"I told you, I merely happened to be on the same street " Otford cast a beseeching look at Caroline. "You and I are colleagues of a sort, Mrs. Fordyce. Surely you do not doubt my professional intentions."

Caroline sighed. "I believe him, Mr. Hardesty. I really do not think that Mr. Otford had any intention of perpetrating mischief."

"Well, I am not convinced of that." Adam took another step, deliberately closing the distance. "Furthermore, I have no patience for your lies, Otford. I thought I told you to stay out of my way."

Otford swallowed several times but he managed to pull away from the support of the tree and stand upright. Adam could see that Caroline's presence and air of concern had renewed his confidence. The correspondent had concluded that Adam would not do him any grave damage while a lady stood by watching.

"1 am a professional, sir," Otford snapped. "A correspondent has a solemn duty to the public. You and Mrs. Fordyce are involved in a matter of murder. I have an obligation to my readers to ferret out the truth and convey it to them"

You work for a newspaper that specializes in sensations of all types," Adam said. "The truth is the least of your concerns."

"I resent the implications of that statement, sir. You have no right to abuse me in this manner. I insist on an apology."

"Really…, " Adam sneered.

Otford took a quick step back, eyes widening. "Now see here, sir."

"I can see that you are going to continue to plague me, Otford. You leave me little choice."

Otford panicked. He lurched forward, intent on escape.

Adam caught him by his coattails, hauled him back and shoved him hard against the tree.

"Adam," Caroline said softly. "Please don't hurt him. I do not deny that he is very irritating, but he is a correspondent and he is right when he claims that he has a job to do."

"There, you see?" Otford said quickly. "I am a professional going about my business."

"You call your line a business?" Adam asked. "Very well, I will strike a bargain with you. Answer my questions and I will let you continue on your way in one piece."

"What questions?" Otford asked, wary.

"How did you obtain your descriptions of the scenes of the Toller and Delmont murders?"

"I have an excellent source for that sort of information," Otford said, looking smug. "One with whom I have worked on several occasions. I trust him completely."

Adam tightened his grip on Otford's lapels. "And what is the name of this trustworthy source?"

Otford hesitated. "A correspondent never reveals his sources."

Adam looked at him, saying nothing.

Otford coughed. "His name is Inspector J. J. Jackson. Not that it is any of your affair."

"You say you trust him?"

Otford attempted a shrug. "I have always found him to be extremely reliable."

"And you put every interesting detail of Delmont's murder into that story that you wrote for the Flying Intelligencer?"

"Of course." Otford made a face. "I will confess that I had to liven it up a bit for the sake of creating interest—skirts pushed up above the dead woman's knees in a lewd manner, supernatural forces at work and so forth—but t here is nothing unusual about that. Done all the time in my business."

"Yes, I gathered as much."

Otford gave him a sly look. "If it's details you want, perhaps you will get them from Julian Elsworth tomorrow afternoon"

Caroline's expression sharpened. "What do you mean?"

"Saw a notice posted at Wintersett House today. Elsworth is going to give a special consulting demonstration of his psychical powers to Inspector J. J. Jackson and members of the Society for Psychical Investigations"

"How is Jackson involved?" Adam asked.

"Elsworth claims that he may be able to use his gifts to assist in the investigation of Delmont's and Toller's murder" Otford snorted. "Should be amusing, don't you think? Imagine the police turning to a person who claims to possess psychical powers to help solve a crime"

Adam released him. "Off with you, Otford. Do not let me find you following me again. I will not be so good-natured about it the next time."

Otford straightened his tie, adjusted his hat and stalked away into the fog.

Caroline looked at Adam. "It seems certain now that the bloodied wedding veil and the mourning brooch were not left out of the press accounts by accident. And you have convinced me that they were unlikely to have been stolen by a common thief."

Adam watched Otford vanish into the mist. "There is only one explanation for this. Someone found Delmont's body after I did and removed the veil and brooch. The question is why?"

"Can I assume that we will be attending Julian Elsworth's consulting demonstration of psychical powers tomorrow afternoon at Wintersett House?"

"I would not dream of missing it. You have told me that

I must keep an open and inquiring mind when it comes to this psychical nonsense."

TWENTY-SEVEN

The lecture hall was filled to overflowing the following day. Caroline and Adam barely managed to secure the last two seats in the back row.

"Elsworth certainly knows how to draw a crowd," Adam growled, settling into the chair next to Caroline. "I will give him credit for his theatrical talents."

"I told you that he was highly regarded among those who study psychical matters," Caroline said. She surveyed the murmuring audience and saw a familiar face. "Look, there's Mr. Otford. He is standing on the side, together with a number of other gentlemen. They are all holding notebooks and pencils. They must be correspondents."

Adam followed her gaze and shook his head in mild disgust. "This ridiculous séance is going to be a waste of time

as far as the police are concerned but it will no doubt sell a great many newspapers"

"Stop grumbling, Adam. You wanted to come here today.": "I could hardly ignore the opportunity to watch Elsworth in action."

Something in his voice caught her attention. "You do not like him, do you? Why is that? You only met him on one occasion and he did nothing to offend."

"I don't trust him. Blame it on masculine intuition" An odd thought struck her. "Adam?"

"Yes?" He did not look at her. He was occupied with an examination of the crowd.

"Are you by any chance jealous of Mr. Elsworth?" There was a short, disturbing pause.

"Do I have reason to be?" he asked in a very neutral manner.

"No, of course not."

"I'm pleased to hear that. Might be difficult to compete with a man who can levitate chairs and read minds."

The slight change in his tone allowed her to relax. If not actually jealous, Adam had, at the very least, been concerned about the possibility that she possessed warm feelings for Elsworth. She must not place too much stock in that. Nevertheless, she felt her mood lift.

"Never fear, sir," she said. "I have no doubt that if it proved necessary, you could levitate a chair or read a mind."

He gave her a quick, searching look. But whatever he might have said in response was lost forever because at that moment the curtain parted and a man walked out onto the stage.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the announcer intoned. "Your attention, please. As you know, Mr. Elsworth has generously agreed to make his unique psychical gifts available to the police for the purpose of attempting to solve the recent shocking murders of two mediums. He is willing to allow those of you in the audience to witness his efforts but he insists that there be no talking or unnecessary noise during the séance. No one is to enter or leave the room. The unique nature of the psychical forces Mr. Elsworth employs are extremely delicate and fragile. They can be severely hindered by loud sounds or too much activity."

The crowd hushed immediately. An air of expectation gripped the room. Although she privately shared much of Adam's skepticism, Caroline realized that she was tense with curiosity. What if Elsworth could obtain some clues through the use of psychical forces?

The lights dimmed, just as they had at the start of Irene Toller's demonstration of the planchette but not quite so dramatically. They went down slowly this time, creating a gradual heightening of excitement in the chamber. Eventually only the lamp on the table at the front of the room still burned.

"Allow me to introduce Inspector J. J. Jackson, who will conduct the interview with Mr. Elsworth," the announcer said.

The curtains opened again. Inspector Jackson walked out onto the stage. Caroline thought he looked decidedly ill at ease. Jackson acknowledged the audience with a curt nod and sat down on one of the two chairs at the table.

"I believe Mr. Elsworth is ready now," the announcer said reverently. "Please, no applause. He has spent the past several hours preparing himself for this séance. He must maintain his concentration"

Elsworth walked slowly through the curtains. The silver sneak in his dark hair gleamed in the dim light. Although it was midafternoon, he was dressed in formal evening wear. His black tail coat and trousers were faultlessly tailored. His white shirt and bow tie were crisp and elegant.

The man knew his stage lighting, Caroline thought. In the glow of the single lamp, his aristocratic features were strongly etched and made even more dramatic.

She leaned forward, trying to get a better view. There was something odd about his eyes. She couldn't be absolutely certain from this distance but it looked as though he was wearing theatrical makeup.