When the priest asked John if he was ready to take Gail as his wedded wife, Julia remembered what David had told her to do before shooting, namely to release the safety latch. She had rehearsed that operation many times and so she did it without even looking into the handbag.

There were many people around her now, but she couldn't wait any more because Gail was saying "yes" right then and turning toward John for her first kiss as his wife.

Julia thought frantically: what had David told her to do before pulling the trigger? Oh yes, she remembered it now: she had to line up the gun-sight with the little bump at the end of the barrel, and when her target was aligned with gun-sight and the little bump, the only thing to do was to pull the trigger, that simple.

She took out the gun