And Then There Were None Chapter 14

After bringing Wargrave's body up to his room, everyone goes down to the kitchen to eat dinner. They're worried and off-balance. Wargrave was the group's de facto leader, and now he's dead. Blore wonders why they didn't hear a gunshot, but Lombard explains that with Vera's screaming and everyone's running, it's not surprising. Armstrong mentions that they're in worse shape then ever, only three of them left, and no one has any idea who the killer is. Then Blore mentions that he's pretty sure he knows. Everyone agrees that they've got they're own suspicions. In fact, they all claim to be fairly sure about the identity of the killer. Everyone goes up to their rooms and locks their doors. Lombard opens his beside drawer. The revolver has been replaced.

Vera lies in her room, afraid to turn out her light. She thinks back to the day before Cyril had drowned. When she finally gave in to his demands and told him he could swim out to the rocks tomorrow. She knew it was risky, but she'd swim out after him to make it look like she was trying to save him - and if he managed to survive, well, she could always tell everyone that he was just lying about her giving him permission. After Cyril was dead Hugo left suddenly, and wouldn't respond to any of her letters. She can't forget Hugo, and she can't figure out why she thought he was on the Island with her.

Blore sits alone on his bed, unable to sleep. He wonders who the killer could be, where the gun might be... He begins thinking about the dead, picturing their faces. Finally, he remembers Landor's face, and thinks about him for the first time in quite a while: "Landor had had a wife - a thin slip of a woman with a worried face. There'd been a kid too, a girl about fourteen. For the first time, he wondered what had become of them." Chapter 14, pg. 212 Suddenly Blore hears someone in the hallway outside his door. He silently moves to the door and listens for any more noise. Just as he's beginning to doubt that he heard anything, he hears steps walking towards the staircase. Since Armstrong and Lombard are farther from the stairs than he is, it could be either of them. Blore worries for a second that it might be a trap, then decides that he has to know. He grabs a lamp and moves out to the staircase. He sees someone walk out the front door. Blore starts after the shape, then realizes it might be a trap and stops. Blore realizes that he's solved the mystery! He knows that whoever isn't in their room must be the person who just left - the killer.

Blore wakes Lombard and Vera, and finds that Armstrong has disappeared. The men tell Vera to hide in her room, and only open the door if both of them return together. Lombard tells Blore that the gun was returned to his room, and the two of them head out after Armstrong. Vera hides in her room, sure that Armstrong can't break in. She even prepares herself to jump out a window if he were to set the house on fire. She hears glass breaking downstairs, then listens carefully, but doesn't hear any other sounds. Finally, she hears people coming up the stairs. Blore and Lombard are at her door. They tell her that Armstrong has disappeared, vanished clean from the island - and there are only three Indian figures on the table.

Topic Tracking: Guilt and Responsibility 13
Topic Tracking: Guilt and Responsibility 14
Topic Tracking: Trust and Suspicion 13
Topic Tracking: Trust and Suspicion 14