The Vanishing Stair (Truly Devious #2)(46)

“I see the exit up ahead,” Slater said.

“Thank goodness.”

Something in her voice must have alerted him.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“Yeah, sure. Peachy. I have a little problem with tight, enclosed spaces. Just get us out of here.”

Slater came to a halt in front of a steel panel. He switched off the flashlight and slid the door aside.

More darkness spilled in through the opening, bringing with it a stale, musty odor.

“I think we’re in the basement of the house next door,” Slater said. “I noticed that it was vacant. I’ll bet Royston owned it as well as the one he lived in. No surprise. Collectors like their privacy.”

He led the way out of the tunnel and swept the flashlight around the room. Catalina took in the damp concrete floor and walls.

“You’re right,” she said “Another basement.”

She was amazed to discover that she was still clutching the file tray and the phone. Slater went quickly toward a flight of steps.

A brilliant light flashed on, pinning Slater in its glare. A voice boomed out of the shadows. Catalina’s senses were still heightened. She could not see the full aura of the man, because he was standing to one side of the open door. But his head and shoulders were exposed in the opening, revealing enough of his energy field for her to identify him as the identical twin of the runner who had come so close to her that morning. She knew Slater could see him, too.

“Drop the gun, Arganbright,” the twin said. “Or I’ll drop you where you stand.”

“Take it easy,” Slater said. “We’re all businesspeople here. Why don’t you tell us what you’re looking for? Maybe we can work out a deal.”

“I said get rid of the gun. Then we’ll talk.”

“Sure.” Slater crouched and set the pistol down very slowly. The bright flashlight followed his every move. “Where’s your clone?”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“Your twin,” Slater said.

“How the hell did you figure that out? Never mind. Tony is watching the other house. We knew about Royston’s escape route. We figured there was a chance you might find it. Where’s the woman?”

“Right here,” Catalina said.

She walked forward. Very deliberately she stepped in front of Slater.

“Catalina,” Slater said quietly. “Don’t do this.”

She ignored him, concentrating on the vision that was coalescing out of the shadows. She could read the intention of the killer as clearly as if he had spelled it out for her. The only way to keep him from shooting Slater was to use herself as a human shield.

“Get out of the way,” the twin ordered. His already hot aura spiked in frustrated anger.

“You’ll have to shoot through me to kill him, and we both know you need me in reasonably good shape, so let’s make a deal,” she said. “Here’s my offer. I’ll come with you, but in return you have to let my friend here go unharmed.”

The twin was clearly caught off guard. She could literally sense him turning over alternatives. At last he seized on what probably looked like the easiest solution to his problem.

“All right,” he said. “I don’t give a damn about Arganbright. You’re the one I need. Come on up here. Arganbright can stay down there in the basement. There’s a lock on this door. It will take him a while to get through it. That will give you and me plenty of time.”

“Spoken like any self-respecting sociopath,” she said cheerfully. “Do you have a lot of luck with lines like that?”

“What the fuck?” The twin’s aura radiated confusion. “Get up here.”

“On my way,” she said.

She went up the steps very quickly, taking them two at a time. She never took her eyes off his aura. When she reached the top he had to move out of the way. As soon as she went through the doorway he leaned around the opening, intending to take the shot.

But she had seen his intent in the vision that had flashed across her senses a few seconds earlier. She was already in motion. The twin’s attention was on Slater. Catalina slammed the heavy base of the vintage phone against the side of his head.

The twin was blindsided. He dropped the flashlight and the gun and reeled back. Blood saturated his blond hair and ran down the side of his face.

“You crazy bitch,” he yelled.

He reached out to grab her, but she was already backing away, giving Slater a clear path.

He came up the steps very fast. Dark energy flared in his aura.

Catalina dropped the phone and grabbed the flashlight. She swept the beam around the floor and saw the glint of metal. The twin saw his gun, too. He lurched toward it.

But Slater hit him like a heat-seeking missile, slamming the clone hard against the wall.

The twin grunted and sagged slowly downward until he was sitting on the floor.

Slater studied the clone’s bloody face as he patted down the man’s clothes.

“They don’t make telephones like they used to,” he said.

The twin groaned.

“The other one will be here soon,” Catalina said.

“No ID,” Slater said. “These guys are pros.” He gripped the twin’s shoulder and shook him.

The twin stirred and opened bleary eyes. He managed to focus on Slater.