whatsoever persuading her to get into the carriage. Hero material, no
doubt.
NINE
She had done it, Caroline thought, rather dazed by her own boldness. She had taken advantage of her
status as a widow to climb into the carriage, and now she was sitting here sharing the vehicle's intimate
confines with the most fascinating man she had ever met in her life.
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
It was unfortunate that the topic of conversation was to be murder.
She gave Adam an inquiring look, trying to act blasé, as though she was accustomed to riding through
the streets ofLondon with a gentleman.
"The rumors were correct, it seems," Adam said. He lounged in the corner, one leg outstretched, an arm
braced on the window frame. "There was certainly no love lost between Irene Toller and Elizabeth
Delmont."
"No, indeed" Caroline forced herself to concentrate on
what she had observed at the demonstration. "Mrs. Toller made no secret of the fact that she feels
justice was done."
Adam raised a brow. "I doubt if there was any justice involved, but regardless of the motive, Mrs.
Delmont's skull was not crushed by manifestations from the Other Side. I cannot imagine that any
self-respecting spirit would use something as mundane as a fireplace poker to commit murder."
Caroline shuddered. "I agree. That sort of violence is all too human, is it not?"
He meditated on the busy street scene. "Toller obviously possesses strong feelings about her dead rival.
She may know something of the murder."
"It did occur to me that Mrs. Toller may have killed Mrs. Delmont. Professional rivalry is no doubt a
very powerful motivation."
"I do not deny that." His eyes tightened faintly at the corners. "But the thing that interests me the most at
the moment was what was not reported in the press."
"Did you see the papers this morning? They covered the crime in great detail. They all mentioned the
overturned furniture and the watch that was stopped at midnight."
"Those were the least of the bizarre elements I found at the scene," he said quietly.
"I beg your pardon?"
"When I found Elizabeth Delmont, she was lying faceup on the carpet of her séance room. Someone,
presumably the killer, had placed a wedding veil over her face. It was soaked with her blood."
She stared at him, shocked. "Good heavens."
"In addition, a black enameled mourning brooch had been left on the bodice of Delmont's gown. On the
reverse side of the brooch there was a twist of blond hair and a small photograph of a young, fair-haired
woman dressed as a bride."
"You say the brooch was placed on Mrs. Delmont's person? Not pinned to her gown?"
He shook his head. "It appeared to have been positioned very carefully on the body, just as the veil
was."
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
Caroline folded her arms, hugging herself against the strange chill that his words had sent through her.
"Bizarre is, indeed, the right word. The veil and the mourning brooch imply a very personal sort of
murder. It certainly does not sound like the work of a housebreaker or a burglar."
"Nor does it sound like the actions of someone who killed Delmont simply to acquire the diary," he
admitted, obviously reluctant to abandon that notion. "I cannot envision a potential blackmailer taking the
trouble to create such a dramatic scene."
"Unless he wished to throw the police off the trail by making the murder appear to be the work of
someone who had a personal reason for killing Elizabeth Delmont," she suggested.
He gave her a long, cool, assessing look. "That, Mrs. Fordyce, is a very interesting possibility.
Distraction is the oldest trick in the world. Someone might well have stolen the diary and then deliberately
left a variety of clues pointing in another direction. But if that is the case, why was there no mention of
them in the papers?"
"Your problem would seem to be even more
doubt.
NINE
She had done it, Caroline thought, rather dazed by her own boldness. She had taken advantage of her
status as a widow to climb into the carriage, and now she was sitting here sharing the vehicle's intimate
confines with the most fascinating man she had ever met in her life.
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
It was unfortunate that the topic of conversation was to be murder.
She gave Adam an inquiring look, trying to act blasé, as though she was accustomed to riding through
the streets ofLondon with a gentleman.
"The rumors were correct, it seems," Adam said. He lounged in the corner, one leg outstretched, an arm
braced on the window frame. "There was certainly no love lost between Irene Toller and Elizabeth
Delmont."
"No, indeed" Caroline forced herself to concentrate on
what she had observed at the demonstration. "Mrs. Toller made no secret of the fact that she feels
justice was done."
Adam raised a brow. "I doubt if there was any justice involved, but regardless of the motive, Mrs.
Delmont's skull was not crushed by manifestations from the Other Side. I cannot imagine that any
self-respecting spirit would use something as mundane as a fireplace poker to commit murder."
Caroline shuddered. "I agree. That sort of violence is all too human, is it not?"
He meditated on the busy street scene. "Toller obviously possesses strong feelings about her dead rival.
She may know something of the murder."
"It did occur to me that Mrs. Toller may have killed Mrs. Delmont. Professional rivalry is no doubt a
very powerful motivation."
"I do not deny that." His eyes tightened faintly at the corners. "But the thing that interests me the most at
the moment was what was not reported in the press."
"Did you see the papers this morning? They covered the crime in great detail. They all mentioned the
overturned furniture and the watch that was stopped at midnight."
"Those were the least of the bizarre elements I found at the scene," he said quietly.
"I beg your pardon?"
"When I found Elizabeth Delmont, she was lying faceup on the carpet of her séance room. Someone,
presumably the killer, had placed a wedding veil over her face. It was soaked with her blood."
She stared at him, shocked. "Good heavens."
"In addition, a black enameled mourning brooch had been left on the bodice of Delmont's gown. On the
reverse side of the brooch there was a twist of blond hair and a small photograph of a young, fair-haired
woman dressed as a bride."
"You say the brooch was placed on Mrs. Delmont's person? Not pinned to her gown?"
He shook his head. "It appeared to have been positioned very carefully on the body, just as the veil
was."
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
Caroline folded her arms, hugging herself against the strange chill that his words had sent through her.
"Bizarre is, indeed, the right word. The veil and the mourning brooch imply a very personal sort of
murder. It certainly does not sound like the work of a housebreaker or a burglar."
"Nor does it sound like the actions of someone who killed Delmont simply to acquire the diary," he
admitted, obviously reluctant to abandon that notion. "I cannot envision a potential blackmailer taking the
trouble to create such a dramatic scene."
"Unless he wished to throw the police off the trail by making the murder appear to be the work of
someone who had a personal reason for killing Elizabeth Delmont," she suggested.
He gave her a long, cool, assessing look. "That, Mrs. Fordyce, is a very interesting possibility.
Distraction is the oldest trick in the world. Someone might well have stolen the diary and then deliberately
left a variety of clues pointing in another direction. But if that is the case, why was there no mention of
them in the papers?"
"Your problem would seem to be even more
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