Quicksilver - Amanda Quick [48]
“Besides the afterimages, do you mean?”
“Yes. There are faint flames burning deep in these looking glasses, just as there were in the mirror on Mrs. Ratford’s dressing table.”
“Are you certain?”
“Yes. The fire in these mirrors is weak, but it is perceptible. I think that when the curiosities are used to commit murder they somehow lock energy, not just afterimages, into the glass.”
“You said the fire trapped in Mrs. Ratford’s mirror was stronger. Why would that be? More people died in this chamber.”
“Yes, but those who died here were not glasslight-talents. Mrs. Ratford was. I think that may make all the difference.”
“Son of a bitch,” Owen said softly. “That’s why he is now focusing on victims who are glass-readers.”
“Yes, I think so. They provide more of the kind of energy he wants to trap in the mirrors.”
“But why does he seek to lock the fire in the glass?” Owen asked.
“I don’t know.”
“Is there any way to release the flames?”
“The energy seems to be in stasis. I’m not sure if I can ignite it. But even if it is possible, I don’t think it would be a good idea. What I see is pure, raw energy. There isn’t a lot of it, to be sure. Nevertheless, there is no telling what would happen if I tried to pull it out of the mirrors.”
“Enough.” He urged her toward the door. “We have our answers. I think we have spent enough time in this miniature hell.”
EIGHTEEN
The hunter in him sensed that he was closing in on his prey. He ought to be feeling the icy-cold rush of energy that always hit toward the end of the hunt, Owen thought. But for some reason he was consumed with an edgy, restless sensation that told him he had left at least one door unopened.
“Owen?” Virginia said. “Is there something wrong?”
He realized he was hurrying her so swiftly along the stone passage that she was obliged to hold her skirts up almost to her knees and trot briskly to keep up with him.
“Sorry,” he muttered. He forced himself to slow to a rapid walk. “I am eager to get you out of here.”
“I appreciate that. I assure you I have no desire to linger. But I have the impression that you are not satisfied with what we learned in that chamber. At least we have some clue to the identity of the man who murdered Mrs. Ratford and Mrs. Hackett. We know that he is a blood relative of Hollister’s.”
“That information is useful,” he agreed. “I will ask my aunt to pursue her genealogical research.”
“You are concerned about the fire that is trapped in the mirrors, aren’t you?”
“Yes. Hollister was an out-and-out killer. He raped his victims, and then he murdered them. That was all he cared about. But there is something different about the second man. He does not assault his victims physically before he kills them.”
“I see what you mean.” Virginia sounded thoughtful.
“It is almost as if he has been conducting experiments.”
“To what purpose?”
“To trap fire in mirrors, or so it appears. There is much more to this affair than meets the eye, Virginia.”
“Lady Hollister might be able to tell us something useful, but she really is quite insane, Owen.”
He turned another corner and saw an ancient wood-and-iron door set into the wall of the tunnel. He stopped abruptly. So did Virginia.
“Lady Hollister,” he said softly.
“Surely you are not going to pursue her? Speaking personally, I am grateful that she murdered her husband.”
“She certainly did the world a favor.” He contemplated the door. “But I am curious about how she came and went from the scene of the murder.”
Virginia looked at the door. “Do you think that leads to the mansion?”
“Yes. The lock on it is new.”
He took the pick out of his pocket and set to work. “The house is empty. We may as well search the premises while we are here.”
“That could take hours,