Dark Magic

had disappeared, then sold it using superb showmanship.

He decided to try this approach with the Order of Astrum. On his fingers, he counted the things he knew about them. The Order had paranormal powers, and could see into the future. Each member had made a pact with Satan’s son, and dedicated their lives to causing harm and destruction to the human race. They were pure evil, and always would be.

Then he examined the mystery. The Order had sent Wolfe to different cities to kill psychics. A few days after Wolfe finished his assignment, an attack would occur, harming the city. The Order was somehow connected to these attacks. That was the mystery, and if he didn’t solve it soon, New York would be attacked as well.

He went to the window. Placing his hand against the glass, he felt the storm’s power surge through his body. He was looking for a slit in the hanky, something so obvious that it would have bit him, had he gotten any closer.

But what was it?

He thought back to the Friday night seance when he’d seen Wolfe standing in Times Square among the dead and dying. He still did not understand how Wolfe had killed so many people without any visible weapon. The spirits could be vague that way, and there was no way to get them to change.

Lightning flashed around him, and he instinctively pulled his hand away from the glass. As he did, a strange thought went through his mind. The spirits did not play favorites, and treated all psychics the same. The Order of Astrum were seeing the same things during their seances that Peter was seeing during his.

It took a moment for the thought to sink in. When it did, he let out a shout. That was the answer to the mystery. We’re seeing the same things.

He’d found the slit in the hanky.

* * *

He pulled up Garrison’s number on his cell phone, and heard the call go through.

“Where are you?” Peter asked.

“Out front. Some jackass is trying to tow my car,” the FBI agent said furiously.

“I figured out what the Order is doing. You’re not going to believe this. It was right in front of our faces.”

“Hold on. I’m on my way.”

Peter waited by the elevators. It was so incredibly obvious that he couldn’t believe he hadn’t seen it sooner. They’re no different than me, he thought. The elevator doors parted, and Garrison came out like a racehorse exploding out of the gate. A pair of foreign tourists were also in the elevator, hoping to take pictures. Peter guided Garrison away from them.

“Tell me,” the FBI agent said breathlessly.

“It’s simple. The Order isn’t behind the attacks.”

Peter thought the FBI agent might hit him.

“Are you crazy? Of course they are!” Garrison practically shouted.

The tourists were watching them. Peter pulled Garrison farther away.

“Listen to me. The Order is conducting seances, and looking into the future. When they see a horrific event taking place, they figure out where it’s occurring, and send Wolfe to the city to kill any psychics before they see the same thing, and alert the police. The Order doesn’t know who’s behind the attacks, nor do they have to. All they know is that an attack will happen, just like I knew the attack on New York was going to happen. Get it?”

Garrison’s face turned blank as he absorbed the information. Then, his eyes lit up. “And the Order is selling the information, instead of alerting the authorities.”

“Exactly. In a way, they’re coconspirators, since they know the attacks will take place. But they don’t know who’s behind them, or any of the details.”

“I thought Wolfe was involved in the attack you saw.”

“Wolfe was there. I’m guessing he was just a spectator.”

Garrison swore under his breath. “So we’re back to square one. We don’t know who’s going to attack the city, and have no way of stopping them.”

Peter had come to another hurdle. He’d been sworn to secrecy the night he’d conducted his first seance, and vowed never to break the confidences shared by those who regularly visited the spirit world. But there were exceptions to every rule, especially now, when the lives of so many innocent people were at stake. New York was his home, its people his family, and he was willing to break his vows in order to save it.

“Yes, we do,” he said.

Garrison grabbed his shoulders. “Then tell me how!”

The clouds were swirling around them, the city’s skyline eerily visible as it came into view. He struggled to find the words to explain. “It’s like this. Evil doesn’t pop up overnight. It takes a long time to grow inside of a person. First there’s anger, then rage, and finally evil appears. Over time, the evil creates an aura that’s seen by the spirits. If the aura becomes too great, the spirits make it known during a seance that something horrible’s about to happen.”

“Describe this person,” Garrison said.

“His soul has been poisoned, and he’s teetering on the brink of insanity. He’s a loner, and has pushed away whatever friends he once had. He’ll stop at nothing to cause death and destruction.”

“I hate to say it, but that describes a lot of people.”

“He’s also extremely intelligent.”

“How do you know that?”

“During my seance, I saw scores of people die, but no evidence of a bomb or guns. Whatever took those people down was invisible to the naked eye. That tells me that the attack he’s planning is extremely sophisticated.”

“You mean like chemical warfare.”

“Yes.”

“Could he be some kind of scientist or engineer?”

“That would be my guess. He’s got some kind of weapon he wants to unleash on the city. It’s too deadly for him to have built here without people knowing about it. I’m guessing he built it somewhere nearby, and plans to bring it in. You need to alert every cop in New York and surrounding areas to be on the lookout. Have them check the subways, the bridges and tunnels. With all the security cameras in this city, they might just spot him.”

“So what we’re looking for is a crazed scientist who’s carrying some type of dangerous weapon. That’s a helluva piece of detective work. Sure you were never a cop?”

“Maybe in another lifetime I was.”

Garrison stepped away and started making calls on his cell phone. Very soon, every law enforcement officer in the city would be on the lookout for their attacker, and, hopefully, bring him to justice. Peter had done his job, and felt a monumental sense of relief that he’d solved the mystery. Yet at the same time, he felt like he should do more. This was his city, and his home. When his parents had needed a place to run to, they’d fled to New York, just as millions of desperate people had come before them. It was a city that took in the needy, no questions asked. When the people who lived here said they loved New York, it was not a casual remark. They loved the city with all their heart, and all their soul, and so did he. It was the greatest place on earth, and he could not help but feel angry at anyone who’d want to cause it harm.

48

A stiff wind blew off Long Island Sound, sending a chill through Dr. Lucas Carr’s body. Standing on the crest of a hill, he shielded his eyes with his hand, and watched a fishing boat make its way toward Connecticut’s distant shores, its bow cutting a perfect V through the chop. It was the kind of day meant for being on the water, battling the elements. It was not the kind of day meant for bringing untold suffering to thousands of innocent people, yet that was precisely what was on Carr’s mind.

Katie and Joanie are in the ground.

The thought brought stinging tears to his eyes. Carr was a fifty-six-year-old physicist, small of stature, with