Orchid

For once, she obeyed orders.

He waited another few seconds, listening to the gunman's retreating footsteps.

'It's okay,' he called. 'You can come out now.'

When he heard her start toward him, he broke the link. The night world dimmed, shifted, returned to normal.

Rafe became aware of the shaking man he had pinned against the wall with one arm.

'What's your name?' he asked very softly.

'Let me go.'

'What's your name?'

'Uh, Crowder. Phil Crowder. Look, I don't know who you are, mister—'

'Sure, you do. We met the other night outside of Theo Willis's house.'

'No,' the man licked his lips. 'That wasn't me.'

'It was you, all right. I never forget a—' Rafe broke off before he said scent. 'Forget it. You're the prism. Mr. Amazing is the illusion-talent who was with you that night.' It was not a question.

Orchid came to a halt a short distance away. 'Are you sure you're all right, Rafe?'

'Yes.' He did not look at her. 'But our friend, here, is not all right. Someone just tried to kill him. Who was it, Crowder?'

'I don't know.'

Rafe pushed him harder against the wall. 'Try again.'

'I swear, I don't know. I was supposed to meet my bookie here. I owe him some money. Got a little behind at the tables. But that wasn't him. It was someone else.'

'Someone the bookie sent, maybe?'

'Shit, no. Murphy wouldn't have sent someone to kill me. I'm not that far behind in my payments.'

'Then who was it?'

'I don't know, I tell you.'

Rafe concentrated intensely for a few seconds. He only needed a short burst of strat-talent awareness to assure him that the man was not lying. 'Got any ideas?'

'No.'

'I do,' Rafe said very gently. 'I think maybe whoever hired you to watch Theo Willis's house and get rid of Morgan Lambert has decided that you've become a liability. He came here tonight to get rid of you.'

'Oh, Christ.' There was fear and weary defeat in Crowder's voice. 'I never wanted to do those jobs. But I needed the money real bad. For my bookie, y'know? He was threatening to send his knee man after me. Shit, I knew this was gonna be trouble. I knew it right from the start.'

'Tell me about it.' Rafe could feel Orchid watching him question Crowder. Her tension was palpable. He reminded himself to be careful. He didn't want to do anything too primitive in front of her. 'Start with who hired you.'

'Jink hired me. That's all I know, I tell you.'

'Jink?'

'Mr. Amazing. I don't know the rest of his real name. He goes by Jink off-stage. He's an illusion-talent. Really strong. He needed a prism who could handle his power on stage. Said he didn't want to get someone from a focus agency. I found out why after I'd been working with him for awhile.'

'He wanted you to do some work on the side, right?'

'Yeah. But he booked the outside stuff, y'know? I never even knew who hired us. Jink handled everything.'

Orchid stirred in the shadows. 'You tried to murder Rafe that night outside Theo's house.'

'No, Founders' truth. We were just supposed to rough him up a bit. Scare him off. Least, that's what Jink told me.'

'What was in the letter you took from Morgan Lambert's houseboat?' Rafe asked.

'Shit, I don't know. Jink found the letter. He never showed it to me.'

'You deliberately overdosed Morgan on dirty-ice,' Orchid said.

'No.' Fear lanced through Crowder's voice. 'Jink said he was only going to use enough ice to make Lambert forget a few things.'

'He used enough to kill him.'

'Oh, shit, I didn't know that honest, lady. It's not my fault. I was just supposed to help look for that damn letter. Jink fed the dirty-ice to Lambert. Used an illusion to make him think it was a beer. And then you arrived and screwed everything up.'

Rafe released him and stepped back in disgust. 'You're a waste of time, Crowder.'

'I told you, I don't know anything.'

'Let's hope you know enough to get out of town for a while. Because I have a hunch that whoever tried to kill you tonight will make another attempt.'

Crowder flinched and edged sideways out of the doorway. 'You think so?'

'Yes, I think so. What's Jink's schedule for this evening?'

'Why?'

'Because he's probably next on the shooter's list.'

'Oh, shit. Oh, shit.' Crowder glanced nervously over his shoulder as if he expected to see his attacker. 'I gotta get out of here.'

Rafe shifted position to block Crowder's path. 'First tell me Mr. Amazing's schedule. When does he leave the Icy Dicey?'

'We've got another performance at midnight. He usually hangs around the club between shows. Got something going with one of the dealers, y'know? They get it on in his dressing room between acts.'

'Maybe I'll be able to talk to him before his new employer gets to him.' Rafe turned away. He reached for Orchid's arm.

'Wait.' Crowder put out a hand as if to catch hold of Rafe's sleeve. At the last minute he thought better of it and snatched it back. He glanced at Orchid and then looked back at Rafe. 'Why did you save me a few minutes ago?'

'I saved you because I'd hoped you could tell me a few useful things.' Rafe smiled faintly. 'But I was wrong. Which means that the next time I run into you, I won't go out of my way to do you any favors. So be careful, Crowder. Be very, very careful.'

Crowder's face worked. He looked helplessly at Orchid. Then he turned and ran back down the street toward the lights of Founders' Square.

Orchid waited until he was gone before she spoke. 'Do you think he was telling you the truth?'

'Yes.' Rafe reholstered his pistol and adjusted the cuff of his trousers. 'Come on. We've got to get back to the club.'

'This whole thing is coming together.' Rafe's hand tightened around Orchid's arm as he hurried her back toward the Icy Dicey. 'If we move fast, we may finish it tonight.'

In spite of her jangled nerves and the adrenaline that was still ripping through her system, Orchid grinned briefly at Rafe's intense satisfaction. It radiated from him in fierce waves. He was no longer riding the energy train of a focus link, but the strat-talent side of his nature was definitely in full bloom.

Well, maybe 'full bloom' was not a good analogy, she conceded silently. There was nothing flowerlike about Rafe tonight.

He hauled her swiftly through the crowds toward the nightclub. The hunter in Rafe, never far from the surface, was what she saw in all its many aspects tonight. He was in full control, but the power that he held in check was strong enough to make the hair stir on the back of her neck.

She knew she was not the only one who sensed the presence of a hunter. She had seen the expression on Crowder's face a few moments ago before he turned and fled.

'I assume we are working under the assumption that it was Dr. Austen who just tried to kill Crowder?' Orchid realized she was breathless. If she was going to do this sort of thing on a regular basis, she had better start doing her meta-zen-syn exercise routine more than three times a week.

'Austen is definitely on the short list of possible candidates.' Rafe slowed a little as the rambunctious crowd