夜雨聆风could kick myself,” said Craddock. “Dora Bunner even prattled abouta burn on the table where someone had ‘put their cigarette down’—butnobody had even lit a cigarette … And the violets were dead because therewas no water in the vase—a slip on Letitia’s part—she ought to have filledit up again. But I suppose she thought nobody would notice and as a mat-ter of fact Miss Bunner was quite ready to believe that she herself had putno water in the vase to begin with.”
He went on:
“She was highly suggestible, of course. And Miss Blacklock took advant-age of that more than once. Bunny’s suspicions of Patrick were, I think, in-duced by her.”
“Why pick on me?” demanded Patrick in an aggrieved tone.
“It was not, I think, a serious suggestion—but it would keep Bunny dis-tracted from any suspicion that Miss Blacklock might be stage manageringthe business. Well, we know what happened next. As soon as the lightswent and everyone was exclaiming, she slipped out through the previ-ously oiled door and up behind Rudi Scherz who was flashing his torchround the room and playing his part with gusto. I don’t suppose he real-ized for a moment she was there behind him with her gardening glovespulled on and the revolver in her hand. She waits till the torch reaches thespot she must aim for—the wall near which she is supposed to be stand-ing. Then she fires rapidly twice and as he swings round startled, sheholds the revolver close to his body and fires again. She lets the revolverfall by his body, throws her gloves carelessly on the hall table, then backthrough the other door and across to where she had been standing whenthe lights went out. She nicked her ear—I don’t quite know how—”
