Page 54 of It takes a Psychic

Alarm jolted through Leona. “Yes.Yes, I would mind. I’m not exactly dressed to entertain guests. It’s after one in the morning. I’d like to get some sleep.”

“It would just take a few minutes,” Baxter assured her.

“No, absolutely not,” Leona said.

Darla’s eyes widened. “We understand. Totally. Sorry about the intrusion. Baxter and I will see you at breakfast tomorrow morning.”

“Sure,” Leona said. “Now, if you wouldn’t mind—”

“Okay, sorry to bother you,” Baxter said. He paused. “Take notes, would you? Jot down anything that strikes you about the energy around the rez-screen—or anywhere in your room, for that matter.”

“Right,” Leona said. “We’ll get right on that.”

“See you in the morning,” Oliver said.

Reluctantly, Baxter and Darla made their way down the hall. Oliver closed the door and turned around. The twitch at the corner of his mouth kicked in.

“So they are not honeymooners,” he said.

She wrinkled her nose. “It was a good theory.”

“…Follow me into the future…”

Distracted by Vance’s mesmeric voice, she focused on the rez-screen again. “Now what? We’re not going to be able to sleep as long as that video is playing.”

“In that case, maybe we should pay attention.”

Oliver walked back across the room and sat down on the end of the bed. He studied the rez-screen, once again in his focused, academic mode. She hesitated, not sure how to handle the situation. He was probably right. They needed information. But she was in herpajamas. She thought about putting on her jacket but that seemed somewhat ridiculous under the circumstances. She reminded herself that he had seen her in far less clothing.

“Okay,” she said finally.

She sat down beside him and started paying attention to the megalomaniac on the screen. Vance was holding up a palm-sized disc that dangled from a metal chain. There was a small crystal set into the pendant.

“…You will wear the symbol of your loyalty at all times…”

“He was very specific about the need for his followers to wear those pendants,” Oliver said in a thoughtful tone.

“Yes, he was.” She leaned back, braced her hands behind her, and contemplated the screen.

“According to the historians, the crystals were designed to resonate with the crystals of other followers,” Oliver continued. “It was how the true believers of the cult recognized each other.”

“The crystals in Vance’s pendants and the one we saw on the deadcaterer were transparent. No color.” Leona touched the stone she wore beneath the top of her pajamas and then glanced at the crystal in Oliver’s hand. “Where do the yellow crystals fit into all this?”

“Good question.”

The rez-screen blinked off. The video winked out along with Vance’s hypnotic voice. Leona shivered.

“Thank goodness that’s over,” she said. “Maybe we can get some sleep.”

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she realized she probably wouldn’t be able to get back to sleep—and even if she did, the dream would be lying in wait for her.

“I don’t know about you,” Oliver said, “but I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep.”

She exhaled heavily. “Whew. Thanks. Now I can say the same thing without embarrassing myself. That reminds me, earlier I could have sworn I saw a figure in the fog watching our rooms.”

“I saw him, too.”

“Him?”

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