Unexpected Guest Read Online Free PDF Page A

think,’ Laura replied. ‘Mac–Mac something–MacLeod? MacCrae?–I can’t remember.’
    â€˜But you’ve got to try to remember,’ Starkwedderinsisted. ‘Come on, you must. Is he still living in Norfolk?’
    â€˜No, no,’ said Laura. ‘He was only over here for a visit. To his wife’s relations, I think. I seem to remember he came from Canada.’
    â€˜Canada–that’s a nice long way away,’ Starkwedder observed. ‘It would take time to chase up. Yes,’ he continued, moving to behind the sofa, ‘yes, I think there are possibilities there. But for God’s sake try to remember the man’s name.’ He went across to his overcoat on the armchair in the recess, took his gloves from a pocket, and put them on. Then, looking searchingly around the room, he asked, ‘Got any newspapers about?’
    â€˜Newspapers?’ Laura asked, surprised.
    â€˜Not today’s,’ he explained. ‘Yesterday’s or the day before would do better.’
    Rising from the sofa, Laura went to a cupboard behind the armchair. ‘There are some old ones in the cupboard here. We keep them for lighting fires,’ she told him.
    Starkwedder joined her, opened the cupboard door, and took out a newspaper. After checking the date, he announced, ‘This is fine. Just what we want.’ He closed the cupboard door, took the newspaper to the desk, and from a pigeon-hole on the desk extracted a pair of scissors.
    â€˜What are you going to do?’ asked Laura.
    â€˜We’re going to manufacture some evidence.’ He clicked the scissors as though to demonstrate.
    Laura stared at him, perplexed. ‘But suppose the police succeed in finding this man,’ she asked. ‘What happens then?’
    Starkwedder beamed at her. ‘If he still lives in Canada, it’ll take a bit of doing,’ he announced with an air of smugness. ‘And by the time they do find him, he’ll no doubt have an alibi for tonight. Being a few thousand miles away ought to be satisfactory enough. And by then it will be a bit late for them to check up on things here. Anyway, it’s the best we can do. It’ll give us breathing space at all events.’
    Laura looked worried. ‘I don’t like it,’ she complained.
    Starkwedder gave her a somewhat exasperated look. ‘My dear girl,’ he admonished her, ‘you can’t afford to be choosy. But you must try to remember that man’s name.’
    â€˜I can’t, I tell you, I can’t,’ Laura insisted.
    â€˜Was it MacDougall, perhaps? Or Mackintosh?’ he suggested helpfully.
    Laura took a few steps away from him, putting her hands to her ears. ‘Do stop,’ she cried. ‘You’re only making it worse. I’m not sure now that it was Mac anything.’
    â€˜Well, if you can’t remember, you can’t,’ Starkwedder conceded. ‘We shall have to manage without. You don’t remember the date, by any chance, or anything useful like that?’
    â€˜Oh, I can tell you the date, all right,’ said Laura. ‘It was May the fifteenth.’
    Surprised, Starkwedder asked, ‘Now, how on earth can you remember that?’
    There was bitterness in Laura’s voice as she replied, ‘Because it happened on my birthday.’
    â€˜Ah, I see–yes–well, that solves one little problem,’ observed Starkwedder. ‘And we’ve also got one little piece of luck. This paper is dated the fifteenth.’ He cut the date out carefully from the newspaper.
    Joining him at the desk and looking over his shoulder, Laura pointed out that the date on the newspaper was November the fifteenth, not May. ‘Yes,’ he admitted, ‘but it’s the numbers that are the more awkward. Now, May. May’s a short word–ah, yes, here’s an M. Now an A, and a Y.’
    â€˜What in heaven’s name are you