Read Online Quick, Amanda by Wait Until Midnight - Free Book Online
Authors: Wait Until Midnight
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fashion these days. It emphasized a riotous jumble of
colors, patterns, trims and designs, and it suited Milly perfectly. The dress she wore this afternoon was an
excellent case in point. It was a mix of red and gold stripes and black and white checks. Fringe swayed
from the madras plaid sleeves and neckline. A ruffled red petticoat peeked out from beneath the hem.
Emma poured tea for Caroline. "The entire affair is extremely disturbing. Do you suppose the killer was
watching from the shadows last night when we left Mrs. Delmont's house? Waiting for his opportunity, as
it were?"
"What a chilling thought." Milly sounded more thrilled than chilled. "1 must admit, I thought the séance
last night was quite exciting. I particularly liked the business of the ghostly hand rising up beside the table.
Very effective. I feared that Mr. McDaniel would faint dead away when the fingers reached out to touch
his sleeve."
"Elizabeth Delmont was a complete fraud, of course," Caroline said thoughtfully, "but I cannot help but
admire her for pursuing such an interesting career. There are so few profitable professions open to
ladies."
"Very true," Emma agreed. "Did you learn anything else of note this afternoon?"
"I noticed a young maid standing by herself, watching the commotion around Mrs. Delmont's house,"
Caroline said. "I requested the driver to stop the carriage so that I could talk to her. I thought it quite safe
because I knew that she could not possibly have the faintest notion of my identity. She was delighted to
tell me about the rumors that were going through the crowd."
"What did she say?" Milly asked.
"She told me that everyone was talking about how all of the furniture in the séance room had been
overturned by supernatural forces."
Emma sighed. "I suppose that sort of gossip was inevitable, given that it was a medium who was
murdered."
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
"Yes" Caroline picked up her teacup. "She said that there was also a great deal of talk about a broken
pocket watch."
Milly looked curious. "What was remarkable about the watch?"
"Evidently it was found next to the body. The police think that it was smashed in the course of the
murder." She took a sip of tea and lowered the cup. "The hands on the face of the watch were stopped
at midnight."
Milly shuddered. "How very melodramatic."
Emma's lips thinned. "The watch will no doubt feature heavily in the newspaper accounts of the murder."
"I suppose it's possible that a disgruntled sitter decided to take revenge against Mrs. Delmont," Milly
said. "Communicating with the Other Side can be an extremely emotional business for people who take
that sort of nonsense seriously."
"Perhaps," Caroline said slowly. "But I have been giving the matter a great deal of thought and I have
come up with another possibility."
"What is that?" Emma asked.
"The gentleman who called here this morning is convinced that whoever murdered Mrs. Delmont did so
in order to obtain a certain diary. But as you know, I have spent a great deal of time lately at the
headquarters of the Society for Psychical Investigations, and it is no secret there that Mrs. Delmont did
have one very jealous rival, a medium named Irene Toller."
"You did say that there is a considerable amount of professional jealousy among mediums," Milly
remarked.
Emma stirred her tea. "We can only hope that the police will arrest the villain quickly and put an end to
the matter."
But what if the police did not find the killer? Caroline thought. Would they eventually turn up on her
doorstep just as Adam Grove had? And what of the mysterious Mr. Grove himself? If he did not locate
the diary, would he re-turn to plague her with more questions and not-so-veiled accusations? Would he
eventually decide to give the police the list of sitters at Delmont's last séance?
She knew better than most that men from his world could not be trusted.
Emma
colors, patterns, trims and designs, and it suited Milly perfectly. The dress she wore this afternoon was an
excellent case in point. It was a mix of red and gold stripes and black and white checks. Fringe swayed
from the madras plaid sleeves and neckline. A ruffled red petticoat peeked out from beneath the hem.
Emma poured tea for Caroline. "The entire affair is extremely disturbing. Do you suppose the killer was
watching from the shadows last night when we left Mrs. Delmont's house? Waiting for his opportunity, as
it were?"
"What a chilling thought." Milly sounded more thrilled than chilled. "1 must admit, I thought the séance
last night was quite exciting. I particularly liked the business of the ghostly hand rising up beside the table.
Very effective. I feared that Mr. McDaniel would faint dead away when the fingers reached out to touch
his sleeve."
"Elizabeth Delmont was a complete fraud, of course," Caroline said thoughtfully, "but I cannot help but
admire her for pursuing such an interesting career. There are so few profitable professions open to
ladies."
"Very true," Emma agreed. "Did you learn anything else of note this afternoon?"
"I noticed a young maid standing by herself, watching the commotion around Mrs. Delmont's house,"
Caroline said. "I requested the driver to stop the carriage so that I could talk to her. I thought it quite safe
because I knew that she could not possibly have the faintest notion of my identity. She was delighted to
tell me about the rumors that were going through the crowd."
"What did she say?" Milly asked.
"She told me that everyone was talking about how all of the furniture in the séance room had been
overturned by supernatural forces."
Emma sighed. "I suppose that sort of gossip was inevitable, given that it was a medium who was
murdered."
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
"Yes" Caroline picked up her teacup. "She said that there was also a great deal of talk about a broken
pocket watch."
Milly looked curious. "What was remarkable about the watch?"
"Evidently it was found next to the body. The police think that it was smashed in the course of the
murder." She took a sip of tea and lowered the cup. "The hands on the face of the watch were stopped
at midnight."
Milly shuddered. "How very melodramatic."
Emma's lips thinned. "The watch will no doubt feature heavily in the newspaper accounts of the murder."
"I suppose it's possible that a disgruntled sitter decided to take revenge against Mrs. Delmont," Milly
said. "Communicating with the Other Side can be an extremely emotional business for people who take
that sort of nonsense seriously."
"Perhaps," Caroline said slowly. "But I have been giving the matter a great deal of thought and I have
come up with another possibility."
"What is that?" Emma asked.
"The gentleman who called here this morning is convinced that whoever murdered Mrs. Delmont did so
in order to obtain a certain diary. But as you know, I have spent a great deal of time lately at the
headquarters of the Society for Psychical Investigations, and it is no secret there that Mrs. Delmont did
have one very jealous rival, a medium named Irene Toller."
"You did say that there is a considerable amount of professional jealousy among mediums," Milly
remarked.
Emma stirred her tea. "We can only hope that the police will arrest the villain quickly and put an end to
the matter."
But what if the police did not find the killer? Caroline thought. Would they eventually turn up on her
doorstep just as Adam Grove had? And what of the mysterious Mr. Grove himself? If he did not locate
the diary, would he re-turn to plague her with more questions and not-so-veiled accusations? Would he
eventually decide to give the police the list of sitters at Delmont's last séance?
She knew better than most that men from his world could not be trusted.
Emma
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