'This is the room where Mrs. Ratford was murdered,' Owen said. 'I am certain of it. And I am equally certain that the killer has been here a number of times since committing the crime. So, yes, there is a lot of bad energy in this room.'
He walked into the small space and heightened his senses. The hot, dark currents of violence fluoresced in the shadows, painting the room in the deepest shades of ultralight. Although he was braced for the impact, there was nothing he could do to suppress his response. The hunter in him was always aroused by such energy.
Virginia watched him. 'What do you see?'
'What I perceived the last time I was here. She was murdered, but no gun or knife was used to commit the crime. It was murder by paranormal means, but it was not a swift kill. Whoever did this wanted Mrs. Ratford to suffer for a time.'
'But you are sure that psychical energy was involved?'
'There can be no doubt.' He concentrated on the residue of iridescent energy in the room. 'Strong psychical currents were employed to commit murder in this room, but the killer was not present at the time. I can usually identify the precise location where he or she stood at the moment the murder took place. There is always a great deal of energy generated when one kills.'
'As the adage says, murder always leaves a stain.'
'Yes. We have made some progress this evening. We have found a means by which the killer could have committed the crime without being physically present in the room.'
'He used a clockwork curiosity,' Virginia said. 'Perhaps the dragon.'
'It is a possibility.' Mentally he went through the logic and nodded once, satisfied. 'He would have had to enter the room to set up the device, of course. Then he would have left and returned later when he was certain the clockwork weapon had performed the kill and had time to wind down. He retrieved the dragon but brought it back when he realized an intruder had been inside the house.'
'You said he has been here several times since the murder.'
'Yes.' Owen opened a drawer and glanced inside to make certain he had not overlooked anything on his first visit.
'Why would he do that?'
'To savor the energy of the kill,' he said absently.
There was a short, awful silence behind him. He closed the drawer and looked at Virginia.
'The killer comes here to savor the energy of death?' Virginia asked uneasily.
'In my experience it is not uncommon.'
'I see.' Virginia turned back to the mirror. 'There were rumors after Mrs. Ratford died. She made her living claiming to communicate with spirits through mirrors. There are some who are convinced she really did manage to summon a malevolent entity from the Other Side. They believe it killed her.'
'We know one thing for certain: If Mrs. Ratford claimed to communicate with the dead, she was, by definition, a fraud.'
'No, not in her own mind.'
'I thought we agreed that there is no such thing as communicating with the dead,' he said flatly. 'All those who claim to be mediums are, by definition, frauds of the lowest order, because they prey on the gullible and those who are made vulnerable by grief or a weak mind.'
'I was acquainted with Mrs. Ratford because she was a member of the Institute.' Virginia contemplated the mirror on the dressing table. 'We were not close, but we had what you would call a professional connection. We occasionally had tea together in the Institute's tearoom. We talked. I am convinced that she actually did have some degree of genuine glasslight talent.'
'Then why the devil would she claim to speak with spirits? Why not use her talent in an honest fashion, as you do?'
'Probably because she did not understand what she saw in the mirrors, let alone know how to interpret the visions and images. I told you, her talent was only middling at best. She did not comprehend that what she was viewing was the psychical residue that is absorbed by a looking glass. She was convinced that she really did see ghosts. One cannot blame her.'
'It's true that most people with psychical abilities lack a scientific understanding of their talents,' he said. 'I will concede that some with certain forms of clairvoyance might mistakenly believe that they are, in fact, sensing ghosts or spirits.'
'That is very broad-minded of you, sir.'
'Gabriel Jones is right. One of Arcane's primary missions in the years ahead should be to educate the public on the physics of the paranormal.'
Virginia raised her brows. 'You refer to the new Master of the Society?'
'Right. Jones is convinced that until there is a scientific understanding of psychical energy, those who possess talent will continue to be treated at best as entertainers. At worst, we will be regarded with fear and suspicion.'
'I wish Mr. Jones luck with his plans to inform and enlighten the public.'
Her dry tone caught his attention. 'You don't think it can be done?'
'I suspect it will be very long indeed before attitudes change. Meanwhile, those of us with a little talent must rely on our wits.'
'You have more than a little talent, Virginia Dean. And we are wasting time. If you would be so good as to examine the looking glass?'
'Yes, of course.' She turned her attention to the dressing-table mirror. Once again he felt currents of energy pulse in the atmosphere. He heightened his own talent so that he could watch Virginia with all of his senses.
She concentrated intently for a long moment.
'There are some images here,' she said at last. Her brows came together in a baffled frown. 'I can see the afterimage of the victim. It is burned deeply into the mirror. But there is something else in there as well.'
'What?'
'There is raw energy trapped in the mirror. It is very odd. Like frozen fire.'
'Take your time. Describe the victim.'
'She is sitting at the table, gazing into the mirror. She is dying, and she knows it. She clutches her chest and looks to the right. She is both terrified and bewildered by whatever she sees.'
Owen glanced to the right of the dressing table. 'The bed. The killer hid the device underneath it. The dragon, or whatever curiosity was used to commit the murder, emerged when it sensed the victim enter the room and sit down at her dressing table.'
'She never had a chance. She died just at the instant she began to comprehend the means of her death.'
'Is there any indication that she knew her killer?'
'No. I think all she can see is the device that is murdering her.'
'It is, nevertheless, quite possible that she did know the killer. She simply was not aware that he was the one who placed the clockwork device under the bed.'
'I think you're right.' A visible shudder went through Virginia. In the mirror her eyes were wide and haunted.
Owen crossed the room and stopped behind her. Instinctively he put his hand on her shoulder. He could feel the heat generated by the use of her talent through the fabric of her cloak and gown. He knew that particular fever in the blood. He had experienced it often.
'That's enough,' he said gently. 'We have discovered what we came here to find, the cause of death. It is time to go home.'
They found a hired carriage two streets over. Both horse and driver were asleep. The coachman roused himself when Owen opened the door of the carriage and ushered Virginia up inside.
'Garnet Lane,' Owen said.
'Aye, sir.' The driver collected the reins.
Owen had wrapped the dragon in a quilt. He set the shrouded automaton on the floor of the carriage and sat down across from Virginia. His senses were still flaring. That was only to be expected, he thought. A close brush
