“Their clothes, for one thing. They were stylishly dressed, but their clothes came from a department store, not a modiste. They didn’t look wealthy enough to be longtime clients of Madame Ophelia if they had to pay for the séances themselves. But it was their hands that really gave it away.”

“Is that why you took off your gloves, dear?” his mother asked.

“Yes. I hoped they would follow suit, and they did. Their hands had done far more work than yours or mine, Mother Bates.”

“But Mrs. Regis’s husband said he hadn’t left her a fortune, and Mrs. Kirkwood might well have had a son who died in France. They were both weeping by the end of their readings.”

“So it seemed, but people who are really weeping cry real tears. Neither one of them even pulled out a handkerchief.”

His mother blinked in surprise while she thought this over. “I believe you are right, dear. How strange.”

“Strange indeed. And I already knew Madame Ophelia was a phony, so it wasn’t hard to guess she would have her cohorts there to assist her today.”

“I still don’t understand how you expect to convince Madame Ophelia’s clients that she’s a fraud,” Gideon said.

“I don’t, of course. I just hope to put her out of business.”

Gideon couldn’t help his grin. “By becoming her biggest competitor?”

“What a wonderful idea, darling,” she laughed. “Why didn’t I think of it myself?”

Mother Bates frowned. “But seriously, dear, how can you do that?”

“I haven’t quite worked it all out yet, but it will come to me, I’m sure.”

“And you can do this without any help from Jake or your father?” Gideon asked.

“I have Anna and Aunt Cybil and Mother Bates,” she said.

For some reason, that did not comfort him.

“And Jake already gave her a good idea,” Mother Bates reminded him.

Gideon was unimpressed. “Has she told you what it is?”

“Well, no, but I’m sure it’s wonderful.”

Gideon wasn’t sure at all. “I discovered today that another of our clients has been investing in a scheme Madame Ophelia led her to.”

“Oh dear,” his mother said. “Anyone I know?”

“I can’t tell you, but . . .”

“But I know most of your clients,” she finished for him. “I hope it isn’t a ruinous amount.”

“Too much to lose, which I assume is what is going to happen.”

“I hope you’ve warned all your partners,” Elizabeth said.

“I have, but this happened before I found out what was going on. Besides, not all the estates we manage are as well protected as Mrs. . . . as the one I originally discovered. Not every widow needs our permission to withdraw funds, so all we can do is advise them.”