ANESTHESIA JOALSA PERTIWI

A31116317

THE BIG FOUR

Captain Hastings wanted to surprise Poirot, after a long stay in Argentina he

would meet his friend in London without giving the news. But it turned Poirot was

packing, preparing to sail to South America. Hercule Poirot insisted that he would not

cancel his promise, just a matter of life and death that could help it. At the eleventh hour

an unexpected visitor called Mayerling comes in saying only "M. Hercule Poirot, 14

Farraway Street." When he is given a piece of paper by a doctor he writes the number 4

many times. When Hastings mentions the Big Four, the man begins speaking, he tells

them that number 1 is a Chinese political mastermind named Li Chang Yen. He

represents the brains of the Big Four. Number 2 is usually not named but represented

by a '$' or two stripes and a star so he is probably American and he represents wealth.

Number 3 is a Frenchwoman and Number 4 is the destroyer.

The Number Four had defeated Hercule Poirot in the first round. Poirot then

introduces Hastings to Captain Kent who tells them of the sinking of many U.S. boats

after the Japanese earthquake. After this they rounded many crooks up all of them

referred to an organization called the Big Four. A British scientist called Halliday

experimented on this and was said to be on the eve of success when he was kidnapped

while on a visit to France. As a result Poirot goes to Paris with Hastings.

Poirot is told by Madame Olivier that two men broke into her laboratory and

attempted to steal her supply of radium. However, they are ambushed by thugs, and
Olivier reveals herself to be Number 3, and that the two shall die by her hands to

prevent their interference. Then Poirot tells Hastings that Abe Ryland is Number 2, an

American millionaire. Ryland soon releases news that he is looking for an efficient

secretary, and Hastings applies and gets the job, imposing as a man called Captain

Neville. He becomes suspicious of the manservant Deaves, and he learns that Ryland

received an encoded letter telling him to go to a quarry at eleven o'clock. When he

arrives he ambushes Ryland and Deaves with the help of ten Scotland Yard officials.

Ryland is released after his manservant informs the police that all of it was just a wager,

and Poirot realises that the manservant was Number Four.

After that, they leave London due to the death of a Mr Paynter in Worcestershire.

He had six Chinese servants, as well as his bodyguard Ah Ling, who Poirot is interested

in. Paynter was living with his nephew when he felt ill after a meal and a Doctor Quentin

was called. Paynter was found the next morning in a room locked from the inside, dead.

Before his death, Paynter had dipped his finger in ink and written "yellow jasmine" on

his newspaper, a plant growing all over the house, as well as drawing two lines at right

angles under the words, a sign similar to the beginning of the number 4. It was claimed

that Quentin injected him with strychnine rather than a narcotic. Also, Inspector Japp

tells the two that the key was found near the broken door and that the window was

unlatched. Japp believes that the charred face was to cover up the identity of the dead

man, but Poirot believes the man to be Paynter. Poirot reveals that Doctor Quentin was

number 4, who entered the house and gave Paynter an injection of yellow jasmine

rather than strychnine.

 However, when they arrive at the flat Savaronoff's niece is gagged and

unconscious and Ivan and the Doctor are nowhere to be seen. Poirot explains that

Savaronoff did die in Russia and that number Four impersonated him as a cover. He

killed Wilson because if Savaronoff was the second greatest chess master in the world,

people would soon realise that number Four was nothing like the chess player

Savaronoff was. With number Four gone, the two are back to square one again.

Poirot, Hastings and Ingles meet with the home secretary and his client. Ingles

leaves for China, and Poirot reveals an odd fact- he has a twin brother. The two arrive

home to a nurse who says that her employer, Mr Templeton, often has gastric attacks

after eating. When a sample of soup is tested and found to contain antimony, they set

off again. The arrival of Templeton's adopted son causes a disturbance; he tells Poirot

that he thinks his mother is trying to poison his father. Poirot pretends to have stomach

cramps, and when he is alone with Hastings, he quickly tells him that Templeton's son is

number Four, as he dabbed up the crumbs with a small slice of bread at the table. The

two climb down the ivy and arrive at their flat. The two are caught by a trap; a matchbox

filled with a chemical explodes knocking Hastings unconscious and killing Poirot.

John Ingles had fallen overboard on his boat to China, but Hastings knew this to

be murder, of none other than Claud Darrell, number Four himself. The servant

managed to say 'Handel's Largo', 'carrozza' and a few other Italian words before dying.

He also receives a letter from Poirot to be given after his death saying to leave for South

America, as it was part of the plan. The big Four would think he was leaving and he
could 'wreak havoc in their midst'. This is confirmed when a gentleman in a fur coat

(number Four) sends him a letter saying 'You are wise'.

Hastings is shocked, and Poirot states it was to make his death look certain to

the big Four. However, upon their arrival, they see a man jump up from his table, and

fiddle with his bread- undoubtedly number Four. This was all Poirot's plan- to scare a

man as soon as he thinks he is safe. They are taken to the headquarters of the Big

Four- The Felsenlabyrinth. They are confronted by Ryland, Olivier and number Four,

with Chang Yen being in China, and later Vera Rossakoff.

The man is not Hercule Poirot, but in fact his twin, Achille. The man has a deeper

voice, has no moustache and has a scar on his lip. He makes the four people aware of

the fact that the mountain has been cordoned off, and that the police were about to raid

the headquarters. Knowing their defeat, the three members retreat to a laboratory and

Vera decided to bargain with Poirot. He claimed that he could bring the dead back to

life, and she said that she would save them if he returned her dead child. The three run

out of the mountain just as it explodes, and Hastings awakes to yet another surprise. He

manages to give the countess her child back, who was really left in an orphanage, and

the newspapers reveal that Li Chang Yen, the famous Chinese politician, has

committed suicide. The story ends on Poirot lamenting that all his other cases will seem

boring and tame to this case.