"That's all they are asayin' to me," resumed Anita Marie glibly, "but when I go into a trance, they can talk to me better. Would some of you gentlemen kindly oblige by turning out the lights at the side of the room? There. That's good!"
The room was in semidarkness, but the medium was visible in the gloom. She began to roll her head and make grimaces to indicate a spirit control.
Her voice muttered incoherently. It took on a high unnatural pitch that was startling at first to Cardona The raspy voice became squeaky.
"Hello, good people!" came a falsetto tone. "Good, good people to be here to-night. Good people. Good lady to want to hear what Little Flower say. You listen, good lady. Little Flower speak. She tell what she hear, Little Flower do!"
Joe Cardona had not learned, in his investigation of the Harvey murder, that a spirit called Little Flower had been presumably speaking through the lips of Professor Raoul Jacques.
The name that came gurgling from the throat of Anita Marie formed no connecting link to the New York seance in the detective's mind.
But the name of Little Flower brought another thought to Cardona's brain. The strange disk that had started him to Philadelphia had come to him in a bunch of violets.
The reason was plain now. Little Flower! A violet was a little flower!
Eagerly, the detective listened. The medium was babbling on once more.
"Little Flower," came the shrill voice. "Little Flower tell the lady what the lady want to know. She see lady want to know what she to do with money. Big, wise man spirit, he tell Little Flower what to say to lady. He say he know lady back on earth. He say lady's name. Little Flower listen—" A pause followed. There was a tenseness in the room. The woman who was expecting the message was seated not far from Cardona, and the detective could see her pale face.