All the Colors of Night (Fogg Lake #2)(15)

North glanced up again. “Her father’s a psychic poet? What the hell kind of career is that?”

Lucas shrugged. “You contact him online, tell him your problems, ask for his advice, he sends you a poem that gives you guidance. It’s the customer’s job to interpret the poem, of course.”

Victor glanced at the nearest painting. “Rather like receiving a prophecy from the Oracle.”

“Rather like a scam, if you ask me,” North said. “Can I assume Mrs. Raines is running a similar con with the psychic song therapy gig?”

Victor narrowed his eyes. “Forget the parents. Focus on Sierra Raines. You need her help.”

North closed the folder. “Not a lot of information here. You don’t even have a current address for her.”

“After she left Ecclestone’s she went mostly off the grid,” Lucas said. “We know she’s working in the Seattle area but, no, we haven’t been able to come up with a home address. That phone number is good, as far as we know, but she never answers. The only thing you can do is leave a message and hope she gets back to you. I didn’t call her about this case because I didn’t want to make her nervous. She might decide to bolt. I’ve asked Jones to set up the meeting between the two of you.”

“Calls from the Foundation have a way of making people in the artifacts trade uneasy,” Victor muttered. “That goes double for go-betweens. They have a tendency to disappear if they think we’ve taken an interest in them.”

“You need to work on your people skills,” North said.

Victor ignored that. “If she’s as good as Jones says, she’s your best shot at tracking down the artifact your father bought from Swan.”

“I’d work with the Devil herself if that’s what it takes to find out what happened to Dad,” North said.

Victor nodded, satisfied. “Figured you’d see things that way.”





CHAPTER 7


The ambulance with Chandler Chastain on board was waiting at the airport in Seattle.

A stylishly dressed woman, her auburn hair cut at a sharp angle that emphasized her striking features, came forward to greet them.

“I’m Olivia LeClair,” she explained. “I am so sorry about what happened to Mr. Chastain. My partner, Catalina Lark, is out of town. She and her husband are doing some research on another possible lost lab location, but I or my assistant has been with Mr. Chastain every moment since I got the call from Victor Arganbright. I want to assure you that no one except medical personnel who were personally vetted by me have been allowed near Mr. Chastain and I authorized no procedures, just as Arganbright instructed.”

“Vetted by you?” North asked.

“I’m a very good aura reader,” Olivia said.

North nodded. A strong aura analyst was usually able to discern potentially dangerous energy in an individual’s aura.

“Understood,” he said.

“Thank you for protecting my husband until we could get here,” Lily said.

“From what I can tell, Mr. Chastain’s aura appears strong,” Olivia continued, “but some of his energy bands are oscillating erratically. I hope the doctors at Halcyon Manor can correct the problem quickly. I understand they are doing a lot of advanced work on disorders of the paranormal senses there in Vegas.”

“Yes,” Lily said. “They are.”

Two medics opened the back door of the ambulance and removed the gurney. The Halcyon doctors took charge, moving swiftly.

North had talked to the medics during the flight from Las Vegas. They had tried to tell him what to expect. He thought he had steeled himself for the sight of his father in an unnerving state. He was wrong. It shook him to the core.

His mother, however, appeared strong and resolute.

“We will get through this,” she said quietly.

They fell into step alongside the gurney.

“Hello, darling,” Lily said. She clasped Chandler’s hand and continued talking as the group moved toward the plane stairs. “I’m here to take you home, where the doctors will know how to deal with this situation. Meanwhile, North will find out who did this to you.”

She spoke in a calm, utterly convincing tone of voice that left North speechless. He had always known his mother was a strong woman but he had never seen her in action in such devastating circumstances. He watched his father’s face while Lily continued to talk and squeeze his hand.

Chandler opened his eyes. He gave no indication that he recognized his son or his wife. Instead he gazed into the distance as if he was staring at something only he could see. But North was suddenly very sure that his father had responded to Lily’s voice.

“He knows who you are, Mom,” North said quietly.

“Of course he does,” Lily said.

The medics halted at the foot of the stairs and prepared to carry the gurney and its passenger up into the plane.

“Wait,” North said.

“Orders are to get Mr. Chastain home as fast as possible,” one of the medics said.

“I just need a minute,” North said. “Mom, I think Dad’s responding to your energy on some level. I want to try asking him a couple of questions.”

Lily paused and then she nodded once. “Go ahead.”

North touched his father’s shoulder and tried to think of questions that required only simple yes or no responses.