Ghost Hunter

device.

'I'm not getting anything,' he said, frowning. 'Are you sure about the frequency?'

'Yes. But maybe the sled's locator was disabled for some reason.' She rummaged in her tote. 'Bertha also gave me the code for her personal amber.'

'Let's try that.'

She read the second frequency number to him.

He entered it and nodded once, looking satisfied.

'Got a fix,' he said. 'Not too far away.'

'Thank goodness.'

'Let's go.'

He went forward, all business now, moving so quickly that Elly had to hurry to catch up with him.

The jagged opening in the wall behind them vanished after they made the first turn. Elly looked back over her shoulder, startled, as she always was when she went underground, to realize how quickly the catacombs became a disorienting maze. The softly glowing labyrinth distorted all sense of direction. Even though they had only traveled a short distance, the odds were good that, without amber, they would never be able to find their way back to Bertha's cellar or any other exit for that matter.

In spite of the stimulation of the psi energy that emanated from the tunnel walls, a shiver tightened the skin along her spine.

'Whenever I get a chance to come down here, the experience always makes me think about that children's book, The Adventures of Alice in Amberland,' she confided.

Cooper checked his compass and turned a corner. 'Never read it.'

'You're kidding. It's a classic. It's supposed to be based on an old Earth story. It's about a little girl who falls down a dust bunny hole and winds up having lots of adventures in the catacombs. Didn't your mother read the book to you when you were a boy?'

He turned another corner. 'Maybe that was the year she read me Nishikawa's A History of the Closing of the Curtain.'

'No offense, but that's one of the biggest, dullest books ever written. Not exactly childhood reading material.'

'I liked it.' He led the way into a long, curving corridor. 'But then I'm a Guild librarian, remember? History is my thing.'

'Once upon a time you were a librarian,' she said coolly. 'Now you are a Guild boss. And I'd sure like to know how you made that jump, by the way.'

'You know how I got the job. Your father and the other members of the Council elected me to the position.'

'I've never, ever heard of a Guild librarian getting promoted into the executive office.'

'First time for everything. If you had such a big problem with my promotion, why did you agree to become engaged to me?'

'Because we had already started dating, and I thought I knew you well enough to take the risk.'

He turned his head to look at her. 'Are you sure it wasn't because your parents and everyone else in your clan pressured you into agreeing?'

She was temporarily shocked speechless. It took her nearly three full seconds to find her tongue.

'Don't be ridiculous,' she snapped.

He shrugged. 'You said, yourself, that high-ranking Guild marriages are usually arranged for reasons of politics and connections. Having a daughter enter into a Covenant Marriage with a Guild boss would be considered a good move by most clans.'

'I'm not saying my family wasn't wildly enthusiastic about the idea of the two of us marrying, but if all they cared about was having an alliance with the head of the Guild, they would have pushed me to accept a date with your predecessor.'

That got his sudden and complete attention. 'Haggerty wanted to date you?'

'I think he was angling for a Covenant Marriage, if you want to know the truth. After his last Marriage of Convenience expired he made it clear that he was looking for a permanent replacement and that he considered me an excellent option.'

'Your father didn't go for it?'

'No, and neither did anyone else in the family. But most of all, I wasn't interested.'

'Mind if I ask why? Haggerty was the right age. Old Guild family. Strong para-rez. Well educated. Polished.' He hesitated. 'I was under the impression that women liked him.'

She grimaced. 'And he liked women.'

'That's a bad thing?'

'It wouldn't have been if he'd had anything resembling a moral compass. But it was no secret that Haggerty was a dreadful womanizer. In the five years that he was in charge of the Guild, he contracted three Marriages of Convenience, each with a different woman. Heaven only knows how many mistresses and lovers he had on the side.' She shuddered. 'He was definitely not what my family or I considered good husband material.'

'Huh.'

'You seem to be having a small problem processing that data,' she observed. 'Did you really think that the only reason I agreed to get engaged to you was because my family was putting pressure on me?'

'After you left town,' he said quietly, 'I wondered.'

'Well, stop wondering. I agreed to the engagement because, for a while, I thought we were meant for each other.'

'But you changed your mind.'

'Only after I realized that the Guild would always come first for you.'

'Tell me,' he said, 'does it ever occur to you that you might have gotten the wrong impression about me?'

'You clarified whatever false impression I might have had the day you told me why you fought that duel with Palmer Frazier.'

'About that duel-'

'Forget it. Old history. Let's change the subject. Speaking of dedicated Guild men, do you ever wonder what really happened to Haggerty?'

He glanced at her, frowning. 'What do you mean? Everyone knows that he went down into the catacombs, had a heart attack, and died.'

'Oh, sure, that's the official story.' She gave a dainty little snort. 'But between you and me, I've got another theory.'

'Yeah? What do you think happened to him?'

'It occurred to me at the time that he might have been done in by one of his mistresses or an ex-wife,' she said, warming to her personal conspiracy theory. 'That possibility makes a lot more sense, if you ask me. Because up until then, Haggerty appeared to be in excellent health.'

'They say that the first warning of heart trouble is often a heart attack.'

'I know, but I'm still convinced that Haggerty didn't die of natural causes.'

'Where in green hell did you get the notion that he was murdered by an ex-wife or a mistress?'

'Came up with it all on my own,' she said, not without some pride.

He stopped in the middle of the glowing hallway, caught her by the arm, and turned her so that she had to meet his eyes.

'Just how well did you know Haggerty?'

'I told you, he tried to put some pressure on my family to contract a Covenant Marriage.'

'That doesn't answer my question.'

She shrugged. 'We met at several Guild functions. Talked a few times. He thought he could charm me the way he did all of his other female conquests. He made a pass. I told him in no uncertain terms to keep his hands to himself and that I was definitely not interested in marrying him. That was the end of the matter.'

'Haggerty made a pass?'

'Yes. I never mentioned the incident to Dad because I was afraid he might confront Haggerty about it.