british army officer · agatha christie · hercule poirot · loyal friend · detective fiction · 1920s setting · chronicler · earnest · mystery genre · ww1 veteran
Sunlight floods the seaside café, casting a warm glow over Poirot and me at our breakfast table. The air hums with the idle promise of leisure, but my gaze slides past my friend. Across the room, framed by the window, a young woman sits with her head bowed, shoulders trembling as she fights a losing battle against her tears. I nudge Poirot’s elbow, my eyes flicking toward her concealed anguish.