“Why did you let her lie to me?”

“She thought you wouldn’t believe her unless she said I’d helped. I’m sorry about all this. If I’d known what she was really up to I would have never let her go to you. I mean, it doesn’t catch me altogether unaware, but I didn’t think she’d let it go so far as this.”

Eliza coughed and opened her angry little eyes. “I’m not dead, you know. Or deaf.”

“Too bad for us,” I said, descending the stairs and stopping at her feet. “Did you really think that would work?”

“You fell for it just fine.”

“I most certainly did not. I was curious enough to play along. There’s a difference.”

She laughed, sharp and staccato. “You don’t want me to believe you’d have come here if you thought Malachi was waiting for you?”

“Sure I would have. I half expected it. And in case you hadn’t noticed, Malachi has never been the most effective assassin. I hope you don’t expect me to believe you thought he could kill me? You even knew I had a knife. Was that only to give me a false sense of security, or are you as fed up with your crazy nephew as I am?”

“He’ll get you yet.” She scowled like a television villain, but she didn’t answer further. There was little else for her to say.

“No, I don’t think he will, Tatie. But I got him pretty good. He’s going to need a doctor, and soon. He can’t go on bleeding like that and expect to live very long. Harry, perhaps we should call the police, or maybe even an ambulance, since I’m feeling charitable. If they do another helicopter run over these grounds—”

“Not yet.” He came forward and lifted the gun from its position at his side, raising it until it was nearly in Eliza’s face. “We’re not finished here.”

We all held still and stared back and forth at one another. Harry’s arm was steady and the shotgun did not waver.

“Harry?” I couldn’t believe it. “Harry, what are you doing?”

Eliza didn’t believe it either. “Get that thing away from me. What do you think you’re doing?” But something about the way she asked it hinted she already knew the answer. She was not as shocked as she let on, that much was apparent.

“Come on, you two,” I broached, trying to sound as light as possible. “What’s all this about? Harry, I know you don’t need that.” He didn’t need it unless he was going to whack her upside the head with it, anyway. I hadn’t seen him reload, and he’d used both shots on the door. I had to assume that Harry was well aware of this, but the odds were better than good that Eliza didn’t know enough about guns to know he couldn’t shoot her if he tried.

He ignored me, and kept his eyes and the business end of the barrels on the old woman. “Where’s the book, Eliza? What did you do with it?” he asked calmly, coolly.