The Stymphalean Birds

Harold Waring, a young under-secretary of state, is enjoying a holiday in the country of Herzoslovakia at a hotel by the side of Lake Stempka. The only other English people there are an elderly woman, Mrs Rice, and her married daughter, Mrs Elsie Clayton. Two other guests, older women, cause Harold a moment of disquiet when he first sees them as they come up a path from the lake to the hotel: they are dressed in flapping cloaks, have hooked noses, expressionless faces, and bring to Harold's mind an image of birds of ill omen.

Chatting to Mrs Rice, Harold finds out that her daughter is not widowed, as he had supposed, but is in an abusive marriage. Her husband, Philip, drinks, is insanely jealous and has a vicious temper. Her daughter's peace of mind is slowly being destroyed by this relationship. Mrs Rice has also found out from the hotel concierge that the two evil-looking women are Polish sisters.

One morning, Harold finds Elsie sitting on a log in the woods, crying about the state of her life. He comforts her and, as he escorts her back to the hotel, they come across one of the Polish women. He wonders how much she saw. That evening, Elsie bursts into Harold's room. Her husband has arrived at the hotel unexpectedly and is in a terrible rage. At that moment, Philip Clayton runs in. He is carrying a spanner and screams at Elsie, accusing her of having an affair just as one of the Polish women had told him. He chases Elsie out of Harold's room and back to her own. Harold runs after him and is in time to see Elsie throw a paperweight at her husband in self-defence. He falls to the ground and Elsie begs Harold to leave them before he gets himself into trouble. Half an hour later, Mrs Rice joins Harold and tells him that Philip is dead, killed by the blow.

Harold is aghast, worried if the foreign police will believe the story both he and Elsie have to tell and that their "relationship" is innocent. The evidence points to manslaughter at best and murder at worst. Mrs Rice suddenly has an idea and wonders if the hotel management and the police are open to bribery. Harold agrees to give it a try and wires for money but, apart from that, and unable to speak the local language, he leaves Mrs Rice to carry out the negotiations. All seems to go well and the next day Harold sees Mrs Rice speaking with a police officer and she tells him that the death has been declared as being from natural causes and that they are all in the clear. That is until the two Polish women approach Mrs Rice and speak to her. She translates for Harold and tells him that they know what really happened (their room being next to Elsie's) and that they are blackmailing the English people.

Harold is walking by the lake when he encounters Poirot. Desperate, he confesses what has happened. Poirot sees an immediate link between the two Polish women and the Stymphalean Birds. Poirot promises to help. The next morning, he informs Harold that he has been successful, and that the blackmailers have been dealt with. He found out by telegram that they were wanted by the police and that they have been arrested. Harold is relieved, but becomes confused upon seeing the two Polish women taking a walk. Poirot tells him that, although not particularly attractive, they are of good family and background. The true culprits are Mrs Rice and her daughter. "Philip Clayton" never existed; the man Harold saw "killed" was Mrs Rice in disguise. No foreign police are open to bribery in the way that Harold was told. He provided all the money and was innocent of what Mrs Rice "negotiated" as he did not speak the language. Harold resolves to learn every European language from now on.