The Mystery Woman (Ladies of Lantern Str - By Amanda Quick Page 0,35
is directly adjacent to hers. We both face the gardens.”
“Excellent. I can see your windows from the cottage. The simplest methods are usually the best. When Hannah receives instructions from the blackmailer, light a candle and set it on the windowsill. I will send three flashes with a lantern to let you know that I have seen your signal. We will meet in the library.”
“How will you get into the house?” she asked. “I’m sure the doors will all be locked after everyone goes to bed.”
“I am somewhat of an expert when it comes to that sort of thing,” he said.
“Oh, right, you were a professional spy.” She kept her own tone just as dry. “Must have slipped my mind. I suppose lock-picking skills were a requirement for the position.”
“You don’t think much of my former profession, do you?”
“I give it the same degree of regard that you give my former career. Face it, sir, you and I were both in the business of manufacturing illusions for the purpose of deceiving others. I am still in that line.” She gave his beard and unfashionable attire a dismissive look. “And evidently so are you.”
He absorbed the accusation and then inclined his head. “You are correct, Miss Lockwood. We appear to have a great deal in common.”
“Not a great deal, merely a talent for deception. I trust your skills have not grown rusty. It would be awkward for your sister and me if you got caught breaking into this house tonight.”
“I will try to avoid embarrassing you both.” He contemplated the artifacts around them. “I wonder how many of these antiquities are fakes?”
“Some, certainly.” She adjusted her shawl again in a futile attempt to ward off the chill. “But not all.”
Joshua’s eyes sharpened behind the lenses of the spectacles. “Do you have some expertise in Egyptian antiquities?”
“None whatsoever, Mr. Gage. But I do not need any to sense the dark energy that is infused into several of these pieces. I suspect you feel it, yourself, but you no doubt choose to explain away the sensation with some forced bit of logic.”
He was amused and also, she thought, curious.
“Exactly how would I do that?” he asked.
She moved one hand in a small gesture. “Perhaps you tell yourself that you are on edge simply because you are in the middle of an investigation. You are, therefore, in a state of acute awareness. That generates a certain level of excitement which, in turn, explains any odd sensations you are feeling.”
“A reasonable chain of logic if not for the fact that it’s founded on a false premise.”
“In addition, that there is a personal aspect to this case neatly explains some of your reaction. You are here to save your sister from a blackmailer. To do that you are obliged to work with a woman you do not entirely trust. That is bound to affect your nerves. You prefer to be in complete control of a situation. I am supposed to be a pawn in your game but you cannot be sure that I will prove reliable.”
“Ah, now there you are wrong, Miss Lockwood.”
“Really?” She did not bother to conceal her disbelief.
“You are most certainly an unpredictable element but I do not consider you to be a pawn,” he said.
“Is that so?” She tipped her head slightly to one side. “How do you see me?”
“I’m not sure yet.” He hesitated, as though struggling with the answer. “I am still evaluating your role in this affair.”
He sounded so serious she almost laughed aloud.
“As it happens, I still have a great many questions about you, as well, sir,” she said smoothly. “Nevertheless, you make my point. You can explain away your unease without resorting to the paranormal.”
“In other words, you cannot prove that there are currents of paranormal energy emanating from some of the genuine artifacts in this room.”
“No,” she said. “Furthermore, I see no reason to try to prove the existence of the paranormal to you. Your low opinion of me is, of course, quite crushing, but in the long run it does not matter.”
The corner of his mouth edged upward. “I merely said that you possess a lively imagination. That does not mean that I hold a low opinion of you. I am crushed, in turn, to hear that my opinion of you is of no particular significance.”
“How could it possibly matter, sir?” she said politely. “After all, when this case is over we will each go our own way and never meet again.”