Free Wait Until Midnight by Amanda Quick Page A

A black net weeping veil concealed her features.
    "Is the spirit of my husband, George, here?" she inquired, voice quavering. "If so, I want to ask him where he hid the stock shares. He'll know the ones I mean. I've searched everywhere and I cannot find them. I must sell them. I am desperate. Indeed, I am in danger of losing the house."
    Everyone looked toward the stage.
    Irene placed her fingertips on the planchette. There was another moment of stillness. Caroline expected the medium to announce that the departed George was not present. But to her astonishment, the planchette began to move beneath Irene's fingertips, slowly at first and then with increasing speed.
    The planchette stopped abruptly. With an air of exhaustion, Irene picked up the paper.
    "Behind the mirror above the fireplace," she read aloud.
    "I am saved," the middle-aged woman cried out. "How can I thank you, Mrs. Toller? You have my most sincere gratitude."
    "You must thank the spirit of your husband, madam," Irene said. "I am merely the medium through which he communicated the information."
    "Thank you, George, wherever you are" The woman bustled out of the row of chairs and hurried toward the exit. "Please excuse me. I must find those shares immediately."
    She dashed straight past Caroline, leaving a trace of lavender scent in the air, and disappeared around the curtain that blocked the light from the door.
    "Now that was interesting," Adam said.
    Excitement bubbled in the darkened lecture room. An-other man shot to his feet.
    "If you please, Mrs. Toller, I have a question," he called loudly. "If the spirit of Elizabeth Delmont is nearby, ask her to tell us who murdered her."
    There was a startled silence.
    At the front of the room Irene flinched violently. Her mouth opened and then closed very quickly.
    For the first time, Adam gave his full and undivided attention to the stage. He leaned forward, resting his fore-arms on his thighs, and watched Mrs. Toller closely.
    "I expect that she will claim that Mrs. Delmont's spirit isn't present," Caroline murmured to Adam.
    "I'm not so certain of that," Adam replied. "Look. The planchette is moving."
    Caroline stared, astonished. Beneath Mrs. Toller's fingers, the device drifted this way and that, drawing the tip of the pencil across a fresh sheet of paper.
    Irene groaned. A visible shudder passed across her shoulders. She gave every appearance of struggling valiantly to keep herself erect in her chair.
    When the planchette finally halted, no one moved.
    Irene eased the device aside and picked up the paper. She gazed at the scrawled writing for a long time. Tension gripped the room.
    Irene read the message in her new, raspy voice. "Elizabeth Delmont was a fraud. She angered the spirits with her false claims and tricks. The invisible hand of retribution reached out from beyond the grave to silence her."
    As if the final effort had been too much for her, Irene collapsed facedown on the table. Before anyone could move, the single lamp flared violently and then went out. The lecture hall was enveloped in thick darkness.
    Someone shrieked. A hubbub ensued.
    "Please remain calm. All is well. This, often happens when Mrs. Toller finishes her demonstration. Séances ex-act a great toll on the medium's nerves. I will have the lamp on in a minute"
    Caroline recognized the voice of the small man who had introduced Irene Toller.
    The lights came up slowly, illuminating the stage. Irene Toller and her planchette had disappeared.
    SEVEN
    "Enough of these theatrics." Adam took a firm grip on Caroline's arm and urged her to her feet. "Browning had the right of it in his piece `Mr. Sludge, the Medium.' Anyone who claims to be able to summon spirits is a fraud."
    "I would remind you, sir, that Mr. Browning's wife was very impressed by a séance conducted by the famous Mr. D. D. Home. Rumor has it that she was convinced that Home not only contacted the spirit world but that he actually caused manifestations to appear."
    "With all