He said no more, but at a gesture from him the assembled party took their seats.

As they did so, the door opened once more and two other people came in and sat

down near the door. They were Parker and the housekeeper.

 

“The number is complete,” said Poirot. “Every one is here.”

 

There was a ring of satisfaction in his tone. And with the sound of it I saw a

ripple of something like uneasiness pass over all those faces grouped at the

other end of the room. There was a suggestion in all this as of a trap—a trap

that had closed.

 

Poirot read from a list in an important manner.

 

“Mrs. Ackroyd, Miss Flora Ackroyd, Major Blunt, Mr. Geoffrey Raymond, Mrs. Ralph

Paton, John Parker, Elizabeth Russell.”

 

He laid the paper down on the table.

 

“What’s the meaning of all this?” began Raymond.

 

“The list I have just read,” said Poirot, “is a list of suspected persons. Every

one of you present had the opportunity to kill Mr.

 

Ackroyd——”