Their guardian rubbed his chin thoughtfully, surveying them both. “And you say this man was my cousin?”

“That’s right,” said Emily. “He said he was family. He said that your grandfather and his mother were cousins.”

“Yes,” added Kate, “and that their fathers were brothers.”

Hugh Roberts put his hands behind his back and began to pace slowly. “Now, that’s a nice little puzzle,” he told them. “And if you work it out, you’ll find that such a cousin would be the child of Dentwood Roberts’s daughter Adele. But Adele Roberts, as you know, Miss Winslow, died as a child. She left no children of her own, and her playmate’s son inherited the estate.”

Adele again! Kate was dumbfounded. She called to mind the picture from the Hall parlor. Black hair and green eyes, laughing. Adele, who had died so that Kate could own Hallow Hill.

“Let’s examine this rationally,” Hugh Roberts suggested, ticking the points off on his fingers. “You get lost within sight of your own house. You meet a hooded man who claims he’s the son of Adele Roberts. You walk home without so much as a candlethrough a pitch-black night, and then you raise a fuss because he’s some sort of ghastly monster. Really, Miss Winslow!” he concluded in irritation. “Don’t you think I’ll see through a story like that?”

Kate stared at him, confused. “Why do you think we would invent such a thing?” she asked.

Emily jumped up in a fury. “We really did get lost last night,” she declared, “and your cousin Mr. Marak really did bring us home. He knew all about Aunt Prim and Aunt Celia, and he knew about you, too. He knows lots of things about this place that you don’t know, and he assured us that he always speaks the truth.”

Hugh Roberts failed to look either mollified or convinced. “Miss Emily,” he replied heatedly, “if you can introduce me to this monster cousin, I’ll be happy to believe you. Otherwise, let me just remind you that you’re dealing with an educated man who knows the difference between fact and superstition.” He glared over his spectacles at Emily, who glared right back.