To me Snow it’s the most fitting and simplest explanation, Boyce was right the first time when he said it was caused by the rifle. I don’t think Bamber would want to take off his gloves and rely on a pulse check, especially when there was a better option, prodding and pushing is more faster than trying to locate the pulse, this way he keeps his gloves on and keeps hold of the weapon.
For it to be the Aga Snow you have to move away from the simple explanation and either go down the route of Neville’s body being moved by police officers so they could burn evidence, or going against medical Science, I don’t think for one minute Medical science would back up a functional Neville coherent enough to walk, talk and run upstairs and down again after hours unconscious? Recovery after such would be slow, slurred speech, unbalanced and unable to stand and confusion and possible vomiting.
Yes, I agree with your last sentence, HB! As I have said before, Nevill would indeed be extremely shaken if he had recieved blows to the head, especially if his skull was fractured at that time.
Upon coming round he would have struggled to a seat in a confused state, then recalled vagually what had happened before phoning JB for help! Then, upon struggling to his feet he would have staggered upstairs shouting out to June but only alerting Sheila unfortunately, who set upon him with the rifle at the top of the stairs. So with two bullets in the jaw area a fatally injured Nevill slowly backs off and stumbles down stairs, a slow moving target receiving further shots in the shoulder and arm!
It was amazing really that Nevill summoned up the power to make it to the kitchen at all, and alas it was a futile exercise anyway, all he could do was stumble onto a chair and hold up his one good arm in a vain attempt to protect himself.
Sheila prods at Nevills arm and whacks at his head and shoulders, he eventually succumbs to his injuries as he topples onto the side of the chair, his head landing in the coal scuttle.
Sheila is now free to put four more bullets into a motionless and probably lifeless Nevill!