Death of Blore

Ex-Inspector William Henry Blore, a former police officer turned private detective, becomes the eighth victim on Indian Island when a massive marble bear clock is dropped from Vera Claythorne's bedroom window onto his head, crushing his skull. The murder follows the nursery rhyme pattern that governs the entire sequence of deaths: "A big bear hugged one and then there were two." Blore's death marks the penultimate killing before the final confrontation between Vera Claythorne and Philip Lombard, and it is the last murder committed by the hidden killer before the survivors turn on each other.

Circumstances and Motivation

By the afternoon of August 10th, only four people remain alive on the island: Vera Claythorne, Philip Lombard, Dr. Armstrong, and Blore himself. The group has been living in a state of extreme fear and mutual suspicion, with each person watching the others for signs of homicidal intent. Blore, a physically powerful and pragmatic man, has been the most vocal in his suspicions, particularly targeting Lombard and the missing Armstrong. He has refused to trust Lombard's claim that his revolver was stolen and returned, and he has insisted on keeping the group together for safety. However, after a morning spent signaling for help from the cliffs, Blore's need for regular meals overcomes his caution. He announces his intention to go up to the house alone to get lunch, dismissing Vera's and Lombard's warnings. "Well, I need my meals regular," he says, and despite Lombard's offer to accompany him, Blore insists on going alone, confident in his ability to handle any danger.

The Murder

Blore walks up the steep slope to the house, leaving Vera and Lombard on the cliffs. The killer, who has been watching from inside the house, seizes the opportunity. From Vera's bedroom window, the killer positions the heavy marble bear clock—a piece of modern sculpture that had stood on Vera's mantelpiece—and waits. As Blore passes below on the stone terrace on the east side of the house, the killer drops the clock onto his head. The blow is instantly fatal, crushing his skull. The marble bear, which had been described earlier as "an enormous block of white marble shaped like a bear," now becomes the instrument of death, fulfilling the nursery rhyme's prediction. When Vera and Lombard later find Blore's body, he is "spread-eagled on the stone terrace," his head mangled by the clock. Vera immediately recognizes the object: "It's the clock from my mantelpiece... It was shaped like a bear."

Aftermath and Significance

Blore's death is the last murder committed by the hidden killer before the final confrontation between Vera and Lombard. It reduces the number of living people on the island to three: Vera, Lombard, and the killer himself, who is now pretending to be dead. The murder also removes the most physically formidable and suspicious-minded of the remaining suspects, clearing the way for the killer's final plan. Blore's death is particularly ironic because he had prided himself on his courage and his ability to handle danger in the open, yet he is killed by a simple, unexpected blow from above while returning to the house for a meal. His death also underscores the killer's meticulous adherence to the nursery rhyme: the eighth little Indian boy is "hugged" by a bear, and the marble bear clock literally crushes Blore. The killer, later revealed to be Justice Wargrave, notes in his confession that he "had the big marble clock poised ready" when Blore came up alone, and that the murder was executed without complication. Blore's death leaves only Vera and Lombard alive, setting the stage for the final, desperate confrontation between them.