And Then There Were None

by Agatha Christie

I’ve got that revolver!” He took it half out of his pocket as he spoke. “Found it put back in my drawer tonight.”

There’s one other little fact. A pane in the dining room window has been smashed—and there are only three little soldier boys on the table.

A red herring—that’s the vital clue. Armstrong’s not dead… He took away the china soldier to make you think he was. You may say what you like—Armstrong’s on the island still. His disappearance is just a red herring across the track….”

They found Blore. He was spreadeagled on the stone terrace on the east side, his head crushed and mangled by a great block of white marble.

Lombard’s leaping body stayed poised in mid-spring then crashed heavily to the ground.

She picked up two of them and tossed them out through the window. She heard them crash on the stone of the terrace.

No, sir. Wargrave and Lombard were shot, the first through the head, the second through the heart. Miss Brent and Marston died of cyanide poisoning. Mrs. Rogers died of an overdose of chloral. Rogers’ head was split open. Blore’s head was crushed in. Armstrong died of drowning. Macarthur’s skull was fractured by a blow on the back of the head and Vera Claythorne was hanged.”

It was Morris who made all the arrangements down at Sticklehaven. Represented himself as acting for ‘Mr. Owen.’ And it was he who explained to the people down there that there was some experiment on—some bet about living on a ‘desert island’ for a week—and that no notice was to be taken of any appeal for help from out there.”