Chapter 18

“Missing?” Peter Scofield asked.

“Yes,” Dashiell replied. “We believe the killer took it after finishing with your mother.”

Peter Scofield thought about this, then nodded. “Well there you go. Elizabeth would have taken it, so that its details would never see the light of day. While she has her flaws, lack of intelligence is not one of Elizabeth’s failings. She would know Mother’s death would only fuel interest in her book. Therefore, it can never be allowed to see the light of day.”

“You realize,” Regina said, “that means she’s probably destroyed the manuscript.”

“Of course,” Peter Scofield said. “That would stand to reason.”

“Well, absent that manuscript, there’s nothing, other than your theory, which ties your sister to your mother’s death.”

Peter Scofield half smiled. “As I said, Detective, Elizabeth is not lacking in intelligence.”

“There’s another problem,” Regina said. “The timeline doesn’t fit. We know your mother was alive when the reporter and photographer from Washington Woman left at 11 a.m. Watson didn’t report seeing your sister at all this morning. That doesn’t seem like the sort of detail he’d leave out.”

This time, Peter Scofield did smile. “Detective Robins, all of us children have been sneaking in and out of the house without disturbing Watson for years. It was the only way we could indulge in our various youthful discretions. It even became a game. I assure you, Elizabeth was quite capable of coming and going from the house without alerting anyone to her presence.”

“As are you?” Regina asked pointedly.

“Of course. But why would I want to harm my mother? And more importantly, why would I tell you I had the ability to do so undetected?”

“That seems to be a question we’ve been running into a lot today,” Regina said.

Dashiell had his arms crossed, one hand stroking his chin, deep in thought. Finally, he spoke. “Mr. Scofield, you know why Mr. Watson hired me, don’t you?”

“Because you’re reputed to be the best occult detective in the Metropolitan area. You had an exemplary record of government service and the police routinely hire you to help in cases involving the occult.”

“Exactly,” Dashiell replied. “Which leaves me wondering…even assuming your sister had a motive to kill your mother, how she would have accomplished it? Specifically, how she would have done it in a way that required my services?”

“Oh that’s easy, Mr. Aldridge. Elizabeth has been interested in the occult for years.”