The Evidence of the Valet
- Poirot calls in Ratchett's valet. (A valet is kind of like a personal manservant.) The facts:
- The valet last saw Ratchett at around 9 p.m., when he went in to hang up Ratchett's clothes and put his dentures in water.
- The valet, Masterman, mentions that Ratchett was upset about a letter he had received.
- We learn that Ratchett usually took sleeping draughts, though Masterman doesn't know the specific drug. Ratchett took it last night, though Masterman didn't actually see him drink it.
- Masterman wasn't alarmed when Ratchett didn't get up in the morning, because he had told him not to call him, and he sometimes got up late.
- Masterman knew about the threats, though he didn't particularly care for his employer. (Masterman is British and doesn't like Americans.)
- He reacts to mention of the Armstrong case, but he says he didn't know Ratchett was involved.
- After leaving Ratchett, Masterman summoned MacQueen.
- Masterman then went to bed in his berth, which he was sharing with an Italian man. The two don't get along very well. The Italian talks a lot.
- Masterman read a book called Love's Captive by Arabella Richardson.
- Around 10:30 p.m., the Italian went to sleep, but Masterman had a toothache and couldn't sleep. He stayed up and read, dropping off around 4 in the morning. The Italian snored and did not leave.
- Before working for Ratchett, Masterman was in service to Sir Henry Tomlinson in the UK, at Grosvenor Square. Tomlinson left for East Africa.
- Masterman smokes cigarettes, but he doesn't smoke a pipe.