Wait Until Midnight by Amanda Quick

journal hidden somewhere in her house," he mused. "I believe my next step is to conduct a search of the premises."
    She unfolded her arms very quickly. "You intend to break into her house? Good heavens, you cannot take such a risk, sir. If she has already killed once, she will not hesitate to do so again."

He appeared bemused by her protest. Then a strangely quizzical expression darkened his eyes. "Are you worried about my safety, Mrs. Fordyce?"
    "I am merely trying to inject some common sense into your plan"
    "A pity. For a moment, I dared to entertain the hope that you were concerned for my well-being."
    "I do not appreciate being teased, Mr. Hardesty. Now, then, if you are determined upon this venture, would it not make more sense to at least learn something about the plan of the house before you break into it? Having some prior knowledge of that sort would enable you to conduct a more efficient search."
    He gave her a speculative look. "What do you suggest?"
    "You could schedule a séance," she said, thinking quickly. "Mrs. Toller made it obvious today that she was attempting to use her public demonstrations to promote her private business."
    'What an imaginative notion." His brows rose. "Brilliant, in fact. Entering the house for the purpose of a séance would not only give me an opportunity to look around, it might provide me with other information about Toller as well. Do you know, something tells me that having a sensation novelist for a consultant in this affair is going to prove extremely useful."
    His slow smile was as sensual and thrillingly intimate as it was unexpected. It transformed his appearance, giving her a brief glimpse of the complex man beneath the enigmatic façade that he presented to the world.
    It also flustered her. She struggled to regain her composure.
    "I must accompany you, of course," she said, trying to ignore the fluttery sensations in her stomach.
    His smile faded as quickly as it had appeared. The re-mote, cryptic expression returned.
    "I do not think that will be necessary"
    "I disagree, sir," she said as forcefully as she could manage. "My presence will help allay any suspicions Mrs. Toller might have."
    "What suspicions could she possibly entertain? Mrs. Toller and I have never met. Even if she does possess the diary and even if she is aware that a gentleman named Adam Hardesty is a potential target for blackmail, how could she recognize me as her intended victim?"
    "She might have seen you at the demonstration today."
    He moved one hand in an uninterested motion. "If she did, she will only know me as Mr. Grove, just as Reed and Elsworth do. Irene Toller is in the business of giving séances. I will be just another client as far as she is concerned. "
    Obviously she would have to come up with another argument to convince him that he must include her in his plan. She had no intention of allowing him to pursue his inquiries
    without her. Tread cautiously, she warned herself. Adam Hardesty would not appreciate any attempts to manipulate him. But manipulate him, she must.
    She cleared her throat. "No offense, sir, but there is, shall we say, a certain aspect about you that might well make Mrs. Toller—" She paused, searching for a diplomatic word to finish the sentence. None came to mind. "Uneasy."
    His jaw hardened. " Why the devil should I make her uneasy?"
    She thought about taking out the small mirror in her pocket and letting him have a look at his fierce expression, but in the next moment, she decided against that tactic. He was unlikely to see what others saw when they looked at him.
    Stick with logic and reason, she thought. Those were the tools she must employ if she hoped to prod Adam Hardesty into doing what she wanted him to do.
    "If Irene Toller does, indeed, possess some knowledge of the murder, she will be on her guard," she said, striving for patience. "If, on the other hand, she is innocent of any knowledge of the crime, the murder of another medium will likely have made