Episodes
Poirot has been receiving letters signed A.B.C., taunting him and predicting murder. The first is stated to occur in Andover on ...read more Poirot has been receiving letters signed A.B.C., taunting him and predicting murder. The first is stated to occur in Andover on 31 March, but is dismissed by Inspector Crome, who has replaced the retired Inspector Japp, as an April Fools Day prank. Poirot seeks out Japp, but he suddenly dies in his presence. When Alice Asher is indeed found murdered, and quickly followed by Betty Barnard in Bexhill, Crome takes the letters more seriously. However, he refuses all offers of help from Poirot and confiscates Poirot's papers, believing that he knows the killer. Unbeknownst to Poirot and the police, a down-on-his-luck travelling salesman named Alexander Bonaparte Cust had met both victims prior to their deaths. A new letter arrives stating that the next location and victim will begin with the letter C, but Crome still refuses help from Poirot, stating his belief that Poirot lied about his credentials and therefore cannot be trusted. show less
Poirot is given another letter from A.B.C. by a neighbour, who received it in error. It states the next murder will be in the ...read more Poirot is given another letter from A.B.C. by a neighbour, who received it in error. It states the next murder will be in the town of Churston. He telephones the home of Sir Carmichael Clarke to warn him, only to find he has already been murdered. Poirot realises that A.B.C. is killing in locations he has previously been to, when he discovers a newspaper clipping confirming he had helped deliver a baby on a train, that had stopped in Andover. Another letter indicates that Doncaster is the next location, with A.B.C. signing off "Giddy-Up". Crome and Poirot travel to Doncaster, with Crome believing the next murder will take place at the race track. In fact, the next victim is a ventriloquist named Dexter Dooley. However, A.B.C. mistakenly kills the wrong man. show less
Cust awakens in the gents toilet in the train station at Embsay. He finds the body of another victim and that he is holding the ...read more Cust awakens in the gents toilet in the train station at Embsay. He finds the body of another victim and that he is holding the murder weapon. He flees the crime scene, throwing the knife away along with his hat and coat. Poirot finds a pack of stockings in the victim's case and after visiting the sales company, identifies the murderer as Alexander Bonaparte Cust, who is soon arrested. After visiting Cust, who has a brain tumour and suffers from blackouts, Poirot doubts his guilt. Sir Carmichael's brother, Franklin, thanks Poirot for apprehending the murderer and has a brandy with him. He is subsequently arrested by Crome as his fingerprint, taken from the brandy glass, matches that on the typewriter in Cust's room. Poirot realises that Cust was being used by Franklin, who had set him up with the stocking salesman job. The first and second murders were merely covers for the murder of Sir Carmichael, so his brother could inherit his money, once Lady Hermione died of cancer. Franklin is hanged for the murders and in a flashback to Belgium during the war, it is established that Poirot was actually a priest, whose congregation was murdered in his church. show less