Stone and Claw: A Novel in the Alastair Stone Chronicles

by R. L. King

  If he didn’t know Jason as well as he did, he wouldn’t have noticed the slight hesitation in his friend’s voice. “I’d say that’s up to you—and Verity. If you’d rather celebrate with just the two of you—”

  “No.” This time his tone was firm. “No, I really want you to be there, if you can make it.”

  “Absolutely. Just let me know when and where. I’ll even buy dinner—we should go someplace posh to celebrate that kind of accomplishment.”

  “Sounds great—Thanks, Al. Gotta go now—got a few more people to call. I’ll see you this weekend.”

  Verity came by later that evening, bearing shopping bags. “You know, we really need to take you to the grocery store one of these days.” She patted the sleek new stainless-steel refrigerator before opening it to unload them. “I hear these big cold boxes are great for storing things other than Guinness and leftover take-out.”

  “Are they?” Stone shot her a look. “And here’s me thinking they were just to fill unsightly little alcoves in the kitchen.”

  “So, did Jason call you?”

  “He did. He sounded quite pleased with himself, as well he should.”

  “Yeah, he’s really happy to be done with the apprenticeship thing. I don’t think his was nearly as fun as mine,” she added with a sly grin.

  “Not to hear you tell it any time I tried to teach you theory.”

  She waved him off. “I think he’s just glad to be getting away from Fran. From what he told me, she was a good boss and he learned a lot from her, but they kinda drove each other crazy.”

  “So he’s still planning to come up here?”

  She shoved a produce bag and a knife across the counter toward him. “Here, chop up this onion, will you? And yeah, that’s what he said today. It’s part of why he’s coming up this weekend—gonna stay with me for a few days and see about what he needs to set up his own agency. It’ll be a while before he can do that, though, so he’ll probably look for someplace he can work for a while.”

  “Will he be moving in with you?” Stone kept his tone casual as he chopped, and used a gentle magical nudge to shove an over-eager Raider off the counter.

  “No. Neither of us think that’s a good idea—especially not with you paying the rent. Oh—that reminds me: you don’t have to do that anymore. I’ve got it covered now.”

  “Do you?”

  “Yeah. The coffee shop doesn’t pay that great, but I’ve been making good money on the side doing healing for Scuro. As long as that holds out, I think I’ve got it under control.”

  “You know I don’t mind—”

  “I know.” She pulled a pot from a cabinet, filled it with water, and put it on to boil. “But I think Jason’s right—I shouldn’t be letting you pay my rent. Not since I’m not your apprentice anymore. It feels…weird.”

  “Fair enough, then. But you know if you ever come up short, I’m happy to help.”

  “I know, and I appreciate it. But I think I’m good. Anyway, Jason says he’s got some money saved up from living with Stan, but he’ll need that to find an apartment. It’s cool, though—he says it will help him get used to the area again before he branches out on his own.”

  Stone finished with the onion and levitated the chopped-up bits into a nearby bowl. “So he’s all right with us—”

  “Look at you,” she said, grinning. “That’s the old Doc back, using magic just because he can. And yeah, he’s okay with it. Mostly. I still think he’d rather it hadn’t happened, but you know him—he gets over it. Let’s not talk about that right now, though. How’s the new quarter? Any interesting students?”

  “Not…really. There is an interesting professor, though.”

  “Oh?” She tossed pasta into the pot, turned up the heat, and dug in the bag for more vegetables. “I thought it was just you and Dr. Hubbard.”

  “There’s a new one. Dr. Garra. They brought her on rather quickly, without consulting Hubbard or me.”

  “That’s weird, isn’t it? I thought they had you interviewing all the candidates.”

  “They did. She’s just doing a guest-lecturer thing for the quarter, so we can evaluate her before they make a final decision. Apparently her availability was rather sudden and they didn’t want to lose her—especially since they thought I’d be gone a lot longer than I was.” He took the carrots she offered and begun cutting them up, staring off into the middle distance as his thoughts drifted to Garra.

  “Something wrong?” she asked. “You zoned out there for a minute—that usually means you’ve got something on your mind.”

  He pondered. “I’m not sure,” he said at last.

  “What’s that mean?”

  “Probably nothing. I just can’t shake the feeling that there’s something…odd about Dr. Garra.”

  “Odd? What kind of odd?”

  “That’s just it—I can’t say. There’s nothing unusual about her aura, and it’s not as if she’s done anything strange to make me suspicious.”

  “What’s she like?”

  “She’s from somewhere in South America—Peru, I think. I’d never heard of her before, but that’s probably because all her publications are in Spanish. She’s quite young, too.”

  Verity grinned. “Is she hot?”

  “I suppose she is—for a professor, at least.”

  “You’re hot—and not just for a professor.” Her grin turned wicked. “Maybe that’s it—you want to do her and you don’t want to admit it.”

  “No, that’s not it,” he said quickly.

  She checked the pot, then came over and pulled him into a hug. “It’s okay if you do, you know,” she murmured. “I’d be a hypocrite if I said anything else, considering how much time I’ve been spending with Kyla lately.”

  He sighed, returning the hug but then stepping back. “That’s not what’s happening,” he said. “But even if it were—” He shook his head. “Never mind. Let me keep my mind on cutting these up, unless you want a bit of extra protein in your recipe.”

  She returned to her spot at the counter, focusing on cooking. After a few moments she looked up as if she might say something, but ended up remaining silent.

  Jason arrived the following Friday afternoon, and Verity called Stone during his office hour to let him know. “You still want to get together tonight for dinner?”

  “I’d like that.” He waved farewell to the student who’d just left his office. “I told him I’d treat you two to something posh to celebrate—I think I can still get reservations at Mandala in Palo Alto, if that—”

  “You know what? This is gonna sound weird, but Jason says he just wants to go to the Oasis, if that’s cool with you.”

  “The pizza place?”

  “Yeah. We used to go there when all three of us were up here, remember?”

  “Of course I do. All right, then—if he wants pizza, it’s fine with me.”

  “It’s a plan. Seven, okay?”

  “Seven it is.”

  He sat back, twisting his chair around to look out the window. He actually had a view now, which he supposed was good, but he still couldn’t help feeling a bit ghoulish about the whole thing. Moving into Edwina Mortenson’s old digs had been Beatrice Martinez’s suggestion—it was one of those “suggestions” you didn’t ignore if you valued your place in the political hierarchy, but Stone had nonetheless put up a token protest before agreeing. The office, larger and more conveniently located than his former tiny space, had an actual full-sized window instead of a small one high up on the wall, but it was going to take quite some time before entering it didn’t bring back mental images of Mortenson’s framed tarot-card prints and crystal ball, and her ample, gray-haired figure seated imperiously behind the desk.

  Ah, well. It was just an office—just a space he didn’t even spend much time in, given how often he was either lecturing or walking back and forth to the middle of campus. He’d get used to it in time.

  He pulled his battered leather briefcase from his drawer. No point in
remaining any longer today—he had no more classes or office hours, and the afternoon meeting had been postponed until Monday. If he left now, he could get a few things done at home before heading out to meet Jason and Verity at the Oasis.

  As he was about to leave, his gaze fell on a small stack of books on the corner of his desk, each one with yellow sticky notes poking out in several places. He’d gathered them earlier that day with the intent of lending them to Garra, but had gotten sidetracked by other tasks. He picked them up now—it would only take a couple of minutes to drop them by her office before he left.

  Garra’s office was his old one at the end of the hallway. He knocked on her door, hoping she hadn’t left for the day already. It swung open, revealing an empty space.

  That was fine—he’d just drop them off on her desk with a note. He slipped inside, left the books, and glanced around for a notepad and pen. She hadn’t had much chance to move in yet, so her bookshelves and walls were still mostly bare.

  He didn’t see a notepad, but a brightly colored flyer on her desk caught his attention. It showed images of a jeweled dagger, an elaborately-dressed antique doll, and what looked like a stuffed moose head mounted on a wooden shield. The script across the top read North County Antiques and Oddities.

  That in and of itself wasn’t unusual—perhaps Garra liked antiques or knick-knacks and wanted to take the opportunity to check out the local offerings. However, next to the flyer was the San Francisco phone directory, open to a page of display ads from more antique and junk shops. She’d jotted down several phone numbers on a yellow legal pad, and circled three of them. Stone recognized one of the three: Madame Huan’s antiquities shop in Palo Alto.

  “Dr. Stone?”

  Stone spun. Marciella Garra stood in the doorway, eyes narrowed.

  “Er—I’m sorry to intrude,” he said quickly. He pointed at the stack of books. “I brought by those books I mentioned earlier about local occult history. Thought you might find them interesting reading. Your door was open, so I—”

  “Oh—yes, of course. I’m sorry.” Her suspicious expression changed to a smile. “Is there anything else you needed?”

  “No—no, I don’t think so. Have a lovely weekend.” Stone exited the office, slipping past as she stepped aside without ever taking her eyes off him.

  “You too.” As soon as he was out, she went inside and closed the door firmly behind her. As he lingered a moment longer, he heard the lock engage.

  4

  Jason and Verity were already at the Oasis when Stone arrived, sitting at their favorite back booth with a pitcher of beer.

  “I’m not late, am I?” he asked, glancing at his watch as he slid in across from them.

  “No, you’re good,” Jason said. “We just got here early. Good to see you, Al.” His gaze skated over Stone, then locked back in. “Hey, you look great. Have you been working out?”

  Stone chuckled. “You don’t miss much—useful trait in a detective, I suppose.”

  “Just never thought I’d see you anywhere near a gym.” He flicked a quick look toward Verity, and an even quicker frown passed across his face.

  “You needn’t worry—it’s got nothing to do with your sister. Aside from the fact that she’s been cooking for me periodically, which has to be better than a steady diet of takeaway. It’s magic related.”

  “Oh? That reminds me, we should probably do the power thing soon, right?”

  “No need anymore.”

  “What do you mean, no need? I thought we already went through—”

  Apparently Verity hadn’t shared Stone’s latest news with her brother. “We did. And I appreciate everything you’ve done for me. But it’s not necessary anymore. I’ve found a new approach.”

  “A new approach?” Jason frowned. “Are you getting power from somebody else?”

  “I don’t need power from anyone anymore, Jason. That’s what I’m trying to tell you. I’ve worked out how to manage Harrison’s magic.”

  Jason’s wide-eyed expression of surprise was almost comical. “You’re shittin’ me. Really? You can do it now without burning yourself out?”

  “I can. My magic’s stronger than ever now.”

  “That’s—amazing. How did you do it? V, did you know this?”

  “Yeah, I did.”

  “And you didn’t tell me?”

  She shrugged. “It wasn’t my thing to tell.”

  “So—” Jason looked as if he couldn’t decide whether to be pleased or annoyed. “How did it happen?”

  “That’s a long story, better saved for another time.” Stone raised his glass. “This is your night, Jason. Let’s order an enormous pizza with an embarrassing number of toppings, and I want to hear all about your plans.”

  Jason hesitated, obviously torn. “Okay. But—you’re sure? About the magic? You wouldn’t lie to me about it, right?”

  “I absolutely promise I’m not lying, Jason. My magic is fine. While I’m still technically black on the white-black spectrum, I’m sort of—outside those considerations now. I feel great. So don’t you worry about me.”

  “Okay…” His gaze lingered for several more seconds on Stone, clearly searching for any sign he was withholding the truth, but he finally gave a grudging nod.

  The waitress showed up. They ordered a pizza and another pitcher, then Stone leaned back. “So—tell me everything. How was the examination? Did you pass with flying colors?”

  “They don’t tell you that—either you pass or you don’t. But fortunately they don’t make you wait long to find out.”

  “Was Fran unhappy to find out you weren’t planning to stay on working for her?”

  “Nah, I never made any secret about that. I think she’ll miss having her chief flunky and carrier of heavy things, but she’ll get over it. She gave me a good reference.”

  “Brilliant. So you’ve already left the job down there, then?”

  “Not quite yet, but I had a bunch of vacation time saved up, so I figured I’d come up here and see about finding an apartment and a place to work.”

  “Yes, Verity was saying you’ll have to hold off on your own agency for a while.”

  “I expected that.” He poured another glass of beer. “It’s okay, though—it’ll help me get used to being up here again. I’m looking forward to being back.”

  “It will be good to have you back,” Stone said.

  Jason glanced first at Verity, then at Stone. “And because everybody’s avoiding bringing up the elephant in the room—I’m okay with you and V. I know that doesn’t matter—not like I could stop you—but I’ve been thinking a lot about it. I guess if my sister’s gonna be with a guy, I can’t really think of a better one.”

  “That’s…flattering, I suppose,” Stone said, amused.

  “It’s also none of his business,” Verity said, but she didn’t look annoyed about it. “And he knows it. Otherwise he’s gonna have to deal with me being all up in his business next time he meets somebody.”

  “I’ll have to anyway,” Jason said. “When’s that ever changed? But I’m just sayin’. And anyway, I won’t have time to meet anybody—I really want to open my own place as soon as I can, so I’ll be working a lot. Anyway,” he added, “how’s life up here for you, Al? We haven’t talked much lately. Anything new going on at the University?”

  “They’ve got a hot new professor, apparently,” Verity said slyly. “Another one, I mean.”

  Jason shot her a don’t push it look. “Oh, yeah?”

  “They’ve finally brought someone in—at least on a trial basis—to take Dr. Mortenson’s position,” Stone said. “She’s got some good experience, from what I understand. It was all rather sudden, though, and she’s a bit of an odd duck.”

  “How so?”

  “Can’t quite work it out yet. I keep getting the feeling something’s strange about her, but I can’t put my finger on why.”

  “She’s not a mage or anything, is she? Does that job attract them?”

&n
bsp; “I don’t think so. I’ve examined her aura, and I don’t see anything unusual about it. No traces of magic hovering around her, at least, so if she is, she’s not practicing regularly.”

  Jason frowned, his brow furrowing. “I hate to bring this up, but…when you say ‘hot,’ you’re not talking about Deirdre-level hot, right?”

  “No.” Stone sobered as his thoughts returned to Deirdre Lanier’s unearthly, unnatural beauty. He hadn’t thought about her in quite some time, and felt suddenly guilty about it. “Nothing like that. Believe me, that was the first thing I thought of. She’s quite attractive, yes, but within normal parameters.”

  “Maybe you should have the Doc introduce you,” Verity said. “You two might hit it off.”

  Stone chuckled. “Give the woman some time to settle in, will you, before I start setting her up with friends.” He remembered the flyers he’d seen on her desk earlier that day. “Although you might have a better chance with her if you turned up with an old vase or something.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “I popped by her office to drop off some books today. She wasn’t there, but she had a lot of flyers for antique shops, junk shops, that sort of thing.”

  “That’s weird,” Verity said. “But maybe she just likes that kind of stuff and wants to see if there’s anything interesting around here. If she’s staying, maybe she needs stuff to furnish her place.”

  “Probably,” Stone agreed. “At any rate, it’s none of my business. As long as she does her job, that’s all I’m concerned with. The quarter’s only just started, but the students seem to like her so far.”

  The waitress came by with their pizza, and he ordered another pint of Guinness. “So, what have you got planned for the weekend? How long are you staying?”

  “Just a few days for now—V and I are gonna go look at apartments, and scope out some potential jobs. Fran gave me some leads, and she said she’d put in a good word for me if she knows the people. She has a lot of contacts up here.”

  “Good, good. I wish you luck.”

  They chatted about various topics while devouring the pizza, eventually settling back, comfortably full, to finish off their beers.