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James Fanthorp
Dr. Bessner is a middle-aged European doctor on board the Karnak who takes care of Simon after his leg injury and who eventually proposes to Cornelia Robson. He identifies the weapon used to kill Louise as a surgical knife, though he denies having anything to do with it. At one point during interrogation, Poirot lays out a hypothetical scenario where Bessner is in fact the murderer—he had the opportunity and several clues could point toward him. Though when Bessner protests Poirot quickly makes clear that he doesn’t, in fact, suspect Bessner. After a couple meetings with Cornelia that are mentioned only briefly in the story, Dr. Bessner proposes to her at the end, and she accepts. Though Bessner is described as having a well-known practice, he is also described as significantly older and not very attractive. Nonetheless, Cornelia appreciates him for his reliability, for the interests he shares with her, and for his willingness to help her pursue her own interests in life.
Dr. Bessner Quotes in Death on the Nile
The Death on the Nile quotes below are all either spoken by Dr. Bessner or refer to Dr. Bessner. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter Twenty-Three Quotes
The body of the dead woman, who in life had been Louise Bourget, lay on the floor of her cabin. The two men bent over it.
Race straightened himself first.
“Been dead close on an hour, I should say. We’ll get Bessner on to it. Stabbed to the heart. Death pretty well instantaneous, I should imagine. She doesn’t look pretty, does she?”
“No.”
Poirot shook his head with a slight shudder.
The dark feline face was convulsed, as though with surprise and fury, the lips drawn back from the teeth.
Poirot bent again gently and picked up the right hand. Something just showed within the fingers. He detached it and held it out to Race, a little sliver of flimsy paper coloured a pale mauvish pink.
“You see what it is?”
“Money,” said Race.
“The corner of a thousand-franc note, I fancy.”
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Chapter Twenty-Four Quotes
Mrs. Otterbourne continued: “The arrangement was that I should go round to the stern on the deck below this, and there I should find the man waiting for me. As I went along the deck a cabin door opened and somebody looked out. It was this girl-Louise Bourget, or whatever her name is. She seemed to be expecting someone. When she saw it was me, she looked disappointed and went abruptly inside again. I didn’t think anything of it, of course. I went along just as I had said I would and got the-the stuff from the man. I paid him and-er-just had a word with him. Then I started back. Just as I came around the corner I saw someone knock on the maid’s door and go into the cabin.”
Race said, “And that person was—?"
Bang!
The noise of the explosion filled the cabin. There was an acrid sour smell of smoke. Mrs. Otterbourne turned slowly sideways, as though in supreme inquiry, then her body slumped forward and she fell to the ground with a crash. From just behind her ear the blood flowed from a round neat hole.
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Chapter Twenty-Nine Quotes
Poirot was silent. But it was not a modest silence. His eyes seemed to be saying: “You are wrong. They didn’t allow for Hercule Poirot.”
Aloud he said, “And now, Doctor we will go and have a word with your patient.”
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Dr. Bessner Character Timeline in Death on the Nile
The timeline below shows where the character Dr. Bessner appears in Death on the Nile. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter Eight
...Jacqueline at a table with Rosalie and Mrs. Otterbourne, and identify a man named Dr. Bessner as sitting at a different table with four other men.
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Chapter Nine
...tour guide interrupts and begins telling a gathered group of travelers about the temple. Dr. Bessner complains about how the tour is being run, while Mrs. Allerton makes small talk with...
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...Miss Van Schuyler, discussing aristocratic matters. Cornelia is out on the deck, listening to Dr. Bessner discuss Egyptology. Tim and Rosalie are at the deck rail, discussing how awful the world...
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Chapter Ten
...reliefs of “Negro and Syrian captives” located near the base of the statues. Nearby, Dr. Bessner reads aloud from his book of Egyptology for Cornelia, until Miss Van Schuyler interrupts. They...
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Chapter Eleven
...young man Ferguson; Miss Bowers corrects her and says she actually saw Cornelia with Dr. Bessner.
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Chapter Twelve
...(although that time was during the day). She remarks to Ferguson that she wishes Dr. Bessner were there, but Ferguson responds that he can’t stand Bessner. He tries to tell her...
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...the observation saloon, where Miss Van Schuyler (accompanied by Miss Bowers) is talking with Dr. Bessner. Fanthorp is seated nearby, while Simon and Linnet are playing bridge with Pennington and Race,...
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...Simon orders them to get Jacqueline away from him and call Miss Bowers and Dr. Bessner. He insists that they shouldn’t disturb Linnet over this.
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...Eventually, she does. Miss Bowers arrives and leads Jacqueline away. Fanthorp hurries to find Dr. Bessner and tell him what’s happened. By the time Dr. Bessner arrives, Simon is breathing heavily...
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...she just gave her a morphine injection. A few minutes later, Fanthorp comes back to Bessner’s cabin and reveals that he can’t find the pistol—it’s not under the settee where Jacqueline...
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Chapter Thirteen
...must be someone on the boat. They go to the cabin to see what Dr. Bessner can tell them.
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Dr. Bessner tells Poirot and Race that the pistol shot was point-blank to the head while Linnet...
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Race asks Bessner about the time of Linnet’s death, and Bessner puts it between midnight and two a.m....
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...to Poirot and Race for the investigation before going back to his work. Race asks Bessner for the whole story of the previous night, and then afterward tells a hypothetical version...
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...reveals it was Louise Bourget, Linnet’s maid. Race says Simon must be informed, then dismisses Bessner. Alone with Poirot, Race says he’ll follow Poirot’s lead. Poirot proposes first getting the story...
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Chapter Fourteen
Just then Dr. Bessner comes in and says Simon would like to speak with Poirot. Dr. Bessner reassures Jacqueline...
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...someone who was a rival of Linnet’s father, although Simon doesn’t know the name. Dr. Bessner chimes in that Ferguson may also have had a motive.
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Chapter Seventeen
...mother, Mrs. Otterbourne, went to bed before 11:00 p.m. They heard the commotion near Dr. Bessner’s cabin but didn’t know the reason for it until the next morning. Rosalie says she...
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Chapter Eighteen
...Race asks if he heard anything. Pennington says that his cabin is next to Dr. Bessner’s, so he heard the sounds from in there, but didn’t know what was going on....
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Chapter Nineteen
...tells Poirot that Simon would like to meet with him. When Poirot arrives at Dr. Bessner’s cabin, where Simon is still recuperating, Simon asks Poirot if it would be okay for...
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Back in Dr. Bessner’s cabin, Jacqueline pleads to Simon that she didn’t kill Linnet and that she wants his...
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Chapter Twenty-Two
...cabin, and Rosalie and Mrs. Otterbourne’s cabin without finding anything of note. While searching Dr. Bessner’s cabin, they talk with the still-recuperating Simon, who confirms that Linnet didn’t travel with imitation...
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At this moment, Race comes in to Dr. Bessner’s cabin and announces to Poirot that he found nothing in his search. Just then, a...
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Chapter Twenty-Three
Race calls in Dr. Bessner to examine Louise’s body. He confirms that she has been dead for about an hour....
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Chapter Twenty-Four
When Miss Bowers comes out of Dr. Bessner’s cabin, Jacqueline stops talking with Cornelia and demands that Miss Bowers tell her how Simon...
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Race and Poirot go to see Bessner, who reluctantly allows them to ask one question of Simon. Race asks Simon if he...
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Mrs. Otterbourne has come, requesting to speak to Poirot and Race immediately. Since Dr. Bessner hasn’t closed the cabin door, she can speak to them, and she dramatically tells Simon...
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Chapter Twenty-Eight
Dr. Bessner and Cornelia come in, with Cornelia apologetic about her cousin Miss Van Schuyler’s kleptomania. Race...
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Dr. Bessner then tells Poirot that Simon is doing well, despite his fever earlier (which Jacqueline had...
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Chapter Twenty-Nine
...hint—not to Poirot or Race but to someone else present. This leaves two possibilities: Dr. Bessner or Simon.
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Dr. Bessner rises up with indignity, but Poirot chastises him, saying he is only saying what he...
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But then another fact occurred to Poirot: Louise could have spoken to Dr. Bessner privately at any time she liked—she didn’t have to drop a hint while Poirot was...
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...reconsidered the crime with this new knowledge. He didn’t doubt the professional opinions of Dr. Bessner and Miss Bowers regarding Simon’s injury, but there was a gap of five minutes when...
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...requested a private conversation with Jacqueline, who actually carried out the stabbing (using one of Bessner’s scalpels which was later wiped down and returned before it was missed).
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...down Mrs. Otterbourne at the critical moment. Her cabin is only two away from Dr. Bessner’s—it was easy for her to drop the revolver, duck inside, then pretend later that she...
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...to say: “You are wrong. They didn’t allow for Hercule Poirot.” He then tells Dr. Bessner that it’s time to have a word with Simon.
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Chapter Thirty-One
...to New York, Cornelia replies that she can’t come because she’s getting married to Dr. Bessner. Ferguson overhears and reacts in disbelief, and angrily asks if Cornelia is just marrying Dr....
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