Roger Bassington-ffrench is the main antagonist of Agatha Christie's 1933 novel Why Didn't They Ask Evans.
Biography[]
Bobby Jones, the vicar's son, is playing golf with a doctor he knows. Approaching the cliff to retrieve a ball that has flown away, he notices a man lying below. Bobby's partner goes for help, and Bobby stays next to the wounded man. The man soon dies, but before he dies, he manages to say: "Why didn't they ask Evans?" This and a photograph of a beautiful woman found in his pocket are the only clues to the mystery of his identity. Bobby is replaced by another man, calling himself Roger Bassington-French, who lets Bobby go and offers to guard the body until help arrives. The deceased is identified by his sister, Amelia Cayman. His brother's name was Alex Pritchard. She claims that it is she who is depicted in the photograph, and Bobby is surprised how such a beauty suddenly turned into a vulgar woman. Bobby's friend, Frankie, is eager to unravel the mystery of this man's death. They begin an investigation. During the investigation, attempts are made on Bobby's life. The young people understand that they are on the right track. During their investigation, they begin to suspect that Bassington-ffrench is not telling them something. Soon they are spotted with Dr. Nicholson and his young wife Moira. However, Bassington-French soon shoots himself. Moira and her husband claim that no one wanted to go into that room. Soon Frankie becomes interested in the will of the late John Savage and consults with her family lawyer. In addition, she and Bobby are haunted by Pritchart's last question "Why did they ask Evans". However, they are soon kidnapped by Bassington-ffrench, who turns out to be alive. However, they manage to escape. On the top floor, they find Moira, who was drugged. Bassington-ffrench soon escapes. He sends Frankie and Bobby a letter in which he confesses that he killed Savage, before that he disguised himself as him and made a will in his name, calling the gardener and the solicitor so that they would witness the certification of the will. He did not call the maid (whose name was Evans and this is what Pritchard asked about before his death) so that she would not understand that he was not Savage. However, Pritchard, who was a friend of Savage, began to wonder how it happened that Savage committed suicide after learning that he had cancer. He began to ask unnecessary questions and was killed. Soon Bassington-ffrench killed Nicholson and impersonated him. Moira knew everything, but did not directly participate in the murders. She also took morphine, pretended to fall asleep, untied Bassington-French and at that moment the morphine took effect. Moira is soon arrested and Bassiton-French escapes.
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 Villains(Non-Poirot & Non-Marple) | |
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Tommy and Tuppence Beresford And Then There Were None Other Mystery Stories Adaptational, Homage & Non-Canonical | |