Richard eyed him skeptically. "As a matter of sheer curiosity, how many other mediums in London do you use to carry out your investment schemes?"

Elsworth contrived to appear both innocent and affronted. "You cannot expect me to reveal a professional secret, sir."

Adam looked at him. "Elsworth has, however, agreed to repay those clients of Delmont's and Toller's who gave him money to invest. Isn't that right, sir?"

Elsworth sighed. "Indeed."

Wilson drummed his fingers on the leather arm of his chair. "If Toller and Delmont were inept mediums, why did Reed favor them?"

Elsworth wrinkled his elegant nose in disgust. "Reed was remarkably obtuse in such matters. The fool did not know a fraud when he saw one. After all, he married a medium, if you will recall. He may have done so to secure her fortune, but he genuinely believed that she had powers."

Adam hefted the large volume on his desk. "This is Reed's private journal. I found it in his study this morning when I met there with the police. It appears that Reed had little interest in male mediums. He had concluded that a female would be more likely to be able to contact the spirit of his dead wife"

Elsworth shrugged. "Most people in the field of psychical research are convinced the women are, generally speaking, more adept at communicating with the Other Side."

Adam turned a couple of pages, noting names and dates. "Reed appears to have systematically worked his way through any number of attractive female mediums in recent years. He makes no secret of the fact that he established an intimate liaison with each one because he believed that such a connection enhanced the medium's powers."

Caroline shuddered. "It is a common assumption in certain quarters."

Adam turned another page. `After a suitable period of seduction and testing, as it were, he gave his favored medium

the final test in Sarah's old bedchamber. He was convinced that his dead wife haunted that room. If the medium failed the last test, he moved on to another candidate"

"He murdered Sarah in that bedchamber on their wed-ding night," Caroline whispered.

Adam nodded. "According to the journal, he dressed the body and carried it into the park to be found the following day. None of the servants reported her missing the next morning because they all believed that, like any proper bride, she was so strongly affected by the traumatic events of her wedding night, she had slept late to recover. Later it was assumed that she had left the house unnoticed to take a walk"

Julia tilted her head slightly to one side. "Reed was certainly not the most handsome or charming of men. I won-der why Toller and Delmont and the other mediums he employed were so eager to accept his advances?"

"There were certain decided advantages for any medium who formed a relationship with Durward Reed," Elsworth said, very matter-of-fact. "While each was in favor, she reaped the benefits of the Society's sponsorship, which, in turn, enhanced her own reputation and resulting income."

"Yes, of course," Milly murmured. "One can under-stand the motivation, I suppose."

"It is a very competitive business," Elsworth allowed. "Especially at the lower end."

"But Irene Toller made the fatal mistake of falling in love with Reed," Caroline said quietly. "When she discovered that he was preparing to leave her and move on to Elizabeth Delmont, she became distraught and enraged."

"I expect the situation was especially painful to her be-cause she had long viewed Delmont as a serious professional rival," Emma observed. "Toller saw herself as a woman scorned."

"She knew Wintersett House well, especially Sarah Reed's bedchamber, having conducted her own final test séance there for Reed," Adam continued. "She must have made her way upstairs one day without Reed's knowledge and stolen the brooch and the wedding veil from the wardrobe."

Caroline nodded. "She took them with her the night she murdered Elizabeth Delmont and left them at the scene. They obviously had significance to her because they had be-longed to the dead woman with whom Reed was obsessed"

"What about the pocket watch that was also found with Delmont's body?" Julia asked. "The one that was reported in the papers?"

"It belonged to Elizabeth Delmont," Adam said. "It had been a gift to her from Reed. Irene Toller must have known that and deliberately smashed it in her rage. I was the first one to arrive at Delmont's house that night after the killer had left. When I found her, the veil, brooch and watch were all still there"

"Reed was the second one to arrive," Wilson said. "He was no doubt horrified to find his dead wife's brooch and veil at the scene. He must have guessed immediately who had stolen them and murdered Delmont. He took the brooch and veil but he left the watch. It meant nothing to him."

"I was the last to arrive," Elsworth continued. "I called after returning from a long evening on the town. It was al-most dawn."

Milly looked curious. "Why on earth did you go to her house at such a late hour?"

"I had concluded that Delmont, having learned a few tricks from me, was preparing to set up her own financial scheme without my assistance. I wanted to make her think twice about such a move. My intention was to threaten to

expose her if she tried to go into business on her own. When I got there, the door was open. I went inside and found the body."

"And Maud's diary," Adam added.

Elsworth moved one hand in a what-do-you-expect? fashion. "I am not one to overlook an opportunity. But as I told you, when I read it I decided it was not the sort of project I wanted to pursue. Much too reckless."

"By then it was too late, though, wasn't it?" Milly said cheerfully. "You knew that Adam was already on your tail."

Elsworth grimaced. "When I saw him together with Mrs. Fordyce after Irene Toller's demonstration, I knew I confronted a disastrous situation. I did my best to redirect everyone's attention and generally muddy the waters by giving the psychical consultation to the police. I was certain that the papers would make a great sensation of it. When I saw you in the audience that day, Mrs. Fordyce, I tried to warn you that there was danger afoot. I thought that might distract you and Hardesty both. When all failed to have an effect, I resorted to stronger tactics."

"You paid two villains to attack Adam," Caroline said with an accusing look.

"Yes, well, what can I say, madam? I was desperate"

"Reed was even more desperate," Adam said. "According to his journal, he had great hopes that Elizabeth Delmont would prove to be the medium who could make contact with his dead wife's spirit. But before he could hold his final test séance with her in Sarah's bedchamber, Toller murdered her. Then Toller sent him a message ordering him to come see her. He suspected that she intended to blackmail him by threatening to take the story of his bedchamber séances to the press"

"So he killed her," Julia concluded. "And made the murder scene appear just as it had been described in the newspapers, knowing that the press would seize on the similarities."

Adam nodded. "After Delmont was killed, Reed concluded that Caroline's recent association with Wintersett House was no mere coincidence. He believed that psychical forces had directed her to him so that he could use her to reach Sarah. Yesterday he lured Caroline into his trap"

Emma frowned. "I don't understand. Did he really expect to get away with kidnapping Caroline and using her in some dreadful séance? He must have known that you would investigate her disappearance, Adam."

"When he was finished with Caroline, he intended to kill her in a manner similar to the other two murders," Wilson said, his mouth tightening with quiet anger. "He planned to leave her body and another broken pocket watch in her own house with more evidence pointing to Adam."