Lord Lucan, “The English Dupont de Ligonnes”

The queen of detective novels had an obsession with this case. Agatha Christie, shortly before her death in 1976, expressed her despair: “I wonder what has become of Lord Lucan.” In Britain, the mystery surrounding the disappearance of the murderous Lords has become legendary, so much so that The Independent magazine called the case “the aristocratic Loch Ness monster”. The story oscillates between Downton Abbey and the Heirs, connecting cliffhangers that no screenwriter has dared to imagine for almost fifty years.

When the Dupont de Ligonnès affair broke out in France, the British press echoed it and nicknamed the fugitive suspect “French Duke Lucan”. If the fate of Xavier Dupont de Ligonnès has captivated the press and the public since 2011, Lucan’s fate has an even more astonishing record: since 1974, he has been making headlines continuously. A few weeks ago, they announced again that they had found the murderous lord.

At the same time, an anonymous source revealed clues so far only known to the police: during the initial investigation, three cards of the Cluedo game were found in the car abandoned during Luke’s escape. These are Colonel Mustard, Baton (also known as “Iron Bar” in the French version of the game) and Lobby. A copy of the board game was found in Lord Lucan’s house, with three cards missing.

Who left the cards on the car seat? An escaped murderer, an accomplice, someone you want to blame? We don’t know, but one thing’s for sure: it can’t be a coincidence. Luken is accused of killing his children’s nanny with a lead wire in the hall leading to the kitchen of his home.

Read more at Slate.fr.