And for author and friend Christina Dodd, with thanks Yes, I know you are not a vegetarian, but your relentless quest for the next great meal inspired Talia’s motto: Neverwastecaloriesonboringfood. (I’ll buy the wine the next time we get together.)
CHAPTER ONE
THERE WOULD BE nightmaresagaintonight.
She’dalwayshadaknackforfindingmisplacedkeys,glasses,andpets Shewasfinewiththat Buthernew psychic abilityfor trackingdownthe bodies ofthose who had died byviolence was not onlydepressingbut frequentlyled to anxietyattacksanddisturbingdreams.
Why couldn’t it have been a talent for something more positive like, say, picking winning lottery numbers? Why did it have to be dead bodies?
TaliaMarchclenchedthedeadman’sgoldcufflinkinonehand,gatheredhernerve,andflattenedherotherhandagainstthe metal side ofthe industrial-sized trashbin She was braced mentallyand physically, her core Pilates-tight;nevertheless, the joltofpsychiclightningrattledhernervesandhersenses Inthepastfewmonthsshehadlearnedthattheenergylaiddownby violencealwayscameasashock.
She hadfinallyfiguredoutthatwhatshe detectedwithher new abilitywas the psychic stainofthe killer’s emotions or lackthereof andthepainandfearofthevictim Itmadeforatoxicbrewthatseepedintothecrimesceneand,toher,wasas obviousasapoolofblood.
She could workwithalmostanyobjectthathad belonged to the missingor the deceased, butover the course ofthe past several months she had learned that some materials absorbed and reflected paranormal energymore efficientlythanothers. Goldwasaparticularlystrongconductor,almostasgoodascrystal
Roger Gossard, the head of Gossard Consulting, a crime scene consultingcompany, studied the trashbinwitha pained expression.“Areyousure?”
“Youhiredmeformybestguess,”shesaid “Thisisit”
Roger gruntedbuthedidnotargueor demandmoredetails.Heknew better thantoaskher toexplainher conclusion.He looked at the unhappy man wearing a security guard uniformemblazoned with the logo of the company that controlled the loadingdock
“Okayifwetakealook?”Rogersaid.“Weneedtofindoutforsureifthere’sabodyinsidebeforewecallthepolice.” Thesecurityguardshrugged.“BosssaysI’msupposedtocooperatebutI’mtellingyourightnowI’mnotgoingintothatbin tolookforadeadbody You’reonyourown” “Right.” Roger switched his attention to the two members of his team who were waiting for instructions. “Bailey and Thomas,takealook.Weneedtomakesure.”
Grim but resigned, the pair pulled on heavy gloves, climbed into the bin, and went to work sorting through the trash generatedbytheseveralhundredofficeworkersemployedinthebuilding
Talia retreated to the frontofthe loadingdockand contemplated the view ofthe alley. The rainwas comingdowninthe steadywaythatwastypicalofSeattleinthelatefall.Theheavyskiesindicatedtheweatherwasnotgoingtochangeanytime soon TheBigGraywasjustgettingstarted
Inthe pastshe had beencomfortable withthe drama ofthe city’s darkseason. Butthe nightshe had lostto amnesia had changedalotofthings.Nowshewasawareofarelentlesssenseofurgencysimmeringjustbeneaththesurface,asensationthat wasintensifiedbythelatedawnsandearlytwilights
She tuned out the noise of the trash bin excavation process and opened her phone There was no new text from her mysterious informant. She was startingto lose hope. Maybe she had beenconned. Itwas a discouragingthoughtbecause the leadhadappearedsopromising.
“That’s far enough,” Roger said. “Don’t touchanythingelse. I’ll call Seatonand let himknow. He’ll be thrilled. It’s no longeramissingpersonscase He’sgotagenuinehomicideonhishands”
Roger tookouthisphoneandmadethecall.WhenhewasfinishedhewalkedtowardTalia,watchingher asifshewasa memberoftheAddamsfamily Thiswasn’tthefirstcaseshehadworkedonforhimandsheknewwhatwascomingnext He nolongerneededher.Shewasnowaproblem.Hewantedhergonebeforethepolicedetectivearrived.
Hestoppedinfrontofher “Youwereright,”hesaidquietly “RayClaytondidnotwalkoutonhiswifeanddisappear She murderedhimwiththehelpofherlover.”
“You’llhavetoprovethatlastpart.”
“It’s not myproblem It’s up to Seatonto close the case But now that we found the bodyfor himthat shouldn’t be too difficult.Therewillbealotofevidence.”
“Absolutely.” Well, except for an incipient anxiety attack and the knowledge that the night ahead will be very long and very dark What the hell Not my first dead body I’m a professional Don’t try this at home “I’ll ride offinto the sunset now”
COME ANY CLOSER andI’llkillher,”MartinPilcheryelled.
Luke Rand opened his senses to the nightmarishcurrents ofenergythatshivered throughPilcher’s threats Itdidn’t takeanypsychictalenttofigureoutthatthemanwastotallyunhinged.
Inhindsight,ithadbeenamistaketoacceptHobbs’sinvitationtoplaypokeronFridaynights,butithadseemedlikeasmall risk. Unfortunately, over cards and whiskey, Luke had mentioned that he had done some hostage negotiation. Now he was paying for that slip of the tongue Fifteen minutes ago Hobbs had called, asking for assistance at the scene of a crime in progress.
“Ineedyouandeveryoneelsetoleaveusalone,”Pilchershouted.“Thisisnoneofyourfuckingbusiness.She’smywife. ” Luke ignored Katy’s panic-strickenface. He had the fixnow. He concentrated onthe dangerouslyunstable frequencies of herhusband’saura
“All right, Mr. Pilcher,” he said, infusingthe words withthe counterpointcurrents thatwould send Pilcher’s vibe into a wildlyoscillatingmode.“Weunderstandthisisaprivatematter.Giveusalittletimetoclearoutofhere.”
Hobbs gave the orders to secure the house and moved forward. Luke watched the officer escortKatyPilcher to a patrol vehicle.Shehalfcollapsedontherearseatandputherfaceintoherhands.
Luke walked to the vehicle, flattened a palmonthe roof, and leaned ina little He opened his senses, gotthe focus, and infusedacalmingnoteintohisvoice.
“I’mnotsure,”Katyadmitted.“Ithinkhehadastrokeoraseizure.Maybeaheartattack.HejustseemedtoforgetthatIwas there Hedroppedthegunandsanktohisknees,clutchingathischest Igrabbedthegunandpulledthetrigger” “Didyourhusbandhaveanyunderlyinghealthconditions?”Hobbsasked.
He had notbeentryingto stop Pilcher’s hearttoday. His goal had beento render the manunconscious. ButPilcher was dead, and while that was certainly the most convenient outcome for his wife and the world in general, it left one huge unansweredquestion.Hadhebeendeadbeforehiswifepulledthetrigger?
“Subject Ais not responding. We will have to terminate.”
“Wait He may pull out of it We can’t afford another failure He’s worth a fucking fortune ”
“Only if he’s a success If he does survive there will be a high probability of insanity The client is paying for a psychically enhanced assassin, not a monster with a lethal talent.”
“We can’t be sure the subject will be insane if he survives. If he is we can terminate later.”
TALIA POURED A glass ofwine and carried itto the diningcounter. She satdowninfrontofher laptop, slipped onher black-framedglasses,andopenedthevideochat
PallasLlewellynandAmeliaRivers,theothertwomembersofthe Lost Night Files podcastteam,werealreadyinthe virtualroom.AmbroseDrake,theauthorPallashadmetinthecourseofinvestigatingtheCarneliancase,wasalsothere.They wereatightlyknitgroup
The quake had struck in the early hours of the following morning. She and Amelia and Pallas had been roused by the tremorsoftheearth,therumbleoffallingdebris,andthesmellofsmoke.Theyhadbeenboundtohospitalgurneysinalabthat lookedasifitdatedfromtheearlytwentiethcentury
Workingtogether, theyhad managed to escape, butinthe end the fire had destroyed whatever evidence there mighthave beenthatwouldhavegiventhemtheanswers theyneeded.Noonebelievedtheir story.Theonlythingtheyknew for certain wasthattheyhadchanged Theminorpsychicvibeeachhadpossessed apreternaturalsensitivitythathadseemedtobelittle morethanespeciallykeenintuition hadbeenenhancedindisturbingandunsettlingways AmbrosehadnotbeenwiththematLucentSprings,buthehadexperiencedasimilarepisodeofamnesia.Hehadawakened onabeachinSanDiego.LikeTaliaandtheothers,hehaddiscoveredthathissenseshadbeenenhanced. Thefourofthemwerenowboundtogetherbythemysteryoftheirlostnightsandthesecretstheyshared Theywerenotonly ateamworkingtofindanswers;theyhadbecomeachosenfamily.
“WegotluckywiththePhoenixtip,”Pallascontinued.“AmbroseandItalkedtoawomannamedCharlotteAndrews.She’s a fanof the podcast. She remembered that Brooke Kendricktooka psychtest that sounds a lot like the one the four of us remembertakingbackincollege.”
“Once Ambrose suggested thatthe people who kidnapped us had to be workingoffa list, Iremembered thattest,” Talia said.“Iknewthathadtobetheconnection.”
“Whatmadeyousosure?”Ambroseasked.
Taliashrugged “DamnedifIknow Itjustfelt right”
Asmallbutdistinctthrillwhisperedthroughher.Shesippedsomewineandletherselftakeamomenttosavorthepositive sideofherabilitytofindthatwhichwaslostorhidden theflashofsatisfactionthatcamewithasuccessfulsearch,atleast one that did not end witha dead body It was whyshe had become a librarianafter graduatingfromcollege Astint inan academic library had been followed by a string of research jobs. Admittedly, none of themhad ended well commitment issues, according to her therapist. Nevertheless, the various positions in both the private and government sectors had all involvedfindinganswers Shehadenjoyedthatpart Successhadalwaysgivenheranicelittlerush,asensationverydifferent fromtheshockthathadstruckthatafternoonwhenshehadlocatedRayClaytoninatrashbin.
Unfortunately, tonightthe darkfalloutfromthe investigationearlier thatdaywould outweighthe small thrill she gotfrom confirmationthattheoldcollegepsychtestwasthesourceofthelist.
Noonearguedwithher.Thiswasnotthefirsttimetheyhadspeculatedthatoneormoreoftheresidentsinthesmalldesert communityinsouthernCaliforniawerekeepingsecrets.ButAmelia’s morbidfascinationwithLucentSprings was becoming worrisome Talia was starting to fear that her friend’s obsession with the ruins of the Lucent Springs Hotel might be an unfortunatesideeffectofherrecentlyenhancedsenses.SheknewPallashadthesameconcern.
Therealitywasthatthefourofthemwerenotyetcomfortablewiththeirnewpsychicabilities.Theywereallintheprocess oftryingtounderstandhowtocontrolthenewformsofperception Eachoftheirtalentswasuniqueandeachhadaprofoundly disturbingaspect.Taliaknewthattheirnewsensitivitytoparanormalenergy,combinedwiththeunnervingamnesia,hadmade eachofthemquestiontheirownsanityatfirst.Theyhadsoonlearnedtokeepquietabouttheirconcernsbecausetheywerenot the onlyones who had begunto wonder aboutthe state oftheir mental health. Friends, lovers, coworkers, and families had questionedit,too
Some oftheir memories were startingtoreturninslivers andshards intheir dreams,buttheywere still a longwayfrom developingaclearpictureoftheirlostnights.
“Itwasa text message,”Ameliaremindedher “Nofeelingsoremotionsinvolved” Therewasnopointarguing.Ameliawasright.Taliaswallowedsomemorewine.
“Ifthere’sonethingThe Lost Night Files hasprovenbeyondashadowofadoubtit’sthatwhenitcomestotheparanormal, therearealotofcard-carryingmembersofthetinfoilhelmetcluboutthereinpodcastland,”Pallassaid Taliathoughtaboutthebodyinthetrashbin.“SometimesIwonderifI’moneofthem.”
“No,”Ameliasaid,suddenlyfierce.“Youarenotdeluded.Noneofusare.Weknowthatbecausewehavecomparednotes. Wehavevalidatedeachother’sexperiences.Wewereall involuntarytestsubjectsinsomeone’sbizarreparanormal research experiment We’regoingtofindoutwhodidthistous”
“Untilwegetanswers,”Ambroseconcluded Itwasnotjustthesignaturesignoffofthe Lost Night Files podcast itwasasolemnvow
CHAPTER FOUR
LUKE DREAMS ...
He stops at the doorway of the lab and looks back at the blood- splashed scene one last time The space is illuminated with a strange blue light. An odd mix of equipment is scattered around the room. The chemistry apparatus on the long workbench looks new, but the heavy-duty gardening tools stacked against one wall are old and rusty.
He knows he should remember the details He’s a professor of history Details are important But he does not have time to examine his surroundings closely, because two men in white coats are sprawled on the floor in a pool of blood Their throats have been cut. He is holding a scalpel in his right hand.
He turns and tries to decide how he will escape He is confronted by a vast chamber lit with a violet-and-acid-green radiance The space is crammed with luminous plants, glowing mushrooms, and curtains of thorn-studded vines Here and there he sees flowers that look like the open jaws of snakes.
He uses the back of his hand to wipe the sweat off his forehead. The atmosphere is too warm and too humid and it is charged with a disturbing energy that threatens to dazzle his senses Everything about the underground gardens is wrong Colors are too intense, the light is eerie, and the plants are rustling and murmuring to each other. He senses that they are trying to decide if he is prey.
Tightening his grip on the scalpel, he sets out on the path through the gardens of hell
Hegotupandcrossedtheroomtotheduffelbagandthesmalldaypacksittinginfrontofthedoor.Theduffelcontaineda fewchangesofclothes,shavinggear,asecondpairofboots,andsomeotherbasics Hehadbeenlivingoutofitandundera newidentitysincehehadlostanentirenighttoamnesiathreelongmonthsago.Thepackheldtheessentialshewouldneedif he was forced to run the cash he had accumulated in a series of small ATM transactions, the pistol, and the documents requiredtoestablishyetanotheridentity.
Heknewhowtodisappear Hehadlearnedtheartsoonafterenteringthefostercaresystem Afewyearsspentasananalyst inthe intelligence world had provided himwiththe knowledge he needed to fine-tune the process. Youpicked up a lot of usefultipsinterviewingbadactorsforaliving.
TALIA PARKED ON asidestreetastheinstructionshadstipulated.Shecheckedthetimeagain,hitchedthesmallpackover oneshoulder,andgotoutofthecar Extractingthepeppersprayfromthepocketofherpuffy,thigh-lengthdowncoat,she locked up and went briskly toward the unlit house. There were no sidewalks and no streetlights in the semirural neighborhoodontheoutskirtsofthecity.Theonlyilluminationcamefromacoldmoon.
Acrushingdisappointment slammed throughher. It was followed bya surge ofanger. She had beenconned. Okay, so it wasn’tthefirsttimeadeterminedpodcastlistenerhadsuckeredamemberoftheteamintocheckingoutwhatprovedtobea phonylead,butthatdidn’tmakeitanylessinfuriating Therushofemotionskickedupallofhersenses Shewassuddenlyat fullthrottle.Currentsoficy-hotangersweptthroughher.Shewantedtoscreamatthetrickster. This is my life and the lives of my friends you are screwing with, you sadist.
Damn it, she would not succumb to pointless rage She fought a silent battle on the back porch and managed to regain control.Itwasherownfault.Shehadallowedherselftobelievethatthisleadwouldpanout.Ithadlookedsopromising.After oversixmonthsoffalsetipssheshouldhaveknownbetterthantothinkthisonewouldbeanydifferent.
Andhereshewasstandingonastranger’sbackporchinthedarkwithathousanddollarsinherpack Abelatedattackof commonsensestruck.Shestartedtoturnawayandgobackdownthesteps.Butsomethingstoppedher awhisper ofpanic, nother own.Itshadedrapidlyinto...unconsciousness? Sleep? Itdidnotfeel like the echoofa recentdeath,butitwasn’t good
. . . The burn seared her senses. She yelped and yanked her fingers off the metal knob. The sudden move caused the unlatcheddoortoswinginwardonsqueakinghinges Thegloomofadeeplyshadowedkitchenloomed
For atensemomentshejuststoodthere,tryingtodecidewhattodo.Therewereanswers tobehadinsidethehouse,she was certainofthat. She needed those answers and she was willingto take risks to getthem, butthere were limits. She had pushedtheenvelopefar enoughthis morning Sheneededbackupandsheknew whotocall Roger Gossardowedher afew favors.
Intheglowoftheweaklightoverthedoorshecouldseethathewasdressedinabatteredleatherbomberjacket,adarkTshirt,jeans,andrunningshoes.Adaypacksimilartoherownwasslungcasuallyoveroneshoulder.Giventhedeepshadows hiseyesshouldhavebeenunreadable.Insteadtheyseemedtoburn. Just a reflection,shetoldherself.
HIS VOICE WHISPERED tohersenses,reassuringher.Shewasfeelingverycalmnow.Thatwasnotright.Sheoughttobe terrified She should be working the pepper spray for all it was worth and running for the car What the hell was happeninghere?
She drew a deep breath His voice still gave her a bit of a rush, but it was no longer hitting her senses like a riptide threateningtodrawherunderthesurface.
“The list wasn’t the onlythingthe first buyer took.” She glanced backat the door, rememberingthe energyonthe metal handle.“Whoeveritwasgrabbedourinformantaswell.”
Luke Rand’s eyes gota little intense “Whatmakes youso sure the informantdidn’tdecide to disappear after makingthe firstsale?”
“IwentintothehouseandtookalookaroundwhileIwaited.Foundashort-termrental agreementdatedacoupleofdays ago Itwas signed Phoebe Hatch Mightor mightnotbe the persontryingto sell the list, butI’d saythe odds are she’s our informant.”
“Youjustwalkedintothehouse?”
“Thedoorwasunlocked.”
He did not sound concerned withthe finer points ofthe law, and she decided that, under the circumstances, she wasn’t, either.
“Thank you I’m glad you approve Moving right along, you have my name but I don’t have yours Care to introduce yourself?”
Herintuitionsentachillofwarning.Shewasonceagainawareofanintriguinglyresonantvibeinhisvoice. He’s trying to make me think I can trust him Anditwasworking “Areyouinsales?”sheasked,deeplysuspicious.“Ormaybeyou’reaprofessionalconartist?” Hiseyestightened.“Whatareyoutalkingabout?”
Okay, sure, she had beenprepared for the disdainand the irritation, but she got mad anyway. It had beena particularly stressfultwenty-fourhours,whatwiththebodyinthetrashbinandnowamissinginformant.Shewasnotinagoodmood.
“Consideringthe factthatyouare chasingthe same listI’mafter, Idon’tthinkyouhave anybusiness insultingme or the podcast,”shesaid.
“At the rate this conversationis deteriorating, there maynot be a later. Your turnto hand over some information. Why, exactly,areyouafterthelistPhoebeHatchwantedtoselltous?”
“IwantitbecauseI’mprettysureI’monit.”
“Oh.”Forsomereasonthatcaughtherbysurprise. Should have seen it coming.
“No, you want to go someplace private so that you can try to interrogate me while giving up as little information as possible Idon’tworklikethat”
“Youarenotaverytrustingperson,areyou?”Lukesaid. “Nope. And obviously, neither are you. Let’s getsomethingstraight. There will be no interrogation. Either we agree to a mutuallybeneficialexchangeofinformationorthisendshere” “Fine.Pickacoffeehouse,anycoffeehouse.I’llmeetyouthere.”
Shegavethatamoment’sthought.“All right.Iknow aplacethatopensearlyandservesfreshlybakedbiscuitsaswell as coffee I’llgiveyoutheaddress Yougoonahead I’llmeetyouthere”
“You’retryingtoditchme.”
“Trustme,asappealingasthatsounds,Iamnottryingtogetridofyou.Iwanttotalktoyouasbadlyasyouwanttotalkto me ButfirstI’mgoingtotakealookaroundinsideHatch’shouse”
“Because I don’t think it’s smart for you to hang around here alone Has it occurred to you that someone else may be watchingthishousetoseewhoshowsuptobuythelist?”
Without a word she turned and went into the darkkitchen. Luke followed, closingthe door behind him. He tookout his phoneandturnedontheflashlight Shegottheicy-hotsensationthatsignaledanothershotofadrenalinehittingherbloodstream Shewas aloneinthehousewithamanshehadjustmet,oneshehadnoreasontotrust.Shetightenedher griponthecanof pepperspray.
“Everythinginthis house indicates thatPhoebe Hatchwas usingitas a temporaryhideout. Itwas never intended to be a home.Butshewenttothetroubleofpickingupasmallpottedplantatasupermarket.Ithinkshewaslonely.Andafraid.She didn’tdaregetadogoracat,becausesheknewshemighthavetoabandontheanimal” “Soshepickedupacheaphouseplantinstead?”
“Shit,” she whispered She shookher fingers as if she had touched a hot stove “I hate whenthis happens” The small, instinctiveactiondidnothingtocooltheburn.
She explored the soil around the plantwithher fingers. Adelicate gold chainnecklace witha small crystal pendantwas concealedbeneaththesurface Shepulleditoutandexamineditinthelightofherphone
