[Photo (foreground): Bigstock/Slavick]  Poirot: Monsieur, would you be so good as to explain why you were so long in arriving? Johnny: Uh? Oh, it's this old car. Every once in a while it goes on the fritz.     A Logical Explanation Poirot wants to take the elevator down to the hotel lobby to meet the Inspector Stevens of the New York police force. While waiting for the elevator, he explains to Miss Gletcher how he knows her room was not the actual crime scene —how it is that he knows the murder took place upstairs in the room one floor above hers. A Long Wait He has time to explain in detail because the elevator is a long time in coming. He tells Miss Fletcher all the clues he noticed that led him to this conclusion. Sounds Suspicious Poirot asks the elevator attendant what took him so long. Although Johnny has an explanation, it sounds suspicious. It doesn't fit with the evidence Poirot observed. You'll have to listen and decide for yourself whether you believe Johnny or not. Keywords: be sheltered: protected (from harm) 遮擋; be given a place to stay, be taken in by someone被容留 The hikers found a cave where they were sheltered from the storm. repose: lie down, rest 躺下，使休息 The painting was of a man reposed on the sofa. polish: rub with a cloth to make sth shine 擦亮，磨光 You really should polish those shoes and make them shine. They’re looking old. disarranged: moved out of its proper place, in a mess 弄亂 (see ‘disturbed’) The woman’s hair was disarranged as if she’d just crawled out of bed. garments: clothes, clothing 衣裳 I have a few garments to pick up at the dry-cleaners. trousers: pants 長褲 She seldom wears trousers. She usually wears a dress. trace: a little bit that got left behind 絲，痕跡 There is a trace of blood on the carpet. rust: the result of iron being exposed to moisture and oxygen 鐵鏽，鏽斑 The old bike had been abandoned long ago. It was covered in rust and both tires were flat. every once in a while: occasionally, now and then 偶然， 偶爾，偶或，間或 He wasn’t much of a reader, but every once in a while, he’d pick up a novel. go on the fritz: out of order, stop working 出毛病，失靈 The refrigerator has gone on the fritz. We have to get it fixed right away or the food will go bad. indicator: a pointer or a light that shows the state or condition of something指示器 The indicator on the gas meter shows that my car is almost out of gas. flop: 1) to fall down 掉落; 2) to fail, a failure 失敗，砸 Oh! That play was a real flop. I performed so poorly!   Quizlet: English-Chinese flashcards and games Let's Talk So, what do you think? Is the elevator attendant the murderer? Was he really on the ninth floor, or was he in the basement? Or maybe he sent the elevator down to the basement and he was really in the room above Miss Fletcher's. Of course, he was able to explain the problem with the indicator. But, do you believe him?