The Unexpected Guest by Agatha Christie & Charles Osborne

Author:Agatha Christie & Charles Osborne
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Wales, Murder, Political, Fiction, Mystery, General, Mystery fiction, traditional, Traditional British, Fiction - Mystery, Mystery & Detective - Traditional British, Detective, Murder - Wales, Detective and mystery stories, Suspense, Mystery & Detective
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Published: 2000-09-15T05:01:42+00:00

Laura made a sudden movement, and then stopped herself. 'Yes,' Farrar said carelessly. 'It works better than most.'

'Rather - distinctive,' Starkwedder observed. He gave a quick glance at Laura, and then returned the lighter to Julian Farrar with a murmured word of thanks.

Jan left his footstool, and stood behind the inspector's chair. 'Richard has lots of guns,' he confided. 'Air-guns, too. And he's got one gun that he used to use in Africa to shoot elephants. Would you like to see them? They're in Richard's bedroom through there.' He pointed the way.

'All right,' said the inspector, rising. 'You show them to us.' He smiled at Jan, adding genially, 'You know, you're being very helpful to us. Helping us quite a lot. We ought to take you into the police force.'

Putting a hand on the boy's shoulder, he steered him towards the door, which the sergeant opened for them. 'We don't need to keep you, Mr Starkwedder,' the inspector called from the door. 'You can go about your business now. Just keep in touch with us, that's all.'

'All right,' replied Starkwedder, as Jan, the inspector and the sergeant left the room, the sergeant closing the door behind them.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

There was an awkward pause after the police officers had left the room with Jan. Then Starkwedder remarked, 'Well, I suppose I'd better go and see whether they've managed to get my car out of the ditch yet. We didn't seem to pass it on the way here.'

'No,' Laura explained. 'The drive comes up from the other road.'

'Yes, I see,' Starkwedder answered, as he walked across to the french windows. He turned. 'How different things look in the daylight,' he observed as he stepped out onto the terrace.

As soon as he had gone, Laura and Julian Farrar turned to each other. 'Julian!' Laura exclaimed. 'That lighter! I said it was mine.''

'You said it was yours? To the inspector?' Farrar asked.

'No. To him.'

'To - to this fellow -' Farrar began, and then stopped as they both noticed Starkwedder walking along the terrace outside the windows. 'Laura -' he began again.

'Be careful,' said Laura, going across to the little window in the alcove and looking out. 'He may be listening to us.'

'Who is he?' asked Farrar. 'Do you know him?'

Laura came back to the centre of the room. 'No. No, I don't know him,' she told Farrar. 'He - he had an accident with his car, and he came here last night. Just after -'

Julian Farrar touched her hand which rested on the back of the sofa. 'It's all right, Laura. You know that I'll do everything I can.'

'Julian - fingerprints,' Laura gasped.

'What fingerprints?'

'On that table. On that table there, and on the pane of glass. Are they - yours?'

Farrar removed his hand from hers, indicating that Starkwedder was again walking along the terrace outside. Without turning to the window, Laura moved away from him, saying loudly, 'It's very kind of you, Julian, and I'm sure there will be a lot of business things you can help us with.

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