Agatha Christie's Poirot Episode Guide - inaf iasf bologna

Agatha Christie’s Poirot Episode Guide
identical twin sisters, both of whom died within the space of a few weeks. While Molly generally
led an unremarkable life, Dolly had previously been connected with two violent incidents and
had spent protracted periods of her life in psychiatric nursing homes. Dolly had married a major
surnamed Jarrow and, shortly after his death in India, was strongly suspected of drowning her
infant son, something she had tried to blame on the little boy’s Indian ayah. A second murder was
apparently committed in Malaya while Dolly was staying with the Ravenscrofts; it was an attack
on the child of a neighbour. While staying again with the Ravenscrofts, this time at Overcliffe,
Dolly apparently sleep-walked off a cliff and died on the evening of 15 September 1960. Molly
and her husband died less than a month later, on 3 October.
Poirot is contacted by Desmond Burton-Cox, Celia Ravenscroft’s fiancé, who gives him the
names of two governesses who had served the Ravenscroft family, who he thinks may be able to
explain what happened. Turning an investigative light on the Burton-Cox family, Poirot’s agent,
Mr Goby, discovers that Desmond (who knows that he is adopted, but has no details about the
adoption or his origins) is the illegitimate son of a now-deceased actress, Kathleen Fenn, with
whom Mrs Burton-Cox’s husband had conducted an affair. Fenn had bequeathed Desmond a
considerable personal fortune, which would, under the terms of his will, be left to his adoptive
mother were he to die. Mrs Burton-Cox’s attempt to prevent Desmond getting married to Celia
Ravenscroft is thus an attempt to obtain the use of his money, although there is no suggestion
that she plans to kill him and ”inherit” the money.
Poirot suspects the truth, but can substantiate it only after contacting Zélie Meauhourat, the
governess employed by the Ravenscrofts at the time of their death. She returns with him from
Lausanne to England, where she explains the truth to Desmond and Celia. Dolly had fatally
injured Molly as part of a psychotic episode, but such was Molly’s love for her sister that she
made her husband promise to protect Dolly from arrest. Accordingly, Zélie and Alistair made it
appear that Dolly’s was the corpse found at the foot of the cliff. Dolly took her sister’s place,
playing the role of Molly to the servants. Only the Ravenscrofts’ dog knew the difference, and
this is why it bit its ”mistress”. Ultimately, Alistair committed suicide after killing Dolly in order
to prevent her from injuring anyone else. Desmond and Celia recognise the sadness of the true
events, but now knowing the facts are able to face a future together.
182