"To some extent. Inspector Jackson did not object to my looking around the séance room."

"No sign of the diary, I take it?"

"None."

"Aside from the pocket watch, were there any other similarities to the scene of Mrs. Delmont's murder?"

"The scene in Mrs. Toller's séance room duplicated the scene at Mrs. Delmont's house in every particular that was reported in the press," he said softly. "And I find that fact quite interesting."

"Every particular reported in the press?" Understanding dawned. "You mean there was no wedding veil and no brooch?"

He shook his head. "Whoever killed Toller evidently used the newspaper reports of Delmont's death as a guide to setting the stage for the second murder."

"That implies that he or she is not the same person who murdered Mrs. Delmont."

"So it seems." Adam contemplated his sherry. "Which brings us back to the question of what happened to the veil and the brooch."

"Perhaps a neighbor or even one of the constables stole them»

"No." He turned the sherry glass in his hands. "Do you recall that the papers mentioned the jewelry that Delmont was wearing at the time of her death?"

"That's right. There was a necklace and a pair of ear-rings according to the piece in the Flying Intelligencer."

"I saw them," Adam said. "They looked far more valuable than the ruined veil and an inexpensive brooch. A common thief would have seized them."

She reflected on that briefly. "What about the pocket watches?"

"The watch I saw next to Delmont's body was inscribed with her initials, so I assume it belonged to her. It may have simply fallen out of her pocket when she was killed. As for the one that was found next to Toller's body, all I can say is that, although it was engraved with my name, it does not belong to me."

She stared at him in mounting horror. "The killer must have purchased it, had your name put on it and then deliberately left it at the scene of the crime to implicate you"

"That would seem to have been his intention, yes"

`Adam, this is dreadful."

He finished the sherry without comment.

She glowered. "May I ask why this development does not appear to concern you greatly?"

He gave her a slow cold smile. "Because it implies that I am making progress."

"I am not at all certain that I agree with your interpretation of progress" She paused. "I wonder who sent those messages summoning us to Mrs. Toller's address this morning"

"I don't know but it would appear that someone wanted us to be in the vicinity when the police began their investigation," he said.

"But why?"

"We will find out eventually." He paused. "Caroline?" "Yes?"

"It was very noble of you to provide me with an alibi for last night," he said quietly. "Thank you."

His gratitude made her blush. "It was nothing. I'm sure that eventually you would have convinced the inspector that you were telling the truth"

"One would hope so but the fact that you vouched for my whereabouts at midnight last night certainly makes things a great deal more simple and straightforward. I am in your debt, Caroline"

"Nonsense. The thing that worries me the most at the moment is that given the great sensation that will be made in the press, rumors will be flying all over town. Everyone will be talking about us, not about finding the real killer. By the time the scandal quiets down, the trail will have gone quite cold."

"Perhaps that was the villain's intent" Adam's mouth twisted in a feral way. "You have to hand it to him, it is a rather ingenious scheme, especially when you consider that it had to be concocted on such short notice."

She rubbed her temples with her fingertips. "What is our next step?"

"I find myself returning again and again to the fact that both Delmont and Toller summoned spirits who gave financial advice to some of the sitters but not to others. There is some link there. I can feel it»

"I agree there are several questions to be answered." "Yes, but before we pursue them, there is another little matter that must be dealt with."

She looked up uneasily. "What is that?"

"You must meet my family, at least those who are present here in town, and you must do so before they read about you in the newspapers."

TWENTY-TWO

Adam found Wilson in his club, sitting alone in a corner, drinking coffee and reading the day's edition of the Flying Intelligencer.

"Where the deuce have you been?" Wilson peered at him over the top of the paper. "Thought you'd be back hours ago." He took an envelope out of his jacket. "This telegram came for you while you were out."

Adam sat down and ripped open the telegram. It was from Harold Filby.

REGRET TO INFORM YOU NO PROGRESS IN INVESTIGATION STOP.

Adam looked up. "Have you ever heard of a village called Chillingham?"

Wilson pondered briefly. "There's a Chillingham not far from Bath, as I recall."

Adam motioned to one of the elderly servants. "Pen and paper, if you please. I want to send a telegram."

The man returned with the requested items. Adam dashed off a message.

TRY NEARBY VILLAGE OF CHILLINGHAM STOP. TRY LAST NAME OF CONNOR STOP. DISCRETION CRUCIAL STOP.

He noted Filby's address in Bath and then gave the message to the porter, who hurried off to dispatch it to the telegraph office.

Wilson raised his brows. "What was that all about?" "I will explain later."

"Well, then, did Irene Toller try to extort money in ex-change for the diary as you suspected she would when you got her message this morning?"

"No. Toller was murdered last night in a manner very similar to that in which Delmont was killed. Several violent blows to the head. Séance-room torn apart again."

"Good lord. Are you serious?"

"Yes."

^"Astonishing." Wilson reached for his coffee with a troubled expression. "This is most extraordinary. A second murdered medium will certainly heap more fuel onto the fires that have been ignited in some of the more colorful newspapers." He nodded toward the copy of the Flying Intelligencer that he had been reading. "I just finished a piece by some fool named Otford who hinted that Delmont's murder might be attributable to supernatural forces. Of all the damnable nonsense. I can only imagine what he will have to say about a second similar killing."

"Otford may prove to be a problem in other ways, as well." Adam put his fingertips together. "I will deal with him if necessary. Meanwhile, I am pursuing the possibility that Toller and Delmont were perpetrating some sort of fraudulent financial scheme."

"Ah, yes." Wilson nodded sagely. "Follow the money." "I thought your advice was cherchez la femme," Adam queried.

"Women and money often go together."

"Forgive me, sir, but that piece of wisdom is not terribly helpful in light of the fact that men and money often go together, as well"

"I will allow you that much." Wilson laced his hands over his belly. "Were you able to conduct a search for the diary at Toller's house?"

"Not a very thorough one. By the time I got to her ad-dress this morning, the police had already arrived. I man-aged to make a casual examination of the séance room and portions of the downstairs hall while I chatted with the inspector but I could hardly start opening drawers or lift up the carpet. No matter. I am certain the diary is gone."

"You believe that the killer took it?"

"It is one possibility, but there are others."

"Such as?"

"Mrs. Toller had a housekeeper who also served as her assistant and partner in some ways. She seems to have vanished. I got her name from one of the neighbors. I hope to locate her." He paused. "As it happens, Toller's death is only one of several recent events that will no doubt interest you"