Agatha Christie - The Unexpected Guest

After closing the door behind Laura, Starkwedder paused, working out in his mind what was to be done. After a moment, he glanced at his watch, then took out a cigarette. He moved to the table by the armchair and was about to pick up the lighter when he noticed a photograph of Laura on one of the bookshelves. He picked it up, looked at it, smiled, replaced it, and lit a cigarette, leaving the lighter on the table. Taking out his handkerchief, he rubbed any fingerprints off the arms of the armchair and the photograph, and then pushed the chair back to its original position. He took Laura's cigarette from the ashtray, then went to the table by the wheelchair and took his own stub from the ashtray. Crossing to the desk, he next rubbed any fingerprints from it, replaced the scissors and notepad, and adjusted the blotter. He looked around him on the floor for any scrap of paper that might have been missed, found one near the desk, screwed it up and put it in his trousers pocket. He rubbed fingerprints off the light switch by the door and off the desk chair, picked up his torch from the desk, went over to the french windows, drew the curtain back slightly, and shone the torch through the window onto the path outside.

'Too hard for footprints,' he murmured to himself. He put the torch on the table by the wheelchair and picked up the gun. Making sure that it was sufficiently loaded, he polished it for fingerprints, then went to the stool and put the gun down on it. After glancing again at his watch, he went to the armchair in the recess and put on his hat, scarf and gloves. With his overcoat on his arm, he crossed to the door. He was about to switch off the lights when he remembered to remove the fingerprints from the door-plate and handle. He then switched off the lights, and came back tp the stool, putting his coat on. He picked up the gun, and was about to fire it at the initials on the wall when he realized that they were hidden by the curtain.

'Damn! V he muttered. Quickly taking the desk chair, he used it to hold the curtain back. He returned to his position by the stool, fired the gun, and then quickly went back to the wall to examine the result. 'Not bad!' he congratulated himself.

As he replaced the desk chair in its proper position, Starkwedder could hear voices in the hall. He rushed off through the french windows, taking the gun with him. A moment later he reappeared, snatched up the torch, and dashed out again.

From various parts of the house, four people hurried towards the study. Richard Warwick's mother, a tall, commanding old lady, was in her dressing-gown. She looked pallid and walked with the aid of a stick. 'What is it, Jan?' she asked the teenage boy in pyjamas with the strange, rather innocent, faun-like face, who was close behind her on the landing. 'Why is everybody wandering about in the middle of the night?' she exclaimed as they were joined by a grey-haired, middle-aged woman, wearing a sensible flannel dressing-gown. 'Benny,' she ordered the woman, 'tell me what's going on.'

Laura was close behind, and Mrs Warwick continued, 'Have you all taken leave of your senses? Laura, what's happened? Jan – Jan – will someone tell me what is going on in this house?'

'I'll bet it's Richard,' said the boy, who looked about nineteen, though his voice and manner were those of a younger child. 'He's shooting at the fog again.' There was a note of petulance in his voice as he added, 'Tell him he's not to shoot and wake us all up out of our beauty sleep. I was deep asleep, and so was Benny. Weren't you, Benny? Be careful, Laura, Richard's dangerous. He's dangerous, Benny, be careful.'

'There's thick fog outside,' said Laura, looking through the landing window. 'You can barely make out the path. I can't imagine what he can be shooting at in this mist. It's absurd. Besides, I thought I heard a cry.'

Miss Bennett – Benny – an alert, brisk woman who looked like the ex-hospital nurse that she was, spoke somewhat officiously. 'I really can't see why you're so upset, Laura. It's just Richard amusing himself as usual. But I didn't hear any shooting. I'm sure there's nothing wrong. I think you're imagining things. But he's certainly very selfish and I shall tell him so. Richard,' she called as she entered the study, 'really, Richard, it's too bad at this time of night. You frightened us – Richard!'

Laura, wearing her dressing-gown, followed Miss Bennett into the room. As she switched on the lights and moved to the sofa, the boy Jan followed her. He looked at Miss Bennett who stood staring at Richard Warwick in his wheelchair. 'What is it, Benny?' asked Jan. 'What's the matter?'

'It's Richard,' said Miss Bennett, her voice strangely calm. 'He's killed himself.'

'Look,' cried young Jan excitedly, pointing at the table. 'Richard's revolver's gone.'

A voice from outside in the garden called, 'What's going on in there? Is anything wrong?' Looking through the small window in the recess, Jan shouted, 'Listen! There's someone outside!'

'Outside?' said Miss Bennett. 'Who?' She turned to the french windows and was about to draw back the curtain when Starkwedder suddenly appeared. Miss Bennett stepped back in alarm as Starkwedder came forward, asking urgently, 'What's happened here? What's the matter?' His glance fell on Richard Warwick in the wheelchair. 'This man's dead!' he exclaimed. 'Shot.' He looked around the room suspiciously, taking them all in.

'Who are you?' asked Miss Bennett. 'Where do you come from?'

'Just run my car into a ditch,' replied Starkwedder. 'I've been lost for hours. Found some gates and came up to the house to try to get some help and telephone. Heard a shot, and someone came rushing out of the windows and collided with me.'

Holding out the gun, Starkwedder added, 'He dropped this.'

'Where did this man go?' Miss Bennett asked him.

'How the hell should I know in this fog?' Starkwedder replied.

Jan stood in front of Richard's body, staring excitedly at it. 'Somebody's shot Richard,' he shouted.

'Looks like it,' Starkwedder agreed. 'You'd better get in touch with the police.' He placed the gun on the table by the wheelchair, picked up the decanter, and poured brandy into a glass. 'Who is he?'

'My husband,' said Laura, expressionlessly, as she went to sit on the sofa.

With what sounded a slightly forced concern, Starkwedder said to her, 'Here – drink this.' Laura looked up at him. 'You've had a shock,' he added emphatically. As she took the glass, with his back turned to the others Starkwedder gave her a conspiratorial grin, to call her attention to his solution of the fingerprint problem. Turning away, he threw his hat on the armchair, and then, suddenly noticing that Miss Bennett was about to bend over Richard Warwick's body, he swung quickly round. 'No, don't touch anything, madam,' he implored her. 'This looks like murder, and if it is then nothing must be touched.'

Straightening up, Miss Bennett backed away from the body in the chair, looking appalled. 'Murder?' she exclaimed. 'It can't be murder!'

Mrs Warwick, the mother of the dead man, had stopped just inside the door of the study. She came forward now, asking, 'What has happened?'

'Richard's been shot! Richard's been shot!' Jan told her. He sounded more excited than concerned.

'Quiet, Jan,' ordered Miss Bennett.

'What did I hear you say?' asked Mrs Warwick, quietly.

'He said – murder,' Benny told her, indicating Starkwedder.

'Richard,' Mrs Warwick whispered, as Jan leaned over the body, calling, 'Look – look – there's something on his chest – a paper – with writing on it.' His hand went out to it, but he was stopped by Starkwedder's command: 'Don't touch – whatever you do, don't touch.' Then he read aloud, slowly, '"May – fifteen – paid in full".'