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“You aren’t supposed to bring valuables with you to the hospital,” Nathan said.
“Nothing valuable in my wallet except that phone number. Get it.”
Nathan went to the closet, pawed through the meager assortment of personal belongings and produced the aged, well-worn wallet. He brought it back to the bed and opened it.
“Dial the number on that old card,” Qui
Nathan punched in the number. A man picked up. The voice had a faint, Western edge to it, the kind of voice you associated with cowboys and pilots. The classic Chuck Yeager twang, Nathan thought. The voice also had the ring of authority.
“Coppersmith.”
“I’m calling from Oakmont Hospital,” Nathan said. “A patient named Qui
“Qui
Nathan helped Qui
“Elias?” he croaked. “That you?”
“Damn, it’s good to hear from you, Qui
“I kept track of you,” Qui
“Glad to hear it, but you should have stayed in touch. You sound awful. What the hell are you doing in the hospital?”
“Dying,” Qui
“Are you serious?”
“I just told you, I’m dying. Turns out people get real serious when shit like that happens.”
“Qui
“Florida.”
“I’ll be on a company plane within the hour. Be there by morning.”
“Forget it,” Qui
“Sedona?”
“Last I heard you bought yourself a whole damn island up there in the San Juans.”
“Still got the island, but Willow and I just use it as a spring and summer getaway place. Moved the main headquarters of the company down here to Arizona years ago. There’s one division left in Seattle, the R–and–D lab. My oldest son, Sam, is the only one who lives year-round on the island.”
“You had another son and a little girl, too.”
“Judson and Emma. All grown up now. Judson and Sam run their own private consulting firm. And Emma is…Emma. Lives in Portland, Oregon. Willow says she’s still finding herself. I say it’s time she got serious about life, but that’s a whole other issue.”
“So you’re in Sedona.” Qui
“Tell me about the notebook, Qui
“Not much more to tell. But here’s the thing you need to know. My son is going after it.”
“I heard your son died a few years ago. Some kind of boating accident.”
“Hate to say it, but it probably would have been better if that were true. But he’s alive, Elias. He came to see me tonight. Says I deprived him of his inheritance. He’s got my talent, Elias, but he’s got a hell of a lot more of it than I ever had. And he’s sick in the head. Evil sick. Be careful. That’s all I can tell you. Gotta go now.”
“Qui
“You were the best friend I ever had, Elias. Always thought of you as a brother. All these years I tried to keep our secret, but I made the mistake of holding on to one of the crystals. Now Lander has it. I failed you.”
“No, Qui
“Just like last time, huh?”
“Just like last time,” Elias said.
“Good-bye, brother.”
“Good-bye, my brother.”
The phone fell from Qui
In spite of the oncoming darkness, Qui
2
A CRAZY MAN AND A GUN WAS NEVER A GOOD COMBINATION. A crazy man with paranormal talent and a gun made for a very bad start to the day.
Abby Radwell watched the terrifying scene taking place in the library from the shadows of the doorway. The intruder holding the pistol on Ha
The intruder’s voice rose. “I’m not playing games, lady.” He waved the pistol in an erratic pattern. “I know The Key is here in this room. You have to give it to me, and then she has to unlock it.”
“You are welcome to take The Key,” Ha
“She’s supposed to unlock it,” the intruder said.
“Who are you talking about?” Ha
“Not the housekeeper,” the intruder said. He used the back of his arm to wipe the sweat off his forehead. “The woman who is working for you here in this library. She knows how to unlock hot books.”
“I don’t understand,” Ha
Ha
Ha
Abby’s senses were wide open. Her intuition was screaming at her to rush back downstairs and out onto the street. The intruder was not yet aware of her presence. She could call nine-one-one once she was safely outside. But by the time the police arrived, it might be too late for Ha
Abby spoke quietly from the doorway. “I’ll get The Key for you.”
“What?” The intruder whirled around to face her, eyes widening in shock. “Who are you?”
“My name is Abby. I’m the one you’re looking for, the woman who can unlock The Key.”
“Huh.” The intruder blinked several times and shook his head as if to clear it. He was shivering, but he managed to steady himself somewhat. He gripped the gun with both hands, aiming it at her. “Are you sure you’re the right woman?”
“Yes. What’s your name?”
“Grady.” The response was automatic.
“All right, Mr. Grady…”
“No, my name is Grady Hastings.” Grady looked confused for a few seconds. He wiped his forehead again. “That’s all you need to know. Get the book. Hurry. I don’t feel too good.”
“The book you want is encrypted?”
“Yes, yes.” Excitement heightened the fever in Grady’s eyes. “The Key to the Latent Power of Stones. They told me you could unlock it.”
“It’s in the crystals section, up on the balcony,” Abby said.
“Get it. Hurry.”
“All right.” She walked into the room and headed toward the small spiral staircase that gave access to the balcony which wrapped around the library. “How did you know that it was in Mrs. Vaughn’s collection?”