Harry Houdini Mysteries (22 page)

“You have?” Bess asked. “You know who killed Edgar Grange?”

“I do, indeed,” said Harry, smoothing the points of his bow tie. “You needn’t look so downcast, Dash. I’m sure you would have figured it out eventually. You’re quite clever at these things as well. But this time, I fear, the honor must go to the Great Houdini.”

“Well, then,” I said, “don’t keep us in suspense. Who did it?”

He waved a cautionary finger in my direction. “Now, now. That would never do. A magician must wait for the proper moment before he lifts the cloth on his effect. First, we must notify the good Lieutenant Murray. I shall enjoy that. Then we must notify the suspects that they are to assemble in Mr. Clairmont’s study at eight this evening.” He rubbed his hands together. “This will be very gratifying.”

“You want to assemble the suspects in the drawing room? You don’t think that’s a bit melodramatic?”

“Of course not! The only question is how I shall address them, to bring them to the very peak of anticipation.” He stood up and linked his hands behind his back. “Ladies and gentlemen, tonight the Great Houdini invites you to witness his most spectacular triumph.” Harry paused to consider the matter. “I suppose that might be a bit too bold, don’t you think?”

“Harry,” said Bess, “are you quite sure you know who the killer is? Wouldn’t you like to tell us, just to be sure your theory is sound?”

“No need, my dear,” Harry answered with a cheery wink. “I have reached my solution by means of the same flawless reasoning that guides my escape routines. There can be no possibility of error.”

“Still,” I said, “it wouldn’t hurt to let us hear what—”

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Harry intoned, ignoring us, “tonight the Great Houdini asks you stand in wonder as he unveils his latest miracle of pure thought.” He turned to Bess. “Better?”

“You might consider toning it down a shade.”

“Nonsense!” he cried. “I cannot agree with those who rank modesty among the virtues. Ladies and gentlemen, you
are fortunate to be present at the very pinnacle of the Great Houdini’s career in detection.” He paused and stroked his chin. “Well, I suppose something will occur to me when the moment comes.”

Bess cast an anxious look at me. “I can hardly wait,” she said.

“And now,” Harry said, “we must go home to dress.”

Bess and I exchanged a look. “You’re expecting everyone in formal attire?” she asked. “To hear you name Edgar Grange’s killer?”

“Of course,” Harry said. “It wouldn’t do for me to be the only one.”

“But—”

“It is essential that I wear ray stage attire. My entire plan hinges upon it.”

“But Harry,” I said, “you haven’t told us what your plan is.”

“Is it not obvious?” he cried, thrusting his finger in the air. ‘Tonight is to be a very special night. It marks the return of Professor Harry Houdini, the Celebrated Psycrometic Clairvoyant, giving a spiritual séance in the open light. Weird happenings presided over by the Man Who Sees All.”

With that, he turned and swept from the room.

Bess turned to me and sighed.

“Weird happenings,” she said.

10

“L
ADIES AND GENTLEMEN,” SAID
H
ARRY, RUNNING HIS HANDS
over the points of his bow tie, “I suppose you’re all wondering why I’ve asked you here this evening.”

Standing behind him at the séance table, I could not quite conceal my surprise. “That’s it?” I asked, leaning over to whisper in his ear. “That’s your big line?”

“It was the only thing that came to me,” he murmured. “In any case, my actions will speak far more forcefully than my words.”

“Let’s hope so,” I said, straightening up to survey the room. Glancing around, I could see that all of the others were, in fact, wondering why he had asked them there that evening. Mrs. Clairmont and Kenneth had agreed to the gathering readily enough, but Lucius Craig and Richardson Wells were decidedly cool to the idea of another gathering in the room where Edgar Grange had died. The butler, Brunson, had been pressed into service once again, and Lieutenant Murray, looking quite resplendent in the formal pigeon-breasted coat he usually wore to the opera, had reluctantly agreed to fill the chair Edgar Grange had occupied on the night in question.

“I don’t see what’s to be gained by holding another séance,” Dr. Wells grumbled as he took his place at the table. “We’ve had quite enough of that nonsense in this house, if you ask me.”

“Mr. Houdini assures us that he has new information,” said
Lieutenant Murray, “and he insists that this information can only be appreciated in these circumstances.” He fixed my brother with a significant stare. “I am very much hoping that he will not disappoint me.”

Lieutenant Murray’s tone made it clear that anything less than a total success would not be in Harry’s best interests. The lieutenant was conducting himself with his usual decorum in the presence of Mrs. Clairmont and the others, though he had all but kicked and screamed when Harry asked him to assemble the suspects at the scene of the crime. Harry was told in no uncertain terms that the New York City Police Department was not his to command. After considerable discussion, the lieutenant had grudgingly agreed, because the prospect of seeing the suspects at the séance table suited his own agenda. I hoped, for Harry’s sake, that he had something better planned for us than setting fire to the day’s newspapers.

Harry spent a few further moments arranging the details before he took his place at the table. With his customary fastidiousness he pulled the sheer cloth screens into position, set the music box playing, and laid out the chalk slate at the center of the table. Only then did Harry lock and bolt the door from the inside and settle himself into the chair between Mrs. Clairmont and Lieutenant Murray.

“From the beginning, this affair has presented us with several difficult challenges, each of which led inevitably to still greater challenges,” Harry said, gazing round the table with an expression of quiet confidence. “How was the crime done? Which of us could have done it? Why should anyone wish to kill Mr. Grange? And perhaps most troubling of all, why would anyone choose to do so in a room filled with people? If one wished to kill Mr. Grange, would it not make better sense to do so when one had him alone?”

“We are all acquainted with the difficulties of the case, Houdini,” said Dr. Wells from his place between Brunson and Kenneth Clairmont. “We’ve all had our disagreements with
Edgar, but I can’t believe that one of us should have gone so far as to wish him dead.”

“Apparently someone did,” Harry said with satisfaction, “and it is now my pleasure to demonstrate how it was done. First, it is essential that we recreate the steps leading up to the dreadful event. As you will recall, the evening began with a harmonizing of energies. This took the form of a message-reading exercise conducted by our esteemed friend Mr. Craig.”

“We remember that perfectly well, Houdini,” said Kenneth. “You showed us how it was done immediately afterwards. It was very instructive.”

Lucius Craig spoke up instantly. “On the contrary,” he said, fighting against a rising tide of emotion, “it was not instructive at all. At best it might possibly be described as amusing. As I have already endeavored to explain, however, Mr. Houdini’s ability to create the appearance of a spirit effect is not the same thing as producing the effect itself. It is merely a copy of a genuine manifestation.”

“Lucius is correct, of course,” said Mrs. Clairmont. “Mr. Houdini is a capable performer. Nothing more.”

Harry folded his hands. “That was precisely the point I had hoped to make, Mrs. Clairmont,” he said, “though I am afraid that I did so in an unpardonably clumsy manner. I had sought to demonstrate that Mr. Craig’s effects could be duplicated by a gifted performer such as myself. In the course of doing so, I succeeded only in wounding your feelings. For this I apologize. However, the point I was endeavoring to make is a valid one. A great man once said that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”

“That’s very good,” said Kenneth. “Goethe?”

“Sherlock Holmes,” my brother answered. “My little display was nothing more than an attempt to show that we had not entirely eliminated the impossible. I presented it purely in the interests of sportsmanship, of course.”

“Of course,” said Kenneth, drily.

“Houdini,” said Lieutenant Murray, “what does this have to do with the murder of Edgar Grange?”

“Everything,” my brother answered. “Simply put, I am not the same man I was when I first came to this house. We have all been affected by the tragedy of Mr. Grange’s death, and I have had cause to reexamine my attitudes toward Mr. Craig and his mediumship. The results of my studies have been both unsettling and provocative.”

“What can you mean, Houdini?” Kenneth asked. “The man is a trickster! You said so yourself!”

“A great many things were said. The time for words has ended. With the kind permission of Mr. Craig and Mrs. Clairmont, I should like to show you what I have since learned to be true.”

The medium reached for his snuff bottle. “I am, of course, delighted to hear that you have moderated your tone of antipathy toward me and my beliefs,” he said carefully. “If you wish it, I should be happy to assist in opening your eyes to the wonders of the spirit realm. I fail to see, however, why your spiritual salvation requires the presence of a police lieutenant.”

“I hope that will become apparent soon enough,” Harry said. “For the moment, with your permission, I should like to recreate the circumstances of the other night as closely as possible. In a moment, we will form a circle by grasping hands. As before, let us also be certain that our feet are touching.” He turned to his right. “In fact, Lieutenant Murray, I wish you to be absolutely certain that there is no possibility that I am able to use my feet in any way. Place your foot securely on my instep. Mrs. Clairmont, please do the same. I must be held under the strictest control at all times.”

Harry glanced around the table, satisfying himself that all was in readiness. “Just this once, shall we leave the lights up for our demonstration? I would hate for anyone to think that I was taking advantage of the cover of darkness to work some unseen advantage.”

“The spirits are repelled by the light,” said Craig stiffly. “That is the reason that I work in darkness.”

“Be that as it may,” said Harry, “we are all sensitive to what happened the last time the lights were turned out in this room. In view of that unfortunate occurrence, I think that we may allow some illumination. By the same token, it will not be necessary to bind me to this chair. With the lights up, you will be able to see plainly that I am not using my arms in any way. Moreover, I am an acknowledged master of escape, and no mere ropes could possibly hold me a prisoner. All right, then. Might I borrow that chalk slate?”

Kenneth lifted the chalk slate from the center of the table and held it out to Harry.

“No,” said my brother, holding up his palms. “I do not even wish to touch the slate. There must be no possibility of trickery of any kind. Dr. Wells, I would like for you to examine it carefully, satisfying yourself that there are no hidden flaps or other concealments.”

Wells rapped at the wooden frame with his knuckles and shook the slate at his ear to listen for any loose pieces. “Perfectly ordinary,” he said.

“Good,” said Harry. “Now, if I might ask you to place the slate beneath the table—at my feet. Thank you. Let us now join hands, and please be certain that my feet are also under control.”

Once again Lucius Craig raised his voice in protest. “You speak of the spirit circle as though it were only a means of insuring against fraud,” he said, with a rising note of irritation. “We join hands at the séance table in order to pool our psychic energy, to serve as a beacon to the other world.” He glanced at Mrs. Clairmont, receiving a sympathetic nod in return.

“Mr. Craig is quite right,” she said in a reproving tone. “Mr. Houdini, I will not permit antagonism in this room. It disturbs the ether.”

“That is not my intention,” Harry said. “However, it is my nature as a performer to establish safeguards. When I am doing
a card trick, for example, it is vitally important to establish that the spectator has had a free selection of cards when he makes his choice. Otherwise, the trick is ruined afterwards. The audience is likely to say, ‘Oh, he made him pick the card he wanted.’”