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Ah. I didn't remember a hat either just the robe, I just assumed that I missed something that Entenzahn caught. Thanks for clarifying! Woah also I should've double checked my spelling of cassock, better edit that. Guy A. Person fucked around with this message at 18:28 on Feb 9, 2013 |
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Feb 6, 2013 22:51
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Maud Moonshine posted:Pretty sure Tommy had a red cassock, which is an ankle length robe worn by clerics of the Roman Catholic church. I honestly don't know whether a robe could be died by hat pant. Hat paint has kind of died out as a thing so goodness knows. Regardless, Tommy did not have a red hat (as far as we know). I actually went back and looked this up and you're right. Mark this one up to my inadequate grasp of the English language. I didn't know such a thing as a cassock existed, so I've read it as cossack. Sorry everybody. That does, however, take Tommy out of the equasion concering Gibbs, making things simpler. So the hat paint probably came from Ellsworthy or Waynflete directly. But did they put it there themselves? Entenzahn fucked around with this message at 22:57 on Feb 6, 2013 |
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Feb 6, 2013 22:53
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This is a quick post so I can get the thought out here. I think Bridget is the murderer. I think that she is killing anyone who she feels has caused any kind of trouble for Lord Whitcomb. I will go into detail a bit later when I have some more time, but Miss Waynflete is next on the hitlist if my theory is correct. Zola fucked around with this message at 00:31 on Feb 9, 2013 |
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Feb 7, 2013 01:04
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Cool. I am very interested to hear your reasoning, I thought Bridget seemed to be suspicious but couldn't put my finger on why or think of any solid evidence aside from a gut feeling.
Guy A. Person fucked around with this message at 18:28 on Feb 9, 2013 |
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Feb 7, 2013 04:29
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Guy A. Person posted:Cool. I am very interested to hear your reasoning, I thought Bridget seemed to be suspicious but couldn't put my finger on why or think of any solid evidence aside from a gut feeling It seems like everyone who has been murdered so far has either pissed off Lord Whitfield or gotten too close to the truth (Miss Pinkerton). We know Bridget will do ANYTHING to please Whitfield, even throw a tennis match to satisfy his ego. When Bridget brings Luke to meet Miss Waynflete: "I thought" Bridget said--and again he noticed the curious flat tone..." Then they are having the conversation and Luke gets the feeling that she was not telling the whole story and that she wanted him to know it And then just before they leave, Miss Wayneflete and Bridget exchange "a rapid look with a hint of interrogation about it" Which at first blush I put down as them wondering if they should tell Luke their suspicious, but now I wonder if it had another meaning. We know that Bridget Conway and Miss Waynflete were Miss Pinkerton's social equals, Tommy's mother Mrs. Pierce refers to them as "gentry". Now, on to Ellsworthy. I am actually thinking that what he is is a shrewd shopkeeper. His so-called "orgies" might drum up business for the town and thus his shop. I also think that he may be blackmailing Bridget (making her marriage even more imperative) because I think he does herbs (which as I mentioned in an earlier post, could have been the cause of his stained hands) There's a bit of possible evidence there as to Bridget's mental state as well. When Luke comes to find her after talking to Ellsworthy, she seems "as though she were returning from some far-off world..." Rose Humbleby also tells Luke "Miss Pinkerton was worried about her in some way. She was always asking me questions..." Why IS that? Miss Pinkerton was able to predict Dr. Humbleby's death, that's what she had intended to report to Scotland Yard. I said earlier that I thought Miss Waynflete was next, but as I wrote this, it also occurred to me that it could also be Ellsworthy if he is trying to blackmail Bridget Now, all of this is subject to change as we read further, but that's my current theory. Zola fucked around with this message at 00:31 on Feb 9, 2013 |
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Feb 7, 2013 06:19
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Bridget is a good suspect. But before I settle for her, I'd need more clues pointing to her as a closet psycho. Throwing a tennis match is one thing, but mass murder? How did she kill Humbleby? Would she work with an accomplice? Could she have talked Dr. Thomas into doing it? Probably, but would she? If she really is the culprit, Luke is in danger as well. She knows he's investigating and he saw her with Ellsworthy. Many things she could do. Kill Ellsworthy. Talk Ellsworthy into attacking Luke. Kill Waynflete and frame Ellsworthy.. ahh possibilities. We need more chapters. Entenzahn fucked around with this message at 21:50 on Feb 12, 2013 |
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Feb 7, 2013 08:41
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Time for more chapters. Up to the end of chapter seventeen, if you please.
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Feb 8, 2013 15:56
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And here it is, the enormous red herring! "They all die," said Lord Whitfield. Bridget is seeing to it. Edit: although if Miss Wayneflete was still in love with Lord Whitfield, it's possible she is responsible. I need to meditate on this a bit longer--the thing is, she's older so very possibly might not physically be able to swing a sack of sand, whereas Bridget struck me as more athletic AND she was outside when the chauffeur was killed. Zola fucked around with this message at 19:13 on Feb 8, 2013 |
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Feb 8, 2013 18:38
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So obviously the remaining six chapters are going to be about Ellsworthy's arrest and Bridget and Luke's marriage. Let's assume the murderer picks people that Whitfield hates. The only witnesses of Whitfield's row with Rivers are Bridget, Waynflete and Whitfield himself. I doubt the latter would brag about all the people he killed. He's naive and self-absorbed enough to believe that God murders for him. Theory A: Waynflete still loves Whitfield. She was a close friend of Horton and thus had access to her, which she used to poison her. Owned hat paint for her cat and used it to poison Amy. Investigators would be male so the color didn't matter. She employed Tommy and shoved him out of the window when it was convenient. Pushed Carter into the mud, easy. Whitfield was informing her about germs and bacteria and she used this knowledge to infect Humbleby. As a close friend of Pinkerton she realized she was about to be found out by her, so the old lady had to die. If this theory is correct Waynflete might attempt to murder Bridget for leaving Whitfield. Theory B: See Zola's posts, Bridget is a psycho bride. Could have poisoned the peaches for Horton. I don't know where her love confession for Luke fits in. Maybe she's trying to frame Whitfield and save herself. Maybe she's going to attempt to kill Luke. Maybe she confused Rivers with Luke and had to improvise when her real target showed up. But I believe that there's another option that includes Abbot's letter. It was from a woman, so it might have come from Horton, Gibbs or any of our female suspects. I don't know what's in there, but it might contain a motive for the murder of Horton or Gibbs or both. Abbot has to keep things confidential, but Tommy knew too much so he died. Humbleby and Pinkerton became aware of the murderer's identity. Rivers could have been mistaken for Luke. No idea about Carter, but he's connected to Amy, might have known too much and drunkenly talked about it. I don't know about this. The mad lover theory is good, but I get the feeling that the letter is important somehow. Still not 100% ruling out multiple murderers/conspiracy, but I really like Waynflete and Bridget as suspects. Maybe Horton was murdered by someone else, but not the others. All in all I feel like we're getting close, but something important i still missing. Entenzahn fucked around with this message at 21:49 on Feb 12, 2013 |
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Feb 8, 2013 19:42
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]I basically agree with all of the above, with maybe the distinction that Luke is Bridget's backup plan so to speak, assuming it's her and her older engagement doesn't work out. A conspiracy could work too. Also, Luke, you're a bit of an rear end, no matter how unpleasant Whitfield is. Bridget too. Mecca-Benghazi fucked around with this message at 21:24 on Feb 12, 2013 |
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Feb 8, 2013 20:21
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I'm on board with the Bridget Theory at this point. The important murders, in my eyes, are Amy, Pinkerton, and Rivers. Amy: Poisoned via hat paint. The hat paint was for the wrong color, making it appear as if a man did it. We know for a fact that Bridget was aware of this distinction, and easily could have made it to move suspicion off of her. Pinkerton: Run over. Chapter fifteen revealed that Whitfield has a car. Who could have better access to it than his secretary? Rivers: Luke ran into Bridget on the way back to discovering the body. This means that she's the only person other than Luke who we know to have been up and about at the time of the murder. As for the love confession: -Strangely sudden. -Far too early in the book. -She still hasn't told Whitfield about it. -In fact, she hurriedly put off doing so when Luke tried to bring it up. -Right before discovering a dead body immediately after encountering her in the dark. All this points to Bridget having pulled it out as an emergency measure to deflect suspicion from Luke. In all likelihood, Luke is the designated seventh victim... By the way, since we're getting near the end of this round: Zola and Guy, how are our future picks going? Are they fit for challenging? Which one does it look like we'll be doing first? Quinn2win fucked around with this message at 22:17 on Feb 12, 2013 |
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Feb 8, 2013 23:53
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ProfessorProf posted:I'm on board with the Bridget Theory at this point. The important murders, in my eyes, are Amy, Pinkerton, and Rivers. The Ponson Case is not quite a simple whodunit, but there's plenty to discuss, and I think that we can use it. I would use a slightly altered criteria for considering the mystery "solved" because it's not as straightforward. The chapters are also longer, I think. I may start us with three and if that takes too long, I'll cut it down to 2.
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Feb 9, 2013 00:18
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Zola posted:The Ponson Case is not quite a simple whodunit, but there's plenty to discuss, and I think that we can use it. I would use a slightly altered criteria for considering the mystery "solved" because it's not as straightforward. The chapters are also longer, I think. I may start us with three and if that takes too long, I'll cut it down to 2. I feel like the Body on the Beach is the same way, not necessarily an open ended whodunit like the Christie books with a clear list of suspects etc. but still with a lot to speculate on. At the same time I am still finishing up and without people to discuss it with I may have skimmed over some clues. But in either case I will be ready to go next or just after Zola.
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Feb 9, 2013 18:27
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Guy A. Person posted:I feel like the Body on the Beach is the same way, not necessarily an open ended whodunit like the Christie books with a clear list of suspects etc. but still with a lot to speculate on. At the same time I am still finishing up and without people to discuss it with I may have skimmed over some clues. I'm ready to go, I sent you a pm.
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Feb 9, 2013 18:40
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Man, I read way too slowly to keep up with this thread. I was still favouring Whitfield as the murderer right up until these last few chapters made it explicit that he had a grudge against all the victims. I agree with the thread consensus that it's between Bridget and Waynflete now, but I would add that it's probably safe to rule out Pinkerton's testimony as a red herring - I'm pretty sure she was thinking of the look in Whitfield's eyes, since they'd be on a roughly equal social standing.
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Feb 9, 2013 20:18
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Zola posted:I'm ready to go, I sent you a pm. Just saw it, thanks! I pretty much agree with the Bridget/Waynflete theory, although I am leaning toward Waynflete because 1) she claims she knows who the murderer is and keeps pushing this "he" thing like she is trying to throw Luke off the scent, and 2) I am not sure what the end-game is with Bridget's confession of love. It could have been just for distraction but I don't know how she would segue back into marrying Whitfield without instantly causing suspicion once the "killer" Ellsworthy is caught. I also think it could point to Rose knowing more than she has let on, since she warned Luke to look out for Bridget and if Waynflete is still in love with Whitfield then Bridget would be a prime target. There is also the possibility that they are working together I suppose. Although I am still also holing out suspicion on Rose herself (or someone murdering on Rose's behalf) since it just seems too much of a coincidence that 3 people who might have stood in the way of her engagement to Dr. Thomas have been eliminated. And when you weigh those two things - "people keeping me away from someone I want to marry" and "people who mildly annoy the person I want to marry" - it seems like the latter is too petty to be a true motive. I was actually also just about to type "although that wouldn't explain Rivers death", but now that I think of it Rose could have been the girl in the car with him, and perhaps she charmed him into letting her borrow the car previously... Guy A. Person fucked around with this message at 01:44 on Feb 13, 2013 |
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Feb 10, 2013 00:42
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Wisp posted:Man, I read way too slowly to keep up with this thread. If you aren't quite ready, please, speak up! What's been happening right now is the leader will put up the next chapter once the discussion dies down.
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Feb 10, 2013 01:34
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Zola posted:If you aren't quite ready, please, speak up! What's been happening right now is the leader will put up the next chapter once the discussion dies down. Oh, it's not actually a problem, since I rarely have much to contribute anyway.  I'm not going to ask everyone to wait for me just so I can post "I agree with those guys."Something I meant to say earlier is that I've really liked Luke as a protagonist, given that most of the Christie novels I've read have been led by Poirot or Marple, who both tend to have a solid grasp of the situation. I loved Luke's earlier method of acting like a homicidal maniac to everyone he talked to just to see if he could draw out any other maniacs.
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Feb 10, 2013 02:03
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Wisp posted:Oh, it's not actually a problem, since I rarely have much to contribute anyway. Luke is totally the best thing about this book. It's a shame he isn't one of Christie's recurring protagonists (is he?).
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Feb 10, 2013 02:12
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I don't know. After Bridget threw the tennis match, he just got so mad and  , that was shameful. He's entertaining to read about especially when investigating, no doubt.
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Feb 10, 2013 06:25
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He is fun to read about. I particularly enjoy the scene in the Seven Stars where he utterly fails to make conversation in a non-awkward manner.
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Feb 10, 2013 11:27
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Are we ready for more chapters? I know we were just assigned more on Friday but it seems like everyone who has been active in the discussion is caught up (I was the straggler this time).
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Feb 10, 2013 19:27
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Sorry about the delay. Life's been busy. If you read to the end of chapter twenty, that would be lovely. These will be the last chapters before the final reveal so get your final guesses in 
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Feb 12, 2013 15:38
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On one hand, Luke is entertaining to read about; on the other, I feel a very strong urge to punch him. My gut tells me it was Miss Waynflete. She is really insistent on inviting Bridget over to a location she knows and it's fairly established that she still loves him. On the other hand, she's an old lady. Bridget is still a possibility but her actions don't add up if so. Why would she try to please him with the murders yet leave with Luke? Although I'm still fond of having multiple murderers, the narrative doesn't seem headed that way and Luke is no Miss Marple, that's for sure... Mecca-Benghazi fucked around with this message at 19:45 on Feb 17, 2013 |
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Feb 12, 2013 21:23
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Well I really can't see who could have OH MY GOD IT'S WAYNFLETE SHE'S COMING AT ME WITH RED HAT PAINT GET AWAY FROM ME YOU PSYCHO PLEASE HELP AAAHHHHHH So in the last chapters before the reveal we didn't get any killer evidence like I hoped. Mostly clues that could just as well turn out to be distractions. I'm a little disappointed that Abbot's document didn't come up again, I thought it would turn out to be more important. Whitfield's car was probably used for Pinkerton's murder. Bridget's behaviour leads me to believe that she could be sincere. Honestly I think it's hammy writing. Luke's love confession came out the blue as well. Waynflete received Luke "in surprise" (because she thought she had killed him?). Honestly, she's an odd suspect. There's not much that directly points at her, but she was always close to the early victims as well as Pinkerton. The more we get to know her, the more I feel like she's a psycho. Maybe she's still in love with Whitfield. Maybe she thinks she's protecting the village from evil (like how she protected Luke when they were taking a walk). Maybe it's something else. But if it's either her or Bridget I say it's her. If she didn't conduct the murders herself, maybe she found a way to make others commit them. But really I have not much to go on here, other than that she comes off as a closet psycho and had a lot of opportunities for murder. It's a pretty weak theory and it discards many other clues. But maybe some of them turn out as red herrings and twists. I don't know, I want to hear everybody else's theories before I log in my final answer. Entenzahn fucked around with this message at 16:48 on Feb 17, 2013 |
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Feb 12, 2013 21:49
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I think it's Waynflete at this point, but I do want to keep the conversation going until we can support the theory better. I'm not 100% on it. New information from chapters 18-20 and possible significance: According to Bones, Whitfeld's car was standing outside Boomington House at the time of Pinkerton's murder, and it didn't leave the house until 6:30. He has "the perfect alibi", but the details seem vague. Could this be a lie told by someone in the household? Whitfeld himself, because he didn't know the car was missing? The chauffeur has been established previously to be a very unreliable character, and is now dead. Waynflete "stared at Luke in astonishment" when he showed up at her house. I agree with what Entenzahm seemed to be getting at, that she thought he was dead. Rivers was never meant to be the sixth victim - Waynflete thought it was Luke coming out of the house, and struck him from behind. Waynflete broke off her engagement to Whitfeld after he killed her pet bird. This one throws a bit of a wrench in the plans. Our previous theory was that Waynflete was motivated by love, but she does seem to think Whitfeld is a very dangerous man. However, she could be lying, as the killer. Waynflete urged Luke to take Bridget and flee the country without talking to Whitfeld. If she's the killer, then getting Luke out of her hair would definitely be a bonus to her. However, she went along easily enough when Luke insisted he was going to stay, instead urging him to get Bridget away instead. What's the significance? Bridget told Whitfeld that she was going to marry Luke. This more or less kills my previous 'Bridget agreed to marry Luke to distract him before she makes him the next victim' theory. Waynflete once spoke to Whitfeld about how evil doesn't go unpunished. She planted the idea in his head to keep him from suspecting that she was the one committing the murders. Whitfeld and Waynflete's conversation in the drawing room. What a weird scene. "Put it away, Gordon, for goodness' sake" could be more about trying to keep Luke/Bridget from seeing it than about any safety concerns. Waynflete was also very nervous in this scene - why? She has no reason to worry about being a victim. She's nervous that she's going to be found out. I think this conversation bears some closer examination, though. A lot's going on here, and it could be important. Waynflete insisted on taking Bridget home. If she's killing as Whitfeld's guardian angel, then Bridget is the clear next target. Questions: When did Waynflete break off her engagement to Whitfeld? Was it a long time ago? Didn't Pinkerton somehow imply that she was a social equal to the killer in her speech at the start? That's more points for Waynflete. Is there any murder that absolutely couldn't have been performed by Waynflete? Quinn2win fucked around with this message at 20:21 on Mar 19, 2013 |
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Feb 12, 2013 22:17
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I'm with Entenzahn in being a little disappointed that we didn't get any killer evidence in these last few chapters. I am still torn between Waynflete and Rose with Bridget still being somewhat in the running. I think it's obvious that, assuming it is Waynflete, she is not doing it out of love for Whitfield but probably as a way to frame him. Possibly to further discredit him? Or maybe make him reliant on her? Her story to Luke was certainly geared toward making Whitfield seem as guilty as possible, as was taking his car out and also constantly encouraging Luke and trying to convince him that she knew who the murderer was. Then the idea of planting the idea of "evil going unpunished" was her way of getting rid of key people while making it seem like Whitfield did it? Like maybe she encouraged Rivers to take the car out, or else spread the rumor that he had so that she could get rid of him while making it seem like he had crossed Whitfield. For that matter, if it was Bridget as well she might be doing it to frame him so that she can gain his wealth while not having to marry him. Perhaps her breaking off the engagement was a way to provoke some kind of violent reaction out of Whitfield to set him up for arrest? I am not really sold on Bridget being the murderer but there is the possibility. I am going to be different and go out on a bit of a limb and cast my official vote for Rose. Although at this point with the last few chapters focusing much more on Waynflete, Bridget, and Whitfield I might be wrong, it could simply be that these chapters have been only building Whitfield as a red herring and not necessarily building that stuff as legitimate evidence. So here is the breakdown of my theory: Rose is obviously in love with Dr. Thomas, but there were multiple obstacles in her way, starting with her father refusing to allow them to see eachother. Mrs. Horton was the first victim. Dr. Thomas had started treating her while Amy Gibbs was working for the Hortons. I believe Dr. Thomas and Amy perhaps started flirting or perhaps even seeing each other after Dr. Thomas had given up on Rose. So Rose killed Mrs. Horton in order to keep Amy and Thomas apart. However, the spark was already ignited and Amy was still seeing Dr. Thomas, so Rose murdered Amy to end that once and for all. Tommy Pierce saw a letter from a woman to Mr. Abbot. During Luke's interview with Abbot, he expresses admiration for Dr. Thomas but is not a fan of Humbleby. Later when Luke was talking to Rose she makes an angry comment to the effect of "nothing around here is a secret". This letter seems to be the key to why Tommy died and it would have had to be because a secret would get out, so that is why Rose's comment resonates with me. My guess is that Rose was consulting with Abbot about trying to go around her father to get engaged to Dr. Thomas and Tommy found out and had to be eliminated. Carter is my one hole in the theory, although he did confront Abbot and if he was helping Rose that might have given her a motive. Then of course she finally gets fed up and murders her father because he is the last obstacle between her and Dr. Thomas. Finally, I think she was the girl who Rivers was joyriding with, and that she tricked him into letting her use the car and then eliminated him later. Other clues: -She is shown to be athletic so some of the murders (Carter's and Rivers' specifically) wouldn't have been as hard for her to pull off as they would an old lady. -Dr. Thomas seemed angry when Luke asked him if he ever know someone who might be a murderer, and he was acting a bit strange in general; I think he suspects Rose as well, or maybe even helped her with the final murder. -She is the only one with a clear and solid motive. Waynflete and Bridget share a vaguely similar motive of wanting to murder people who crossed Whitfield, but for no concrete purpose (possibly to frame him for some unknown purpose or because they are just crazy and love him?) So, yeah, my official guess is locked in as Rose Humbleby Guy A. Person fucked around with this message at 05:01 on Feb 13, 2013 |
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Feb 13, 2013 02:54
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^^^ You may have unraveled it, Guy A. Person! The thing with Miss Waynflete is that if Whitfield killed her bird and it frightened her enough to break off the engagement, it's more reasonable that she would resent him--it doesn't make sense that she would be murdering people on his behalf out of love. I don't even know if she drives, but it's perfectly possible that Bridget could have taken the other car to London and just used a spare set of keys to take the Rolls. If Bridget is the one who is insane, then now that she has broken off the engagement with Whitfield, one wonders if she will attempt to kill him, too. I'll be disappointed if it's Whitfield because it was so obvious that he had issues that I felt it surely must be a red herring, as was the emphasis on "him". I'm holding out for Bridget. Maybe Waynflete wants her there to prevent her from killing anyone else? I can't wait to read the rest! Zola fucked around with this message at 06:21 on Feb 13, 2013 |
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Feb 13, 2013 06:18
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Zola posted:The thing with Miss Waynflete is that if Whitfield killed her bird and it frightened her enough to break off the engagement, it's more reasonable that she would resent him--it doesn't make sense that she would be murdering people on his behalf out of love. I don't even know if she drives, but it's perfectly possible that Bridget could have taken the other car to London and just used a spare set of keys to take the Rolls. This actually ties into the alternate theory presented by Guy - she's not doing it because she loves Whitfeld, but because she wants to frame him. I'm going to go ahead and lock in, for better or for worse: The killer is Mrs. Waynflete. Quinn2win fucked around with this message at 20:22 on Mar 19, 2013 |
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Feb 13, 2013 06:22
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ProfessorProf posted:This actually ties into the alternate theory presented by Guy - she's not doing it because she loves Whitfeld, but because she wants to frame him. My vote, although this has been so much fun I honestly don't care if I'm completely wrong: The killer is Bridget.
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Feb 13, 2013 06:26
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Three posters! Three different predictions! The suspense is already killing me!
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Feb 13, 2013 06:34
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Honestly I have no idea. What really bothers me is that we still can't explain some of the bigger clues: The meeting between Ellsworthy and Bridget Ellsworthy foaming at the mouth ect. at the evening of Rivers' murder Abbot's letter Tommy, Amy and possibly Carter being in Ellsworthy's cult "There's a wickedness, my man was on the right side" statement by Humbleby's widow I'm not really happy with the madness theories. They're solid guesses, but if it's true it honestly seems like a lazy motive with all the other stuff that's been going on in this story. No material gain involved? Well, nothing we can do. I want to see the solution, so I'm locking in. Murderer: Waynflete Motive: She's an overprotective nutjob who punishes evil in the village Murders: Horton - Accident or something in Abbot's letter Amy - Cultist Pierce - Cultist Carter - Had a relationship with Amy and possibly cultist Humbleby - Got too close Pinkerton - Got too close Rivers - Confused with Luke Ellsworthy - Cult leader, poisoned Bonus guess: She has an accomplice and it's Rose or Bridget Gentlemen, it was an honor to investigate with you tonight. I had a lot of fun, even though we're probably all wrong. Entenzahn fucked around with this message at 16:49 on Feb 17, 2013 |
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Feb 13, 2013 09:07
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In regards to the bird - I reread what Whitfield said about it, and could he have meant that Waynflete killed it, not him? Either way, I like ProfessorProf's idea that she's trying to frame him. So, I'm going with Waynflete as my final guess, who was also my first guess for no reason at all. Maybe she's too obvious, though...
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Feb 13, 2013 11:25
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if we're doing this already, then I'll lock in with Waynflete and an accomplice. As laid out by Guy, there is plenty for Rose to gain and Waynflete is an elderly woman, crazy or not.
Mecca-Benghazi fucked around with this message at 19:45 on Feb 17, 2013 |
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Feb 13, 2013 11:55
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Entenzahn posted:
Exactly, this is what bothers me too. That letter in particular is so ambiguous and has been mentioned several times but with nothing that gives a solid idea of what it is. And the whole cult thing with Ellsworthy seemed to be dropped before we got anything more interesting out of it. I am still very torn but I went with Rose only because she is the only one with a motive that makes concrete sense to me. With Waynflete (or Bridget to an extent) it can be anything from "I love him and am crazy" to "I hate him and want to punish him" to "I am punishing evil and just using him as a patsy" to "I am working some angle to get his fortune"; theres lots of means there but the motive (who benefits?) is really spotty.
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Feb 13, 2013 16:10
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Final answers so far include: Miss Waynflete (with motive ranging from love for Lord Whitfield, resentment of Lord Whitfield and outright madness) Bridget (motive: money) Rose (motive: marriage) Anyone for anyone else? Or for any of those people again.
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Feb 14, 2013 14:17
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It looks like Wisp is the last person who was actively discussing who has yet to make a guess. orange crayon also said he was reading it at the start but hasn't checked in since then. We would love to hear your theories guys!
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Feb 14, 2013 16:06
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Sorry I'm behind again! I actually caught up yesterday, but had a bit of a long day and didn't feel up to much talking. I think it's a fair guess that the motive behind most or all of these murders is something to do with Whitfield, either to appease him or frame him. On the other hand, I wonder if Whitfield is being used as a smokescreen here - the murderer doesn't much care what Whitfield thinks, but is murdering people who've angered Whitfield so that if someone cottons on, the evidence trial leads back to him. I can't think of a proper motive, though. I'm trying to weigh up how the murders could have been committed if it was Waynflete or Bridget (leaning towards Waynflete, because after those last couple of chapters, if it's not Bridget, she's a good actress). In no particular order: Mrs Horton: Could be either Waynflete or Bridget who poisoned her, given that an earlier chapter said the Major leaves his door unlocked. Assuming that Whitfield's fruit was poisoned, it's more likely that Bridget would know when the fruit was being delivered, and she would have more opportunity to poison it. Wasn't Thomas treating Mrs Horton as well? (I've forgotten whether he replaced Humbleby or the other way around.) Mr Carter: Not very helpful, since anyone could have done this one. Amy Gibbs: You needed to be mildly athletic to access Amy's room, which suggests Bridget or someone else, yet Waynflete would have known of Amy's movements and her cough medicine. This points to Entenzahn's guess of Waynflete and an (athletic) accomplice. Mrs Pinkerton: This was supposedly done with Whitfield's car, of course, suggesting Bridget. But the numberplate was seen by just one witness, who mentioned it to another lady who then mentioned it to the police. Was one of these women one of the villagers, also in London and trying to mislead the police by giving Whitfield's numberplate instead? Dr Humbleby: Big sticking point for me. The murder method is a bit too precise and personal, and difficult to slip past a doctor who knows better than to poison himself. This would have to be someone close to Humblely - either Rose or Thomas. Mr Rivers: Another easy murder to do, but this is the one that points to Bridget and Waynflete following the idea of implicating Whitfield, since only they and Luke saw the argument between Whitfield and the chauffeur. Unless gossip travels really fast in those parts. I haven't got a hope of accounting for all the evidence because I keep losing track of everything, so I'm just going to take a punt and lock in: The killers are Waynflete in collusion with Rose and/or Thomas. Probably more likely Rose, because Guy A. Person's case on her is pretty great. I don't even mind if I'm wrong - this has been one of my favourite Christie books so far.
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Feb 14, 2013 16:59
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Sorry guys! I actually finished the book like a week ago because I couldn't handle the suspense. I'm bad at this.  I'll do the next one right though, because for both books so far it looks like that last bit is really fun.
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Feb 17, 2013 00:39
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Haha, no problem. Then if everyone is ready, should we move on to the last bit?
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Feb 17, 2013 01:20
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