“I don’t know, but we can look it up when we get home. Stay where you are for a moment.” I went back down to the bottom door and twisted the knob. It opened, for which I was deeply thankful. I stepped out into the kitchen, blinked rapidly in the bright light, then turned back to peer up the stairs.

With the added light I could see more, but this made me realize how difficult it would have been for Azalea to see much that night.

But what exactly had she seen?

More than she was telling, I was pretty sure.

How could I get her to tell me everything?

TWENTY-SEVEN

Laura joined me in the kitchen. “How eerie was that?” She rubbed her arms.

I nodded. “I’d hate to get stuck in there. Poor Azalea.”

Stewart called down to us from upstairs. “Are we done?”

I stepped back into the stairwell and shouted up to him. “Yes, come on down.”

“Okay.”

Laura and I moved out into the hallway and met Stewart, Diesel, and Miss Dickce at the foot of the main staircase.

“Was that helpful?” Miss Dickce asked.

“I think so,” I said. “At least now I have a better understanding of what it was like for Azalea in there.”

“Could you see anything?” Miss Dickce peered anxiously at me. “I’m glad you didn’t ask me to go in there. I can’t abide dark places. An’gel should either have the wiring fixed and the stairs replaced or shut the whole thing off permanently.”

“It’s hard to see anything,” I said. “I doubt Azalea could see much, either. I think the sheriff is going to have to solve this thing without a full eyewitness account.”

“That’s too bad,” Miss Dickce said. “I wish this were all over.” Diesel rubbed against her legs, and I tried not to notice the trail of hair he left on her navy blue dress. Our hostess didn’t seem to mind, however. She scratched the cat’s head and smiled down at him.

Stewart patted her arm. “We all do, Miss Dickce. But Charlie will figure it out, don’t you worry.”

“I appreciate your faith in me,” I said. “But it’s not going to be easy. Thank you, Miss Dickce, for letting us come do this. We’d better get going, though. I need to get back to work, and Stewart has an errand to take care of, too.”

“You’re so welcome, Charlie,” Miss Dickce said warmly. “I wish you had time to stay longer, but I understand.”

I suddenly remembered the check I collected from Sissy Beauchamp that morning. I pulled it from my pocket and handed it to Miss Dickce. She accepted it, glanced at it, and frowned. I wondered whether the amount was for less than what the Beauchamps had pledged, and given what I suspected about their finances, it probably was.

“Thank you for taking care of that, Charlie.” Miss Dickce showed us to the door and bent to give Diesel a kiss on the nose as a good-bye.