Lucy was gone by the time we got downstairs, and we never saw her again.
I don't know what went through her mind, of course, but I can only imagine how she felt when she saw Neil returning, followed immediately by Jan Sleet. If she hadn't thought of it before, I'm sure she was aware at that moment that her only protection against the Jinx was that they didn't know she'd done it. And she knew that my employer usually solved the mysteries she encountered.
Late that night, in our room, Jan took off her tie and hung it up carefully. She pulled off her vest and shirt, and tossed them over her desk chair. Then I came to steady her arm as she kicked off her shoes and undid her trousers. As they dropped to the floor, she looked over her bony shoulder at me, and I could see her mouth twitch, though he was trying to keep her expression serious.
I lost the battle, laughing out loud as she leaned on my arm and stepped out of her trousers. She laughed also, but neither of us said anything.
She was waiting for me to ask how she had known of Neil's military history, and his hobby of painting, and I did want to know how she had pulled that out of her hat.
But I wasn't about to ask, and she wasn't about to tell me without being asked. This standoff could go on for some time, I knew.
As a matter of fact, there are a few of these issues which have never been entirely cleared up.
The End