“Poor Persephone. I’m afraid she’ll never be the same,” Anna said.

“But you still haven’t explained how you switched the bags,” Mother Bates said again.

“Oh, that part was easy. When Jake went into his ghost act, Persephone wasn’t the only one he scared. Lots of people started screaming and running and I just walked up and switched the bags while Waterson was staring at the ghost. Then he picked up the other bag and ran out with it.”

“He shouldn’t be too upset, though,” Anna said. “Madame Ophelia said he was making a legitimate business deal this morning that would earn him a lot more than was in that bag.”

Jake and Elizabeth looked at each other and burst out laughing.

“What else did you do?” Gideon asked, trying to sound disapproving.

He didn’t fool Elizabeth, though. “Didn’t you wonder why Waterson changed his mind about selling the land, darling?”

“I did wonder why he was willing to pay Coleman to get out of the deal he’d gone to so much trouble to set up,” Gideon admitted. “But you always tell me I’m better off not knowing these things.”

“Since it’s over, I don’t think it will hurt to tell you now,” Elizabeth said.

“And we really have you to thank, Gideon,” Jake said. “You were the one who made sure Waterson legally owned the land and you were the one who telephoned Standard Oil to check that they owned the land next to it.”

“I also contacted the Texas Company, but what does that have to do with anything?”

“Well,” Jake said, leaning back in his chair so he looked even more smug than usual, “it seems that a Mr. Stillwell from Standard Oil contacted Waterson and informed him they wanted to buy the land and had been trying to get in touch with him about it.”

“And that’s the legitimate business deal he was going to make today?” Gideon asked in surprise. “It hardly seems fair after what those people did and tried to do that they should still benefit.”

“Don’t worry. The deal didn’t actually go through,” Jake said.

“Why not?” Gideon asked, still confused.

“Not for lack of trying,” Jake said. “Waterson did telephone this morning to make an appointment with Mr. Stillwell to close the deal. Harriet told me.”

“Who’s Harriet?” Zelda asked.

“She’s Jake’s secretary,” Freddie said wisely.

“How do you know that?” Anna asked.

“I met her when I went to Jake’s office to practice murdering him.”

“Does Jake have an office?” Anna asked, because that was the most surprising part of Freddie’s statement.

“Not a real one,” Jake said. “But Harriet answers all the telephones for these fake numbers, and when Waterson called, she made him an appointment to meet with Mr. Stillwell at Standard Oil.”