It dazzled me.
And then, quite incredibly, I heard a bullet whizz past me and hit the wall by my head.
Somebody shrieked and then I felt a burning pain in my ear and heard the second report."
"It was terrifying," put in Miss Bunner.
"And what happened next, Miss Blacklog?"
"It's difficult to say - I was so staggered by the pain and the surprise.
The - the figure turned away and seemed to stumble and then there was another shot and his torch went out and everybody began pushing and calling out.
All banging into each other."
"Where were you standing, Miss Blacklog?"
"She was over by the table. She'd got that vase of violets in her hand," said Miss Bunner breathlessly.
"I was over here," Miss Blacklog went over to the small table by the archway.
"Actually it was the cigarette-box I'd got in my hand."
Inspector Craddock examined the wall behind her.
The two bullet holes showed plainly.
The bullets themselves had been extracted and had been sent for comparison with the revolver.
He said quietly: "You had a very near escape, Miss Blacklog."
"He did shoot at her," said Miss Bunner.
"Deliberately at her!
I saw him.
He turned the flash round on everybody until he found her and then he held it right at her and just fired at her.
He meant to kill you, Letty."
"Dora dear, you've just got that into your head from mulling the whole thing over and over."
"He shot at you," repeated Dora stubbornly.
"He meant to shoot you and when he'd missed, he shot himself.
I'm certain that's the way it was!"
"I don't think he meant to shoot himself for a minute," said Miss Blacklog.
"He wasn't the kind of man who shoots himself."
"You tell me, Miss Blacklog, that until the revolver was fired you thought the whole business was a joke?"
"Naturally. What else could I think it was?"
"Who do you think was the author of this joke?"
"You thought Patrick had done it at first," Dora Bunner reminded her.
"Patrick?" asked the Inspector sharply.
"My young cousin, Patrick Simmons," Miss Blacklog continued sharply, annoyed with her friend.
"It did occur to me when I saw this advertisement that it might be some attempt at humour on his part, but he denied it absolutely."
"And then you were worried, Letty," said Miss Bunner.
"You were worried, although you pretended not to be.
And you were quite right to be worried.
It said a murder is announced - and it was announced - your murder!
And if the man hadn't missed, you would have been murdered.
And then where should we all be?"
Dora Bunner was trembling as she spoke.
Her face was puckered up and she looked as though she were going to cry. Miss Blacklog patted her on the shoulder.
"It's all right, Dora dear - don't get excited.
It's so bad for you.
Everything's quite all right.
We've had a nasty experience, but it's over now."
She added, "You must pull yourself together for my sake, Dora.
I rely on you, you know, to keep the house going.
Isn't it the day for the laundry to come?"
"Oh, dear me, Letty, how fortunate you reminded me!