Peril at End House

• Read: 21 Sep 2026 - 25 Sep 2026

• Author: Agatha Christie

• Year: 1932

• Pages: 240

• Remarks: Hercule Poirot Series Book 8

• Synopsis:

  • While holidaying at a Cornish seaside resort, legendary detective Hercule Poirot and his companion Captain Hastings met Magdala "Nick" Buckley, the young owner of the dilapidated End House estate. After discovering a fresh bullet hole through her hat following a succession of near-fatal mishaps, Poirot realised that an unseen assailant was actively attempting to murder the young heiress. Determined to protect Nick from harm, the detective launched an investigation into her inner circle of friends and relatives to uncover the hidden motive behind the sinister attacks.

[25 Sep 2026] ‘Peril at End House’ (1932), by Agatha Christie.

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Reading Background:

• Today was the last day of my HL for my slipped disc. Compared to the start of the month, I have strengthened my core and back sufficiently, allowing my lower back to recover significantly. I have lost weight too (7kg since 1 Aug 2026) after swimming and walking so much, and eating considerably less, to lighten the load on my back.

• Am glad to be able to return to work next week, though I will miss the time I had to exercise and to read!

What I enjoyed about the book:

• The sense of novelty.

  • In most of the earlier Christie books, Poirot was called in to solve murders. In this book however, Poirot took on the task of protecting the main character from being murdered, and discovering who had been trying to kill her. It felt somewhat refreshing and new!

• The plot twist.

  • This book was good in that Christie made it seem like every single one of the characters could be a potential suspect, and one couldn't really guess who the culprit really was.

  • At the end, the perpetrator turned out to be someone I least expected to be! Even though in hindsight, clues about their identity were dropped along the way. The ending felt somewhat satisfying because of this.

What I found less enjoyable about the book:

• The level of implausibility in the murderer's plan.

  • Without going into details, the murderer's plan relied heavily on risk, luck and coincidence, and the number of variables that could go wrong was simply too high. 

My overall thoughts:

• Overall, it was quite an entertaining book! I liked that the last couple of Poirot books all featured elements that made them feel refreshing to read. 

• For this book, I was surprised that Poirot was employed to save the main character from murder, rather than to solve her murder! Also, the perpetrator was someone whom I did not really expect, so I was rather satisfied with the ending, even though the plan was so convoluted and required all the stars to align to succeed.

• I have half a mind to move on to read another series, but for convenience's sake I shall move on to the next Poirot book, and then see where it takes me after that!

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• Chapter 1: The Majestic Hotel

  • Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastings were staying at the Majestic Hotel in the Cornish seaside resort of St Loo, known as the Queen of Watering Places. Poirot remarked that he had fully retired from active investigation, having recently turned down a personal plea from the Home Secretary. While sitting on the hotel terrace, a vibrant young woman named Magdala "Nick" Buckley arrived. Poirot accidentally tripped over a root, and Nick and Hastings helped him to his feet. The trio shared cocktails, during which Nick mentioned that she lived at nearby End House, was the final surviving member of the ancient local Buckley family, and casually mentioned that she had survived three narrow escapes from death in three days. A naval officer named Commander George Challenger arrived to fetch Nick for drinks with her companions, Frederica Rice and Jim Lazarus. After Nick departed, she left her felt hat behind. Poirot examined it and discovered a neat bullet hole through the brim. He also picked up a spent Mauser bullet that had just struck the terrace, realizing that Nick was the target of a genuine murder attempt and that her life was in grave danger.

• Chapter 2: End House

  • During lunch at the hotel, Poirot and Hastings observed Nick dining with her friends: Commander George Challenger, Frederica "Freddie" Rice (a fair-haired, weary-looking woman), and Jim Lazarus (a wealthy art dealer). Poirot returned Nick's hat and requested a private interview with her at End House at half-past six that evening. Before the appointed time, Poirot and Hastings walked along the road to End House. Passing the entrance gates, they met Mr Croft, a friendly, bald, weather-beaten Australian who had rented the lodge. They proceeded up the overgrown drive to End House, a large, dilapidated mansion surrounded by trees. Upon meeting Nick, Poirot showed her the spent bullet and explained that the noise she had mistook for a wasp earlier was actually a pistol shot. Nick then described her three previous near-fatal accidents: a heavy oil painting had fallen above her bed while she was out of the room; a large boulder had dislodged and crashed down the cliff path while she was walking to bathe; and the brakes of her motor car had failed, causing her to crash into a laurel hedge rather than plummeting down the hill into the Town Hall. When Poirot revealed his identity and inquired about weapons, Nick remembered that her late father had brought back a Mauser pistol from the war. She opened her bureau drawer to retrieve it, only to discover that the pistol had disappeared.

• Chapter 3: Accidents?

  • The discovery of the missing pistol transformed Nick's perception of the incidents, convincing her that someone was attempting to murder her. Poirot questioned her regarding potential enemies and financial affairs. Nick explained that End House was heavily mortgaged due to double death duties following the deaths of her grandfather ("Old Nick") six years earlier and her brother Gerald three years earlier in a motor accident. Her father had died in 1919 from pneumonia after being invalided in the war. Her nearest surviving relative was her maternal cousin, Charles Vyse, a quiet solicitor in St Loo who managed her legal affairs, arranged the mortgage, and let the lodge to Mr and Mrs Croft. She also discussed her inner circle: Frederica Rice, who was separated from a cruel, drug-addicted husband; Jim Lazarus, who was devoted to Frederica; and George Challenger, who frequently proposed to her. Poirot inspected the newly fitted cord on the fallen painting and surveyed the secluded cliff path, confirming that an intruder could operate undetected. Realising the imminent danger, Poirot instructed Nick to invite a trustworthy friend to stay at End House as a witness and safeguard. Nick agreed to wire her pious Yorkshire cousin, Maggie Buckley, the daughter of a clergyman. When questioned about her estate, Nick revealed she had drafted a will six months prior before an appendicitis operation, leaving End House to Charles Vyse and her remaining personal effects to Frederica Rice. Poirot also noted that Jim Lazarus had offered fifty pounds for a portrait of Nick's grandfather hanging above the mantelpiece.

• Chapter 4: There Must Be Something!

  • While returning to the hotel, Hastings mentioned a remark made by Frederica Rice, who had claimed Nick was an inventive liar who fabricated the story about the brake failure. Poirot pondered why Frederica would volunteer such a statement. Poirot expressed deep anxiety because the assailant was bold, clever, and likely aware of his presence from a local newspaper paragraph announcing his stay at the Majestic Hotel. They visited Mott's Garage, where the proprietor confirmed that the car's brakes had indeed been deliberately unscrewed and tampered with by someone with mechanical knowledge. Poirot dispatched a telegram from the post office and pondered the list of suspects, including Charles Vyse, Frederica Rice, Jim Lazarus, George Challenger, the housemaid Ellen and her gardener husband, and the Australian tenants at the lodge. Poirot admitted to Hastings that he felt completely at sea because the underlying motive remained entirely obscure.

• Chapter 5: Mr And Mrs Croft

  • That evening, Nick, Frederica, Lazarus, and Challenger dined and danced at the hotel. Poirot approached Frederica's table and informed her that Nick had been shot at in the hotel garden. He questioned her about her movements earlier in the week, and Frederica claimed she had been staying with friends named Buchanan in Tavistock. Poirot's subtle probing revealed that no such friends existed and that she was not telling the truth about her whereabouts. On Sunday morning, Poirot and Hastings walked through the private cliff gate into the grounds of End House. Finding the French windows open, they explored the empty drawing room and walked upstairs to Nick's bedroom, demonstrating how effortlessly an assassin could enter unnoticed. On the staircase, they encountered Mr Croft, who explained he was delivering fresh tomatoes and a cucumber from the lodge garden and had come upstairs after hearing footsteps. Croft invited Poirot and Hastings to the lodge for morning tea, where they met his wife, Mrs Croft, a stout, grey-haired woman paralyzed from a spinal injury suffered in an Italian railway accident. Mrs Croft expressed immense affection for Nick and remarked that Charles Vyse was infatuated with her, though she favoured Challenger as a suitable husband. When Mrs Croft hinted at a personal reason for her interest in Nick, her husband abruptly cut her off and showed them snapshots of Australia. Poirot remarked afterwards that the Crofts seemed almost too perfectly typical of hearty Australians.

• Chapter 6: A Call Upon Mr Vyse

  • On Monday morning, Poirot received a telegram from Nick stating that Maggie Buckley would arrive at half-past five that afternoon. Nick visited Poirot's sitting-room shortly afterwards, and although she attempted to maintain a careless demeanor, she broke down in tears, admitting she was terrified of the constant anticipation of death. Poirot asked whether she had ever received an offer to sell End House; Nick replied that she had not and had no desire to sell. She invited Poirot and Hastings to a dinner and firework party at End House that evening. Later, Poirot and Hastings visited the law offices of Vyse, Trevannion & Wynnard to consult Charles Vyse. Poirot pretended to seek legal counsel regarding local property and asked if End House could be purchased. Vyse impassively and firmly stated that his cousin possessed a "fanatical devotion" to her ancestral home and would never consider selling. After departing the office, Poirot highlighted two inconsistencies: Nick had displayed no fanatical devotion to the property, and Vyse had been absent from his office at half-past twelve on Saturday morning when the shot was fired on the hotel terrace.

• Chapter 7: Tragedy

  • Poirot and Hastings arrived at End House that evening to find Nick dressed in a black gown wrapped in a red Chinese dragon shawl. They met Maggie Buckley, a quiet, sensible, unpretentious young woman wearing a simple black dress. Other guests assembled, including Frederica Rice, Jim Lazarus, and Charles Vyse, while Challenger remained detained on naval duties in Plymouth. During dinner, the conversation turned to Captain Michael Seton, the famous airman whose round-the-world flight had vanished over the Pacific. Lazarus expressed certainty that Seton had perished, mentioning that Seton's wealthy uncle, Sir Matthew Seton, had died a week earlier. Nick defended Seton's memory, revealing she had flown with him previously. At nine o'clock, Nick briefly left the dining room to answer a telephone call. Later, the party moved onto the lawn overlooking the harbour to watch the municipal firework display, where they were joined by Mr Croft. As a cold sea breeze blew, Maggie decided to go inside to retrieve her coat. Frederica asked Maggie to bring her wrap as well. Nick offered to fetch both items, wrapping her red Chinese shawl around herself. A short while later, Poirot complained of the damp grass and walked with Hastings towards the house. Near the open French window, they discovered a huddled figure lying on the grass wrapped in the red Chinese shawl. Poirot initially believed Nick had been killed, but Nick suddenly appeared unharmed in the doorway. Poirot turned the body over on the lawn, revealing that Maggie Buckley had been shot dead.

• Chapter 8: The Fatal Shawl

  • Maggie Buckley lay dead on the lawn, killed by three shots that had been masked by the noise of the exploding fireworks. Poirot realized that the killer had mistaken Maggie for Nick because Maggie was wearing Nick's distinctive red Chinese shawl. Nick collapsed in hysterics and grief, crying out that she wished she had died instead of her cousin. Hastings summoned the police and Dr Graham, then looked after Nick in the drawing room. In the hall, Hastings ran into Ellen, the housemaid, who displayed a strange, excited glitter in her eyes and eagerly asked if Mrs Rice had been injured. Inspector Japp and Dr Graham arrived to investigate. Nick explained to the police that Maggie had taken her red shawl because she could not find her tweed coat. To protect Nick from further attacks, Poirot and Dr Graham arranged for her immediate transfer to a private nursing home under strict orders that no visitors be permitted. Commander George Challenger rushed in from Plymouth, frantically distressed by rumours of Nick's death. Upon seeing her alive on the sofa, he dropped to his knees in tears, openly revealing his devotion to her.

• Chapter 9: A. To J.

  • Back at the hotel, Poirot suffered immense self-reproach for failing to safeguard Maggie Buckley. He explained to Hastings that placing Nick in the nursing home was essential because the killer had failed in his objective and would strike again. Poirot stressed that the murder was not the work of a random lunatic, as the killer had deliberately stolen Nick's Mauser pistol to arrange a fake suicide and had subsequently thrown the weapon into the sea. Poirot compiled a list of suspects labelled from A. to J.:

    • A. Ellen (suspicious behaviour and lack of sorrow)

    • B. Her gardener husband

    • C. Their child

    • D. Mr Croft

    • E. Mrs Croft

    • F. Frederica Rice (had full opportunity, claimed Nick was a liar, lied about Tavistock)

    • G. Jim Lazarus (offered fifty pounds for a twenty-pound portrait, financial standing uncertain)

    • H. Commander George Challenger (lacked clear motive)

    • I. Charles Vyse (absent at the time of the shooting, stood to inherit End House)

    • J. An unknown outsider linked to one of the above.

  • Poirot noted that while Charles Vyse appeared to be the most obvious suspect legally, the sheer audacity of the crime suggested a deeper, hidden motive.

• Chapter 10: Nick's Secret

  • At daylight, Poirot announced that he had grasped three crucial clues: why Nick had been sleeping poorly, why she had bought a black evening dress despite never wearing black, and why she had declared she had nothing left to live for. Poirot linked these to the twenty-minute telephone call Nick had taken during dinner on the night of the murder. Frederica Rice visited Poirot, admitting she had lied about staying in Tavistock; she had actually been at nearby Shellacombe with Jim Lazarus. Challenger also arrived, furious at being barred from visiting Nick at the nursing home, but Poirot explained that the restriction was mandatory for Nick's safety. Poirot received a written report from an art expert confirming that the portrait of Nicholas Buckley was worth no more than twenty pounds, ruling out the painting as a major financial asset. Poirot and Hastings visited Nick at the nursing home, where Poirot offered his condolences regarding her secret grief. Nick broke down and confessed her secret: she had been secretly engaged to airman Michael Seton since Christmas, and the confirmation of his death on the wireless had shattered her desire to live.

• Chapter 11: The Motive

  • Nick explained that she had met Michael Seton at Le Touquet the previous autumn. They had kept their engagement a strict secret because Seton's uncle, Sir Matthew Seton—a wealthy eccentric who hated women—financed Michael's aviation endeavors and would have disinherited him had he known. Although Sir Matthew had died a week earlier following an operation, Nick had kept the engagement private to avoid vulgar publicity. Poirot realized that this revelation provided the long-sought motive for murder: Michael Seton's immense fortune. Poirot then questioned Nick about her will. Nick recalled writing a informal will six months earlier prior to her appendicitis operation, leaving End House to Charles Vyse and her remaining possessions to Frederica Rice. She mentioned that the document was lying untidily somewhere at End House or in her desk, and she signed a written authorization allowing Poirot to search her house and inspect her papers.

• Chapter 12: Ellen

  • Leaving the nursing home, Poirot explained to Hastings that Sir Matthew Seton had been the second richest man in England. As Michael Seton's sole heir, Michael's fiancee stood to inherit a massive fortune. Once Michael was reported missing, the attempts on Nick's life began, because if Nick died before the news of Michael's death or will became public, her estate would pass according to her own will or to her next of kin. Poirot narrowed his prime suspects down to Frederica Rice (who inherited everything besides End House under the draft will) and Charles Vyse (who inherited as next of kin if no will existed). They returned to End House to search for the will. In the garden, they encountered the gardener and his bloodthirsty young son, Alfred. Inside, Poirot questioned Ellen, who declared that End House was an "evil house" burdened by bad thoughts and deeds. Ellen admitted she had stayed indoors during the fireworks to finish clearing up, and mentioned the existence of a secret panel in the drawing room or library, though she claimed she could not recall its precise location.

• Chapter 13: Letters

  • After Ellen departed, Poirot and Hastings searched the library bureau, dockets, and files. They uncovered a letter written by Frederica Rice in February mentioning drug usage and asking a "boy friend" to hurry up a supply. Poirot confirmed that Frederica was addicted to drugs. Upstairs in Nick's bedroom, Poirot searched her drawers and discovered a packet of love letters from Michael Seton tied with a faded pink ribbon. Overriding Hastings's moral objections, Poirot read the letters. An undated final letter from Seton explicitly stated that he had made a will on a half sheet of paper leaving everything to his "affianced wife, Magdala Buckley" and had posted it to his solicitors. Poirot realized that anyone who had inspected those un-locked letters in Nick's room would know of Seton's bequest. As they departed, Poirot asked Ellen if she knew Nick was engaged to Michael Seton; Ellen appeared completely surprised by the news.

• Chapter 14: The Mystery Of The Missing Will

  • Poirot and Hastings returned to the nursing home to ask Nick about the missing will. When asked about the secret panel, Nick stated she had never heard of it and believed Ellen was inventing stories. Nick then suddenly remembered what she had done with her will: Mr Croft had advised her to make one prior to her operation, had Ellen and her husband witness it, and suggested sending it to a lawyer or bank. Nick had sealed it in an envelope and posted it directly to Charles Vyse. Poirot and Hastings immediately went to Vyse's office and presented Nick's authorization, but Vyse firmly denied ever receiving any will from his cousin. Poirot and Hastings then visited Mr Croft at the lodge. Croft swore positively that he had posted the letter containing the will in the pillar box by the gate himself. While Croft was cooking, Poirot surreptitiously tore off a piece of newspaper containing Croft's greasy thumbprint to send to Inspector Japp at Scotland Yard, suspecting Croft was not as straightforward as he appeared.

• Chapter 15: Strange Behaviour Of Frederica

  • Chief Constable Colonel Weston met Poirot and Hastings at the hotel, expressing a desire to solve the case without calling in Scotland Yard. Weston presented a torn piece of paper found by the police in the garden reading: "...must have money at once. If not you... what will happen. I'm warning you." Poirot noted that the handwriting bore similarities to Frederica Rice's script. Commander Challenger arrived, and Poirot pointed out that Challenger's alibi for the night of the murder was weak, as he could easily have driven from Devonport in an hour. Frederica Rice entered to collect her repaired globe-shaped wrist-watch from Challenger. Upon seeing the torn paper or hearing Poirot speak of evidence, Frederica turned pale and nearly fainted. Afterwards, Poirot visited a florist and ordered an elaborate gold basket of orange carnations with a blue bow and his card for Nick, while strictly forbidding Challenger from sending any edible gifts to the nursing home.

• Chapter 16: Interview With Mr Whitfield

  • The inquest on Maggie Buckley was formally opened and adjourned for a week to allow the police to investigate quietly. Poirot and Hastings met Maggie's grieving parents, the Reverend Giles Buckley and his wife, who expressed deep dread of End House and described it as an evil place. Poirot and Hastings then travelled to London to interview Mr Whitfield, the head of the legal firm handling the Seton estate. Whitfield confirmed that Sir Matthew Seton was the second richest man in England and had left his vast fortune to Michael Seton. Whitfield also confirmed that Michael Seton had drafted a legal will leaving his entire estate to his fiancee, Magdala Buckley. Therefore, upon Michael's death, Magdala Buckley inherited the Seton millions. Afterwards, Poirot and Hastings dined with Inspector Japp at the Cheshire Cheese. Japp reported that Croft's thumbprints did not match Scotland Yard records, but Australian authorities had no record of anyone named Croft in Melbourne. Japp also revealed that Jim Lazarus's art firm was facing severe financial distress due to the market slump, and mentioned that Challenger's uncle, Dr MacAllister, was a fashionable nerve specialist in London who spent time in Paris.

• Chapter 17: A Box Of Chocolates

  • Upon returning to St Loo, Poirot telephoned the nursing home and learned to his horror that Nick was dangerously ill from cocaine poisoning. They rushed to the facility, where Dr Graham reported that Nick had survived because she had eaten only a single chocolate from a poisoned box. Poirot was stricken with guilt, believing his security had failed. When they interviewed Nick, she explained that she had eaten the chocolate because the box contained Poirot's own card reading "With the Compliments of Hercule Poirot." Poirot realised with shock that the killer had stolen the card from the basket of orange carnations he had sent. Inspecting the hall table where parcels were left, the orderly Hood remembered a handsome man in a large car leaving a parcel around half-past five. However, a probationer nurse recalled that two separate two-pound boxes of Fuller's chocolates had arrived—one by post and one delivered by hand—and Nick could not recall which box contained the card and poisoned sweets. Poirot questioned Frederica and Lazarus; Frederica claimed Nick had telephoned her asking for a box of Fuller's chocolates, but admitted the voice sounded unusual. That night, to soothe his nerves, Poirot built card houses in his sitting-room. At 5:00 am, he woke Hastings and announced that he had solved the mystery, declaring: "Mademoiselle is dead."

• Chapter 18: The Face At The Window

  • Poirot orchestrated a master deception by persuading Dr Graham, the nursing home staff, and Colonel Weston to publicly report that Nick Buckley had died from cocaine poisoning. Poirot ordered a massive wreath of lilies to sustain the illusion and observed the reactions of the suspects, noting Frederica's terror upon hearing the news. While Hastings recovered from a brief feverish turn, Poirot reviewed his list of unanswered questions regarding Ellen's behaviour, Croft's background, Frederica's drug habit, Lazarus's financial troubles, Challenger's uncle, and Vyse's statements about End House. Suddenly, Hastings shrieked as he saw a ghastly white face pressed against the windowpane, though the intruder vanished before Poirot could reach the balcony. The next morning, Poirot received a letter from Maggie Buckley's mother enclosing Maggie's final letter home. Maggie had written that Nick had telegraphed for her unexpectedly, even though Maggie had already been scheduled to arrive on Tuesday. This revelation struck Poirot like a thunderbolt: Nick had lied about inviting Maggie at Poirot's request, as Maggie was already coming. Poirot realized the entire truth and announced he would produce a play at End House that night, complete with a ghost.

• Chapter 19: Poirot Produces A Play

  • That evening, Poirot gathered all the key figures in the dining room at End House: Charles Vyse, Frederica Rice, Jim Lazarus, George Challenger, Mr and Mrs Croft (in an invalid chair), Ellen, her husband William, and their son Alfred. Charles Vyse read Nick's newly arrived will, dated 25th February, which left everything to Mildred Croft in gratitude for services rendered to Nick's father in Australia. Mrs Croft tearfully claimed that Philip Buckley had been aided by her in Australia and accepted the bequest, while Vyse declared the document legally binding. Poirot then proposed holding a spiritualist seance in the darkened room, placing Hastings in a mock trance. In the gloom, the dining room door opened and a white-shrouded figure entered: Nick Buckley, playing her own ghost. The room erupted in shock and Ellen shrieked in horror. Poirot switched on the lights, revealing Nick alive. Mrs Croft collapsed in terror, confessing that the will was a fake. Inspector Japp stepped out from hiding and arrested "Mrs Croft", exposing her as Milly Merton, a notorious spinally-injured spawner of forged wills.

• Chapter 20: J.

  • Suddenly, two shots were fired through the window. Poirot and Challenger rushed outside and brought in a wounded, depraved-looking man who had been shot. Frederica recognized the dying man as her estranged husband, Freddie Rice (represented by the letter J. on Poirot's list). Before dying, Rice admitted that he had fired the shots, whispering to Frederica: "Freddie, I didn't mean it." Frederica confirmed he was her abusive, drug-addicted husband who constantly blackmailed her for money. The gathering assumed that Rice was the culprit who had shot Maggie Buckley by mistake while targeting Frederica.

• Chapter 21: The Person-K.

  • Nick and the others urged Poirot to hush the affair up, now that Rice was dead. However, Poirot refused, insisting that the complete truth must be revealed. Poirot announced that Freddie Rice was not the murderer of Maggie Buckley and introduced the final letter on his list: K., representing the person overlooked from the beginning. Inspector Japp revealed that he had been hiding behind the drawing-room curtains and had observed a young woman retrieve a hidden pistol from a secret panel in the panelling, wipe it, and place it inside Frederica's grey wrap in the hall. Poirot exposed the person K.: Magdala "Nick" Buckley herself. Poirot revealed Nick's true motive: Maggie Buckley was the real "Magdala Buckley" engaged to airman Michael Seton and the sole heir to his vast fortune. Nick had murdered her cousin Maggie to impersonate her and claim the Seton millions. Nick was arrested by the police. Before being led away, Nick asked Frederica for her jewelled wrist-watch as a souvenir, and Frederica handed it to her.

• Chapter 22: The End Of The Story

  • Poirot explained the full plot to Frederica, Lazarus, Challenger, Vyse, and Hastings. Nick Buckley was an impoverished, ruthless woman fanatically attached to End House. When Michael Seton fell in love with her cousin Maggie at Scarborough and became secretly engaged to her, Nick learned of Seton's informal will leaving everything to "Magdala Buckley". Upon learning of Sir Matthew Seton's death and Michael's crash, Nick devised a cold-blooded scheme: since both she and her cousin were named Magdala Buckley (Nick being a nickname), she could impersonate Michael's fiancee if Maggie were dead. She staged fake "accidents"—cutting the picture cord, tampering with her car brakes, shooting a bullet through her own hat—to create a false narrative that her life was in danger and frame an unknown killer. She brought Poirot into the plot as her unwitting star witness and engineered Maggie's early arrival so she could murder her during the fireworks display, wrapping Maggie in her own red Chinese shawl to make it appear as a mistaken target. Later, Nick staged her own "poisoning" using cocaine concealed in her wrist-watch and placed Poirot's card on the box to make it look like a failed attempt on her life, simultaneously attempting to frame Frederica by placing the murder weapon in Frederica's coat and ordering poisoned chocolates in her name. Poirot realized the truth when Maggie's letter revealed that Maggie had already been scheduled to visit on Tuesday, exposing Nick's lies. Poirot noted that Nick had taken a fatal dose of cocaine from Frederica's wrist-watch before leaving, choosing suicide over the gallows. Finally, Lazarus explained why he had offered fifty pounds for a twenty-pound portrait: he knew that if Nick thought he was overpaying, she would get it valued, fail to find value, and subsequently trust his judgement when he offered to buy a genuine five-thousand-pound masterpiece hanging on her wall. Poirot smiled, satisfied that every single riddle had been solved.