“She thinks it was a combination of her talent and the relic.”
“Explain.”
“She told me that she was able to resonate with the relic and restore your psi-wave patterns to normal. She thinks the artifact may be some kind of alien medical device designed to treat psi-related trauma.”
“Huh.”
“But there’s another possibility,” Trig said.
“What?”
“Better brace yourself, boss. Celinda is convinced that in the wrong hands the device might be very dangerous.”
A grim sense of impending trouble came over him. “Let me guess. She doesn’t think Mercer Wyatt and the Guild are the right hands, does she?”
“Nope. She wants the device to go to a medical research lab where it can be studied.”
“Oh, shit,” he said very softly.
“Yeah.” Trig sounded sympathetic.
“If the device really is that valuable or that dangerous, Wyatt is not going to agree to let go of it. Where is it now?”
“Araminta’s cookie jar. Celinda told me she figures that’s the last place any of Wyatt’s Guild thugs would think to look for it.”
“Thugs?”
“I believe that was the term she used,” Trig said.
“Swell. The most potentially significant alien artifact ever discovered is hidden in a dust bunny’s cookie jar.”
“Not like it’s unprotected,” Trig said quickly. “Got a feeling that anyone who tries to swipe it out of that cookie jar will have to deal with one really pissed-off dust bunny.”
Davis contemplated his badly tangled case. “Got any other cheery news for me?”
“Couple of things. First, I called Wyatt last night and told him that Benson Landry was after the relic. I also briefed him on what happened out there in the desert at the old ruin site.”
“What did he say?”
“Pretty much what you’d expect a guy in his position to say. He told me not to worry about Landry anymore. He’ll take care of him.”
“One less thing to worry about. Did you tell him the relic had turned up again?”
Trig exhaled heavily. “No. I thought I’d let you handle that. As far as Wyatt’s concerned, the relic is still missing.”
“Something to look forward to. Anything else?”
“Picked up a couple of fairly solid rumors about a guy who may have been the hunter you met up with in the lane the other night. He’s a former Guild man named Brinker who turned ruin rat a few years ago. Evidently he’s capable of generating a dopp ghost.”
“Got anything else on him?”
“He managed to eke out a living for a while working the underside of the antiquities business. But a couple of years ago he ran into an illusion trap. The experience left him with a bad case of parapsych trauma. The Guild took care of his medical expenses, but he never fully recovered. According to my information, he’s living in a flophouse in the Old Quarter.”
“Got an address for him?”
“Sure do,” Trig said.
“Sounds like I need to have a conversation with this Brinker.”
“One thing doesn’t add up, though,” Trig warned.
“What’s that?”
“Like I said, according to my information, Brinker is a real burnout case. Can’t even hold a job. Frankly, he doesn’t sound like the type who could get it together enough to engineer a complicated search for a stolen relic.”
Davis thought about that. “I see what you mean.”
Trig checked his watch. “It’s four thirty. Want me to stick around any longer?”
“No. I can handle things now. Go home and get some sleep.”
“Right.” Trig started to turn away. “Call me if you need anything.”
“I will. Where’s Celinda?”
“Sound asleep on the sofa. Finally.”
Davis frowned. “What do you mean, finally?”
“She had a hard time getting to sleep. Didn’t stop tossing and turning until about three AM. No big surprise, given what she went through.”
“She was amazing,” Davis said.
“Yeah, I got that impression.” Trig paused. “And to think you didn’t believe any woman could handle the invisibility thing.”
“I said Celinda’s amazing.” He made his tone go neutral. “Doesn’t mean that she wants to have a long-term relationship with a Guild man who does a carnival act.”
“Don’t be so negative, boss. Keep in mind that she knows your big secret, and she didn’t freak out.”
“I repeat, it doesn’t mean she wants to get involved with me.”
“Looks like the two of you are already involved, if you ask me. By the way, I stopped by your place on the way over here last night and picked up some fresh clothes for you.” Trig nodded toward a small overnight case on the floor. “Wasn’t sure what you had left from the wedding trip.”
“Thanks.”
Trig went down the hall. A moment later the front door opened and closed very quietly.
Davis got to his feet and then stopped, unable to decide what to do next. He couldn’t get the image of Celinda asleep on the sofa in the other room out of his mind. The urge to go down the hall and look at her was almost overwhelming.
But now she knew he was a circus freak.
“Probably a bad idea,” he said to Max.
Max yawned and stretched contentedly. Then he flipped over on his back, closed his eyes, and went back to sleep.
“How come your love life is so much simpler than mine?” Davis asked.
There was no response.
After a while it occurred to Davis that he probably needed a shower.
Chapter 28
WHEN HE EMERGED FROM THE BATHROOM A SHORT TIME later, he listened very intently for a moment. No sounds of movement came from the living room. Evidently, Celinda was still asleep. Max had disappeared from the bed. A dull, silvery gray light infused the sky.
He opened the suitcase that Trig had packed and found several items including a black crew-neck T-shirt and a pair of black trousers. He donned the T-shirt and trousers and then stopped to listen again.
There was still no sound from the living room. He considered his options. He could either stay here in the bedroom until Celinda awakened, or he could go out into the kitchen and see if Trig had left any coffee.
It was a no-brainer.
He went barefoot down the hall. The drapes were open, allowing the pale light to illuminate the living room. He told himself that he would go straight into the kitchen and not even glance at the sofa. He discovered immediately that his normally inexhaustible well of willpower had run dry.
Celinda was sound asleep amid a tangle of sheets and blankets. Her face was turned away from him on the pillow. He came to a halt, unable to move beyond the sight of her lying there in the early morning light. The
