot reviews the clues)
  • Why: After chasing the killer out to the empty deck, Poirot returns to the dining room, closes his eyes, reflects on all six accumulated clues, and realizes the truth.

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True or false

1. Jackie was accompanied by Cornelia in her cabin all night.
2. Poirot inspects Louise’s body inside Cabin 22 at 2:00 PM.
3. Mrs. Otterbourne is shot from inside the corridor right in front of Poirot.
4. Poirot finds a full, unburned British banknote inside Louise’s hand.
5. Linnet Doyle was killed while she was asleep.
6. When Poirot and Colonel Race run out to the deck, they catch the murderer holding the pistol.
7. Poirot turns the handle of Cabin 22 after receiving no response to his knock.
8. Simon was unable to walk due to a broken leg after being shot by Jackie.
9. Mrs. Otterbourne manages to clearly state the killer’s full name before she falls.
10. The weapon found next to Louise’s hand is a heavy pistol.
11. A heavy pistol is left lying on the deck after Mrs. Otterbourne is shot.
12. Poirot closes his eyes in the dining room and reflects on five numbered clues.

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Answers:
1: True, 2: True, 3: False, 4: False, 5: True, 6: False,
7: True, 8: True, 9: False, 10: False, 11: True, 12: False

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Match sentence halves:

1. Poirot knocked on the wooden door of Cabin 22,
2. Louise Bourget was found lying dead
3. Next to Louise’s dead hand lay a small,
4. Inside her hand, Louise held a small piece
5. Mrs. Otterbourne ran down the corridor with her eyes
6. A loud gunshot rang out through the window behind
7. On the empty deck outside, Poirot and Colonel Race found
8. Jackie shot Simon in the leg in front of
9. Linnet Doyle was murdered while she was
10. Poirot opened his eyes in the dining room and realized

A. a heavy pistol left lying on the floor.
B. sleeping in her cabin.
C. wide with excitement.
D. but there was no answer from inside.
E. two witnesses.
F. of a burned French banknote.
G. sharp surgical knife.
H. he knew the identity of the murderer.
I. on the floor next to her bed.
J. Mrs. Otterbourne before she could speak.

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Answers:
1: D, 2: I, 3: G, 4: F, 5: C, 6: J, 7: A, 8: E, 9: B, 10: H.

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>>Chapter 8

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Remember how babies
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