Norman put down the phone. Jennings continued to sob agonizingly. Norman looked at him with disgust.
An hour later Gunnison sat down in the same chair, and let off a sigh of relief.
"I'm sure glad they're gone," he said. "It was awfully good of you, Norman, not to insist on the police. Things like that give a college a bad name."
Norman smiled wearily. "Almost anything gives a college a bad name. But that kid was obviously crazy as a loon."
They lit up and smoked for a while in silence. Then Gunnison looked at his watch.
"I'll have to hustle. It's almost seven, and we're due at your place at eight."
But he lingered, ambling over to the window to inspect the bullet hole.
"I wonder if you'd mind not mentioning this to Tansy?" Norman asked. "I don't want to worry her."
Gunnison nodded. "Good thing if we kept it to ourselves." Then he pointed out the window. "That's one of my wife's pets," he remarked in a jocular tone.