Read Devil May Care Online

Authors: Elizabeth Peters

Tags: #American fiction, #Fiction, #Detective, #Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths, #Mystery Fiction, #Virginia, #Mystery & Detective, #Romance, #Fiction - Mystery, #Suspense, #Women Sleuths, #Mystery, #Psychological, #Witches, #General

Devil May Care (30 page)

BOOK: Devil May Care
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Kate stared at the ceiling and whistled through her teeth.

"Leaving that individual aside," Donald continued, grinning, "there were three separate agencies involved. Ted played Lockwood, and the '' on the lawn--that was a clever stunt, to suggest two people. The man who followed them ... "

"A hallucination," Kate said sarcastically, glancing at the doctor.

"An impression," Donald said. "A lingering sensory echo of strong emotion, visible under certain emotional conditions ... You know, Kate, in a sense Ted could be regarded as the one who triggered the whole bag of worms, hallucinations included. By DEVIL-MAY-CARE 247

reenacting the old tragedies he stirred up things that had been quiescent for a hundred years."

The doctor shifted uncomfortably.

"It is certainly possible that Ted unwittingly brought Roger's mild persecution mania to a dangerous pitch. Roger would have interpreted the tricks as taunts, hints that someone knew the unsavory history of his family, and was about to betray it."

"But how did Roger know about the book?" Ellie asked. "And the parchment?"

It was, of course, Kate who supplied the answer.

"Perhaps he only knew that there was a dangerous, defamatory document hidden in a copy of that particular book. I can see the tradition being handed down, from father to son, after the book was lost or stolen, a warning to watch out for it if it ever turned up. We may find that Ted knew something of the tradition; he has an uncanny nose for scandal. That makes Ellie the real instigator of the whole business," she continued cheerfully. "If she hadn't found the book ... if Ted hadn't seen it and remembered the old rumor--and decided to tease Roger and the others ... if Roger hadn't learned about the book and let his paranoia run riot ... "

"You can't make me feel guilty," Ellie said.

"You're just trying to find scapegoats to cover up your own part in this. Throwing Donald at me in the guise of a yardboy was dumb enough, but that stunt with the romantic ghost--" "I don't understand," the doctor said innocently.

"What's all this about?"

"Never mind," Kate said. "Uh--let's get back to the ghosts. The only other genuine--mass hallucination --was the white lady on the stairs. Until this evening, I mean. John Wilkes Booth was Roger's first appearance. Ted would have done it much better.

The monk was his tour deforce. He must have

248 Elizabeth Peters planned that effect, Roger could never have thought of anything that ingenious."

"I don't mind admitting it scared the socks off me for a second or two," Donald said.

Kate laughed suddenly.

"I was thinking about poor old Roger running around the house carrying that screen," she explained.

"It was a copy of the original--balsa wood and paper--but it must have been awkward to handle.

He didn't know where to put it, because he didn't know where we were going to be. That's why he turned on the intercom--hoping he would overhear us discussing our plans. He had been in the house for hours, before we locked up. We were stupid not to think of that.

"Ted must have planned to play the monk scene in the library. He would simply substitute his screen for the real one. In semidarkness it would pass for the original. You saw how it worked, didn't you? One of the panel designs was painted on thin strips of transparent plastic. The costume was black; in a dark corner that screen would have looked solid.

When the light came on, the figure stood out as if it had materialized with the panel of the screen showing through it. It was the other way around, of course; the screen, not the figure, was transparent.

Mcgrath simply stepped through the thin plastic.

The sound of the hair dryer covered any slight crackle or crunch."

"The hair dryer bugs me," Donald grumbled. "I should have spotted that."

"I don't imagine you use them," Kate replied.

"They're small and portable these days, small enough to be hidden in a full, flowing sleeve, and battery operated. So was the torch that gave the spooky light. I liked that, it was one of Ted's better ideas. Did you notice how the light slowly built up, instead of just turning on full?"

DEVIL-MAY-CARE 249

"I certainly did," Ellie said emphatically. "How did he do it?"

"Nipples," Kate said dreamily.

"What?" The doctor started.

"The kind that are on babies' bottles," Kate explained.

"I used to baby-sit when I was young and poor, and one time I forgot to turn off the fire under a pan in which the lady of the house was boiling the next day's supply. To sterilize them, you know. I was reading a particularly interesting book and ... well, those plastic nipples simply dissolved into thin air. There was nothing left of them. Ted used something similar to mask his flashlight--a thin, translucent film of some kind of plastic that would slowly melt with heat. Beneath was another non-melting lens of a nauseating color. Oh, it was very well arranged. Roger wore built-up shoes, of course. He had to, the robe Ted made was too long for him." "One question," the doctor said. "How did you happen to think of burning the parchment?"

"But that's the traditional method," Kate said.

"Fire purifies. I know all about demonology and witchcraft."

"Hmmm." The doctor pondered. "Yes, I see. Unconsciously we all knew that. Racial instinct--the mind a vast storehouse of forgotten facts--so when we saw the parchment go up in flames, our collective minds--"

"Collective balderdash," Kate snarled. "And you had the nerve to mention marriage to me? Lucky for you I--"

"Marriage," said a deep, solemn voice. They all jumped, including Kate. Henry had been sitting so long in a paralyzed, happy stupor that they had forgotten he could talk. "Congrash--congrash--good luck, old man." Leaning sideways to pat Donald on the back, he slid slowly onto the floor, where he curled up and went to sleep.

250 Elizabeth Peters

"I'll put a blanket over him," Kate said, rising.

"Come on. It's late, but tomorrow is Sunday, and nobody has to get up. Would you rather see the Giants' game first, or--"

"Oh, no, Kate," Ellie groaned. "Not now!"

"It's excellent therapy," Kate said firmly. Her eyes glowed with a fanatical fire as she turned to Ellie. "You like bombs--I'll show you some real bombs!"

BOOK: Devil May Care
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