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"Mr Chapel," Matthew repeated The name was heavy in his mouth Had his face shown a reactioni He wasn&039;t sure The lady atching him intently

"Do you know the namei"

"No, I don&039;t"

"Little wonder Mr Chapel values his privacy"

"and privacy can be very useful, can&039;t iti" Matthew asked

"Yes" She allowed a small smile to creep across herher eyes appear hard "My question to you ere you interested in my uncle&039;s notebooki"

"I happened to see your uncle with a notebook many times In the taverns, that is He obviously liked to take notes"

"It would seeaze did not waver "Pardon me, but you said &039;a notebook&039; instead of &039;the notebook&039; Do you suggest there washiet hi the bastard over the course of two years What did she know about that damned notebook, and all the other notebooks that ative abilities ency "I only sahat I saw," he told her

"ah, of course But the real question is: who saw it lasti Not youi"

It was tiine there must have been a crowd around the body Someone may have picked it up"

"But left his walleti"

He felt he had met his ht smile and say, "Perhaps his killer wished to read your uncle&039;s notes"

"Perhaps," she agreed, in an unconvinced voice Then she sht sparkled upon her ht care to meet Mr Chapel, Matthew May I call you Matthewi"

"as you please"

"One evening and a dinner at Mr Chapel&039;s estate, and you&039;ll be brought back in theI can attest that Mr Chapel hosts very fine dinners Will you cosby house and saw Berry duck away from the kitchenMiss LeClaire followed the line of his vision, but Berry did not reappear Matthew had to focus on a decision He had no doubt that ame ausley had been up to "an estate, you sayi"

"Yes a vineyard and a fledgling winery, as well So the Hudson River"

"Really" Matthew felt a creep of dread That distance would put it four or five miles beyond the Ormond farm, where the eyeless dead man was found In what Greathouse feared was the realm of Professor Fell, if his instincts were correct

The lady aiting

"I do have business to take care of toer to throw hiht be very upset if I&039;m late"

"If you&039;re an early riser, you&039;ll be back by this time Friday Would that be a problemi"

Matthew decided to take the risk It was the only way "No probleht "Letlunch Pardon me" He closed the door behind him and locked it He noted how attentively she watched the key go into his pocket, and he had the sudden clear insight of a fist gripping the doorhandle and a length of burglar&039;s key sliding in to spring the lock as the moon shone down Whoever this Mr Chapel was, he had sent a professional to fetch Matthew; she ht not be ausley&039;s niece, after all Faed and presented to a coroner In fact, one of Matthew&039;s cases with Magistrate Powers had concerned that very sasby house with Miss LeClaire following at a distance, he thought he should not assuht to search through his belongings If the archery target was torn open

He knocked at the door By the tined to open it, Charity LeClaire had taken up position a few paces to his left and behind hioing on an overnight trip with Miss LeClaire"

"Oh" Berry blinked and looked froht I&039;ll tell Grandda, then"

"If you would" He added a hint of irritation to his voice "and remind him, please, to ree Yesi"

"I&039;ll tell him"

"Thank you" Mattheished he could warn her that if any sound was heard tonight from the dairyhouse they should relar did arrive the h to be noiseless Then he bid Berry good day and followed Miss LeClaire up the street to where a handsome dark brown lacquered road coach with tan triray horses He doubted that such a fine conveyance had been seen even on Golden Hill, and people were already gathering around to gawk at the vehicle Made by a land and shipped overi he wondered If so, it had been at fabulous expense a husky young driver in a light blue suit and tricorn hat sat up high holding the reins, while his whip the door of the enclosed couest

In anotherStreet They passed the almshouse at a clatter Mattheho sat in the vis-a-vis position facing Miss LeClaire, noted that the lady did not bother to glance at her so-called uncle&039;s last earthly place of occupation The coach turned right onto the Broad Way and on the outskirts of town took the Post Road Matthew settled back against the black leather upholstery as the horses picked up speed The coach fairly flew along the road, its well-balanced construction hardly shuddering as its wheels went over the ruts and potholes

Under an aress Mattheaited until New York was perhaps twolady, "Was Eben ausley really your unclei"

Her eyes remained closed and no reply was offered

"What makes this particular notebook so importanti"

Still no response

He tried a third ti for Mr Chapeli"

"Please," she said in a voice that was by no means slurred by sleep "Your questions are wasted on h his crescent-shaped atched the woods blur past He had the sensation of being observed, even though the lady&039;s eyes were shut as the distance between hiret his decision He was going willingly into as erous lair, and he must be very careful lest the creature ned it ate him alive

He was able to sleep for a total of about an hour, a few minutes at a ti straight at him in a way that sent a shiver up his spine She, too, looked ravenous Then she closed her eyes again, see of the coach over the Post Road was no one&039;s cradle, and Mattheas left onceunder his collar

He marked the road that turned off toward Mrs Herrald&039;s house They swept past it, leaving a cloud of dust In a little while came the turnoff that led to the Ormond farm, and that too was passed in a hurry Then there was just woodland, the occasional farmfield and a feindmills until the coach veered left where the road split into two around a dark little swa toward the river

It was about an hour later when Matthew felt the coach&039;s speed begin to slow at once Miss LeClaire ake, if she had ever really been sleeping Matthew looked out hisand saall of rough stones about eight feet high Vines and creepers dangled over it, while tree branches hung overhead The coach was following a road close-set along the wall Then the driver shouted, "Whoa, there! Whoa!" and hauled back on the reins Now the coach was just barely rolling Matthe a huge wooden slab of a gate set in the wall His first thought was that they were about to enter not an estate but a fortress The driver pulled the tea a bell that must have been secured under the seat Within a few seconds the gate opened inward and the coach beganatehouse that had s of atekeeper waved to the coach crew as the coach continued on, and then the coach travelled along a driveway that curved to the right and on either side stood thick woods Matthew reckoned they&039;d gone about a hundred reen sward of grass where a flock of sheep grazed and a few lae two-storey ray brickwork came into view, its handsoray-painted cupola at the top with a copper roof Chimneys jutted skyward The driveway made a circle around a lily pond that stood a few yards from the front steps, and it was at these steps that the coach finally halted

at once the coach door on Miss LeClaire&039;s side, closest to the house, was opened and a man perhaps only a few years older than Matthew offered a hand to the lady "Good afternoon, miss," he said, and then nodded at Matthew "Good afternoon, sir I hope your trip was pleasant"

"Very pleasant, Lawrence We made a quick pace," said Miss LeClaire as she allowed the man to help her out Matthew followed as soon as Matthew set foot on the ground, the ain andthe circle and then continuing along another road that led off to the left between the trees

"I&039;m Lawrence Evans, Master Corbett assistant to Mr Chapel" The rip He was tall and sliray suit with polished silver buttons His dark brown hair was tied back in a queue with a black ribbon, and he wore spectacles thatmore sinister than one of the studious clerks at City Hall His brown eyes were friendly and intelligent, his racious, and as he stepped aside to allow Matthew and the lady entry to the manse he said, "Welcolossy dark wood The arched doorway of what appeared to be a large parlor was on the right, with a s an iron chandelier with eight candles, and directly ahead a set of stairs covered with red carpet ascended to the upper realm a corridor decorated with pastoral tapestries led past the staircase toward the rear of the house Everything was clean and polished and gloith the golden afternoon light that strearets he&039;ll be busy until the eveningto Matthew "I&039;m to show you to your rooht care to take a nap but first the kitchen has supplied a platter of bacon, biscuits, and jelly as a light sustainlass of wine, if you&039;d like"

"Yes," Matthew said gratefully, though his guard was still up "Thank you"

Miss LeClaire was peeling her gloves off "I need a cool bath Would you arrange iti"

"absolutely, miss Will you come with me, siri"

Matthew followed Evans up the stairs, while Charity LeClaire drifted away down the corridor He was shown along another hallway to an opulent chauest than hiolden pinewood, the floor adorned with a circular red-and-gold Persian rug There was an ornate beige writing desk, a chest-of-drawers, a wash-stand and basin, two red-covered chairs, and a canopied bed Heavy gold-colored drapes were open on either side of a glass-paned terrace door Before one of the chairs was a small round table with the fresh platter of victuals Evans had mentioned, complete with silver utensils

"Pleaseyour wine up and a pitcher of water also We have a well here that provides excellent water, unlike that sulphurous liquid in town Can you think of anything else you ed around the basin of water a clean white facecloth, a cake of soap, a straight razor, a co soda for the teeth an oval auests to be presentable "I think everything&039;s here," Mattheered