The bedroom phone, phone calls & Neville.

[maggie]

Thought guns were usually left in the locked gun cupboard.

Jeremy left the house at 10 that evening. He would be hopeing that a tired Neville will not bother putting the loaded gun away. The 5 people were in the house. At the same time. No wonder Mugford says Jeremy said 'tonights the night' & 'it's now or never'.
Or as you said, perhaps there were lots of guns accessible.

Guns were not locked away, there was no lock on the cupboard which was just really a space under the stairs with doors. There were various guns lying around the farmhouse. There were no laws in 1985 which required locked, metal gun cupboards as there are now.

[Adam]

Or perhaps that's why Ralph rushed downstairs, to unlock the door? I suppose we will never know?

Unlock the door ? Was Jeremy shouting through the letterbox ?

Why was Neville found in the kitchen.Did he have to walk through the kitchen to get to the front door ? Mind you the phone was off the hook & Jeremy claims he got a call from him. So it seems that Neville was in the kitchen to use the phone.

[grahameb]

Unlock the door ? Was Jeremy shouting through the letterbox ?

Why was Neville found in the kitchen.Did he have to walk through the kitchen to get to the front door ? Mind you the phone was off the hook & Jeremy claims he got a call from him. So it seems that Neville was in the kitchen to use the phone.

No no. I mean to unlock the door ready for Jeremy to arrive.

[Adam]

No no. I mean to unlock the door ready for Jeremy to arrive.

That's it, Neville knew Jeremy would keep things in the family & speed over in his car. Then talk Sheila around or wrestle the gun off her. What a guy.

[Jan]

unfortunately as far as I understand the police told him to hold back and not get close to the farm until they arrived. Which is why he was driving slowly. So who knows what would have happened if he had just gone into the house.

[Jan]

That's it, Neville knew Jeremy would keep things in the family & speed over in his car. Then talk Sheila around or wrestle the gun off her. What a guy.

do I sense a hint of sarcasm here? Theres no way you are going to change your mind is there? Can you just not open your mind to other possibilities just a bit? What harm will it do you?

[Adam]

unfortunately as far as I understand the police told him to hold back and not get close to the farm until they arrived. Which is why he was driving slowly. So who knows what would have happened if he had just gone into the house.

The police told him to drive slowly to the farm ? I have not heard that before.

The police have always said about how they passed Jeremy on the way. 'If he was driving any slower he would be static' was one quote. Always thought Jeremy drove slowly to arrive after the police so he could say 'I've just arrived'.

[Adam]

do I sense a hint of sarcasm here? Theres no way you are going to change your mind is there? Can you just not open your mind to other possibilities just a bit? What harm will it do you?

At the moment we have to agree to differ.

But am on here to be persuaded from current information or new information that comes to light. Not against changing my mind.

[Adam]

What would be the point of that? They knew he was home at the cottage because he called them from there and he was driving his car which witnesses saw parked outside of his house. What can of cunning plan would your suggestion serve? 

There is a very good reason to arrive after the police.

To give the impression of 'I have just arrived here myself after being woken up by Neville's call'. Once the police see this Jeremy can then start telling them about Sheila & what Neville said.

[Adam]

I assume Jeremy sounded stressed & concerned when ringing the police. But he drove slowly to WHF.

Thought he would drive fast, whether he arrived before or after the police. There is only one reason to drive slowly.

[Adam]

Eh? He could have done exactly the same if he arrived before or after.

If I had committed the crime I would certainly try to arrive after the police.

If I was already there the police could claim I had been there for hours & rang from WHF.

[Alias]

Doubtful. Just putting the phone back on the hook would be just as quick. It is also the normal thing to do when finishing a call.

I once experienced getting the message that my then fiance had died. I got that awful message over a payphone at my school. I remember I just let the handset drop - I remember it was just dangling on its cord. I didn´t put it back on the phone, just went out of the booth. You aren´t always rational - especially in strained situations.

[grahameb]

There is a very good reason to arrive after the police.

To give the impression of 'I have just arrived here myself after being woken up by Neville's call'. Once the police see this Jeremy can then start telling them about Sheila & what Neville said.

He was told to wait for the police to arrive. So that could be the reason he was allegedly driving slowly?

[Adam]

He was told to wait for the police to arrive. So that could be the reason he was allegedly driving slowly?

If Jeremy arrives after the police that suits Jeremy. Sadly for him the police passed his car driving very slowly.

[Adam]

The pathologist said Neville would have had difficulty speaking from his teeth, neck, jaw and larynx injuries.

This means Neville phoned Jeremy before his non bullet injuries. The phone suddenly going dead suggests Sheila put her hand over the phone. Neville would automatically put the phone on the hook himself.

Would Sheila really be able to win a fight with Neville, even if Neville had been shot in the torso ?  Sheila did not have a mark on her.