Page 37 of A Whisper and a Curse
Hawkins glanced away, which piqued Tilda’s interest. “No.”
“Do you know him?” Tilda was curious how he’d answer that, since Hadrian had seen that Hawkins had sat beside the man. They had to know one another.
“He has attended a few séances, but I don’t know him well. I’m sorry I can’t help you.”
Hawkins’s demeanor was suspicious, and Tilda wasn’t sure she entirely believed him. She summoned a smile to end the interview. “Thank you for speaking with us. Again, if you think of anything else that might help the investigation into your colleagues’ murders, I hope you’ll notify Scotland Yard. Ask for Detective Inspector Teague.”
“I’ll do that,” Hawkins murmured. “I do appreciate you coming today so that I could hear the news about Deborah. So awful.” He shook his head. “I pray the killer is caught soon.”
Tilda pulled one of her cards from her reticule and handed it to the medium. “You can also contact me.”
Hawkins looked at the card in his hand, then at Tilda. “Your father or someone in your family worked for the police, did they not?”
Tilda’s shoulder twitched. “My father.” This was the second time a medium had mentioned him. “How did you know that?”
“Mediums tend to be sensitive, and sometimes we just know things.” Hawkins smiled benignly. “He’d be proud of you. I will let you know if we need additional people at the séance on Friday.”
Tilda stood. “Thank you, Mr. Hawkins.”
Hadrian removed his glove as he rose and presented his bare hand to shake that of Hawkins, who also stood. As they clasped hands, Tilda hoped Hadrian was seeing something, even as she also worried that he would suffer for it. That would be several visions in one day, and she did not want them to take a toll on him.
They made their way outside. As they walked to the coach, Tilda said, “I wonder if we ought to call on your mother next to tell her about Mrs. Frost before she can hear about it elsewhere and become distressed.”
Hadrian frowned. “I should have thought of that. Thank you. Yes, let us call on her.” He informed Leach of their destination before they settled into the coach.
“Did you see anything when you shook Hawkins’s hand?” Tilda asked as they started moving.
“He was speaking to Montrose,” Hadrian said darkly. “I do not believe for a moment that he didn’t know the man well.”
“Nor do I.” Tilda turned her mind to the dowager countess. “Do you think your mother will want to see another medium from the society?”
“I wondered if that was what you were going to suggest when you asked to attend Hawkins’s séance, but then I realized you probably wanted to go to meet the duchess and perhaps find out about her relationship with Ward.”
“You know me too well.”
Hadrian flashed a brief smile. “As for my mother, I would rather she did not see another medium. However, she believes she has a limited opportunity to speak with Gabriel and will likely want to make sure she doesn’t miss her chance.”
“Are you going to tell her you have reason to believe the mediums are fake?”
“I think we must. That is the purpose of your investigation, after all. I realize we don’t have proof that we can show her, but we know they are cheating.”
“About the levitating and probably the table movement,” Tilda said. “We cannot prove they don’t speak to the dead. I’m still wondering if these mediums share your ability. I gave Hawkins my card, and he asked about my father.”
Hadrian stared at her. “You think he saw a memory of yours with your father in a police uniform when he touched the card?”
Tilda shrugged. “I don’t know, but I found his comment eerie. And it was, of course, accurate.”
“He could just as easily have made an educated guess,” Hadrian said. “Which, in his line of work, would be a skill he’d honed, I should think. He surmised you are interested in investigation because of something or someone, and he vaguely suggested your father or someone else. He could have been fishing for the correct answer.”
“That is a cynical view.” Tilda smiled. “But you may be right. I imagine the mediums do whatever they can to obtaininformation from people. The more they know about someone, the better they can do their jobs. Perhaps one of the reasons they carefully select their séance guests is so that they can investigate them and have ‘surprising’ information to share.”
Hadrian’s brows arched. “That is an interesting theory. Do you think the society employs an investigator? You could offer your services,” he suggested with a chuckle.
Tilda pursed her lips at him. “That is not amusing. I would not engage in that sort of investigation. Not for any price.”
Hadrian sobered. “I was jesting. Of course you wouldn’t.”
“Thank you.” Tilda grimaced faintly. She should have realized he was joking. “I do hope Hawkins will invite us to attend his séance, though he may not if he’s hiding something.”