The Vanishing Stair (Truly Devious #2)(61)

“Long story, but that is the short version,” Catalina said. She stepped back and indicated Slater. “This is Slater Arganbright, the investigator. Slater, this is Harmony.”

Slater rose politely. “Harmony.”

Harmony studied him for a long moment with her deep eyes. Catalina sensed a shiver of energy in the atmosphere. She held her breath, because she knew that Harmony was trying to view Slater’s aura. Harmony had a strong talent, but no one knew exactly what it was. If she could perceive the icy energy in Slater’s field she might decide he was dangerous and warn everyone to stay away from him.

“Well, well, well,” Harmony said finally. “You’re an Arganbright all right.”

Catalina breathed a small sigh of relief. She plucked the photo from Euclid’s fingers and handed it to Harmony.

“This is one of the kidnappers,” she said. “We’re searching for his twin.”

“Hmm.” Harmony allowed herself to be distracted. She took the photo and studied it. “What happened to him?”

“I hit him with a phone because he was going to shoot Slater.”

Harmony glanced up in surprise. “A little cell phone did that much damage?”

“An old phone,” Catalina said. “Maybe from the late nineteen fifties.”

“I see,” Harmony said. “That explains it. I’m sorry, I’ve never met this man or his twin, but there’s something about him that reminds me of someone I may have come across in the archives. He looks to be around thirty years old, don’t you think?”

“I would say that’s about right,” Slater said.

“I’ll tell you what,” Harmony said. “I’ll take a look at the ancestry files and see if I can find any male twins who would be that age.”

Slater’s gaze sharpened. “You keep ancestry records of people who have a connection to Fogg Lake?”

“Part of my job,” Harmony said. “The files go all the way back to the night of the Incident. I can’t guarantee they’re complete. We’ve lost contact with a lot of people who have moved away. But I’m pretty good at tracking down the descendants of the people who were living here at the time of the Incident. I’ll go back to my place and start the search.”

“Thanks,” Slater said. “I would appreciate it if you would contact me immediately if you find anything tonight. Don’t wait until morning.”

“Olivia’s life is at stake,” Catalina said.

“I understand,” Harmony said.

She turned on her booted heel and strode toward the door. A man rushed to open it for her. She paused long enough to pull up the hood of her cloak, and then she disappeared into the fog-bound night.

When the door closed behind her, an uneasy hush fell over the crowd. Euclid looked around.

“You heard Harmony,” he said. “Best to make an early night of it. I know we don’t usually lock our doors around here, but do it tonight. There might be some bad people out there in the woods.”

Chairs scraped as people got to their feet and began pulling on coats and caps. The waiters got very busy clearing the tables. Within a very short period of time the café and the bar were nearly empty.

Slater looked at Catalina. “Does Harmony have a last name?”

“Probably,” Catalina said. She got to her feet and took her coat down off the hook. “I’m sure there is one in the ancestry books, but she has always made it clear that she wants to be addressed only as Harmony.”

Slater stood and reached for his wallet. “Gotta tell you, she sent a chill through me when she walked in here and delivered that comment about the bad vibe in the fog tonight.”

“She does that kind of thing once in a while. You get used to it.”

Slater put a few bills on the table and slid his wallet back into the pocket of his trousers. “I noticed people paid attention to her.”

“Well, sure. She’s the current Oracle of Fogg Lake.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes. But there’s no money in that line, at least not here in Fogg Lake. She has a day job.”

Slater pulled on his jacket. “What is it?”

“She’s the town librarian.”





CHAPTER 27


The dreamer raced through a hall of mirrors, searching for Olivia. Visions seethed in each looking glass she passed, taunting her. She knew that if she could find the right mirror she would find Olivia. But the corridor was endless and time was running out. The visions were growing more ominous.

She ran faster, desperate to identify the mirror that concealed Olivia.



“Catalina. Wake up. You’re dreaming.”

Slater’s voice brought her out of the nightmare on the wings of an anxiety attack. She sat up abruptly, trying to orient herself. It took her a moment to realize she was in her old bed in her parents’ Fogg Lake home. A night-light plugged into a wall outlet illuminated the space in a faint bluish glow.

Slater stood beside the bed, not touching her; giving her space. In the faint light she could see that he was wearing the dark trousers he’d had on earlier and a crew-neck T-shirt. Her senses were a little fried by the anxiety, so they were flashing and sparking. She could see enough of Slater’s midnight aura to know he was cranked up, too.