630+PM

Chapter 3: At 6:30 PM
 * Miss Blacklock is in Little Paddocks, “a medium sized house built in the early Victorian style”, the future murder scene (18).
 * Miss Blacklock has a ‘back in my days’ talk with Patrick, who unsurprisingly doesn’t really care, and Julia, who was in “awe” of the past times (19).
 * Phillipa Haymes is the first of several guests to arrive, but is the only one not aware a murder will being taking place. Patrick comments she is "“the only woman in Chipping Cleghorn who doesn’t”" know (20).
 *  Miss Blacklock is rightly confused when it reaches 6:20 and no one has arrived, she starts worrying she “"is entirely wrong in [her] estimate of [her] neighbors”" (21).
 * Mitzi is told to hide the food and drinks, in order to put on a "“lovely performance of a quiet evening at home”" since no one was actually invited to Little Paddocks for a party (21).
 * The rather nosy residents of Chipping Cleghorn begin arriving shortly afterwards, as expected of small town people unwilling to miss out of the latest gossip and events.
 * Colonel and Mrs. Easterbrook arrive first, then Miss Hinchliffe and Miss Murgatroyd, followed by Mrs. Swettenham and Edward, who all pretend they just decided to drop by and make several awkward comments on the central heating and chrysanthemums.
 * Mrs. Harmon, the last one to arrive, comes in bluntly asking “”I’m not too late am I? When does the murder begin?”" before continuing on a rather long, mostly irrelevant rant meant to explain her husband’s absence (24). How awkward for the rest of guests.
 * Miss Blacklock finally tells the guests she has no idea about this murder ad. Well, this doesn’t look good.
 * The clock chimed, and “as the last note died away all the lights went out” (25).
 * Some guests are overly excited since they still think it’s the murder game, and some guests are terrified.
 * A man shoots a revolver twice, and “suddenly the game was no long a game” (25). The murder announcement wasn’t a joke. Surprise!
 * The guests flick on a few lighters, then hear Mitzi screaming crazily in a locked closet. The guests think she’s being murdered, but they unlock the closet and she runs out unharmed.
 * Miss Blacklock moves into the light, and the guests see she’s been shot!
 * There’s a massive amounts of blood everywhere, but luckily the bullet only ripped through her ears.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Colonel Easterbrook is by a dead man dressed all in black with a mask, who shot himself and is now laying dead on the floor. The guests somberly realize “they stood in the presence of violent and sudden death” (28).
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Mrs. Bunner recognizes the dead man, he apparently asked Miss Blacklock for money to get back to Switzerland in the Spa Hotel of Medenham Wells, which she refused.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Finally, Miss Blacklock ask Patrick to do the rational thing and call the police.

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