Alec Legge

In the novel Dead Man's Folly, Alec Legge is a nuclear physicist. He and his wife had rented the Lawders' cottage, Mill Cottage, by Mill Creek in Nassecombe for three months during the time that coincided with the fete.

The stay at Mill Cottage was intended as a rest cure and an effort to restore his marriage. Prior to this, Sally had become increasingly dissatisfied with him. As she told Poirot, Alec had become moody and wrapped up in himself. According to Sally, people would ring up and leave strange messages for him but he wouldn't tell her what was wrong.

Poirot eventually divined the cause but this side plot did not relate to the murder he had come to solve. In his youth, Alec had held left leaning views and he had been pressured to spy for a foreign country. He tried to stop but was threatened with consequences. He was supposed to meet his handler while at Nassecombe using the folly as the rendezvous. Poirot had in fact met the handler at the fete. Poirot noted that he always seemed to wear a shirt with turtles on it and stayed at the Youth Hostel at Hoodown Park At the end of the story, Sally decided to leave Alec for Michael Weyman but Poirot convinced Alec to seek her out and win her back.