"Because somewhere," Poirot monologued, succumbing to a frenzy of metaphors, "there is a flea in the straw, and hidden in the coal is the treasure, and with one shot I will hit two birds!"

Miss McGinty is dead - oh dear, oh dear!
How did she die?
On her knees, just like me.

The old childhood game now seemed like a tasteless joke. The real Miss McGinty was murdered with a powerful blow to the back of her head, and her meager savings took flight. Suspicion immediately falls on her landlord, who is unemployed and struggling financially. However, Hercule Poirot has a different opinion - and he has no idea that his own life is now in great danger."