Aboard the luxurious 'Desert Express' traveling from Cairo to Aswan, the ruthless billionaire and antiquities collector was found strangled to death with a thin metal wire inside his compartment (No. 7). The crime occurred precisely between 1:00 and 1:15 AM. This was determined by a precise antique hourglass the victim broke while struggling with the killer, stopping the sand at that exact moment.
The compartment door was bolted from the inside, but it was discovered that the overhead ventilation grille overlooking the corridor had been expertly unscrewed, creating an opening large enough for an adult to pass through. The train was traveling at a constant speed and did not stop at any station during this time. All suspects were interrogated immediately after the body was discovered, and each provided a seemingly solid alibi.