Harry Houdini Mysteries by Daniel Stashower Read Free Book Online Page A

known of a genuine medium?”
    Harry leaned forward. “Lucius Craig, you mean?”
    “Exactly. Could he be the genuine article?”
    “No,” I said. “There is no such thing.”
    Harry swirled the water in his glass. “I wonder.”
    “Mr. Clairmont,” I said, “just because a man rattles a tambourine doesn’t mean he is trafficking with the spirit realm. You are in a fanciful frame of mind because of your recent loss, and perhaps this has left you more receptive to Mr. Craig’s blandishments than you might otherwise have been. I can assure you that you will not find answers in the séance room. You may safely send Mr. Craig on his way.”
    “I wish it were that simple,” Clairmont said, raising his glass to his lips. “My mother is quite taken with him. She has been very distraught since my father—since my father—” He set down his glass and stared down at the tabletop for a moment. “Well, I suppose you know all about it. My father took his own life—suddenly and without warning of any kind. My mother simply cannot accept that he should have done this. Her health has always been fragile, and I have worried that the strain might prove too much to bear. I am studying medicine, as it happens, and have been able to care for her to some extent, but she is not a strong woman.” The corners of his mouth turned down slightly as he took another sip of his drink. “I fear that fetching powders for my mother may be as close as I come to an actual medical practice.”
    Biggs looked up at this. “What do you mean, Kenneth?”
    “Father’s death has forced me to reconsider my choice of career. There is a place waiting for me in the family firm.”
    “The shipping business? You’ve always loathed it!”
    The young man shrugged. “I hardly have a choice in the matter. My father is gone, and my uncle is of no use. If the business is to stay a family concern, I must step in.”
    Biggs shook his head. “But your medical studies! What about—?”
    “My father always wished me to abandon them,” Clairmont said briskly. “It seems he’s won the point after all. In any case, it has no bearing on the matter at hand.”
    “Lucius Craig?” asked Harry.
    “Money,” answered Clairmont. “My father’s money. As you may know, my father amassed a considerable fortune over the course of his lifetime. It is to be expected, then, that my mother should attract her share of suitors once her mourning period has ended. Make no mistake, my mother is a charming woman, and I would be quite delighted if she were to find companionship after a suitable interval, but it is my nature to be cautious on her behalf.”
    Harry drummed his fingers on the table. “You think she is liable to fall prey to fortune hunters?”
    “She has too much common sense for the average Lothario, and up to this point she has limited her social engagements to a small circle of family intimates. It is possible, I suppose, that she might in time form an attachment to one of this group. My father’s friend Dr. Wells, for instance, has been spending a great deal of time at the house, and our family lawyer, Mr. Edgar Grange, has been seen about the place rather more often than his official business might dictate. But these are both men of considerable means. If they evince a social interest in my mother, I like to think that their intentions are genuine. Lucius Craig is a different matter entirely.”
    “So I’ve heard,” said Harry. “How did your mother meet him?”
    “It was at a dinner party given by one of her friends, Mrs. Watkin. As it happens, the occasion marked the first time that my mother had ventured out of the house since my father’spassing. She had heard a great deal about the remarkable Mr. Craig, and her curiosity got the better of her. Mr. Craig did a few of his minor miracles that evening, and my mother—”
    “Were you present?” asked Harry.
    “I was.”
    “Describe these minor miracles, please.”
    Clairmont laced his