I'll take the blame,' he assured her.
'No, I don't want you to,' Laura cried. She clasped his arm, and then released him quickly with a nervous glance towards the house. 'I don't want you to!' she repeated urgently.
'You mustn't think that I don't understand - how it happened,' said Farrar, speaking with an effort. 'You picked up the gun, shot him without really knowing what you were doing, and -'
Laura gave a gasp of surprise. 'What? Are you trying to make me say I killed him?' she cried.
'Not at all,' Farrar responded. He sounded embarrassed. 'I've told you I'm perfectly prepared to take the blame if it comes to it.'
Laura shook her head in confusion. 'But - you said -' she began. 'You said you knew how it happened.'
He looked at her steadily. 'Listen, Laura,' he said. 'I don't think you did it deliberately. I don't think it was premeditated. I know it wasn't. I know quite well that you only shot him because -'
Laura interrupted quickly, 'I shot him?' she gasped.
'Are you really pretending to believe that I shot him?'
Turning his back on her, Farrar exclaimed angrily, For God's sake, this is impossible if we're not going to be honest with each other!'
Laura sounded desperate as, trying not to shout, she announced clearly and emphatically, 'I didn't shoot him, and you know it!'
There was a pause. Julian Farrar slowly turned to face her. 'Then who did?' he asked. Suddenly realizing, he added, 'Laura! Are you trying to say that I shot him?'
They stood facing each other, neither of them speaking for a moment. Then Laura said, CI heard the shot, Julian.' She took a deep breath before continuing. 'I heard the shot, and your footsteps on the path going away. I came down, and there he was - dead.'
After a pause Farrar said quietly, 'Laura, I didn't shoot him.' He gazed up at the sky as though seeking help or inspiration, and then looked at her intently. 'I came over here to see Richard,' he explained, 'to tell him that after the election we'd got to come to some arrangement about a divorce. I heard a shot just before I got here. I just thought it was Richard up to his tricks as usual. I came in here, and there he was. Dead. He was still warm.'
Laura was now very perplexed. 'Warm?' she echoed.
'He hadn't been dead more than a minute or two,' said Farrar. 'Of course I believed you'd shot him. Who else could have shot him?'
'I don't understand,' Laura murmured.
'I suppose - I suppose it could have been suicide,' Farrar began, but Laura interrupted him. 'No, it couldn't, because -'
She broke off, as they both heard Jan's voice inside the house, shouting excitedly.
The Unexpected Guest
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Julian Farrar and Laura ran towards the house, almost colliding with Jan as he emerged through the french windows. 'Laura,' Jan cried as she gently but firmly propelled him back into the study. 'Laura, now that Richard's dead, all of his pistols and guns and things belong to me, don't they? I mean, I'm his brother, I'm the next man in the family.'
Julian Farrar followed them into the room and wandered distractedly across to the armchair, sitting on an arm of it as Laura attempted to pacify Jan who was now complaining petulantly, 'Benny won't let me have his guns. She's locked them up in the cupboard in there.' He waved vaguely towards the door. 'But they're mine. I've got a right to them. Make her give me the key.'
'Now listen, Jan darling,' Laura began, but Jan would not be interrupted. He went quickly to the door, and then turned back to her, exclaiming, 'She treats me like a child. Benny, I mean. Everyone treats me like a child. But I'm not a child, I'm a man. I'm nineteen. I'm nearly of age.' He stretched his arms across the door as though protecting his guns. 'All of Richard's sporting things belong to me. I'm going to do what Richard did. I'm going to shoot squirrels and birds and cats.' He laughed hysterically. 'I might shoot people, too, if I don't like them.'
'You mustn't get too excited, Jan,' Laura warned
'No, I don't want you to,' Laura cried. She clasped his arm, and then released him quickly with a nervous glance towards the house. 'I don't want you to!' she repeated urgently.
'You mustn't think that I don't understand - how it happened,' said Farrar, speaking with an effort. 'You picked up the gun, shot him without really knowing what you were doing, and -'
Laura gave a gasp of surprise. 'What? Are you trying to make me say I killed him?' she cried.
'Not at all,' Farrar responded. He sounded embarrassed. 'I've told you I'm perfectly prepared to take the blame if it comes to it.'
Laura shook her head in confusion. 'But - you said -' she began. 'You said you knew how it happened.'
He looked at her steadily. 'Listen, Laura,' he said. 'I don't think you did it deliberately. I don't think it was premeditated. I know it wasn't. I know quite well that you only shot him because -'
Laura interrupted quickly, 'I shot him?' she gasped.
'Are you really pretending to believe that I shot him?'
Turning his back on her, Farrar exclaimed angrily, For God's sake, this is impossible if we're not going to be honest with each other!'
Laura sounded desperate as, trying not to shout, she announced clearly and emphatically, 'I didn't shoot him, and you know it!'
There was a pause. Julian Farrar slowly turned to face her. 'Then who did?' he asked. Suddenly realizing, he added, 'Laura! Are you trying to say that I shot him?'
They stood facing each other, neither of them speaking for a moment. Then Laura said, CI heard the shot, Julian.' She took a deep breath before continuing. 'I heard the shot, and your footsteps on the path going away. I came down, and there he was - dead.'
After a pause Farrar said quietly, 'Laura, I didn't shoot him.' He gazed up at the sky as though seeking help or inspiration, and then looked at her intently. 'I came over here to see Richard,' he explained, 'to tell him that after the election we'd got to come to some arrangement about a divorce. I heard a shot just before I got here. I just thought it was Richard up to his tricks as usual. I came in here, and there he was. Dead. He was still warm.'
Laura was now very perplexed. 'Warm?' she echoed.
'He hadn't been dead more than a minute or two,' said Farrar. 'Of course I believed you'd shot him. Who else could have shot him?'
'I don't understand,' Laura murmured.
'I suppose - I suppose it could have been suicide,' Farrar began, but Laura interrupted him. 'No, it couldn't, because -'
She broke off, as they both heard Jan's voice inside the house, shouting excitedly.
The Unexpected Guest
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Julian Farrar and Laura ran towards the house, almost colliding with Jan as he emerged through the french windows. 'Laura,' Jan cried as she gently but firmly propelled him back into the study. 'Laura, now that Richard's dead, all of his pistols and guns and things belong to me, don't they? I mean, I'm his brother, I'm the next man in the family.'
Julian Farrar followed them into the room and wandered distractedly across to the armchair, sitting on an arm of it as Laura attempted to pacify Jan who was now complaining petulantly, 'Benny won't let me have his guns. She's locked them up in the cupboard in there.' He waved vaguely towards the door. 'But they're mine. I've got a right to them. Make her give me the key.'
'Now listen, Jan darling,' Laura began, but Jan would not be interrupted. He went quickly to the door, and then turned back to her, exclaiming, 'She treats me like a child. Benny, I mean. Everyone treats me like a child. But I'm not a child, I'm a man. I'm nineteen. I'm nearly of age.' He stretched his arms across the door as though protecting his guns. 'All of Richard's sporting things belong to me. I'm going to do what Richard did. I'm going to shoot squirrels and birds and cats.' He laughed hysterically. 'I might shoot people, too, if I don't like them.'
'You mustn't get too excited, Jan,' Laura warned
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