And Then There Were None

Chapter 1

In the corner of a first-class smoking carriage, Mr. Justice Wargrave, lately retired from the bench, puffed at a cigar and ran an interested eye through the political news in the Times.

He laid the paper down and glanced out of the window. They were running now through Somerset. He glanced at his watch — another two hours to go.

He went over in his mind all that had appeared in the papers about Indian Island. There had been a lot of conflicting reports about the place. It had been bought by an American millionaire who was crazy about yachting — and had then been acquired by Miss Gabrielle Turl, the Hollywood film star. It had been rumoured that the Dorin Dorin Dorin Corporation had purchased it with a view to making it into a resort.

Chapter 2

Outside Dorin House there was a general air of confusion. Somebody was sorting out a tangle of golf clubs. Two labourers were sweating under the weight of a massive trunk. A girl in shorts was striding about with a racquet in her hand. And Mr. Justice Wargrave watched it all with a faintly sardonic eye.

Then a tall, soldierly old man came forward to greet the guests. "Welcome to Indian Island," he said. "I am Captain Lombard."

The party moved inside to a richly furnished sitting room. Through the windows, the sea stretched endlessly, grey and cold under the autumn sky.

Chapter 3

That evening, after an excellent dinner, the guests settled in the drawing room for coffee. There was a sense of anticipation in the air — they had all received mysterious invitations, and none had yet met their host. The gramophone in the corner suddenly began to play, and a voice filled the room — cold, clear, and utterly merciless.