The Mystery Woman (Ladies of Lantern Str - By Amanda Quick Page 0,66
by cab until this rain stops. Next train is tomorrow morning.”
“In that case, we’ll need an inn for the night,” Joshua said. “Can you suggest one?”
“There’s two in town, sir. I recommend the Blue Fox. It’s clean. Decent food.”
“The Blue Fox it is.”
Joshua opened the cab door and tossed both bags inside. Then he ushered Beatrice up the steps. She folded her umbrella and went through the small door. Joshua followed and sat down across from her. The cab rolled forward down the village’s only street.
Joshua looked at Beatrice.
“I’m sorry about this,” he said brusquely. “I should have anticipated the possibility that the weather would interfere with my plans.”
“As a professional investigator myself, I am well aware that one cannot plan for every contingency.”
She was astonished by her own calm demeanor. But then, she was a professional, she reminded herself.
Joshua exhaled slowly and looked out the window. “You do realize that this means we will have to share a room tonight.”
“The inn might have two rooms available,” she ventured.
“We are posing as a married couple,” he reminded her. “It will not look right if we stay in separate rooms. Regardless, I do not want you out of my sight tonight.”
“I understand that you are very concerned for my safety, but that assassin has no reason to kill me.”
Joshua looked grim. “Perhaps not, but it is obvious that he is intent on kidnapping you.”
“It is difficult to believe that someone is still obsessed with Miranda the Clairvoyant after all this time. It makes no sense.”
“Lancing or whoever has his notebooks wants you because he is convinced that your paranormal talents are real.”
“What do my talents have to do with this?”
“I have a theory,” Joshua said. “It is only a theory at this point but everything thus far indicates that it is correct. I believe that Lancing or someone else has succeeded in re-creating the formula for the Egyptian Water.”
“Even if that is true, why would this madman want me?”
“When I told you the story this morning I did not explain one aspect of the case. Lancing and Emma were convinced that the statue of Anubis was the key to activating the special properties of the Egyptian Water.”
“I understand, but what does that have to do with me?”
“They believed that only a woman with a paranormal talent could channel the power of the statue into the preservative formula to ignite it.”
“Good grief.”
“At the time they planned to use Emma to focus the energy of the statue,” Joshua said. “They were both convinced that she had paranormal talents. But she is dead, so Lancing is looking for another woman he believes possesses psychical powers. For some reason he has fixed on you.”
“But why me and why now? A full year has passed. Why hasn’t he settled on some other practitioner? There are any number of them.”
“I expect he has tried to find a replacement.” Joshua smiled grimly. “But no doubt they all proved to be frauds. For whatever reason, he is convinced that you are genuine.”
She shuddered. “He is truly mad, isn’t he?”
“There is no doubt. Which is what leads me to believe that it is Lancing we are dealing with. What are the odds that a second madman found his notebooks?”
“I have no idea. I’ve never been good at probability theory.”
She knew she sounded tense. She could not help it. The knowledge that a madman was intent on kidnapping her was disturbing enough. The realization that she would be spending the night in the same room with Joshua was almost as unnerving. But the trepidation was laced with a stirring of excitement. What would happen? she wondered. Perhaps the more pertinent question was, what did she want to happen?
“Please believe me when I say that I never intended to put you in this position,” Joshua continued quietly. “I realize that the thought of spending the night in the same bedroom with a man who is not your husband must be extremely alarming, but I give you my solemn oath that I would never—”
“Oh, for pity’s sake, do stop apologizing,” she said briskly. “I am well aware of how things can go wrong in the course of an investigation. And I know that you would never take advantage of me. You are an honorable man, sir, a true gentleman. I do not fear for my virtue.”
For all the good my virtue has done me, she added silently.
“Your reputation will be safe, as well,” he continued, as though he had not heard her. “No