Page 59 of Murder Most Haunted

The explosion was so loud and so overwhelming that it took Midge several seconds to work out whether she had been injured.

It appeared that both she and Harold were still standing upright.

Rona, however, was not.

‘It bloody misfired!’ shouted Harold, pointing.

‘Rona!’ screamed Noah, sliding over the snow to reach her.

With more relief than she was expecting, Midge watched as Rona suddenly sat up, a smattering of soot on her face. ‘What the hell just happened?’

‘Why did you try to shoot us?’ shouted Harold across the lawn.

‘Did I get the bugger?’ Rona pointed behind them, wincing as she moved her shoulder, her words slurred. ‘There was a bloody great puma – sneaking out the bushes.’

‘That was a fox,’ said Harold.

Noah was standing over Rona, trying to help her up. Midge and Harold approached more slowly. Midge hooked a soggy arm underneath Rona’s elbow and hauled her upwards, clumps of snow dropping from her back.

Snatching the old rifle up from the ground, Harold checked its magazine was now empty. ‘I can’t bloody believe it had a round in it. Something must have jammed it for it to misfire like that,’ he said. ‘She’s lucky. It could have blown her head off.’ He paused, sniffing the air. ‘Is she drunk?’

‘I may have had one teensy-weensy drink to calm my nerves,’ giggled Rona.

‘And decided to start shooting everyone?’ shouted Harold.

‘I’m an expert shot, actually!’ insisted Rona, standing up. ‘I’ve taken lessons. One of you must have blocked my view.’ She brushed snow off herself, grinning at them all. ‘What a bloody rush, eh?’

She seemed very unsteady on her feet and there was a definite smell of alcohol. Harold frowned and shook the end of the rifle. ‘There’s something inside there.’

He turned the gun upside down and shook it hard, dislodging the blockage, which flew out of the barrel and landed on the snow, glistening against the white. Something that was small, dark and cylindrical.

It was the missing film canister.