Elizabeth knew better than to answer that question, so she just stood perfectly still and glanced at Madame Ophelia for guidance. Madame came rushing forward. “I didn’t expect you so soon.”

“Who are they?” he demanded, indicating Elizabeth and Anna with a wave of his hand.

“They’re my clients, Mrs. Bates and Miss Vanderslice,” Madame hastily explained. “They were just leaving.”

“Mrs. Bates, eh?” Plainly, he knew the name and wasn’t pleased to hear it. His gaze dropped to the carpetbag Elizabeth was carrying. “What’s she got?”

“She was helping us gather our things,” Madame said a little too defensively.

“Papa,” Persephone said, emerging from the other room and instantly identifying him as Waterson for Elizabeth. “Did you bring the wagon?”

“It’s right outside,” he said, still gazing suspiciously at the carpetbag. “What’s in there?”

“Just some things we didn’t need,” Madame said. “Mrs. Bates is going to dispose of them for us.”

She sounded so anxious, no one would have believed her. “I’ll save her the trouble, then,” Waterson said, snatching the bag out of Elizabeth’s hands.

“Robert, wait,” Madame tried, but Waterson was already unlatching the bag.

One glance inside was all he needed. “Are you out of your mind?”

“I had to do it. Someone is going to kill me if I don’t give it back.”

“Give it back?” he echoed in horrified astonishment. “What is wrong with you?”

“I told you, I’m going to die if I don’t give it back,” Madame explained desperately.

“Who says?”

“She told me,” Madame said, gesturing at Elizabeth, who was trying to decide what the best course of action would be. If they ran, they’d never get the money, although staying did not seem very promising, either.

Waterson looked Elizabeth over disdainfully. “She told you? You really must be losing your mind. Did you forget that all this séance stuff is phony?”

“My séance stuff is phony, but not hers. Everything she predicts comes true, and she told me I’ll die if I don’t return all this money. She’s going to give it back to the people we took it from.”

“It’s Bates,” Waterson said furiously, turning on Elizabeth. “I should have known. He’s behind all of this.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” Elizabeth lied, although she managed to look legitimately frightened.

“He’s trying to ruin everything,” Waterson growled, turning back to Madame. “You’re not giving her this money.”

“But I’m going to die if I don’t!” Madame wailed. “And what difference does it make? You’ve got all that oil money. We won’t even miss this!”

“We’ll miss it,” he said tightly.

“How greedy can you be?” Madame cried. “The money, that’s all you care about! You don’t care about us! You don’t care that someone is going to bash my brains in and—”