Riley motioned with the gun. “You go first. I’ll be right behind you.”
She moved through the entrance of the maze. Riley followed. When she looked back over her shoulder, she saw the unholy excitement in his eyes.
“This is powerful,” he whispered. “A real rush.”
They were deep into the maze now. The dark mirrors reflected their images into infinity. The hot glass also reflected Riley’s aura.
It was now or never.
Gwen flashed into the zone and focused on Riley’s dreamlight. She found the wavelengths and plunged him into a dreamscape.
Then she followed him down into the nightmare that she had designed for him.
The mirrors still loomed around them, but now they appeared as open doorways suspended over a bottomless sea filled with fog. The peaks of crystal mountains speared the mist. It was a place where no one could survive.
Horror and panic etched Riley’s face. He went to the nearest doorway and looked down into the bottomless well of ice and fog.
“Where are we?” he gasped. “What’s happening?”
“We’re in a dreamscape,” Gwen said. “I created it just for you.”
“That’s not possible.”
“It’s true that I usually need physical contact to do this kind of dream work,” she said. “But the mirror engine changes everything. It heightens my own talent. That’s what Evelyn designed it to do, you see.”
The feverish excitement rekindled in Riley’s eyes. “Then it must be strengthening my talent, as well.”
“No,” she said. “It doesn’t work like that. It’s tuned to my energy patterns, not yours.”
The ghosts of Evelyn and Louise appeared in two of the open doorways.
“About time you brought him here,” Evelyn said. “We’ve been waiting.”
“Sorry it took me so long,” Gwen said. “Things got complicated.”
“But you always knew that there was some piece of the puzzle missing, didn’t you?” Evelyn asked.
“Yes,” she said. “I did.”
“I thought no one could kill the demon,” Louise said.
“He’s gone now,” Gwen said.
“I told you that you were a witch like me,” Louise said. “But I was wrong. You are stronger, much stronger.”
“What’s going on?” Riley demanded. “Who are you talking to?”
“The ghosts of Evelyn and Louise,” she said. “Don’t you see them?”
“No.” Riley was sweating now. “But there’s something out there. What is it?”
“Hard to say. You’re seeing images from your own nightmares. I don’t know exactly how they appear to you, but to me your dreamscape is a hall of open doorways floating in midair above an ocean of fog. The jagged peaks of crystal mountains are visible in the mist.”
“Yes, yes, that’s exactly what I’m seeing now.”
“Excellent. That means I’ve got good control of your hallucinations. This engine really is amazing.”
“Make it all go away.”
“No,” she said. “If I do, you’ll murder me.”
“No, I won’t hurt you, I swear it.”
“Zander said that, too. But he was a liar. Like you. Runs in the family, I guess. The only way for you to escape is to run. That’s what Zander did.”
“Where?”
She waved a hand. “Pick a doorway, any doorway.”
“No,” Riley screamed.
“Your choice. There’s no other way out of here. I’m leaving now. This dreamscape is yours.”
She stepped through the nearest doorway—back into the reality of the lab and straight into Judson’s arms. Well, into one of his arms, she thought. He had his gun in his other hand.
She felt the brush of fur against her legs. Max bolted past her into the mirror maze. She never knew what the wildly hallucinating Riley saw when he saw Max, but she knew it must have been terrible.
Riley started to scream.
“What did you do to him?” Judson asked. He looked into the mirror engine.
She turned in the circle of his arm and looked into the glittering, sparking maze of mirrors. Riley had disappeared into the labyrinth of energy-infused glass.
“I put him into a dreamscape and I left him there,” she whispered. “The same thing I did to Zander Taylor. The only difference this time is that Riley ran into the heart of the engine, not outside into the river.”
“He was running from Max.”
Riley continued to scream for what seemed like forever. A shot rang out. The screaming stopped.
She heard the first sharp crack a heartbeat later. The hot mirrors started to shiver as though an earthquake had struck.
“Max,” Gwen shouted. “Max, come here. Please. You have to get out of there.”
To her surprise and overwhelming relief, Max trotted back out of the maze.
“Thank goodness.” Gwen scooped him up into her arms.
The tremors grew stronger and increasingly violent. The sound of splintering glass echoed from the heart of the engine.
Judson drew Gwen and Max away from the rainstorm of shattered mirrors. They watched the engine destroy itself.
And then it was over.
The body of Riley Duncan lay in a pool of blood in the middle of the pile of glittering shards.
Only then did Gwen see the blood on Max’s paws.
Forty-three
Judson closed the phone, rested one arm along the top of the mantel and looked at Gwen. “Oxley says the hospital told him that Lancaster has a mild concussion. They’re keeping him overnight for observation, but he will be released tomorrow. As for Riley Duncan, they’re calling it a suicide.”
“It was the dreamscape,” Gwen said. Absently, she stroked Max. The dozing cat was stretched out alongside her in the chair. He purred steadily. Earlier, much to his annoyance, she had washed the blood from his fur. “Whatever Riley saw drove him mad. Just like it did Zander.”
They were back in her cozy parlor room at the inn. It was late. A fire burned on the hearth. Judson had picked up takeout, pizza again. Mostly she was focusing on the glass of brandy that he had poured for her.
The shaky, edgy sensation created by a combination of bone-deep exhaustion and the aftermath of the heavy adrenaline and psi-burn was still rattling her senses. The recipe guaranteed a sleepless night.
Judson left the mantel and crossed the room. He lowered himself into the other reading chair and contemplated the flames.
“I’m glad that the mirror engine was destroyed today,” Gwen said. “I know you said that Sam and his lab techs would want to examine it, but I think it’s better that it’s gone altogether.”
Judson looked at her. “Even though it saved your life on two different occasions?”
“I’m really, really hoping I won’t need it a third time.”
“You won’t,” he said grimly. “From now on, I’m never going to let you out of my sight.”
She smiled. “Yes, you will, and we’ll both be fine.”
“No, we won’t both be fine. I’m going to have a few new nightmares of my own because of what nearly happened today.”
She reached over the arm of her chair and touched him lightly. “Good news, Coppersmith. I fix bad dreams.”
He smiled at that, caught her hand and kissed it. “I know you do, Dream Eyes.” He threaded his fingers through hers. “Have you decided what you’re going to do with the lab?”
“Your brother can have the equipment he thinks might be of interest to him and his techs. I’ll let Wesley have whatever is left and the lodge, assuming he still wants it for a set. He may not have any use for the place once some of Evelyn’s machines and devices have been removed.”
Judson nodded. “Sam will give you a good price for the equipment he takes.”
“I’m just glad that a few of Evelyn’s machines will be in the hands of people who will truly appreciate them. It means that her work won’t be lost.”
They drank the bran
dy in silence for a time. Max rumbled on, eyes closed.
“I wonder what Riley Duncan saw there at the end when he looked at Max,” Gwen said after a while.
Judson looked at the dozing cat. “His worst nightmare. Whatever it was, it must have been the final straw—so bad that he turned the gun on himself.”
“You know, I really can’t wait to leave Wilby.”
“I feel the same way about this town,” Judson said.
“It’s going to be a long night for me.” She stirred in the chair. “You might as well go to bed.”
“Not without you,” Judson said.
“I’m pretty sure I won’t be able to sleep much,” she warned.
“In that case, I won’t sleep, either.”
“It’s very kind of you to offer to keep me company, but there’s no need for both of us to sit here in the dark all night.”
He pulled her up out of the chair and down onto his lap. He cradled her close.
“Spending the night here in the dark together is exactly what we need to do,” he said. “And after tonight I want to spend tomorrow night with you and the night after that and the one after that and all the nights after that.”
Hope and longing whispered through her. “You’re talking about giving our partnership a chance to see where it goes?”
“I’m not talking about our partnership,” Judson said. “That’s a business arrangement. You and I are lovers, remember?”
“Yes,” she said. “Lovers. That works.”
Maybe not forever, but for a while.
Forty-four
Three days later, Gwen stood with Judson, Nick and Elias under a large beach umbrella. The shelter had been set up to block the intense sunlight that was grilling the small island. Max was not there. He was currently at Copper Beach where Willow Coppersmith was seeing to it that he got as much fresh salmon as he could eat.
Gwen watched several people use gleaming, high-tech mining equipment to haul the last of the rocks and rubble out of the collapsed cave entrance. All of the tools and machinery bore the Coppersmith logo. The same logo was inscribed on the safety helmets, goggles and uniforms worn by the crew.
Tendrils of energy whispered from the opening of the cave. They raised goose bumps on Gwen’s arms. She knew that all four of them felt the faint psi-breeze. At the entrance, the workers hastily moved back.
“Get enough hot energy trapped in a small space and anyone can feel it,” Elias said in low tones. “Even folks who aren’t sensitive.”
One of the men left the group of workers and approached Elias.
“I think there may have been some kind of gas trapped in there, boss,” he said. “Not sure what we’re dealing with here. Want me to send for some test equipment? I can get whatever we need from the Arizona office within a day.”
Elias looked at Judson. “Up to you. Are you okay with going ahead here or do you want to hold off until we see if we can figure out some way to lower the energy levels inside that cave?”
“We both know there’s no practical way to lower heavy psi,” Judson said. “But I think I can get past that. It’s the aurora fire that might be a problem. If that’s still burning, no one will be able to get inside. In that case, all we can do is close up the entrance again to make sure no one wanders into the cavern. I’ll go take a look.”
“I’ll go in with you,” Nick said. “I like hot spots. They give me a rush.”
“Wow, that comes as a shock,” Judson said. He started toward the entrance. “Let’s go.”
Alarm spiked through Gwen. “Hang on, here, maybe we should think about this a little more before you two go galloping off into that cave.”
But Judson and Nick were already heading toward the cave entrance. They pretended not to hear her.
“It’s okay,” Elias said quietly. “They won’t do anything real stupid. At least, I don’t think they’ll do anything stupid.”
“And if they do something stupid?” she asked.
Elias shrugged. “In that case, you and I will have to go in and drag their asses out of that damn cave.”
“Oh,” Gwen said. “Yes. That’s exactly what we’ll have to do.”
They watched Judson and Nick don some safety gear and disappear into the cavern.
“Well, they’re not rushing back out, so it looks like they didn’t run into anything they couldn’t handle,” Elias said.
Gwen surveyed the array of equipment and the crew of workers. She was no expert, but it seemed to her that there were a lot more people standing around than were required to do the job.
“You sure got this project set up in a hurry,” she said. “I’m impressed. This is one of those small islands with a huge government bureaucracy. Doesn’t it usually take days, weeks or even months to get the proper permits before you start doing major earth-moving work in a location like this?”
Elias snorted. “Not when you hire a lot of the locals, spend a lot of money in the local business establishments and pay off the right people all the way down the line. You’d be amazed how fast you can get a project like this going.”
“You’re good, Mr. Coppersmith. Very good.”
“I like to think so.” He paused. “But this project was downright easy.”
“And if it hadn’t gone smoothly, you’d have flown in with a small personal army of private security guards, heavy equipment and all the manpower required to open up that cave for Judson.”
“Well, sure,” Elias said.
“Whatever it took, because he’s your son and you knew he needed to get back inside.”
“Yeah, that pretty much sums it up.” Elias studied the cave entrance through his dark glasses. “I could tell from the way he talked on the phone that it was damn important for him to get back in there.”
“Yes,” she said. “It is.”
Elias rocked on his booted heels. “He’s looking a hell of a lot better now than he did when he first came back from this island.”
She remembered the hot energy that had burned in Judson’s aura the night she had met him for dinner in Seattle.
“Yes,” she said. “He’s fine now.”
“Thanks to you.”
“No, Judson just needed some time to heal after the psi-burn he took here.”
“You helped the process along. Willow and me, we won’t forget what you did for Judson. The family owes you. If you ever need anything, all you’ve got to do is ask.”
She smiled, touched. “Thank you, Mr. Coppersmith. But that favor has already been paid off. Judson helped me close out that unfinished business in Wilby. We’re more than even, believe me.”
“Good.” Satisfaction etched Elias’s craggy face. “Willow says it’s better that way.”
“She’s right,” Gwen said. “This way everyone is free to move on.”
“Yep. Willow says it’s not good for a woman to worry that a man might think he’s in love with her just because she saved him from some bad dreams. She says when it comes to a relationship, a woman needs to know that there’s something deeper and more lasting involved.”
Gwen caught her breath. “Your wife is a very wise woman.”
“She is.” Elias looked at her, sunglasses glinting in the hot light. “I’m not so dumb, either.”
Gwen laughed. “No one would ever call you dumb, Mr. Coppersmith.”
“Judson is in love with you.”
She turned away to look at the cave entrance. “It’s too soon to know.”
“Not for a Coppersmith. The question here is, are you going to break his heart?”
She flushed. “I really don’t think this is the time or place to talk about that sort of thing.”
“Can’t think of a better time or place. It’s a simple question. Are you going to break my son’s heart?”
“Mr. Coppersmith, for heaven’s sake—”
“Willow says that if you do intend to break his heart, it ought to at least be for the right reason—not the wrong one.”
Gwen realize
d she was starting to get mad. “Assuming I do have that power—which I very much doubt—what would constitute the wrong reason for breaking Judson’s heart?”
“Doing it because you think it’s for his own good,” Elias said. “Worst damn reason in the world.”
She froze. “But, if he doesn’t know his own mind—”
“No such thing as a Coppersmith who doesn’t know his own mind.” Elias broke off and focused his attention on the cave entrance. “Here they come. Doesn’t look like they got fried while they were inside.”
Gwen followed his gaze. Judson and Nick emerged from the cave. Automatically she raised her senses and studied the auras of the two men. They both looked normal—at least as normal as the auras of two powerful talents could look, she thought.
“They’re fine,” she agreed.
Judson stripped off his helmet and put on his sunglasses. He walked to where she and Elias stood. Nick accompanied him, grinning with excitement.
“Still damn intense in there,” he said. “Makes for a great ride.”
Elias looked at Judson. “Find anything?”
“Maybe.” Judson held up an object that looked like a flashlight. “This is the weapon that Spalding used on me. I’ll have Sam and his techs take a look at it.”
Gwen frowned. “But that’s not what you were looking for in your dreamscape.”
“No,” Judson said. He reached into his pocket and removed a slip of paper. “This is what I went down there to find.”
“What’s that written on it?” Elias asked.
“I think the name of a business firm and the town where it’s located,” Judson said. “Anyone ever heard of Jones and Jones in Scargill Cove, California?”
Forty-five
The voice on the other end of the connection sounded like the low, ominous growl of a bear.
“This is Fallon Jones,” the bear said. “Who are you, and how did you get this number?”
“The name is Judson Coppersmith,” Judson said. “Got the number from a guy who’s really good at tracking down information online.”