"This show turns me into a murderous idiot." Amos complained.
"Well, this is Orczy's revenge after all."
"Really, all the time shouting so-and-so must die!" as if had learned NOTHING in my years as human. As if we did not have a couple of unexplained murders back then. As if I did not know that a murder or a disappearance leads to a lot of questions and that a lot of people have their secrets exposed – even if they had nothing to do with the crime. And then the gossip and accusations, and the paranoia…When you are hiding something the worst thing that can happen to you is a murder investigation. And the way they write me… they seem to think that stupidity is a side effect of vampirism"
"Well, they make me an idiot too, Beverly complained "All that I don't understand." The fact is that I understood a lot of what was going on and took advantage of it. But I guess an ingenue cannot be cunning and self-regarding, as I admit I was… maybe I still am."
"You were making your way in the world with only a teaching certificate and your wits. Nothing to be ashamed of." Heather grumbled. "Of course, that business with Whitby"
"I told you that I had no way of knowing he was that Whitby- who was presumed dead. He was just a fellow history enthusiast who told me of a way of reliving history, of going back to the past via meditation."
"And drugs…do not forget the drugs"
"Yeah. Just a drop every now and then to help me concentrate. How was I supposed to know that they came from a Midler stash that he had been building over the years? Midler tended to dispose of "unsuccessful" concoctions and Whitby got them because he thought they could be useful. He just shared them with me, every now and them asking me to contribute towards buying more."
"He sold them to you."
"Yes!"
"Well, you were quite naïve, were you?"
'Enough!" Amos interrupted not liking how it was going. "We better tell what happened about Thatcher"
-0-
Dinah laughed when Amos told her that Midler's notebook might have information about him. "Cousin, it has information about Miss Mattox. I will bet you anything that she hid some things from her lawyer and thus could not get a deal on them. It is stupid to lie to your lawyer… I found out the hard way. Smart of you not to go kill for her."
"Still, Midler might have written something about me."
"Yes. And Miss Mattox is being helpful I understand so you want to protect her. Well, I think that I can help."
"Will you?"
"I spent too much time imitating Mother. It is about time I remembered the things that I used to do. When I was determined and fearless…Until Trenton. I think that I will go pay a visit to Mr. Thatcher. A legal consultation…"
-0-
"And that's when I met Albert" Dinah said "and he was a breath of fresh air. He was direct, and sarcastic and had a sense of humor…he charmed me as I recounted my problems with my mother."
-0-
"I cannot go to my mother's lawyers, obviously. And you were said not to be intimidated by them"
"So, you want to know what is your legal position with your mother? Whether the agreement you signed with her has the force of law?"
"Yes. I want to be able to live my own life… you know how Mother is."
"I know that she rules this town with an iron fist. And considering your history… Was the condition of your freedom that the lawyer negotiated that your mother was responsible for you? What were the limits? Was there a timeframe by which you could be considered rehabilitated? I would like to see the original document"
-0-
"I answered as I did a quick survey of the office… I cased the joint, basically. He agree to take over my case and I promised to get the original document for him. Later that night Amos and I went for some breaking and entering."
-0-
"Black pans and sweater, and a black face mask… You look..."
"Like a ninja, of course. This helps you not to be seen. We should scale the walls."
"I can go in. There is a night watchman and I can get him to let us is and forget about it."
Dinah made a face. "You are no fun, Cousin Amos."
"Being what I am has its advantages. "
They got in and went to the file cabinet
"It is a good thing that files are organized."
They found the Carruthers file and a sealed package that seemed to contain a notebook.
"Open it and see if this is it."