The Vanishing Stair (Truly Devious #2)(36)
“Maybe. Maybe not. The currents in that place are really strong.”
“Some of those objects are extremely dangerous.”
Catalina shuddered. “Like that miniature ballroom scene?”
“It felt ominous, didn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“Let me run a scenario for you,” Slater said. “What if a couple of freelance raiders broke into the basement and one of them grabbed a particularly dangerous artifact and got zapped? Maybe the accomplice hauled the body away. No would-be burglar would want to leave that kind of evidence behind for the police to find.”
“That works,” Catalina said. “Sort of. Why would Swan leave dangerous artifacts lying around where they might accidentally kill a client?”
“She wouldn’t do that intentionally. Pretty sure she keeps the potentially lethal pieces in her vault. But if she wasn’t aware of the hazard, she probably wouldn’t lock it up.”
“She didn’t mention that there had been a break-in recently.”
“She might not even suspect it, not if the raiders didn’t actually steal anything.” Slater got a thoughtful expression. “It’s also possible that she had some reason not to mention a recent burglary, especially one that resulted in a dead guy.”
“In my opinion, Gwendolyn Swan was lying, or at least not telling us the whole truth.”
Slater’s mouth curved in a faint smile. “No one in the hot artifacts business ever tells the whole truth, especially not to someone from the Foundation.”
Catalina sniffed. “Can’t say I blame them. How far do you trust Gwendolyn Swan?”
“Define trust,” Slater said.
“Excuse me? I sense deep cynicism and a jaded view of human nature.”
“When I know what someone wants, I trust them to pursue that objective. As long as I keep the individual’s goal in mind I know exactly where, when and how far I can trust that person. Swan is fascinated with hot artifacts and she likes to make money selling them and the rumors that are attached to them. That’s really all I know about her aside from the fact that she has a degree in archaeology and spent some time on digs in South America.”
“You know that my goal is to find Olivia,” Catalina said.
Slater put down his fork and reached for his coffee. “I share your objective. I also want to find Olivia LeClair. That makes us allies.”
“You want to find her because you think she can help you solve your case.”
Slater’s eyes got very cold. “And because she’s an innocent victim who just happened to witness a murder when she was a teen. It really pisses me off when the bad guys use civilians.”
The intensity in his voice startled her.
“‘Civilians’?” she said.
Slater swallowed the last of his coffee, put the cup down and moved his empty plate aside. He leaned forward and folded his arms on the table.
“I know you don’t have much use for my uncles or the Foundation, but like it or not, it’s the only operation that has the resources required to deal with the bad guys regular law enforcement can’t handle.”
“Criminals who possess a strong psychic vibe.” Catalina sighed. “I get that. But I don’t like the idea of a rogue organization operating in the shadows. Like my father says, there’s no accountability. No oversight. Who polices the Foundation? That’s what I want to know. Your uncles might have cleaned things up a little when they got rid of the Rancourts, but they still operate the Foundation in a secretive way. It’s a relief to know that, currently, at least, they seem to be mostly on the same side as regular law enforcement—”
“Mostly?”
Catalina smiled a steely smile. “I’m trying to give the Foundation the benefit of the doubt.”
“Gee. Thanks.”
“Here’s where the real doubts come in. What’s to keep the Foundation from going back to the way things worked when the Rancourts ran it?”
Slater regarded her for a long moment. “Does everyone from Fogg Lake hold that view of the Foundation?”
“Not everyone,” she admitted. “There are a handful who think those of us in the paranormal community need some organization or agency we can turn to when it’s clear that regular law enforcement can’t handle the situation.”
“The kidnapping of a woman who sees auras, for example? Or the murder of a couple of collectors who specialized in artifacts with a paranormal vibe?”
“Yes,” Catalina said. “Situations like that. But for the record, as far as I’m concerned, the idea of a rogue organization operating in the shadows with its own police force is … deeply disturbing, to say the least.”
“Well, damn,” Slater said. “You really don’t know, do you?”
“Know what?”
“Here’s a quick history lesson, Catalina. The government did not shut down every single agency that was involved with paranormal research and development when it closed down the Bluestone Project. Some farsighted individuals realized that the problem of policing bad guys who possess paranormal talents was not going to vanish just because the labs had vanished. One small agency was kept open. But it’s seriously underfunded and unable to provide genuine oversight. Which is why the Rancourt family was able to gain control of the Foundation and remain in control for so long.”