about was having his name attached to the project.”
“So you killed him.”
“I didn’t kill him. The head of my security team took care of that aspect of things. No choice really. For a time everything was put on hold. But Aldwin managed to get enough money out of Ethel Whitcomb to finance my work. She thinks she’s building a new wing on her precious museum.”
“But the money has been going into your project here on Rainshadow,” Alice said.
“Unfortunately, I haven’t had the budget I needed to hire the kind of professionals I wanted, the kind I deserve to work with. I was forced to make do with low-rent talents like Pete, here, and Karen Rosser.”
“To summarize, you’ve been running an illegal, off-the-books operation here on Rainshadow and you’ve screwed it up so much the whole island is about to blow.” Alice nodded. “Nice work, Dr. Tucker. This should certainly earn you a place in the journals of para-archaeology, not to mention a nice long vacation in prison, assuming you survive.”
“Shut up.” Zara’s eyes were chips of ice. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Then let’s cut to the chase. How am I supposed to rescue you?”
“You’re a light-talent, a strong one, evidently. We didn’t know just how strong you were back at the start.” Dr. Tucker clicked her teeth in mild disapproval. “You certainly kept your ability to bend light a secret from Fulton and the rest of us. I didn’t believe you were anything but a run-of-the-mill talent until you started doing your little magic tricks for the kids in Shadow Bay.”
Alice smiled.
Zara raised her brows. “No, you won’t try that magic act with me. For one thing, although I know that you can go invisible, it’s just a trick of the light. You certainly can’t walk through walls or the door of this cell. And just to make sure you don’t try anything clever, you will be handcuffed to Pete, who will be closely guarded by the head of my security team.”
“You are no doubt referring to your last remaining thug-for-hire,” Alice said. “That would be Egan.”
“Egan Quinton,” Zara said. “He has proved to be an extremely useful and versatile employee.”
“Okay, so I can’t escape. What do you expect me to accomplish?”
Zara’s hands clenched around the clipboard and the diary. Her eyes narrowed. “You are going to go into that overheated Chamber and retrieve the two crystals. Once they’re out, I’m certain that the Chamber will cool down. When the energy levels start to fall, the fog will recede and I will be able to get off the island.”
“What makes you think I can get the crystals out of the Chamber?”
“Only a light-talent can enter that Chamber now. But it’s going to take one with a lot of power to find the crystals and bring them out. Let’s hope you’re stronger than Pete or Ms. Rosser.”
“And if I refuse to give it a whirl?”
“In that case, Egan will start killing people in Shadow Bay. One by one.” Zara glanced at Pete. “But we’ll let him start with Pete so that you can be certain that I mean business. Egan?”
There were more footsteps in the glowing hall, heavy boots this time. Egan Quinton appeared on the other side of the steel bars. He was no longer in costume and he had removed his makeup. Minus the scraggly, long- haired wig, heavy eyebrows, and the facial prosthetics that had altered the lines of his face, he looked remarkably ordinary; remarkably unremarkable.
“How’s that enlightenment thing working out for you, Egan?” Alice asked. “Any insights into Zara, here?”
Egan gave her a brief, irritated look and then fixed his ghost-gaze on Pete.
“Want me to do him now?” he asked. There was no trace of emotion in the question. He might as well have been asking Zara if she wanted him to take out the trash.
Zara removed her geeky glasses. “That depends on Alice. It’s her decision.”
Pete watched Egan the way a small creature watches a cobra. “Please, don’t.”
Egan reached into his jacket and pulled out the Alien weapon he had used on Alice and Houdini.
“At full power it causes the heart to stop,” he explained.
“Forget it,” Alice said. “I’ll try to get those crystals for you but only if you leave Pete alone.”
Zara gave her an approving smile. “Excellent. I assure you, I have no wish to kill Pete or anyone else. I would prefer not to waste the time or the energy in the weapon. No telling how long it will last. My only goal now is to get off Rainshadow and disappear.”
“Probably a good idea,” Alice said. “Because it won’t be long before the Sebastians come looking for you.”
“I vanished once, quite successfully. I can do it again.” Zara turned away from the cell gate. “Egan, bring them both to the Chamber. Time is running out.”
Chapter 34
DRAKE CAME TO A HALT AT THE GRAVESTONE. THE others caught up with him, breathing hard. The weeds and grass around the weathered grave marker had been trampled by a pair of heavily booted feet on more than one recent occasion.
Houdini jumped up and down on the stone, making urgent noises.
Fletcher frowned at the name on the stone. “William Bainbridge. Why does that sound familiar?”
“Because it’s engraved over the front door of the library and it’s the official name of the town park,” Myrna said. “Bainbridge was a smuggler who worked the Amber Sea area years ago. Technically speaking, he’s the guy credited with founding Shadow Bay.”
Fletcher grimaced. “Oh, yeah, right.”
Houdini continued to bounce up and down. He was becoming increasingly agitated.
Drake crouched beside the flat stone marker. Methodically he ran his hands around the edges. It didn’t take long to find what he was looking for. He pushed the concealed lever.
The gravestone opened ponderously with only the faintest of groans. Someone had been keeping the hinges well oiled, he thought.
Currents of Alien psi wafted out of the opening. He looked down at the flight of glowing quartz steps that descended into a tunnel illuminated with eerie green light.
“Son of a ghost,” Jasper said. “So there are some catacombs here on the island, after all. Always figured we’d find them someday.”
“Looks like old Bainbridge stumbled into a hole-in-the-wall,” Fletcher said.
“If Bainbridge isn’t buried here, what happened to him?” Rachel asked. “Not that it matters now.”
Houdini darted down the steps, pausing expectantly.
“I should have done a more thorough investigation after I saw that so-called ghost wandering around here in the middle of the night,” Drake said.
Jasper shook his head. “Not like you’ve had a lot of spare time to investigate anything. Doubt if you would have found this trapdoor, anyway. Hell, Fletcher and I have been living here for a couple of decades—spent our former careers in the tunnels—but we never stumbled onto this entrance.”
“Well, at least we now know how Egan managed to contact Tucker frequently without having to go through the Preserve,” Charlotte said.
“And how he kidnapped Alice without having to carry her through the fence and across a lot of psi-hot territory,” Drake said. “I’m betting that this tunnel is a shortcut to the Chamber ruin. He can’t be too far ahead. I’m going after him.”
“This island has never been under the control of the Guilds,” Fletcher said. “That means the catacombs down below have never been cleared of ghosts. Egan is a hunter. He can handle ghosts. But you don’t have that kind of talent. Looks like you are going to need some backup.”
“I’d appreciate it,” Drake said.
He started down the glowing staircase. Jasper and Fletcher followed him into the catacombs.
