The Madness of Mercury (23 page)

B
Y THE TIME
I
returned to the Gamble house, the wind had picked up and the sky had darkened to a deep charcoal color. It suited my mood. Come to think of it, I hadn’t seen the sun for several days. The possibility of a rare thunderstorm had even been predicted—rare for San Francisco, that is. Dorothy was again in the kitchen, but this time she wasn’t working. She sat while Richard chopped herbs and sliced lemons.

“Julia, come on in.” She smiled, but her eyes looked tired. “Dinner will be ready soon.”

Richard wore a long white apron and waved a spatula at me. He’d made himself at home. I wondered what kind of pressure he might be putting on Dorothy to move her aunts out. I was curious, but Dorothy was overly sensitive on the subject. If I said anything at all to her, I’d have to tread carefully.

“I’d love some, Richard,” I said instead. “What are you making?”

“Chicken with lemon and capers. We have some mashed potatoes and broccoli too. Simple stuff, nothing fancy.”

Dorothy laid three large dinner plates on the table. “Gudrun brought up a tray earlier for herself and my aunts, so we can eat in peace.”

“What time are your friends arriving?” Richard asked.

“Nikolai said eight thirty. Hope that’s not too late.”

“No, that’s fine,” Dorothy replied. “Gives us time to straighten up before he gets here. Richard, you’ll stay, I hope.”

Richard doled out the chicken breasts on each of our plates, adding a large scoop of mashed potatoes and small broccoli trees. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world. I’m sure Evandra will be very happy if she’s able to contact Lily across the void.” He gave me a conspiratorial wink. “What does one do at this type of soirée?”

I shook my head. “Don’t ask me. It’s my first and only experience. I just hope it doesn’t upset your aunts, Dorothy.”

Dorothy cut the tender chicken with her fork. “Uh … something I should mention … Eunice and Gudrun will not take part.”

“Really? Why?”

“The Prophet doesn’t believe in séances, or so he’s conveyed to both of them.”

“Don’t forget what I told you.”

“What’s that?” Richard turned from the stove.

“Oh, Julia saw Gudrun at one of those meetings,” Dorothy replied.

“You did?” Richard looked at me quizzically. “You went to one? Are you converting?”

I snorted. “Hardly. I just wanted to warn Dorothy to keep an eye on Gudrun. I don’t trust her at all.”

“Why didn’t you tell me about this?” Richard demanded.

Dorothy seemed flustered. “I don’t know. It doesn’t really worry me. So what if Gudrun is a believer?”

“I have to agree with Julia. I don’t like it at all,” he replied.

Dorothy made an effort to change the subject. “All that aside, if Gudrun and Eunice won’t attend the séance, then there’s just the three of us, plus Evandra, Reggie, and your friend—what’s his name?”

“Nikolai. And he’ll bring Zora with him. She’s the medium.”

Dorothy heaved a sigh. “Well, it’ll be nothing if not entertaining.”

“Speaking of Reggie, where is he?”

“Out. And he can stay gone for all I care. Evandra’s been making a fuss over him all day and I can’t stomach it. At the very least he’s a freeloader, at the worst … well, we’ll see, won’t we? And before I forget … ” She leaned over and spoke quietly, pulling a piece of paper out of her pocket. Richard had turned away and was running water in the sink to soak the pans. “I managed to get some information from Reggie’s passport while he was in the shower.” She passed the folded piece of paper to me under the table.

I wasn’t so ready to let the subject of the Prophet go. “Dorothy, how long has Gudrun been with your aunts?”

“I guess about a year now. The last woman we hired moved out of the city, and I found Gudrun through an agency. She was highly recommended.”

“She’s very involved in that cult, Dorothy.”

“She’s never said much about it to me. And from what Eunice has said, it all sounds harmless enough.”

“Let’s talk later,” I whispered.

Richard picked up our dinner plates. “Anybody for coffee and dessert?”

“I’ll get some cookies.” Dorothy started to rise from her chair.

“Relax. I’ll get them.” I went into the pantry and found a tin decorated with sprightly reindeer cavorting across a snowy landscape. Richard followed me in.

“Oh, no, not those.” He plucked them quickly out of my hand. I stepped away from him. “Those are Evandra’s special cookies I make for her,” he explained. “Dorothy helps me, of course—she’s the expert baker. But Evandra would never forgive you for eating them.” He reached up to another shelf and passed me a square tin. “Go ahead and put these out. Chocolate.”

I nodded and carried the tin to the table. This was the first I’d heard that Evandra had a special diet. I opened it and put several of the cookies on a plate and passed them to Dorothy.

“Julia, you look as tired as I feel. You need some sleep.”

I’d caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror in the hallway and I had to agree. The strain of moving twice, threats to my life, staying in a strange house, broken sleep, and running around town had more than left me drained. “Maybe I will rest for a bit. Richard, thanks for dinner. It was delicious.”

I left the kitchen and climbed the stairs. The door to my room was open, and Wizard was curled up in a ball on a knitted throw on top of a chair. When he saw me he leapt up on the bed, purring, and pushed his head into my hand.

I shut the door, kicked off my shoes, and pulled the comforter over me. Wizard burrowed under the covers with me, poking his nose out from the edge. Right now my cat was the only soul who gave me a sense of home. I rubbed his fur. “I don’t blame you, Wiz. We have to get our home back soon.”

The storm had arrived. I heard the rain, gentle at first and then increasing in fury, lashing against the windowpane as I slid into unconsciousness and a deep, dreamless sleep.

T
WENTY-
S
EVEN

T
APPING AT THE DOOR
woke me. I was disoriented for a few seconds. I wasn’t sure where I was or what day it might be. I called out, “Come in.”

The door opened and Dorothy stepped into the bedroom. She sat on the edge of the bed. “Feel better?”

“Oh, yes.” I rubbed my eyes.

It’s almost eight o’clock. Thought you’d like a wakeup call.”

“I really did crash. Dorothy?”

“Yes?”

“Can I talk to you about something?” Her expression became serious. I pushed the comforter back and sat up on the bed. “This is really hard for me to ask you.”

“What is it?”

“I looked over your family’s charts recently. And I noticed that Richard’s Neptune connected with two very sensitive points in Evandra’s chart.”

“What are trying to say?” Dorothy’s eyes darkened.

“Is there anything she’s taking in, whether food or meds, that Richard gives her? Something that no one else in the house eats? Perhaps she’s allergic to something, like I’ve mentioned earlier.”

Dorothy’s jaw dropped. “Julia, I can’t believe this is coming from you. Are you saying you think Richard is
poisoning
her?” Her face flushed red.

“I’m only exploring possibilities, Dorothy. Richard mentioned she has special cookies that no one else eats, and he might not be careful enough with her condition. It’s just that Evandra was fine before … when exactly did Richard start coming here?”

Dorothy’s face turned beet red. “The only thing he’s made just for her are those cookies. The ones with the little caraway seeds. She loves them. And no, they’re a lot of work, that’s why we save them for her.” Dorothy’s voice had risen. “Julia, if there were anything wrong with those cookies, she’d have a reaction immediately, or certainly within twenty to thirty minutes. If you think they’re poisoned, you’re wrong. I’m a nurse. It’s just not possible that her symptoms wouldn’t appear quickly, rather than several hours later!”

“Please don’t be upset that I asked,” I said quickly. “I’ll take your word for it. It’s just that I didn’t like the connections between their charts.”

Dorothy stood. “You’ve never liked Richard. That’s what it is. And to think I’ve listened to your advice all this time. I can’t believe you could even think something like that.”

My face stung as if she’d slapped me. “Dorothy, that’s not fair. I’ve always given you thoughtful advice and been completely honest with you.” I’d stuck my head into a hornet’s nest. Dorothy was obviously hoping against hope that she and Richard could reconcile, and I was pulling a scab off an old wound by implying her husband might be capable of an unthinkable act.

“And if that’s how you feel about Richard, maybe you should find another place to stay.” Dorothy stood up and marched out, slamming the door behind her.

“I will. As soon as the séance is over, I’ll leave,” I answered to an empty room.

T
WENTY-
E
IGHT

I
THREW OFF THE
comforter and stomped around the room gathering my clothes. I was angry. Why couldn’t I ask the questions I’d asked? I’d never really accused Richard of anything; I merely asked if Evandra could be allergic to something he wasn’t aware of. Why did Dorothy react so vehemently? She was being obsessively protective of Richard and not listening to reason. Maybe she was under so much stress she’d overreacted to my questions. All I wanted to do that minute was pack my suitcase and head home to my apartment. The hell with the Army of the Prophet and my landlady. I certainly didn’t need to stay here and be insulted.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t exactly leave now. I felt responsible for the séance I’d arranged. But as soon as it was over, at the very least, I’d go back to my grandmother’s. It was probably only one more night in a cold house. I’d survive. The new furnace would be installed in another day or so.

I washed my face and brushed my hair and pulled on a fresh sweater. Then I straightened up the bed, packed my laptop and folders away, and put all my clothes into my overnight bag. If I couldn’t leave immediately, I’d at least be ready to go. As I descended the stairway, I heard Richard’s voice calling up to me. He was standing on the lower step of the staircase.

“Julia, Nikolai’s here … and Alba and Reggie have already set up everything in the library. We’ll use the round table with chairs all around. Does that sound all right?”

“That’ll work,” I responded.

Richard moved closer and spoke quietly. “Julia, what’s going on? Dorothy seems really upset and won’t tell me what’s wrong.”

“We can talk later, Richard. This isn’t the best time.” I was sure Dorothy would tell him what it was about, but I’d leave it up to her.

He shrugged and turned away, and I headed into the library. Dorothy stood by the fireplace, her jaw set, refusing to meet my eyes. Zora was walking in circles around the table, murmuring to herself. Nikolai had donned purple robes and placed several large candles around the room. He cut a very impressive figure. He caught my eye and winked. I knew that Gudrun and Eunice were closeted upstairs in Eunice’s room while everyone else waited in the parlor. I was fairly certain Nikolai would put on a good show. Depending on what happened, I just hoped it wouldn’t be too upsetting or disappointing for Evandra.