The Vanishing Stair (Truly Devious #2)(49)

“One of the things you learn early on in my line is that a powerful legend can do just as much damage as the real thing,” he said.

“Because people want to believe it’s true and they’ll do whatever it takes to chase after it?” Catalina asked.

“Exactly. In the case of the Vortex lab, there are just enough clues out there to make Victor and Lucas and several of the Foundation experts believe that it really did exist and that a rogue scientist took control of the research. If they believe it, you can bet there are others who are convinced that it existed.”

“Let me guess. This rogue scientist who ran Vortex wanted to conquer the world using weaponized paranormal energy?”

“Probably not. This was a rogue scientist, remember, not some dictator or warlord. It’s more likely he wanted to discover the full potential of paranormal energy so that it could be used to cure disease, prolong the human life span, discover new worlds, et cetera, et cetera. But to do that he needed access to money, power and unlimited resources. If the legend is true, he was willing to kill to get them.”

“So he was no better than the average dictator or warlord.”

“He was potentially more dangerous, because he was smarter than the average power-hungry dictator or warlord.”

“Does this rogue scientist have a name?” Catalina asked.

“I’m sure he did, but that was one of the most closely guarded secrets of the Bluestone Project.”

“What this comes down to is that Olivia was probably taken by some creep or multiple creeps who believe in the legend of the Vortex lab.”

“Someone evidently thinks she knows something about Vortex,” he said.

The lethargy was getting heavier. He drank some of the bad coffee they had picked up at a gas station.

Catalina tightened her grip on the steering wheel. “She left that message on the mirror for you or someone else from the Foundation. She knew that I would call Victor once I discovered she was kidnapped, and she knew that whoever showed up from Las Vegas would understand the significance of ‘Vortex.’”

“She was right.”

“At least we’ve got one of the kidnappers now. If Deke ever wakes up, Victor’s team may be able to get some useful information out of him.”

“Maybe, but I doubt it. I think the twins are hired muscle. Smart people do not confide in guys like that.”

“That leaves us with the one unknown individual in the motel room,” Catalina said.

“You’re sure it was just one individual?”

“Almost positive. I never go with a hundred percent when it comes to crime scenes, though. Too many pools of energy around to be absolutely certain of anything. That motel room wasn’t hot the way a murder scene is hot, thank heavens, but there was a lot of intense emotion in that space.”

“Victor has a team on the way to Seattle. They’ll pursue the investigation from that end. If the twin we left in the basement has any useful information, the cleaners will get it out of him.”

“That’s it?” Catalina said. “That’s all good old Uncle Victor is going to do? Question the damned clone?”

“Trust me, Victor is taking this case very seriously.”

“How do we know that?” Catalina asked.

“He is sending the team to Seattle on the Foundation’s private jet.”

“So?”

“He sent me commercial,” Slater said.

“You mean he went cheap where you were concerned?”

“He would have had me booked economy class, but luckily Uncle Lucas intervened and told the travel department I had to fly first class.”

“Yeah?” Catalina glanced at him. “Because you’re special?”

“No, because I have a little problem with claustrophobia.”

Catalina stared straight ahead at the road. “You’re not the only one.”

“The night in the cave incident?”

“Uh-huh. You?”

“The month I spent locked up in the attic.”

Catalina went quiet for a while.

“You’ll be okay,” she said finally.

“What?”

“You’re worried that maybe you really have become what Deke called you,” she said. “An icer.”

“Did you see that in a vision?”

“I didn’t need a vision to figure out what you were thinking,” she said.

“How can you be sure of that?”

“Mostly because you haven’t brought up the subject.”

“Let me get this straight. The fact that I haven’t talked about it made you realize I was thinking about it?”

“Naturally.”

He closed his eyes for a few seconds and then forced himself to open them again. Sleep summoned him with a Siren’s call but he did not dare give in to the lure. He might wake up in a room full of hallucinations.

“Icers are supposed to be the stuff of paranormal legend,” he said quietly.

Catalina smiled. “Like Vortex?”

“I could have iced Deke’s aura.”

“But you didn’t.”

“I could have killed him.”

“You had a gun. You could have used that to kill him, too. But you didn’t. You’re not a blank, and you’re not one of the crazies. I’m assuming from the way you’re dealing with this issue that until now you didn’t know you could use your talent to cool someone’s aura?”