Ariadne Oliver prepares for a children’s Hallowe’en party with her friend Judith Butler. Mrs. Oliver comments on the comparative prevalence of pumpkins in the United States over England and her confusion over their association with Thanksgiving or Halloween. Rowena Drake, who is hosting the party, calls it the “Eleven Plus” party to refer to the ages of the children invited.

Joyce, a local teenager, comments that she heard on “the telly” that Mrs. Oliver, who “writes murder stories” (10), likes apples. When Joyce jokes that the party should be murder-themed, Mrs. Oliver vows to “never again” host such a party, as the last was a failure. Mrs. Oliver quips that she doesn’t know why she made her famous detective Finnish.

While the women bustle about, Mrs. Oliver reflects on how she would incorporate the group as characters in a detective novel. Joyce claims to have once witnessed a murder; nobody believes her, so she refuses to reveal any details. (Later, Poirot discovers that Miranda, not Joyce, witnessed the crime, and Joyce can’t reveal details she doesn’t know). Mrs. Oliver is bashful when the teenagers find her eating the apples designated for bobbing at the party.