Guild Boss (Ghost Hunters #14)(79)

Otis was already fluttering happily back over the bridge. He bustled up to Lucy and graciously offered her the object he had taken from the bowl. The others gathered around her while she cautiously accepted the gift—a bar of silvery quartz that reflected light like a mirror.

“Thanks, Otis,” she said.

She rezzed her senses, but there was no vibe in the quartz. She handed it to Elias. He took it and examined it briefly.

“Shattered,” he announced. “This is what you flatlined, Lucy.”

“It must have been resonating with the energy from the lake and amplifying it,” she said. “The supercharged vibes drew the tornado and anchored it.”

One of the men shook his head. “Hard to believe something that small could cause that twister.”

Lucy smiled. “The butterfly effect.”





CHAPTER FORTY-THREE





“I got your message, Dr. Peabody,” Gabriel said. “What’s the problem?”

“I’m not sure there is one, Mr. Jones.” Peabody adjusted his glasses. His gray brows were scrunched together. “But considering the events of the past few days, I thought I should bring the matter to your attention.”

“I’m listening,” Gabriel said.

They were in the Arcane Museum, standing in front of a tunnel ride. There was no sign over the entrance.

“You’re a descendant of the Jones family,” Peabody said. “I trust you are aware of some of the history of Jones and Jones on the Old World?”

“I know it was founded as a psychic investigation agency. One of my cousins, Marlowe Jones, runs a branch office of J and J in one of the other city-states. Why?”

“Jones and Jones and the Arcane Society dealt with a lot of odd and dangerous cases that all had one thing in common—there were always paranormal elements involved, elements that made it difficult or impossible for the regular police departments and investigative agencies to handle. In many cases the criminal work went undetected altogether, because the crimes were committed by psychic means. Murders appeared to be deaths by natural causes. Drug dealing was impossible to prove because the chemicals were paranormal and thus did not show up in forensic tests.”

“Marlowe says business isn’t what it used to be back on Earth because here on Harmony law enforcement not only recognizes crimes of a paranormal nature, it has the talent and technology to deal with them.”

“Yes, but back on the Old World there was one criminal organization that plagued Jones and Jones for decades. One of the legends of J and J in the twenty-first century, Fallon Jones, wrote in his journal that the group was run by individuals with particularly powerful paranormal talents. They concealed their operations behind a number of shell companies and had connections to the highest levels of government. Your ancestor notes that, while Arcane was eventually able to expose the group, they could never be sure it had been stamped out entirely.”

“You’re talking about Vortex, aren’t you?”

“Yes.” Peabody appeared relieved. “Sorry for the lecture. I was afraid you might be unaware of the organization.”

“Coppersmith Mining ran into some trouble on Rainshadow Island a while back. There was evidence of a Vortex connection. The Coppersmiths and Arcane have a long-standing history. The problem was reported to J and J. So far, the investigations have hit solid quartz walls.”

“Within Arcane, Vortex is something of a legend,” Peabody said. “You know how it is with legends.”

“They never die. But there was nothing about this recent case that appeared to be connected to Vortex.”

“I’m afraid that’s not true, Mr. Jones.” Peabody gestured toward the entrance of the dark ride. “Will you follow me?”

“Sure.”

They went through the shadowed entrance and stepped aboard the small railroad car. Peabody put the train in gear. It lurched forward and headed down the narrow tracks.

At first there was nothing to be seen. The first few feet of the journey were made in darkness, but when the train rounded a curve, an eerie luminosity appeared, revealing a diorama of an old-fashioned laboratory. Figures in white coats and goggles were at work on a disturbingly familiar device.

Peabody brought the train to a jerky stop.

“Shit,” Gabriel said. He stepped off the car and moved to take a closer look at the device exhibited on the workbench. “It looks a lot like the prototype weapon that we just confiscated from Westover’s operation.”

“I was afraid of that,” Peabody said. He left the train and walked across the small space to join Gabriel. “Notice the glass canisters.”

Gabriel looked at the three tubes. “They’re empty.”

“The notebook that one of the figures holds indicates they are meant to contain a liquid crystal of some kind. I’m more concerned with the name embroidered on the lab coat.”

It took Gabriel a few seconds to make out the old-fashioned writing, because it dated from the First Generation. The style had changed drastically after the Era of Discord.

“Trenchard,” he said. He looked at Peabody. “Preston Trenchard is the name of the inventor that developed the suppressor. We found his lab and his body.”

“I think this figure is one of Preston Trenchard’s ancestors. According to Fallon Jones’s diary, one of the scientists who worked for Vortex back in the twenty-first century on the Old World was named Harvey Trenchard. Evidently he was a genius when it came to crystal technology.”