The Vanishing Stair (Truly Devious #2)(72)

It made sense that there would be some strong energy in the atmosphere. The infirmary was, after all, part of the Fogg Lake lab. In addition, Nyla had been using the chamber to conduct experiments involving chemicals with paranormal properties for years. That meant everything in the room had been exposed to a lot of ambient radiation.

But there was a current of unstable energy just under the surface. His paranormal senses reacted to it the same way his normal senses would have if he had entered a room and caught the scent of smoke. He heightened his talent a little more and looked around, trying to identify the artifact that was giving off the ominous vibe. It took him a moment to realize that it was coming from a pile of plastic packets that were filled with some white powder. The products of Nyla’s drug lab, no doubt.

Tony shifted uneasily.

“Can’t you turn up the heat in here?” he said to Nyla.

Slater spoke before Nyla could respond.

“Mind explaining how you got the clones in and out of Fogg Lake without anyone noticing?” he asked. “In fact, how did you get Ms. LeClair here?”

Nyla flashed him an impatient look. “Why do you keep calling Tony and Jared clones?”

“It’s not important,” Slater said. “But I will admit I’m damned curious about how you were able to operate this lab and bring people in and out of the area without drawing the attention of the locals.”

Nyla’s mouth curved in an icy smile. “The partially flooded tunnel we used to get here continues for quite some distance underground. It’s navigable the entire way in a small boat. The exit point is concealed inside another cavern on the far side of the lake. There’s an abandoned logging road there that eventually connects to the old road down the mountain.”

“What changed?” Slater asked. “I assume something happened to convince you that it was worth taking the risk of kidnapping Olivia and Catalina.”

Nyla’s face lit with triumph. “I was contacted by a representative of an organization that recognizes my talent.”

“Vortex,” Slater said.

Nyla rounded on him. “I know what you’re going to say. That Vortex is just a legend, a myth attached to the stories of the lost labs. But I’ve got news for you. It was real all those years ago, and it will be real again.”

“Bullshit,” Slater said. “Someone is playing you.”

“That’s not true,” Nyla shouted.

“I don’t doubt that someone contacted you and claimed to represent Vortex, but the truth is, someone just wants to use you to take all the risks.”

“You haven’t got a clue,” Nyla said. “And neither does the Foundation. And that’s the way it needs to be, at least for now. But the truth is that Vortex is rising from the ashes and I have been offered a position as the director of a lab that will conduct the kind of cutting-edge paranormal research the Foundation refuses to do.”

“If you’ve got an offer like that, why didn’t you disappear again and set up shop in a Vortex facility?” Slater asked.

“Because there is a price to pay to be admitted into the inner circles of Vortex,” Nyla said. “In my case, that price is the Fogg Lake laboratory complex.”

“I would have thought this one chamber would have been more than enough to buy your way into Vortex,” Slater said. “There must have been a fortune in artifacts in this room when you found it.”

“Unfortunately someone else found it first,” Nyla said, disgusted. “Raiders, most likely. Or maybe someone in Fogg Lake discovered it and quietly sold off the artifacts. This chamber was almost empty when I arrived. The only things left were some workbenches and a few beakers. But it did provide me with the space and privacy that I needed for a halfway decent lab.”

Slater looked around. “So the people claiming to be from Vortex are using you to find the Fogg Lake lab. You take all the risks. They stay in the shadows. Sweet. You do realize that as soon as you give them what they want, they will figure out that they don’t need you anymore, don’t you?”

Nyla turned to Tony. “Get rid of him.”

“About fucking time,” Tony said. He raised the gun.

“No,” Catalina said. She stared at Nyla. “You can’t do this. You have to stop now. You can’t keep killing people.”

Nyla did not take her attention off Tony. “Not in here. Do it out on the dock and dump the body in the river.”

“That’s how you instructed the killer to get rid of Morrissey’s body,” Slater said. “You know, it’s a mistake to do things the same way twice. Points to a pattern. The Foundation cleaners are really, really good when it comes to identifying patterns.”

“Get him out of here,” Nyla said.

“No,” Catalina said. “Please. I’ll do what you want. I’ll take you to the old power generator chamber.”

“You don’t need to kill him,” Olivia said. “Why risk having the Foundation launch an investigation? You can give him some of that drug you’re going to use on Catalina and me.”

“You mustn’t do this, Nyla,” Catalina said.

The plea for mercy sounded authentic, but Catalina’s voice had taken on the familiar eerie note. Slater recognized the haunted look that indicated she was having a vision. He knew she sensed what he planned to do.