Nginikeze uhlu olunezinombolo lwabalingiswa abashiwo esigabeni esilandelayo.
Context:inkatho Ngesikhathi elinde isidlo sakhe sakusihlwa e-Pleasant's Coffee House, uHercule Poirot uhlangana nowesifazane osemusha ogama lakhe linguJennie. Watshela uPoirot ukuthi uzobulawa maduze, nokuthi akukho okungenziwa ukuvimbela lokho; ngemuva kokwenqaba usizo lukaPoirot, uJennie uyahamba enkingeni, futhi uPoirot akakwazi ukuthola eminye imininingwane kubasebenzi ngoJennie noma ikheli lakhe. Ngemuva kokubuyela endlini yezivakashi lapho ehlala khona, uPoirot uchaza izehlakalo ku-Edward Catchpool, iphoyisa laseScotland Yard - uCatchpool wembula ukuthi uchithe usuku lonke ephenya ukubulawa kwabantu abathathu eBloxham Hotel kanokusho; abesifazane ababili nendoda, bonke emakamelweni ahlukene, batholakala befile ekuqaleni kusihlwa, ngamunye enebhande le-monogrammed cufflink (enezinhlamvu 'PJI') emlonyeni wabo.  Ngosuku olulandelayo, uPoirot noCatchpool baya endaweni yesehlakalo lapho bethola khona imininingwane eminingi ngezisulu kanye nomnikazi wehhotela, uLuca Lazzari; izisulu (uHarriet Sippel, u-Ida Gransbury noRichard Negus) bonke babefike ehhotela ngokwahlukana ngosuku olufanayo; isisulu ngasinye satholakala emakamelweni abo ehhotela avaliwe; ukubulawa kwenzeka phakathi kuka-19: 15 no-20: 10 (zonke izisulu ezintathu zabonwa ziphila ngo-19: 15 ngabasebenzi behhotela); UMnu Negus wayehlele amakamelo azo zonke izisulu ezintathu futhi wazikhokhela ngaphambi kwesikhathi; isikhonzi esincane sabona uMnu Negus endaweni yokwamukela izivakashi imizuzu engu-15 ngemuva kokuthi kunikezwe insizakalo yamakamelo yezisulu. Kamuva, kwembulwa ukuthi zonke izisulu ezintathu zazihlala edolobhaneni elibizwa ngokuthi iGreat Holling, nokuthi uMnu. Negus wayethembisene umshado no-Ida - ngaphezu kwalokho, uRichard wayeshiye iGreat Holling ngo-1913 ngemva kokufa komfundisi wendawo nomkakhe, uPatrick noFrances Ives. UPoirot uthumela uCatchpool eGreat Holling ukuze athole ulwazi olwengeziwe ngezisulu. Ngemva kokufika edolobhaneni, uCatchpool uhlangana noMargaret Ernst, umfelokazi womfundisi wamuva edolobhaneni. Ngemva kokungafuni, uMargaret ulandisa uCatchpool ngezenzakalo zika-1913. Incekukazi yomfundisi yayitshele uHarriet Sippel ukuthi umfundisi wayethatha imali kubantu bendawo ukuze abasize 'bakhulume' nabathandekayo babo asebashona. UHarriet wasakaza leli gama edolobhaneni lonke, esekelwa u-Ida noMnu. La mahemuhemu aqhubeka kwaze kwaba khona izingcingo zokususwa kuka-Ives njengoVicar, futhi impilo kaFrances yehla ngenxa yalokho. Ekugcineni, engasakwazi ukubekezelela amahemuhemu, uFrances wazibulala, umfundisi owayenenhliziyo eyaphukile walandela ngokushesha ngemva kwalokho. Ngemva kokubuzwa imibuzo, uCatchpool uthola ukuthi incekukazi eyatshela amanga okuqala kwakunguJennie Hobbs - uJennie ofanayo uPoirot abemfuna sonke lesi sikhathi.  Khonamanjalo, njengoba uCatchpool eshiya iLondon, uPoirot uhlelela ukuhlangana noNancy Ducane, umculi odumile obonwe eshiya ihhotela ngemuva nje kokubulawa - uNancy uphinde waqanjwa endabeni kaMargaret njengomuntu wasemzaneni obonwe evakashela isonto ebusuku no-Ives. Phakathi nokuvakasha, uNancy ubona amagama ezakhamuzi ezahlukahlukene zaseGreat Holling kodwa wenqaba ukunikeza eminye imininingwane. Nokho, uPoirot noConstable Stanley Beer bathola izikhiye ezimbili ezihambisana namakamelo amabili ehhotela lezisulu. Ngenkathi evakashela ekhaya lomngane kaNancy ukuyoqinisekisa i-alibi yakhe, uPoirot uphawula imininingwane eminingana emidwebweni ehlukene ngaphakathi endlini. Ngokushesha ngemuva kokubuyela ekhaya, uPoirot uthola kwaScotland Yard ukuthi kwenzeke ukubulawa kwesine eBloxham - noCatchpool, la madoda amabili abuyela ehhotela - athola ichibi legazi, ibhande le-manchette elinombhalo owodwa kanye (ngokudabukisa kukaPoirot) nesigqoko sikaJennie egumbini. Ngemva kokubuyela endlini yabo yezivakashi, uPoirot noCatchpool bavakashelwa nguNancy, ovuma ukuxhumana kwakhe nezenzakalo eGreat Holling; wayethandana no-Ives, futhi uJennie - naye owayethanda umfundisi - wayesakaze amahemuhemu ngenxa yomona. Imizamo kaNancy yokuthambisa abantu basemzaneni ngokutshela iqiniso ayizange yamukelwe, futhi eqinisweni yaqhubeka ilimaza idumela lomfundisi. Ngosuku olulandelayo, uPoirot uthatha uCatchpool ukuvakashela ikheli likaSamuel Kidd, ufakazi owabona uNancy ehhotela. Nokho, esikhundleni sikaSamuel, babingelelwa uJennie Hobbs - uPoirot wembula - owayengumngane kaSamuel ngaphambi kokuba ahlangane nomfundisi. Ngemuva kokulalela ubufakazi bakhe, uPoirot noCatchpool babuyela eGreat Holling njengempendulo ekuhlaselweni okungathi sína kukaMargaret - ngemuva kokukhuluma nodokotela wasemzaneni, u-Ambrose Flowerday, uPoirot unquma ukubuyela eBloxham okokugcina ukuxazulula leli cala.  Ehhotela, uPoirot uqoqa abasebenzi behhotela kanye nabasolwa ndawonye ukuveza isixazululo; UNancy Ducane noJennie Hobbs (ngosizo lukaKidd) babehlele ukubulala izisulu ezintathu. UNancy noKidd babezenza uHarriet noMnu. Negus ngo-19:15, futhi uKidd wayeyindoda eyabonwa umsizi wasendaweni yokwamukela izivakashi ngo-19:30. UNancy uyavuma ukuthi wenze ubugebengu, kodwa ugwazwa uJennie. EScotland Yard, uJennie, uvuma uhlangothi lwakhe lwendaba; Ngo-1913, amahemuhemu athi uJennie wayedaliwe empeleni ayehloselwe ukusindisa u-Ives ehlazweni lobudlelwano bakhe noNancy. UHarriet wayeqiniseka ukuthi umfundisi wayengamsiza ukuba akhulume nomyeni wakhe oshonile, futhi lapho enqatshelwa, wasakaza leli gama ngobudlova eGreat Holling. Eminyakeni eminingi kamuva, uMnu. Negus waxhumana noJennie ngenxa yokuzisola ngezenzo zakhe, futhi laba bantu ababili benza icebo lokubulala bonke abane abanecala abahileleke kula mahemuhemu. UMnu Negus noJennie babezodukisa uHarriet no-Ida baye eBloxham ngaphansi kwezinsolo zamanga bese bebafaka ushevu ngokwehlukana; uMnu Negus wayebe esefaka ushevu kuJennie, futhi ekugcineni naye. Kodwa-ke, uJennie waveza ngasese uhlelo kuNancy ukuze agweme ukufa kwakhe, futhi waqinisekisa uRichard ukuthi afe ngaphambi kwakhe ukuze akwazi ukuthola ubulungiswa ngokumelene noNancy. UMnu. Negus wavuma kulolu hlelo, futhi uJennie walungisa indawo yesehlakalo ukuze kubonakale sengathi uMnu. UJennie wayebulale uNancy ngemva kokuba eveze emhlanganweni ukuthi ubuhlobo bakhe no-Ives babungokomzimba, kunokuba kube uthando olumsulwa uJennie ayeqondiswe ukuba akholelwe kulo.  Ezinsukwini ezine ngemuva kokuboshwa kukaJennie noKidd, uPoirot noCatchpool bathola incwadi evela kuDkt Flowerday noMargaret Ernst; bebelokhu benemizwa ngomunye nomunye iminyaka eminingi, futhi ngemuva kokungenelela kukaPoirot banqume ukushada.
1. Izinkomo UHercule Poirot 2. Izingelosi UJennie Hobbs 3. Izindaba Ezinhle U-Edward Catchpool 4. Izidakamizwa ULuca Lazzari 5. Izingelosi UHarriet Sippel Isiyisithupha. U-Ida Gransbury 7. Izingelosi URichard Negus 8. Izingelosi UPatrick Ives Isigaba 9. UFrances Ives Eyishumi. UMargaret Ernst 11 - Izindaba Ezinhle UNancy Ducane Amashumi amabili nambili Isikhulu Sasejele uStanley Beer 13 - Bheka umbhalo waphansi. USamuel Kidd 14. Yini eyenzeka? U-Ambrose Flowerday