The Vanishing Stair (Truly Devious #2)(25)
Or maybe this wasn’t some psychic edition of “Sleeping Beauty.” Maybe this story had more in common with Frankenstein. That would make him the monster. Marge’s question whispered through him. What are you now?
They were less than a block away from the offices of Lark & LeClair, walking quickly. After leaving Marge, Catalina had said very little. He knew she was trying to figure out what the hell to do about him.
He had been warned that she was going to be a problem. What he hadn’t realized until the moment she walked into his arms was that she would prove to be an exciting problem.
He had known that she was smart. Victor had also made it clear that she was a strong talent and that she was in full control.
He studied her now, trying not to be obvious about it. She was no longer using her psychic senses, so her aura was not as fiery as it had been when they had slammed into each other. But the fact that her energy field was calm did not diminish the effect she had on him.
He was just as intensely aware of her vibe now as he had been earlier when they had collided on the street. The difference was that without the distraction of her intoxicating aura he was aware of other, more subtle things—the rich, lustrous brown of her tightly bound hair; the cool challenge in her green eyes; the aloof image projected by the black trench coat and low black boots.
He was intrigued, curious, fascinated, thrilled to be this close to her.
“I’m sorry I got here too late to save Olivia LeClair,” he said.
Catalina shot him a somber, searching look. “Do you know who took Olivia and why?”
“I don’t have any solid answers for you. Just a theory.”
“That’s more than I’ve got. Talk fast, Arganbright.”
“Three days ago a collector named Royston was murdered. The circumstances of his death are similar to those of the Ingram murder.”
“Ingram was the victim in the case your uncle asked me to investigate.”
“Right. Both of the victims were known to be eccentric and secretive. Both were obsessed with acquiring objects with a paranormal provenance. Victor is convinced the deaths are related. He believes someone is looking for a particular artifact.”
“What artifact?” Catalina asked.
“We don’t know, but Ingram and Royston were both known to be obsessed with objects linked to what may have been the old Fogg Lake lab.”
“What makes you think Olivia’s kidnapping is linked to the murders?”
“I don’t like coincidences, and it would be a hell of a coincidence if your friend, who has a very specific connection to Fogg Lake, just happened to get kidnapped three days after Royston’s murder.”
Catalina caught her breath. “You think that whoever killed Royston found what he was searching for and then went after Olivia.”
“It’s more than that. If I’m right, it’s all connected to the murder you and Olivia witnessed fifteen years ago.”
Startled, she looked at him and then quickly glanced away. “You know about that?”
“Rumors of murder have a way of leaking out. The story of a couple of Fogg Lake kids who thought they witnessed a killing made it into the Foundation files. It was noted because one of the Foundation researchers disappeared right around the time of the murder. His name was John Morrissey. His body was never found.”
“Was there a Foundation investigation?”
“The Foundation was under different … management at the time.”
“Oh, yeah, right.” Catalina made a face. “Rancourt was still in charge in those days. Your uncle didn’t take over until, what? Five years ago?”
“Victor was appointed director of the Foundation five years ago. He is well aware that his predecessor left a legacy of distrust.”
“No shit.”
“Out of curiosity, is ‘no shit’ your default mode?”
“It seems to be today,” Catalina said. “Believe it or not, until this morning my language was a little more refined.”
“I’ll take your word for it. As I was saying, at the time of the Fogg Lake murder, Stenson Rancourt was in charge of the Foundation. He more or less inherited the job from his father.”
“Everyone in Fogg Lake knows that the Rancourts were no better than a mob family. They used the Foundation to make millions. Billions, probably.”
“Things are different now,” Slater said.
“Sure.”
“Moving right along, due to Stenson Rancourt’s lack of interest in Morrissey’s disappearance, the investigation was minimal. It went nowhere.”
“And yet,” Catalina said, “Olivia and I still wound up in a Foundation file.”
“I’m afraid so.” Slater hesitated, telling himself that he should probably shut up now. But Catalina deserved some answers. “That did not happen under Rancourt’s regime. You and Olivia landed in the files because Victor has begun an effort to identify everyone who might have some connection to the old Bluestone Project. The people of Fogg Lake and their descendants are of particular interest to him.”
“I’ve got news for your uncle—we don’t want his attention.”
“Try to put your animosity aside for thirty seconds and consider the facts on the ground. Your friend has been kidnapped and there is every reason to believe her disappearance is connected to something that happened in Fogg Lake fifteen years ago. Do you really think regular law enforcement has a chance in hell of finding her before it’s too late?”