Susanne Michel

In Murder on the Orient Express, Susanne Michel was the only daughter of Pierre Michel, and the nursemaid of the Armstrong family. She was described as "a pretty laughing girl". She was accused of being involved in the kidnapping of Daisy Armstrong, but it was later found that she was innocent. She had chatted idly with someone, giving information about the time of Daisy's outings, not knowing that this information would be used by the kidnappers. Susanne was greatly distressed at being accused of involvement in the kidnapping, and threw herself out of a window.

Portrayals

Murder on the Orient Express (1974)

In the 1974 movie, the character's name is changed to Paulette Michel. She was not the nursemaid but the personal maid of Mrs Armstrong. Newpapers reported that she had been in the garden house with a man (thought to be Cyrus Hardman but never confirmed) at 3 a.m. on the night of the kidnapping. She had witnessed the getaway car. The news coverage speculated that she might have been part of an "inside job". Like in the original story, she committed suicide by throwing herself out of the window after coming under suspicion for being involved in the kidnapping. Paulette was a good friend of the cook Hildegarde Schmidt. Schmidt gave Poirot a photo of Paulette and he used it to elicit reactions from Pierre Michel and Cyrus Hardman.

Murder on the Orient Express (2001)

In the 2001 movie, the character's first name is not given. Similar to the novel, she was the nursemaid of the Armstrong family. She does not appear in person in this adaptation. However, she is briefly seen in a video, where she is being arrested. Poirot explains that the police were desperate to arrest somebody, and they believed that she had knowledge of the crime. The girl later managed to hang herself in her cell. This is different from the novel, where it was not stated whether she was arrested or not, and where she committed suicide by throwing herself out of a window.

Agatha Christie's Poirot: Murder on the Orient Express (2010)

In the 2010 adaptation, this character is named Francoise, and she is the Armstrong family's maid. As in the novel, she is the daughter of Pierre Michel. She and the Armstrong family's chauffeur, Antonio Foscarelli, were lovers. This is different from the novel, where Cyrus Hardman was her lover. The character of Cyrus Hardman does not appear in this adaptation. Francoise committed suicide after being suspected of involvement in Daisy's kidnapping. Foscarelli stated that she had innocently chatted with someone, revealing information about the Armstrong house, including when the nursemaid would be off, not knowing that this information would be used by the kidnappers.

Poirot found a photograph of Francoise with Hildegarde Schmidt. Similar to the 1974 adaptation, he shows the photograph to Pierre Michel, to elicit a reaction from him.

Agatha Christie Murder on the Orient Express (2023)

Susanne appears in the 2023 video game Agatha Christie - Murder on the Orient Express.

While Susanne remains French, her backstory had been expanded to add more detail to the game's plot. When Susanne was young, her parents, Pierre Michel and Solange Moreau, divorced, with the latter gaining custody of Susanne who was then given her mother's maiden name. Although they had separated, Susanne's parents remained friends with her father possibly paying his ex-wife child support.

When Susanne moved to the United States and became Daisy Armstrong's nanny, she and Michel visited each other, but sporadically due to his own job as an Orient Express train conductor. At some point, Susanne dated and became engaged to American private investigator Cyrus Hardman, but broke with him after a fight. Even after Susanne cancelled her wedding, her father and ex-fiancé remain good friends.

In the months leading up to Daisy Armstrong's kidnapping and murder, Solange became seriously ill and Susanne brought her to the United States for treatment. At the time, Susanne had been dating one Noah Nielsen, unaware that he was only using her to commit an atrocious crime: helping Cassetti kidnap and kill little Daisy.

Susanne as she appears in the character gallery for Agatha Christie - Murder on the Orient Express (2023).

When Detective Joanna Locke came to interrogate and confront Susanne, it had been weeks since the kidnapping, and Susanne deeply regretted meeting Nielsen. Cassetti by then had killed both Daisy and Nielsen and escaped with the ransom money, but not before framing Susanne as his accomplice.

When the police put out an arrest warrant for Susanne, she killed herself by overdosing on her medication, and her mother had also passed away from terminal illness.

Susanne Moreau's demise is what prompted Michel and Hardman to participate in the revenge plot against Cassetti. Also on board the Orient Express is Locke, who originally planned to arrest Cassetti to prove Susanne's innocence.

Susanne Moreau is voiced by Emilie Rault, who also voices Helena Andrenyi.