Page 75 of It takes a Psychic

“What do you think is going on around here, Starkey?”

“I don’t know, and that’s the honest truth.” Starkey shook his head. “All I can tell you is that folks have been talking about the arrival of the bride for a couple of weeks now. They’re sure Ms. Griffin here is her and that she’s got the key.”

“Do you think they will try to steal it from her?” Oliver asked.

“Doubt it,” Starkey said. “At least not until she opens the enhancement machine. See, that’s the thing. According to the Voice, she’s the only one who can find the damned machine and unlock it. No one else can freeVance. Shit, I can’t believe I’m even saying that. I never believed any of it. Told myself it was just a scam.”

“Who is running the con?” Oliver asked.

“Best guess is the acolyte.”

“Who is the acolyte?” Leona asked.

“I don’t know that, either.” Starkey grunted. “When those pendants showed up on everyone’s doorstep a while back, the Voice said they had been distributed by the acolyte. We were told to await the arrival of the bride.”

“So you’ve heard this Voice?” Oliver asked.

“Sure. Comes from the pendants.” Starkey pulled his out from under his jacket. “Gets in your head. When I realized what was going on I started listening to rez-rock on the headphones. That way I can still hear the Voice but it feels like it’s coming from outside, not in my head.”

Oliver glanced at Leona. “The pendants are communication devices of some kind.”

“Apparently,” she said.

Starkey frowned. “Not regular coms, I can tell you that much. They don’t work both ways. You can’t talk to the acolyte or anyone else with them. You just receive the messages. The Voice is hard to describe. It’s like you hear it but not with your ears.”

“Do you think Lost Creek really was Vance’s headquarters during the Era of Discord?” Leona asked.

“Yes,” Starkey said. “Wasn’t sure when I moved here, but I do now. Until you showed up, though, I never believed he was coming back to lead another uprising.”

“Don’t worry,” Leona said. “He’s not coming back.”

“I hope not,” Starkey said.

“You’re a Guild man,” Oliver said. “You know the Underworld. So did Vance. His entire strategy was based on using the tunnels for his attacks.If he did initiate the rebellion from here, he must have had access to the caverns. Any idea where that entrance was?”

“The Waterfall Cavern. Supposedly his enhancement machine is somewhere in the tunnels under Lost Creek, but no one has ever found it.”

Oliver took the small locator off his belt. “We need the coordinates of the Waterfall Cavern.”

“No problem. It’s not that far. A thirty-minute hike.” Starkey took out his own locator and sent the coordinates. When he was finished, he dropped it into a pocket and looked at Leona. “You’re sure you’re not the bride?”

“Positive,” Leona said.

He nodded, evidently satisfied. “You two should probably get out of town first thing in the morning.”

“I agree,” Oliver said. Leona shot him a startled look. He ignored her. “This sounds like a job for the Guild and the FBPI. But there’s the little matter of the bridge. It seems to have disappeared.”

Starkey snorted. “That old trick. Should have known Burt and his pals would pull it. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.”

“On your own?” Oliver asked.

“I’m not the only one in town who doesn’t think it would be a good idea for Vance to return.”

Chapter Thirty-Three

Leona waited until Starkey haddisappeared into the fog before she spoke.

“Why did you let him think we’ll leave in the morning?” she said, her voice low and fierce. “I don’t know about you, but I’m not going anywhere until I get more information about the yellow crystals. We’ve barely scratched the surface. At the very least we need to check out that Waterfall Cavern. And I need to know more about that journal Thacker has.”

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