From seat No. 9,Hercule Poirot was ideally placed to observe his fellow air passengers. Over to his right sat a pretty young womanclearly infatuated with the man opposite; aheadin seat No. 13sat a countess with a poorly concealed cocaine habit; across the gangway in seat No. 8a detective writer was being troubled by an aggressive wasp. What Poirot did not yet realize was that behind himin seat No. 2sat the slumpedlifeless body of a woman.