The Hidden

She put her hand on his arm and nodded.

“Well, I’m afraid I’m not in,” Linda said, smoothing back her hair before pouring coffee for Jane and Scarlet. “I’m sorry, but I think it’s absurd. On the other hand,” she added with a smile, “I will admit I don’t want to miss the fun. So I’ll stand guard and make sure the candles don’t set the house on fire.”

“So long as you’re quiet and don’t interfere, that will be fine,” Jane said.

“I’m definitely in,” Terry said with his usual enthusiasm. “To be honest, I think it will be fascinating.”

Scarlet was surprised when Clark Levin spoke up next, seemingly intrigued. “A séance? That could be interesting. At the very least, it will be amusing.”

“Amusing, Clark?” Gigi asked, batting him on the arm. “It’s ridiculous—and in extremely poor taste.”

“It’s never in poor taste to try to find a killer,” Jane said.

“I’ll sit at the table, if that’s what required, and if Clark thinks that we should. However, I still feel that it’s in poor taste, as if we’re mocking the dead.”

“I agree with Jane. There’s nothing disrespectful about trying to help,” Gwen said. “I think it’s exciting.”

Gigi made a tsking sound, glaring at Gwen, it was as if she believed all the evils in the world came from a younger generation that could be excited by such a prospect.

“How did you find a medium on such short notice?” Charles asked.

“It wasn’t a problem,” Jane said. “I’m the medium.”

“Oh,” he said, surprised. “I thought you were an artist?”

“An artist, an FBI agent—and a medium,” Jane said. “I really know how to multitask.”

“So what do I need to do?” Trisha asked Jane.

Jane smiled and shook her head. “Nothing. We’ll plan for about eight o’clock tonight, then.”

“Something to look forward to,” Gwen said with enthusiasm.

“I have some email to catch up on,” Adam said. “And some work to do, but I’ll be around, if anyone needs me. And I’ll definitely see you all tonight.”

“And I’ve got reading to finish back at the museum,” Scarlet said.

“I’ll go with you. See the rest of you later,” Jane told the group with a smile.

As they headed outside, Scarlet asked, “Do you really think we can pretend a ghost is telling us about a murder and get someone to confess?”

Jane looked at her and shrugged. “Maybe a ghost really will tell us about a murder. I don’t know, but we have to try anything we can at this point. Forensics hasn’t come up with a thing. Whoever’s doing this is hiding his identity with more than that mask. He wears gloves and takes care not to lose so much as a skin cell at any of the scenes.”

“So we have to become creative,” Scarlet said.

Jane nodded.

“What if Angus or Linda is the killer?” Scarlet asked.

“Do you think so?”

“No, but I can’t figure out who it is, so I have to consider everyone a suspect.”

“If we understood why, we might discover who,” Jane said. “Maybe all those journals of yours are important. I’d like to do some reading, too.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Scarlet said. “And later, if there’s a chance, I’d like to spend some time at the shooting range.”

When they returned to the museum, Diego was on the phone with Lieutenant Gray, and Brett and Lara were checking out the displays together.