The Mystery Woman (Ladies of Lantern Str - By Amanda Quick Page 0,22

sure that Mrs. Trafford never requested hypnotic therapy. Dr. Fleming never treated her in my presence or otherwise.”

“Then how did someone at the Academy learn her secret?”

“I don’t know.” Beatrice paused, trying to marshal her thoughts. “What makes you so sure that whoever is blackmailing your sister was involved with the Academy?”

“The note my sister received implied that her secret had been discovered by paranormal means at the Academy. I discounted the notion that psychic powers had been involved, of course.”

“Of course.”

He ignored the sarcasm. Or perhaps he simply had not noticed the ice in her tone, she thought.

“My sister, however, has a long-standing interest in the paranormal,” he continued. “Hannah has consulted a number of practitioners over the years and belongs to a small society of researchers. She is convinced that if she did inadvertently give up her secret, it could only have been during the private sessions with you at the Academy.”

Beatrice narrowed her eyes. “Why am I the obvious suspect?”

“She believes you to be one of the very few genuine psychical talents that she has encountered in the course of her research. The others are not likely suspects. One currently resides in an asylum. One is a frail, elderly woman who does not practice professionally and does not take clients. Two are recluses who suffer from poor nerves and do not receive visitors. The last makes his living as a gambler. Two years ago he sailed for America because he heard there was a great deal of money to be made at the card tables in the American West. That leaves you, Miss Lockwood.”

Beatrice winced. “I see.”

“You may be interested to know that there is a new tenant occupying the rooms where you and Fleming conducted business.” Joshua finished his coffee and set the cup and saucer aside. “But the landlord was kind enough to allow me to search the premises.”

She watched him warily. “What did you hope to find after so many months?”

“Among other things, I found some old bloodstains on the floor of the office,” Joshua said. “Very hard to wash out, blood.”

She had been about to take a sip of her coffee but her fingers were shivering ever so slightly now. She set the cup back down in the saucer with great care.

“I also found an ancient stone tunnel behind an old wardrobe in the office,” Joshua added gently.

She took a deep breath. “You conducted a very thorough search, Mr. Gage. That tunnel was the route I used to escape the night Roland was murdered.” She paused, memories returning. “Roland and I kept our emergency packs just inside the tunnel in the event we were forced to flee from robbers or disgruntled clients.”

“More likely Fleming was afraid that sooner or later one of his extortion victims might come looking for him,” Joshua said. He raised a brow. “Or perhaps he feared that someone else in the same line would attempt to steal his secrets.”

“Dear heaven.” She was too shattered to think clearly. “I cannot believe that Roland was blackmailing people.”

But Roland’s dying words came back to her. Do not let me die with that on my conscience. I have enough to repent.

“You said that you and Fleming both kept your packs inside your escape tunnel?” Joshua asked.

“Yes. I had to leave his there that night. I could not carry both. But I opened Roland’s pack to take out the money I knew he kept inside.” She hesitated. “I did notice that there were some odd items in the pack. A notebook. An envelope filled with photos. Some letters.”

“You could not carry Fleming’s pack,” Joshua said. “So perhaps you took out a handful of blackmail items along with the money and left the rest behind?”

Anger whipped through her.

“No,” she said. “I took the money but nothing else. I wondered why he kept the items in his pack but I concluded they were all mementos that had some great personal meaning for him. The man who murdered Roland must have found the pack when he forced his way through the back of the wardrobe. Find him and you will have your extortionist, Mr. Gage.”

Joshua’s eyes burned. “That is precisely what I plan to do. With your help, Miss Lockwood.”

Ten

You believe me?” she asked, still wary.

“Yes,” he said.

“You truly don’t think that I murdered Roland and started blackmailing his Academy clients?”

“I’m quite sure that you did not kill Fleming.”

“Ah,” she said, her spirits soaring. “Now that you have met me you don’t believe that I’m capable of