A visit in October

 From the diary of Frank Cannon, Saturday, October 23, 1926.

A dame. It's always a dame. I had actually managed to become rather comfortable in my new office on Hyde Street, just a few blocks away from  the train station, and still close to my favorite lunch spot, the Fulton Inn. It was just after two P.M. and I was dozing after a visit to Fulton's when there was a knock on the door. I actually lefgt my desk to open the door, and there she was, all five foot six of stunning female. "Good efternoon. You must be mr. Cannon, the private investigator?" I ssured her that this was the case and asked her to take a seat. "I´m mrs. Beverly Kincaid. You may have heard of me?" I looked at her, from her expensive shoes to her equally expensive hat, and told her "of course". I was clueless. I'd never heard of her".

"You see, mr. Cannon, my husband is Elijah Kincaid, the son of shipping magnate Ulysses Kincaid." Ah, yes, the Kincaids of Boston. I did know of them. "Mr. Kincaid, well, Elijah, has been picking up some unhealthy habits." I was expecting the usual: booze, drugs, women, gambling... but no. "Seances. Elijah has been attending seances and squandering quite a bit of money on them, not to mention time he should have been spending with me. The seances are apparently rather popular affairs, mostly run by a few members of the Ascension Club, and with a certain Madame LaVerne officiating. The seances are, of course, just humbug, smoke, and mirrors, but these kinds of distractions are, as you know, quite popular these days. Mr. Cannon, I will pay you a handsome sum to ensure that Elijah becomes aware of the buffonery of this ridiculous stagecraft, and that he simply stops attending, these 'seances'. I am really quite clueless as to what attracts him to this vapid silliness, but I am certain that you can find out." She leaned forward from the edge of her chair, placing her perfectly dolled-up face a mere foot from mine. "Am I right, Mr. Cannon?"

Beverly Kincaid

All this was interesting, and I came to the conclusion that I might involve my fellow P.I.'s Lockwood and Doctorow in some research as well. Especially Doctorow was short on cash, and some company might be good to have. Three pairs of eyes might be better than two if we were to expose parlor magic and sleight of hand.