• Poirot’s Big Reveal

Chapter 8:
Poirot’s Big Reveal

All the passengers gather inside the ship’s lounge saloon. Hercule Poirot stands near the center of the room. He looks at everyone calmly, then turns his eyes toward Simon Doyle and Jackie de Bellefort.

„Ladies and gentlemen,“ Poirot begins in his clear, steady voice. „This crime was planned very carefully. The killer wanted us to look at Jackie, but then gave Jackie a perfect alibi. It was a brilliant, wicked trick.“

Poirot steps closer to Simon, who sits in a chair with his bandaged leg.

„Simon Doyle,“ Poirot says softly. „You and Jackie never stopped loving each other. You planned everything together to steal Linnet’s vast wealth.“

The passengers gasp in shock! Simon’s face turns pale. „That is crazy!“ Simon shouts. „Jackie shot me in the leg! Everyone saw it! How could I kill Linnet when I could not walk?“

Poirot smiles unit-by-unit and explains the puzzle step-by-step:

1. The Fake Shooting: In the saloon, Jackie did not shoot Simon. She fired a blank bullet into the floor. Simon squeezed red ink from a small bottle onto his trousers to look like blood.
2. The Real Murder: While everyone took „crying“ Jackie to her room, Simon picked up the pistol, ran to Cabin 43, and shot Linnet while she slept. He wrote the letter ‚J‘ on the wall in blood to frame Jackie.
3. The Real Injury: Simon ran back to the saloon, wrapped the pistol in a velvet handkerchief, and shot himself in the leg for real to break his own bone. He threw the gun out the window into the Nile.

„Jackie pretended to be crazy with jealousy,“ Poirot continues. „Simon pretended to be a loving husband. But they acted together from the very beginning!“

Simon covers his face. He knows the game is over.

When Louise Bourget saw Simon running down the hallway that night, she tried to blackmail him. So Jackie killed Louise with Dr. Bessner’s knife. And when Mrs. Otterbourne saw Jackie leave Louise’s cabin, Jackie shot her, too.

Suddenly, Jackie steps forward. She looks at Simon with sad, loving eyes.

„I am sorry, Simon,“ Jackie whispers. „We failed.“

Before anyone can stop her, Jackie pulls a second small pistol from her coat. She hugs Simon tightly.

BANG! BANG!

Jackie shoots Simon through the heart, then turns the gun on herself. They fall to the deck together, silent and still.

The next morning, the steamship Karnak arrives at the port. The sun shines brightly over the river Nile. Poirot steps off the boat and walks into the warm Egyptian sun.

The mystery is solved, and peace returns to the river.

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Key Words to Learn

1. Vast (adjective) – Extremely large in size, amount, or area.
2. Blank (noun/adjective) – A cartridge containing gunpowder but no bullet (makes noise without hitting anything).
3. Frame (verb) – To falsely make an innocent person look guilty of a crime.
4. Pretend (verb) – To behave as if something is true when it is not.
5. Port (noun) – A place where ships stop to unload passengers or goods.

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Comprehension Questions

1. Who planned the murder of Linnet Doyle together?
   
2. How did Simon make his leg look bloody in the saloon during the fake shooting?
   
3. When did Simon actually shoot Linnet in Cabin 43?
   
4. Why did Simon shoot his own leg after killing Linnet?
   
5. How does the story end for Simon and Jackie in the saloon?

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Answer key:

1. Who planned the murder of Linnet Doyle together?
   (Answer: Simon Doyle and Jackie de Bellefort planned it together.)
2. How did Simon make his leg look bloody in the saloon during the fake shooting?
   (Answer: He squeezed red ink from a small bottle onto his trousers.)
3. When did Simon actually shoot Linnet in Cabin 43?
   (Answer: Right after the fake shooting, while everyone was helping Jackie.)
4. Why did Simon shoot his own leg after killing Linnet?
   (Answer: To break his bone so he would have an alibi and look innocent.)
5. How does the story end for Simon and Jackie in the saloon?
   (Answer: Jackie shoots Simon and then shoots herself.)

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Multiple choice:

1. Where do all the passengers gather at the beginning?

a) Inside the ship’s lounge saloon

b) On the main deck near the stern of the steamship

c) In the grand dining room

2. Why did the killer want everyone to look at Jackie initially?

a) To trick Poirot into searching Cabin 43 immediately

b) To give her a perfect alibi

c) To frame her for stealing Linnet’s vast wealth

3. Why did Simon and Jackie plan the crime together?

a) To hide Dr. Bessner’s sharp medical knife

b) To frame the passengers on board the Karnak

c) To steal Linnet’s vast wealth

4. What did Jackie actually fire during the fake shooting in the saloon?

a) A blank bullet

b) A real bullet directly into the wooden floor

c) A small poison dart

5. What did Simon squeeze onto his trousers to look like blood?

a) Red ink

b) A large bottle of thick red paint

c) Tomato juice from the kitchen

6. Which cabin did Simon run to when he shot Linnet?

a) Cabin 12

b) Cabin 43

c) Cabin 50

7. What letter did Simon write on the wall in blood?

a) The letter ‚L‘

b) The letter ‚S‘

c) The letter ‚J‘

8. What object did Simon wrap the pistol in before shooting himself for real?

a) A thick woolen blanket from his cabin

b) A velvet handkerchief

c) A clean white cotton towel

9. Where did Simon throw the gun after shooting his own leg?

a) Into the riverbed sand

b) Behind the large leather sofa

c) Out the window into the Nile

10. Why did Jackie kill Louise Bourget?

a) Louise tried to blackmail Simon

b) Louise found the small bottle of red ink

c) Louise saw Jackie hide the velvet handkerchief

11. Whose knife was used to kill Louise Bourget?

a) Dr. Bessner’s knife

b) Poirot’s sharp letter opener

c) Simon’s heavy pocket knife

12. Why did Jackie shoot Mrs. Otterbourne?

a) Mrs. Otterbourne tried to stop Simon in the hallway

b) Mrs. Otterbourne saw Jackie leave Louise’s cabin

c) Mrs. Otterbourne stole the second small pistol

13. Where was Jackie’s second small pistol hidden?

a) In her coat

b) Inside her small leather handbag

c) Under her soft chair cushion

14. What is the name of the steamship carrying the passengers?

a) The Osiris

b) The Karnak

c) The Isis

15. What does Poirot do after the steamship arrives at port the next morning?

a) He speaks to the local police chief on the dock

b) He stays inside his cabin resting until noon

c) He steps off the boat

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Answer Key

1. a (Inside the ship’s lounge saloon)
2. b (To give her a perfect alibi)
3. c (To steal Linnet’s vast wealth)
4. a (A blank bullet)
5. a (Red ink)
6. b (Cabin 43)
7. c (The letter ‚J‘)
8. b (A velvet handkerchief)
9. c (Out the window into the Nile)
10. a (Louise tried to blackmail Simon)
11. a (Dr. Bessner’s knife)
12. b (Mrs. Otterbourne saw Jackie leave Louise’s cabin)
13. a (In her coat)
14. b (The Karnak)
15. c (He steps off the boat)

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True or false:

1. Simon wrote the letter ‚S‘ on the wall in blood to frame Jackie.
2. Jackie fired a real bullet into the floor during the initial saloon incident.
3. While Jackie was taken to her room, Simon ran to Cabin 43 to shoot Linnet.
4. Poirot stays inside his cabin when the steamship Karnak arrives at port.
5. Simon Doyle and Jackie de Bellefort planned the crime together to steal Linnet’s wealth.
6. Louise Bourget was killed because she saw Jackie leave Linnet’s cabin.
7. Simon used red ink from a bottle to make his trousers look bloody.
8. Jackie killed Louise Bourget using Dr. Bessner’s knife.
9. Simon threw the pistol out the window into the Nile after injuring his leg.
10. The passengers gather inside the ship’s dining room for Poirot’s reveal.

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

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