“No,” replied the seamstress, smiling mysteriously. “I’ll show you the rooms.”
Penny and Mrs. Weems followed the woman upstairs. The upper floor was divided into two small bedrooms with a wide, old-fashioned sliding door between which could be opened to make one large chamber. The larger of the rooms had been cleared of its usual furniture. Where a bed previously had stood was a circular table with six or eight chairs, and behind it a tall cabinet with a black curtain across the front.
“Mr. Gepper plans to use this room for his studio,” explained Mrs. Hodges.
Penny’s gaze had fastened upon the cabinet. She crossed to it and pulled aside the curtain. Inside were several unpacked boxes and a suitcase.
“Mrs. Hodges, to what purpose does your young man expect to put this studio?” she asked.
“I don’t know. He didn’t tell me. But I think he intends to carry on psychic experiments. He’s a student, he said.”
“Mr. Gepper was afraid to tell you the truth lest you refuse to rent the rooms,” declared Penny. “Mrs. Hodges, your roomer is a medium.”
“Why do you think so?”
“Because I’ve seen trappings such as these before at other séance chambers,” replied Penny. “Mrs. Hodges, you must send him away before he involves you with the police.”