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killer, of course. I learned from one of
    Delmont's neighbors that the housekeeper was given the night off."
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    "Yes, that's true. Mrs. Delmont herself opened the door to us. She said she always gave her
    housekeeper the night off on séance evenings because she could not go into a proper trance if there was
    anyone other than the sitters present. Indeed, the comment made me wonder if perhaps—"
    "Yes?" he prompted. "What did it cause you to wonder about, Mrs. Fordyce?"
    "Well, if you must know, it occurred to me that perhaps Mrs. Delmont did not like to have her
    housekeeper present while she conducted a séance because she was afraid that the woman would
    become wise to her tricks and perhaps expose her in exchange for a bribe. Psychical investigators have
    been known to pay the servants who work for mediums to spy on their employers, you see."
    "A clever notion, Mrs. Fordyce" Adam looked approving of her logic. "I suspect that you are right.
    Mediums are notoriously secretive."
    "How did you learn my name and address?"
    "When I discovered the body, I also found a list of the sitters who had attended the final séance. The
    addresses had been put down alongside the names."
    "I see"
    Her imagination conjured up a disturbing image of Adam Grove methodically searching Mrs. Delmont's
    parlor while the body of the murdered woman lay crumpled on the floor. It was a chilling vision, one that
    said a great deal about Grove's nerve. She swallowed hard.
    "I spent the remainder of the night and the early hours of this morning talking to servants, carriage drivers
    and ..." He hesitated, as though choosing his words carefully. ".. . others who make their living on the
    streets near Delmont's house. Among other things I was able to verify Mrs. Delmont's housekeeper was
    busy attending her daughter, who was in the process of giving birth last night. Her alibi is unshakable.
    That left me with your name, Mrs. Fordyce."
    "No wonder you look so weary," she said quietly. "You have been up all night."
    He absently rubbed his stubbled jaw and grimaced. "My apologies for my appearance."
    "It is hardly a matter of importance, given the circumstances." She hesitated. "So you came here today
    with the intention of confronting me in this alarming manner. Your goal was to frighten me and thereby
    trick me into revealing some dreadful conspiracy, wasn't it?"
    He shoved a hand through his short, dark hair, showing no sign of remorse. "That was more or less my
    plan, yes" Uneasily aware that he might not have abandoned the
    notion entirely, she searched her brain for other possible suspects.
    "Perhaps Mrs. Delmont was the victim of a burglar who attacked her after he broke into the house," she
    suggested.
    "I searched the place from top to bottom. There was no evidence that the doors or windows had been
    forced. It appeared that she had let the killer in "
    The offhand manner in which he delivered that information deepened her sense of unease. "You certainly
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    made a number of close observations last night, Mr. Grove. One would have thought that the proximity
    of a savagely murdered woman would have made it difficult to think and act so methodically and
    logically."
    "Unfortunately, it appears that I did not make any especially useful observations," he said. He went
    toward the door with a purposeful stride. "I have wasted your time and my own. I would take it as a
    great favor if you would refrain from discussing this conversation with anyone else."
    She did not respond to that.
    He stopped, one hand on the doorknob, and looked at her. "Well, Mrs. Fordyce? Can I depend upon
    you to keep our discussion confidential?"
    She braced herself. "That depends, sir."
    He was cynically amused. "Of course. You no doubt wish to be compensated for your silence. Name
    your price, Mrs. Fordyce."
    Another flash of