The Secret of the Blue Train - Audiobook

An American comes to Paris and buys jewelry from a Russian woman living there. Her accomplice notices that they are being followed. Soon the American is attacked, but manages to escape.

The man who was following the American enters an antique shop owned by a Greek, Dr. Papapolos. The doctor, calling the guest Monsieur Marquis, learns that the assassination attempt failed.

An American millionaire, Mr. Van Aldin, is staying at the Savoy Hotel in London. The millionaire's daughter, Ruth, has married the worthless Derek Kettering. Derek is openly spending time with his mistress, the dancer Mireille. Her father suggests that Ruth separate, but his daughter does not want the fuss.

Van Aldin gives his daughter rubies that belonged to the Russian Empress Catherine II, which he bought in Paris. He also hires a man to gather damaging information about his son-in-law.

Derek, who is deep in debt and penniless, suggests postponing the divorce. His father will not last long and after his death he will become lord and owner of the ancient estate. Derek hints to his father-in-law that Ruth herself is not known for her fidelity. Ruth confirms that she is dating the Comte de La Roche, with whom she hadaffair before marriage.

Derek's mistress Mireille doesn't want his divorce. After the divorce, he will be left without money, and she loves luxury. She heard that Van Aldin bought rubies, which he will probably give to Ruth. Mireille wishes Ruth dead, then all herThe money will go to Derek. Mireille knows that Ruth is going to the Riviera to see her lover.

Miss Katherine Gray's companion dies and leaves her her entire fortune. Katherine's cousin, Lady Templin, decides to invite Katherine to visit her on the Riviera.

Katarina arrives in London and stays at the Savoy Hotel. She buys a ticket for the Blue Train to the Riviera. At the travel agency, Katarina sees her hotel neighbor Derek Kettering, who is also planning to travel to the Riviera on the Blue Train.

Van Aldin's new secretary, Major Knighton, who has only been on the job for two months, offers Derek a large sum of money if he agrees to a divorce, but Derek refuses.

Ruth, along with her new maid Ada, also goes to the Riviera on the Blue Train. Her neighbor turns out to be Katarina Gray. Ruth confesses to Katarina that she is going to the Riviera to meet her lover in secret. Katarina notices that Ada is holding a morocco box with the initials "R. V. K."

The train passes through Paris. At the Lyon station, Katharina gets out to get some air. On the train, Katharina meets a small man with a large egg-shaped head and a huge moustache. The train stops in Lyon.

Ruth does not come to the dining car for dinner, but is given food in her compartment. As she goes to bed, Katarina sees the conductor making Ruth's bed, while she looks out the window, and her maid's compartment is empty. At night, Katarina wakes up and notices that her watch has stopped. She goes out into the corridor and sees that the conductor is not there, and Derek enters Ruth's compartment.

The train passes Cannes. Katarina leaves her compartment and sees that only Ruth has her curtains closed. The late train arrives in Nice. The police appear on the train: Ruth was found strangled with a cord in the morning, and her maid has disappeared.

The police interrogate Katarina. Along with the police, Katarina's fellow traveler conducts the interrogation - this is the famousdetective Hercule Poirot . He asks Katharina to identify the corpse. Katharina says that Ruth was going to meet her lover. The dead woman's face is disfigured by a heavy blow, but Katharina recognizes her by a birthmark on her hand.

Poirot suggests that Ruth was strangled and then given a terrible blow to disfigure her, but why? Katherine reports that the morocco box she saw yesterday is missing. In the maid's compartment, Poirot finds Ruth's hair on one of the rugs lying on the shelf.

The conductor reports that Ruth ordered food in the compartment and ordered that the bed be made only for her, since the maid remained in Paris. He did not see the box and does not know whether there was anyone in the maid's compartment. The conductor wanted to wake Ruth and saw that she was dead.The doctor believes that Ruth was dead before the train arrived in Lyon.

Lady Templin gives a dinner party, at which Derek, an old acquaintance of hers, is present. He recognizes Katarina and asks who died on the train. Suddenly, Derek is called to the police.

Knighton tells Van Aldin that while in Paris on his behalf he accidentally met the maid Ruth. The girl said that her mistress left her in Paris and told her to wait for further instructions. Van Aldin, who does not understand anything, receives a message about the death of his daughter. He also learns that Derek has left for the Riviera and that Mirelle left on the same train. Van Aldin goes to Nice. Ada also arrives there.

Ada reports that she had only been in Ruth's employ for two months. Arriving in Paris, Ruth decided to take a stroll along the platform, but upon leaving her compartment, she met a tall, dark-haired man in a coat and hat. She gave Ada money and told her to go to the hotel and await further instructions. She knows nothing about the missing box, but Ruth was carrying a lot of jewelry, including rubies given to her by her father.

In Ruth's handbag, the police find a letter from the Count de la Roche, in which he mentions rubies and suggests going to the Hyeres Islands. Van Aldin tells of the relationship between his daughter and the adventurer Count, whom the police would be happy to put behind bars. He believes that the Count, having learned about the rubies, robbed Ruth and killed her, but Poirot disagrees: people like the Count are not capable ofmurder , and he didn’t destroy the evidence—the letter.The detective is more suspicious of Derek, who was traveling with Ruth on the same train and was very surprised when he learned that she was there and that she had been killed.

Poirot meets the Count, who knows nothing about the murder. He reveals that he was supposed to meet Ruth in Paris, but she changed her plans and they were to meet on the islands. He was at home at the time of the murder.

The police question Derek, who says he last saw his wife three weeks ago, but knows about the stolen rubies. Poirot wonders how he knows this. To Derek's surprise, Mirelle is in Nice. She is sure that he killed Ruth and did it for her. Derek declares that it is all over between them.

The Count deceived Poirot when he said that he was at home during the murder. He asks the servants to confirm his alibi. Mirelle comes to the Count, offering him to inform the police that Derek killed Ruth, because the police suspect the Count, and she has evidence of Derek's guilt. Having taken a package from a hiding place, the Count sends it by mail. When he returns, he sees that the hiding place has been opened.

A friendship develops between Katherine and Lady Templin's daughter Lenox. Lenox is partial to Derek, who is attracted to Katherine. Katherine tells Poirot that she saw Derek enter Ruth's compartment. She also noticed a young man in a coat getting off the train in Lyon, but she did not see the Count.

Knighton, having met Katarina, begins to court her. Lenox knows Knighton: during the war he was in her mother's hospital with a wounded leg. The doctors thought that after the wound he would not limp, but they were wrong: he limps slightly. Knighton admires Poirot as a detective and has no doubt that he will get to the truth. Knighton accidentally mentions a jewel theft that the police never solved.

Katherine tells Poirot what Knighton thinks of him.

Poirot sees a Greek named Papapoulos in Nice who specializes in buying stolen jewelry. The police had searched the Count's house the day before but found nothing. Following the Count, Poirot discovered that he had sent a parcel to Paris by post. The parcel contained rubies, but they turned out to be fake.

Poirot asks Papapolos for help: all stolen jewelry passes through his hands, and he plans to find the killer through the stolen rubies. The Greek hints at a horse named Marquis, and the famous detective sends a request about the criminal Marquis to Scotland Yard.

Poirot is interested in the man in the coat that Ada saw on the train. It was cold outside, maybe the man was getting ready to go out and put on his coat? Ada doesn't know. The famous detective is also interested in the cigarette case. Ada thinks that its owner gave it to her husband. Poirot assumes that Ruth told the Count about the rubies, he made fake ones to replace them, but didn't have time, someone got ahead of him.

Ada tells Van Aldin that she has thought about it and is now certain that Derek visited Ruth in the compartment. This knowledge gives Poirot the impression that the investigation will progress.

The Count demands money from Derek for his silence: Mirelle told him about the evidence of Derek's guilt. Mirelle demands that Derek return to her. She knows that when he left Ruth's compartment, she was already dead. Mirelle knows something else, but for now she remains silent.

Derek confesses his love to Katarina. He was indeed in Ruth's compartment, wanted to talk to her, but when he saw her sleeping, lying with her face to the wall, he changed his mind.

Knighton begins to limp. He also confesses his love to Katarina. Knighton tells Poirot that Mirelle wanted to meet his master, but he refused.

Poirot meets the dancer. She tells him that she saw Derek enter Ruth's compartment. He himself admitted to her that he wanted to kill his wife. Poirot asks why she thinks Ruth was already dead at that moment. Mirelle says that she heard. Derek is arrested. The police are also interested in arresting the Marquis.

The Greek's daughter tells Poirot that the rubies are with her father, sold to him by some woman. She saw the Marquis, but will not be able to identify him.

Katarina and Van Aldin return to England.

Poirot arrives at the Count's home and finds out from the servants that he was not at home when Ruth was murdered. The detective then visits Mirelle. She admits that she went into Ruth's compartment when she was already dead.

Katarina accidentally finds an old newspaper clipping that interests her. Poirot makes inquiries about the actress Kitty Kidd, who was a success with the public but left the stage after hooking up with some aristocrat, a marquis.

Poirot meets with Katarina. He understands that the girl has fallen in love with Derek and wants to help. Everything points to Derek being a murderer, but why was his face disfigured? It doesn't look like Derek. Katarina gives the famous detective a newspaper clipping.

Poirot tells Van Aldin that Derek is innocent and asks him to take the Blue Train to the Riviera again. During the journey, the famous detective realizes what has happened. He tells Van Aldin the name of the murderer: Knighton, known as the Marquis. Ruth's maid Ada, aka Kitty Kidd, was his accomplice.

Arriving in Paris on Van Aldin's behalf, Knighton boarded the Blue Train, entered Ruth's compartment, and strangled her. Taking the box of rubies, Knighton got off the train. Ada changed into Ruth's clothes and put on make-up. The conductor brought dinner, thinking Ruth was in the compartment.

To prevent the conductor from suspecting that he had brought dinner to another woman the day before, Ruth's face was disfigured. The dead Ruth was first hidden in blankets, so her hair was there, and then Ada put the corpse on a shelf, facing the wall, and she herself, dressed in a man's suit, got off in Lyon and went to Paris. It was she who was seen by Katharina on the platform in Lyon.

In Paris, Ada gave Knighton the jewels he brought to Nice and gave to the Greek. To hide his identity, Knighton feigned a limp. And the newspaper clipping that Katarina found spoke of the theft of Lady Templin's jewels, just as Knighton was in her hospital.

Realizing that the cigarette case in the compartment belonged to Knighton, since the first letter of his surname was "K", and considering that Ada at first knew nothing, and then decided that Derek had entered the compartment, the famous detective realized that someone had instructed her.

Derek is released from prison and visits Katarina. Poirot comforts the upset Lenox.