Page 38 of It takes a Psychic

“I can give you another one. There’s an old legend that claims Vance’s original headquarters was located in or around Lost Creek.”

She absorbed that information and got another intuitive ping.

“I’ve never heard that,” she said slowly. But it wasn’t like she was an authority on Vance or the history of the rebellion that had nearly destroyed the colonies a hundred years earlier. Oliver, however, appeared to be very certain of what he was talking about.

He shrugged. “It’s just one of a few dozen Vance myths that circulate on the rez-net. But, like I said, it’s another interesting coincidence.”

“Why were you originally planning to go to Lost Creek?” she asked.

“A collector obsessed with Vance memorabilia lives in the Lost Creek area. He contacted me a few days ago. Said he recently came across a file on the Bluestone Project.”

“The Old World government program that produced the first Vortex machine?” she asked.

“Right. He claims the file is authentic. He’d heard I might be interested in it. He offered to sell it to the museum. We set up an appointment for me to view the document.”

She blew out a breath. “You’re right about the coincidences. They certainly are coming in hot.”

“What do you say? Want to come with me? There’s no point driving two separate cars to the Mirage Mountains. We’ll take mine. We can talk on the way. Make plans for how we want to deal with our inquiries in Lost Creek.”

“You really think there’s something important to find there, don’t you?”

“Yes,” he said, “I do.”

“It’s an interesting idea,” she allowed.

He checked his watch. “If we leave within the hour, we can be there early this evening. I’ve got reservations at the local inn.”

Her heart rate picked up as understanding struck. She smiled slowly.

“This isn’t about doing me any favors, is it?” she said. “You think I might be useful.”

“And you think you might be able to use me,” he said. “Our agendas are aligned, at least for the moment. We’ve both got questions about the pyramid crystal and all those coincidences. We are more likely to get answers if we coordinate and work together.”

“Partners as long as the partnership is mutually beneficial,” she said, tasting the concept.

“Exactly.”

“All right. We have a deal.”

He did not even try to hide his satisfaction. It was irritating that he had known she would not be able to resist his offer, but she refused to let that stand in the way. This was too important. It was about the past—Molly’s and her own. There might be answers in Lost Creek.

She slipped off the bench and stood. “I need to go home and pack. Where shall I meet you?”

“I’ll pick you up at your apartment in the DZ.”

“I took public transportation to get here today. It will take me a while to get home.”

“I’ll drive you.”

She raised her brows. “You really are in a hurry to get to Lost Creek, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” he said. “I’ve got that feeling you sometimes get in our work.”

“The feeling that this is important.”

“That one.”

Shrieks of excitement and a lot of chortling interrupted her thoughts. She turned toward the large pond and saw that the two kids had launched the remote-controlled boat. The vessel was heading out across the pond, picking up speed.

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