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The Curse of the Pharaohs – Week 4

Mr. Milverton, also known as the new Lord Baskerville, is recovering nicely under the care of a nun, and a couple of devoted guards. With the case moving slowly, Radcliffe and Amelia have placed the names of those who they feel to be responsible in an envelope inside a table. As the dig moves forward and more begins to come to life, the trouble is temporarily put on hold. As morning comes, Lady Baskerville tries to close down the dig site. Radcliffe however, will have none of it.

But the appearance of Armadale’s body turns some of the theories upside down. With him now ruled out as a suspect, the only thing they can do is bring his body back and find another theory as to who the culprit might be. Amelia and a small crew head off with a guide to retrieve the body. But its clear after a short time that their guide is running them around in circles. Amelia wonders why, but when she finally threatens their guide, he takes them straight to the archaeologists final resting spot.

Back at the house and their guide paid, there are still a few surprises awaiting the group. Lady Baskerville, recently a widow, has accepted an offer of marriage from Mr. Vandergelt. While the house reels from the news, they are also trying to keep anyone else in the house from being harmed. Radcliffe has planned a “event” to cleanse the site so that the workers will come back, and the “ghost” which has been seen might not appear again. While the amused crowd looks on, the enactment goes as planned.

The murderer is not done yet. Madame Berengeria is found deceased in her room from an apparent drug overdose. While most of the house is determined to write it off as an accidental overdose, Amelia is not convinced. But Radcliffe decides to play a bluff, and he lets the entire group know that he will be expecting a messenger that will clear up all the doubts. Now that the gauntlet has been thrown down, it is only a matter of time before the killer strikes again, and this time Radcliffe has placed himself on the front lines as a clear target. Now the waiting must begin, but Amelia refuses to be left behind. She sneaks out to the site of the tomb to help keep an eye on the surroundings, and finds that Mr. O’Connell has been drugged and is sleeping soundly behind a boulder. Radcliffe as well was asleep. When the apparition arrives at the tomb site however, the identity of the culprit is one that will leave everyone surprised….

This week we are reading Chapters 13-17

Questions:

  1. Radcliffe plays a hunch on flushing out the murderer. Do you think they would have found the killer as fast if he had not done so?
  2. Why would Lady Baskerville rush into another marriage?
  3. Who do you feel was the most likely culprit? Where you correct in your assumption or surprised when the killer was revealed?

 

Rebecca