{"id":2385,"date":"2026-01-03T22:26:40","date_gmt":"2026-01-03T22:26:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/murder-is-easy-christie-agatha\/"},"modified":"2026-01-03T22:26:40","modified_gmt":"2026-01-03T22:26:40","slug":"murder-is-easy-christie-agatha","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/murder-is-easy-christie-agatha\/","title":{"rendered":"Murder Is Easy – Christie, Agatha"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Book Preview<\/h3>\n
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One<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n

A FELLOW<\/span> TRAVELLER<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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E<\/span><\/span>ngland!<\/p>\n

England after many years!<\/p>\n

How was he going to like it?<\/p>\n

Luke Fitzwilliam asked himself that question as he walked down the gangplank to the dock. It was present at the back of his mind all through the wait in the Customs\u2019 shed. It came suddenly to the fore when he was finally seated in the boat train.<\/p>\n

England on leave was one thing. Plenty of money to blue (to begin with anyway!), old friends to look up, meetings with other fellows home like himself\u2014a carefree atmosphere of \u201cWell, it won\u2019t be long. Might as well enjoy myself! Soon be going back.\u201d<\/p>\n

But now there was no question of going back. No more of the hot stifling nights, no more blinding sun and tropical beauty of rich vegetation, no more lonely evenings reading and re-reading old copies of The Times.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here he was, honourably retired on a pension, with some small private means of his own, a gentleman of leisure, come home to England. What was he going to do with himself?<\/p>\n

England! England on a June day, with a grey sky and a sharp biting wind. Nothing welcoming about her on a day like this! And the people! Heavens, the people! Crowds of them, all with grey faces like the sky\u2014anxious worried faces. The houses too, springing up everywhere like mushrooms. Nasty little houses! Revolting little houses! Chicken coops in the grandiose manner all over the countryside!<\/p>\n

With an effort Luke Fitzwilliam averted his eyes from the landscape outside the railway carriage window and settled down to a perusal of the papers he had just bought. The Times,<\/span> the Daily Clarion<\/span> and Punch.<\/span><\/p>\n

He started with the Daily Clarion.<\/span> The Clarion<\/span> was given over entirely to Epsom.<\/p>\n

Luke thought: \u201cA pity we didn\u2019t get in yesterday. Haven\u2019t seen the Derby run since I was nineteen.\u201d<\/p>\n

He had drawn a horse in the Club sweep and he looked now to see what the Clarion<\/span>\u2019s racing correspondent thought of its chance. He found it dismissed contemptuously in a sentence.<\/p>\n

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\u201cOf the others, Jujube the II., Mark\u2019s Mile, Santony and Jerry Boy are hardly likely to qualify for a place. A likely outsider is\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

But Luke paid no attention to the likely outsider. His eye had shifted to the betting. Jujube the II. was listed at a modest 40 to 1.<\/p>\n

He glanced at his watch. A quarter to four. \u201cWell,\u201d he thought. \u201cIt\u2019s over now.\u201d And he wished he\u2019d had a bet on Clarigold who was the second favourite.<\/p>\n

Then he opened The Times<\/span> and became absorbed in more serious matters.<\/p>\n

Not for long, however, for a fierce-looking colonel in the corner opposite was so incensed at what he himself had just read that he had to pass on his indignation to his fellow passenger. A full half hour passed before the colonel tired of saying what he thought about \u201cthese damned Communist agitators, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n

The colonel died down at last and finally dropped off to sleep with his mouth open. Shortly afterwards the train slowed down and finally stopped. Luke looked out of the window. They were in a large empty-looking station with many platforms. He caught sight of a bookstall some way up the platform with a placard: DERBY RESULT.<\/span> Luke opened the door, jumped out, and ran towards the bookstall. A moment later he was staring with a broad grin at a few smudged lines in the stop press.<\/p>\n

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Derby Result<\/span><\/p>\n

JUJUBE THE II.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

MAZEPPA<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

CLARIGOLD<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Luke grinned broadly. A hundred pounds to blue! Good old Jujube the II., so scornfully dismissed by all the tipsters.<\/p>\n

He folded the paper, still grinning to himself, and turned back\u2014to face emptiness. In the excitement of Jujube the II.\u2019s victory, his train had slipped out of the station unnoticed by him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the devil did that train go out?\u201d he demanded of a gloomy-looking porter.<\/p>\n

The latter replied:<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat train? There hasn\u2019t been no train since the 3:14.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a train here just now. I got out of it. The boat express.\u201d<\/p>\n

The porter replied austerely:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe boat express don\u2019t stop anywhere till London.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it did,\u201d Luke assured him. \u201cI got out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo stop anywhere till London,\u201d repeated the porter immovably.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt stopped at this very platform and I got out of it, I tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Faced by facts, the porter changed his ground.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou didn\u2019t ought to have done,\u201d he said reproachfully. \u201cIt don\u2019t stop here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it did.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat \u2019twas signal, that was. Signal against it. It didn\u2019t what you\u2019d call \u2018stop.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not so good at these fine distinctions as you are,\u201d said Luke. \u201cThe point is, what do I do next?\u201d<\/p>\n

The porter, a man of slow ideas, repeated reproachfully: \u201cYou didn\u2019t ought to have got out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll admit that,\u201d said Luke. \u201cThe wrong is done, past all recall\u2014weep we never so bitterly we can never bring back the dead past\u2014Quoth the raven \u2018Nevermore\u2019\u2014The moving finger writes; and having writ moves on, etc., etc., and so on and so forth. What I\u2019m trying to get at is, what do you, a man experienced in the service of the railway company, advise me to do now?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re asking what you\u2019d better do?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat,\u201d said Luke, \u201cis the idea. There are, I presume, trains that stop, really officially stop, here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReckon,\u201d said the porter. \u201cYou\u2019d best go on by the 4:25.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf the 4:25 goes to London,\u201d said Luke, \u201cthe 4:25 is the train for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reassured on that point, Luke strolled up and down the platform. A large board informed him that he was at Fenny Clayton Junction for Wychwood-under-Ashe, and presently a train consisting of one carriage pushed backwards by an antiquated little engine came slowly puffing in and deposited itself in a modest bay. Six or seven people alighted, and crossing over a bridge, came to join Luke on his platform. The gloomy porter suddenly awoke to life and began pushing about a large truck of crates and baskets, another porter joined him and began to rattle milk cans. Fenny Clayton awoke to life.<\/p>\n

At last, with immense importance the London train came in. The third-class carriages were crowded, and of firsts there were only three and each one contained a traveller or travellers. Luke scrutinized each compartment. The first, a smoker, contained a gentleman of military aspect smoking a cigar. Luke felt he had had enough of Anglo-Indian colonels today. He passed on to the next one, which contained a tired-looking genteel young woman, possibly a nursery governess, and an active-looking small boy of about three. Luke passed on quickly. The next door was open and the carriage contained one passenger, an elderly lady. She reminded Luke slightly of one of his aunts, his Aunt Mildred, who had courageously allowed him to keep a grass snake when he was ten years old. Aunt Mildred had been decidedly a good aunt as aunts go. Luke entered the carriage and sat down.<\/p>\n

After some five minutes of intense activity on the part of milk vans, luggage trucks and other excitements, the train moved slowly out of the station. Luke unfolded his paper and turned to such items of news as might interest a man who had already read his morning paper.<\/p>\n

He did not hope to read it for long. Being a man of many aunts, he was fairly certain that the nice old lady in the corner did not propose to travel in silence to London.<\/p>\n

He was right\u2014a window that needed adjusting, dropped umbrella\u2014and the way the old lady was telling him what a good train this was.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly an hour and ten minutes. That\u2019s very good, you know, very good indeed. Much better than the morning one. That takes an hour and forty minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n

She went on:<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, nearly everyone goes by the morning one. I mean, when it is the cheap day it\u2019s silly to go up in the afternoon. I meant to go up this morning, but Wonky Pooh was missing\u2014that\u2019s my cat, a Persian, such a beauty only he\u2019s had a painful ear lately\u2014and of course I couldn\u2019t leave home till he was found!\u201d<\/p>\n

Luke murmured:<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course not,\u201d and let his eyes drop ostentatiously to his paper. But it was of no avail. The flood went on.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo I just made the best of a bad job and took the afternoon train instead, and of course it\u2019s a blessing in one way because it\u2019s not so crowded\u2014not that that matters when one is travelling first class. Of course, I don\u2019t usually do that. I mean, I should consider it an extravagance,<\/span> what with taxes and one\u2019s dividends being less and servants\u2019 wages so much more and everything\u2014but really I was so upset because you see, I\u2019m going up on very important business, and I wanted to think out exactly what I was going to say\u2014just quietly, you know\u2014\u201d Luke repressed a smile. \u201cAnd when there are people you know travelling up too\u2014well, one can\u2019t be unfriendly\u2014so I thought just for once, the expense was quite permissible<\/span>\u2014though I do think nowadays there is so much waste\u2014and nobody saves or thinks of the future. One is sorry the seconds were ever abolished\u2014it did make just that little difference.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course,\u201d she went on quickly, with a swift glance at Luke\u2019s bronzed face, \u201cI know soldiers on leave have to travel first class. I mean, being officers, it\u2019s expected of them\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

Luke sustained the inquisitive glance of a pair of bright twinkling eyes. He capitulated at once. It would come to it, he knew, in the end.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not a soldier,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, I\u2019m sorry. I didn\u2019t mean\u2014I just thought\u2014you were so brown\u2014perhaps home from the East on leave.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m home from the East,\u201d said Luke. \u201cBut not on leave.\u201d He stalled off further researches with a bald statement. \u201cI\u2019m a policeman.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the police? Now really, that\u2019s very interesting. A dear friend of mine\u2014her<\/span> boy has just joined the Palestine police.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMayang Straits,\u201d said Luke, taking another shortcut.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, dear\u2014very interesting. Really, it\u2019s quite a coincidence\u2014I mean, that you should be travelling in this carriage. Because, you see, this business I\u2019m going up to town about\u2014well, actually it is to Scotland Yard I\u2019m going.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReally?\u201d said Luke.<\/p>\n

He thought to himself, \u201cWill she run down soon like a clock or will this go on all the way to London?\u201d But he did not really mind very much, because he had been very fond of his Aunt Mildred, and he remembered how she had once stumped up a fiver in the nick of time. Besides, there was something very cosy and English about old ladies like this old lady and his Aunt Mildred. There was nothing at all like them in the Mayang Straits. They could be classed with plum pudding on Christmas Day and village cricket and open fireplaces with wood fires. The sort of things you appreciated a good deal when you hadn\u2019t got them and were on the other side of the world. (They were also the sort of thing you got very bored with when you had a good deal of them, but as has been already told, Luke had only landed in England three or four hours ago.)<\/p>\n

The old lady was continuing happily:<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I meant to go up this morning\u2014and then, as I told you, I was so worried about Wonky Pooh. But you don\u2019t think it will be too late, do you? I mean, there aren\u2019t any special office hours at Scotland Yard.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think they close down at four or anything like that,\u201d said Luke.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, of course, they couldn\u2019t, could they? I mean, somebody might want to report a serious crime at any minute, mightn\u2019t they?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cExactly,\u201d said Luke.<\/p>\n

For a moment the old lady relapsed into silence. She looked worried.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always think it\u2019s better to go right to the fountainhead,\u201d she said at last. \u201cJohn Reed is quite a nice fellow\u2014that\u2019s our constable in Wychwood\u2014a very civil-spoken, pleasant man\u2014but I don\u2019t feel, you know\u2014that he would be quite the person to deal with anything serious. He\u2019s quite used to dealing with people who\u2019ve drunk too much, or with exceeding the speed limit, or lighting-up time\u2014or people who haven\u2019t taken out a dog licence\u2014and perhaps with burglary even. But I don\u2019t think\u2014I\u2019m quite sure\u2014he isn\u2019t the person to deal with murder!<\/span>\u201d<\/p>\n

Luke\u2019s eyebrows rose.<\/p>\n

\u201cMurder?\u201d<\/p>\n

The old lady nodded vigorously.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, murder. You\u2019re surprised, I can see. I was myself at first\u2026I really couldn\u2019t believe it. I thought I must be imagining things.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you quite sure you weren\u2019t?\u201d Luke asked gently.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, no.\u201d She shook her head positively. \u201cI might have been the first time, but not the second, or the third or the fourth. After that one knows.<\/span>\u201d<\/p>\n

Luke said:<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you mean there have been\u2014er\u2014several murders?\u201d<\/p>\n

The quiet gentle voice replied:<\/p>\n

\u201cA good many, I\u2019m afraid.\u201d<\/p>\n

She went on:<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why I thought it would be best to go straight to Scotland Yard and tell them about it. Don\u2019t you<\/span> think that\u2019s the best thing to do?\u201d<\/p>\n

Luke looked at her thoughtfully, then he said:<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy, yes\u2014I think you\u2019re quite right.\u201d<\/p>\n

He thought to himself:<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ll know how to deal with her. Probably get half a dozen old ladies a week coming in burbling about the amount of murders committed in their nice quiet country villages! There may be a special department for dealing with the old dears.\u201d<\/p>\n

And he saw in imagination a fatherly superintendent, or a good-looking young inspector, tactfully murmuring:<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, ma\u2019am, very grateful to you, I\u2019m sure. Now just go back and leave it all in our hands and don\u2019t worry anymore about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

He smiled a little to himself at the picture. He thought:<\/p>\n

\u201cI wonder why they get these fancies? Deadly dull lives, I suppose\u2014an unacknowledged craving for drama. Some old ladies, so I\u2019ve heard, fancy everyone is poisoning their food.\u201d<\/p>\n

He was roused from these meditations by the thin, gentle voice continuing:<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, I remember reading once\u2014I think it was the Abercrombie case\u2014of course he\u2019d<\/span> poisoned quite a lot of people before any suspicion was aroused\u2014what was I saying? Oh, yes, somebody said that there was a look\u2014a special look that he gave anyone\u2014and then very shortly afterwards that person would be taken ill. I didn\u2019t really believe that when I read about it\u2014but it\u2019s true!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s true?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe look on a person\u2019s face\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

Luke stared at her. She was trembling a little, and her nice pink cheeks had lost some of their colour.<\/p>\n

\u201cI saw it first with Amy Gibbs\u2014and she<\/span> died. And then it was Carter. And Tommy Pierce. But now\u2014yesterday\u2014it was Dr. Humbleby\u2014and he\u2019s such a good<\/span> man\u2014a really<\/span> good man. Carter, of course, drank, and Tommy Pierce was a dreadfully cheeky impertinent little boy, and bullied the tiny boys, twisting their arms and pinching them. I didn\u2019t feel quite so badly about them, but Dr. Humbleby\u2019s different. He must<\/span> be saved. And the terrible thing is that if I went to him and told him about it he wouldn\u2019t believe me! He\u2019d only laugh! And John Reed wouldn\u2019t believe me either. But at Scotland Yard it will be different. Because, naturally, they\u2019re used<\/span> to crime there!\u201d<\/p>\n

She glanced out of the window.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, dear, we shall be in in a minute.\u201d She fussed a little, opening and shutting her bag, collecting her umbrella.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you\u2014thank you so much.\u201d This to Luke as he picked the umbrella up for the second time. \u201cIt\u2019s been such a relief<\/span> talking to you\u2014most kind of you, I\u2019m sure\u2014so glad you think I\u2019m doing the right thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Luke said kindly:<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure they\u2019ll give you good advice at Scotland Yard.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI really am most grateful.\u201d She fumbled in her bag. \u201cMy card\u2014oh, dear, I only have one\u2014I must keep that\u2014for Scotland Yard\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, of course\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut my name is Pinkerton.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cVery suitable name, too, Miss Pinkerton,\u201d said Luke, smiling, adding hastily as she looked a little bewildered, \u201cMy name is Luke Fitzwilliam.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the train drew in to the platform he added:<\/p>\n

\u201cCan I get you a taxi?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, no, thank you.\u201d Miss Pinkerton seemed quite shocked at the idea. \u201cI shall take the tube. That will take me to Trafalgar Square, and I shall walk down Whitehall.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, good luck,\u201d said Luke.<\/p>\n

Miss Pinkerton shook him warmly by the hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo kind,\u201d she murmured again. \u201cYou know, just at first I thought you didn\u2019t believe me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Luke had the grace to blush.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell,\u201d he said. \u201cSo many murders! Rather hard to do a lot of murders and get away with it, eh?\u201d<\/p>\n

Miss Pinkerton shook her head.<\/p>\n

She said earnestly:<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, no, my dear boy, that\u2019s<\/span> where you\u2019re wrong. It\u2019s very easy to kill\u2014so long as no one suspects you. And you see, the person in question is just the last person anyone would<\/span> suspect!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, anyway, good luck,\u201d said Luke.<\/p>\n

Miss Pinkerton was swallowed up in the crowd. He himself went off in search of his luggage, thinking as he did so:<\/p>\n

\u201cJust a little bit batty? No, I don\u2019t think so. A vivid imagination, that\u2019s all. Hope they let her down lightly. Rather an old dear.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n

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Book Preview One A FELLOW TRAVELLER England! England after many years! How was he going to like it? Luke Fitzwilliam asked himself that question as he walked down the gangplank to the dock. It was present at the back of his mind all through the wait in the Customs\u2019 shed. It came suddenly to the … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2384,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[142],"class_list":["post-2385","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-agatha-christie"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2385","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2385"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2385\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2384"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2385"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2385"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2385"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}