Canyons of Night

Rex ignored him.

Chapter 11

“YES, DAD, I’M FINE, REALLY.” CHARLOTTE STOOD BEhind the sales counter, holding the phone to her ear with one hand while she studied the screen of her computer. “It doesn’t look like I’m going to be arrested for murder, at any rate.”

“Arrested.” Daniel Enright was both stunned and outraged. “Are you telling me that there was ever the slightest possibility of your being charged with that bastard’s murder? You said the authorities called it a heart attack.”

“Right, right, a heart attack,” Charlotte said soothingly. “I was just trying to reassure you.”

“Using the words arrested and murder in the same sentence is not a good way to reassure me.”

“I didn’t mean to alarm you, really. Everything is under control.”

“I was right about Gaines, wasn’t I?” Daniel said grimly. “He was stalking you.”

“Maybe.”

“What do you mean, maybe? Why else would he have followed you to Rainshadow?”

“I’m not sure, Dad, but it’s possible he came here to steal something from my shop.”

“And dropped dead at the scene?” Daniel did not try to hide his skepticism.

“I know, it doesn’t sound very likely, does it? But that’s how it looks.”

A dark shadow blocked the light that had been streaming through the glass door pane. Charlotte looked out toward the street and saw Slade. Rex was on his shoulder. Slade tried the door. When it did not open he looked at her through the window.

Phone clamped to her ear, she moved out from behind the counter and crossed the room to unlock the door.

“There’s really nothing to worry about, Dad,” she said. “The local chief of police happens to be a talent who used to work for the FBPI. He knows what he’s doing.”

“Since when does a former FBPI agent take over a small-town police department?”

“He’s making a career change. Hang on a second. He’s here now. His name is Slade Attridge.” She opened the door.

Slade walked into the shop. Rex made excited noises. He waved the beaded purse at Charlotte.

“So that’s where it went,” Charlotte said. “I had a feeling it had been stolen.”

“What’s going on?” Daniel demanded on the other end of the phone. “What was stolen?”

“Nothing, never mind,” Charlotte said. She pointed to the phone and mouthed the words my dad to Slade.

“Let me talk to him,” Slade said. He plucked the phone from her fingers before she could object. “This is Slade Attridge. Yes, Mr. Enright, I’m the chief of police here on Rainshadow. Right. Yes. I understand, sir. No, she’s not a suspect. Yes, believe it or not, I do know what I’m doing. I’ll give you the name and number of my former boss. You can call him to get some background on me if you’ve got questions. Got a pen?”

There was a pause. Charlotte heard her father’s muffled voice. She raised her eyes to the ceiling, exasperated. Of course her father had questions. Daniel Enright was a strategy-talent. He hadn’t become the CEO of a successful corporation by taking others on faith. He always looked below the surface.

A few seconds later Slade spoke into the phone again. “His name is Special Agent Thomas West. He works out of the Resonance City office.” Slade rattled off a phone number. “Tell whoever answers the phone that I gave you that number. Yes, sir, I’ll keep an eye on Charlotte.”

Charlotte made a face. “This is so irritating.”

Slade met her eyes while he continued talking to her father. “Yes, sir, I am aware that there was some history between Charlotte and the victim.”

Charlotte winced.

“Yes, I agree. Gaines’s death was more than a little suspicious under the circumstances. If it was murder it was by paranormal means and there’s a special department within the FBPI that investigates those kinds of crimes. As it happens, that’s the department I worked for when I was with the Bureau. Yes, sir, I have investigated this kind of thing before.” Slade paused, listening. “Charlotte told you I was making a career change?”

Charlotte started to smile. Slade raised his brows but his tone remained respectful.

“Yes, sir, I’m planning to open a private security consulting firm,” Slade said. “I’ll be catering to Arcane- connected corporations like Enright, Inc., as a matter of fact. Yes, sir, I’m aware that there are very few security consultants who understand the problem of securing data and records against corporate espionage agents who possess paranormal powers. It’s a niche market but, I think, a potentially lucrative one.”

There was another pause.

“Yes, sir. Getting back to Jeremy Gaines, I did some research on him this morning. Looks like he probably had more than a few enemies. I have reason to believe that he was in the business of peddling stolen antiquities.”

Charlotte blinked. “Jeremy was in the black market?”

“Yes, sir, I’ll keep you informed,” Slade said into the phone. “Now you’ll have to excuse me. I’ve got work to do here.”

He ended the connection and handed the phone back to Charlotte. “Your father is calling my contact at the Bureau as we speak to make sure that I’m actually qualified to keep an eye on you.”

“Sorry about that,” she said ruefully. “My family has always been a little overprotective of me. You know how it is when you’re the youngest and the only girl.”

“No,” Slade said evenly. “I don’t know how it is to be the youngest and the only girl.”

She flushed. “Sorry. I guess you don’t. You’ll just have to take my word for it. It’s not just that I’m the only girl in the family, it’s the panic attack thing and the fact that it’s linked to my talent. Everyone has the impression that I’m delicate. Never mind, tell me what you discovered about Jeremy. Was he really dealing stolen goods?”

“Looks like it. I did some rough research using the Bureau’s files. I haven’t had time to check out the details but from what I could determine Gaines moved in murky circles. I don’t think he was actually a collector, just a broker.”

“That explains why he never offered to show me his private collection. He probably didn’t have one.”

“It gets more interesting. He wasn’t just dealing stolen antiquities. There are strong indications that he specialized in the really dangerous stuff.”

She frowned. “What do you mean by dangerous?”

“Weapons-grade para-antiques and antiquities. Objects that are powerful enough to kill.”

“Oh, man. I know there’s a market for that kind of thing but I’ve never gone anywhere near it. I told you, he came to me looking for an Old World snow globe, a pretty toy, not some kind of para-weapon.”

“And you did locate the snow globe.”

“Yes. But as I said, I never gave him Mrs. Lambert’s name.”

“Doesn’t mean he wasn’t able to find out her identity. If I’m right about Gaines, he was a pro. He survived for quite a while in a very dangerous business. All he had to do was follow you around or bug your phone calls or download data from your computer in order to discover Lambert’s identity.”

She chilled. “Do you really think I led him to her? I have always tried to maintain good security for my clients.”

“If Gaines was working the para-weapons market, he would have had the skills and the talent to break through any security system you bought off the shelf.”

Charlotte felt utterly stricken. “If he managed to find Mrs. Lambert through me, then maybe her death wasn’t from natural causes. Maybe he killed her. Maybe I’m responsible.”

“Take it easy.” Slade frowned. “You’re starting to hyperventilate. Breathe.”

“Right.” She forced herself to go into the breathing ritual. “Damn, I hate this.”