Rogers' murder

Rogers' murder is the fifth death on Indian Island, occurring on the morning of August 10th, when the butler is killed with an axe while chopping sticks for the kitchen fire, and the number of china Indian figures on the dining table drops from seven to six, following the pattern of the nursery rhyme. The killing marks a decisive escalation in the murderer's campaign: for the first time, the victim is a man in the prime of his strength, struck down in broad daylight with a crude weapon, and the crime is discovered almost immediately, intensifying the terror among the remaining guests.

Discovery and Circumstances

On the morning of August 10th, the household awakens to find Rogers missing. Philip Lombard, the first to notice, discovers that the butler's bed has been slept in and his razor and sponge are still wet, indicating he had risen normally. A search of the house and grounds follows. The body is found in the small wash-house across the yard. Rogers had been chopping sticks in preparation for lighting the kitchen fire; the small chopper is still in his hand. A larger, heavier chopper leans against the door, its metal stained a dull brown, matching the deep wound in the back of Rogers' head. Dr. Armstrong confirms that the murderer must have crept up behind him and swung the chopper once, bringing it down on his head as he was bending over. Ex-Inspector Blore examines the handle and finds no fingerprints—it had been wiped clean afterwards.

The Nursery Rhyme Pattern

The murder follows the sequence of the framed nursery rhyme that hangs in every bedroom. The verse for the seventh victim reads: "Seven little Indian boys chopping up sticks; One chopped himself in halves and then there were six." When the guests gather in the dining room after discovering the body, Vera Claythorne is the first to notice that only six china Indian figures remain on the table. The rhyme's grim correspondence is now unmistakable, and the realization drives Vera to a momentary breakdown. She bursts into wild laughter, asking if the island keeps bees—a reference to the next verse—before Dr. Armstrong slaps her to restore her composure.

The Murderer's Identity and Motive

The confession of Lawrence John Wargrave, discovered later in a bottle cast into the sea, reveals that he killed Rogers himself. Wargrave had chosen his moment carefully: Rogers was chopping sticks and did not hear the judge approach from behind. The murder served multiple purposes in Wargrave's plan. It eliminated a witness who might have become suspicious, and it created the confusion Wargrave needed to steal Philip Lombard's revolver from his room. During the commotion following the discovery of Rogers' body, Wargrave slipped into Lombard's bedroom and abstracted the weapon, which he would later use in subsequent killings. The judge also found the key to the dining-room door in Rogers' pocket—Rogers had locked it the night before to prevent tampering with the china figures—and this key allowed Wargrave to continue his manipulation of the scene.

Consequences and Aftermath

Rogers' death shatters any remaining pretense of order on the island. With the butler gone, there is no one to run the engine that powers the lights, and the house is plunged into candlelit darkness. The remaining five guests—Wargrave, Lombard, Blore, Armstrong, and Vera—are forced to fend for themselves, opening tinned food and eating standing in the kitchen. The murder also triggers the first systematic search of the house and grounds, which fails to find the hidden revolver but confirms that no outsider is hiding on the island. Most critically, the killing deepens the suspicion among the survivors. Blore begins to suspect Emily Brent, noting that she was the only one who had gone out alone that morning, while Lombard and Armstrong grow increasingly wary of each other. The murder of Rogers, committed in plain daylight with a brutal weapon, marks the point at which the remaining guests understand that they are trapped with a killer who will stop at nothing.