by Jayne Castle
“Of course, my dear.” Tamara rose gracefully from her chair and began to usher Lydia out of the room.
Lydia glanced at Emmett. He inclined his head a bare half inch. She had no problem at all reading his message. She hesitated and then decided that he was right. They might learn more separately than they could together. Without a word she followed Tamara out of the dining room.
They walked down a hall paneled in a dark, richly grained wood that had been polished until it glowed. Tamara led the way through double doors set with squares of beveled glass into a room done in yellow and maroon.
A frisson of awareness sparkled across Lydia’s nerves. She turned and saw the cabinet filled with ancient Harmonic artifacts. So many of them grouped in close proximity produced more than enough resonance energy to reach her here on the other side of the salon. Automatically she went toward the cabinet and came to a halt in front of it.
“A magnificent collection,” she murmured.
“My husband started it years ago, long before we were married.” Tamara picked up the pot that had been placed on a small round table. “Tea?”
“Thank you, yes.” Lydia studied an oddly shaped green quartz panel that had probably formed a portion of a tomb chamber door. “You and your husband were married a year ago, weren’t you? I seem to recall seeing something about it in the papers. You’re not from Cadence, are you?”
“No. I was living in Resonance City when I met Mercer.” Tamara walked forward, a cup and saucer in one hand. “He attended a meeting of the Guild Council there. We were introduced at a reception.”
“I see.”
“The reception was held to announce the engagement of the head of the Resonance Guild,” Tamara clarified softly.
An icy sensation swept through Lydia. She watched her fingers to make certain that they did not tremble when she took the cup and saucer from Tamara. It wouldn’t do to spill rez-tea on what was no doubt a fabulously expensive carpet. The Guild would probably send her a bill that she would not be able to pay.
“No kidding.” Lydia sipped tea. It was, as everything else had been at dinner, excellent. “Whom did the Reso nance Guild boss marry?”
Tamara looked amused. “He was engaged to marry me. But things did not work out. We ended the engagement soon after the reception. I moved here to Cadence a short time later.”
“I see.” Stop right now, Lydia told herself. Just because you see an accident waiting to happen doesn’t mean you have to help it along.
But she couldn’t stop. She had to know for certain.
“So, who was this Guild boss you were going to marry back in Resonance?”
“Emmett, of course,” Tamara said sweetly. “He was the head of the Resonance Guild for six years until he resigned ten months ago.”
Mercer lowered himself into the plum-colored leather of the massive reading chair. He raised his brandy glass to his mouth and studied Emmett above the rim. “I will get right to the point. I had two reasons for asking you to come here tonight. One of those reasons is that I wish to offer you a bargain, son.”
“I’m not your son.” Emmett rested an arm along the top of the mantel. “And I sure as hell won’t agree to any deal until I know all of the terms.”
Mercer exhaled deeply. “I’ll level with you, Emmett. I need your help. And I think I can help you in return.”
“Why do you need me? You’ve got a Guild full of people you can call on for help.”
Mercer shook his head. “Not for this. Let me explain. I haven’t yet made any official public announcement, but I intend to step down sometime during the coming year. Only the members of my personal staff are aware of my decision. They have all been sworn to secrecy.”
This was the last thing he had expected to hear tonight, Emmett thought. Mercer Wyatt had held the Cadence Guild in an iron grip for more than three decades. It was widely assumed that he would die at the helm.
“You’re going to retire?” Emmett said warily.
“I’ve been running this show for a long time. Until recently the Guild was always the most important thing in my life. My first wife was a wonderful woman, but I never took the time to know her. After her death I was left with two children. I let someone else raise them. They’re both grown now, and I’ve got three grandkids, but I hardly know any of them.”
“Let me guess. You’ve finally decided to stop and smell the roses, is that it?”
“You find that amusing?”
“Let’s just say it’s unanticipated. What the hell brought on the sudden change? Get a health scare from your doctor?”
“Nothing like that. I got a new wife.”
“Oh, yeah, right. Must have slipped my mind.”
“I am in love for the first time in my life, Emmett,” Mercer said very seriously. “My marriage to Tamara is a Marriage of Convenience at the moment, as you know, but we plan to convert it into a Covenant Marriage.”
Emmett stared at him. “You want more children?”
“There are other reasons for entering a Covenant Marriage besides the desire to have children,” Mercer reminded him.
Emmett grunted. “True love? Give me a break. Aren’t you a little old for that kind of romantic nonsense, Mercer?”
“You are not a romantic man, Emmett.”
“Neither were you, last time I checked. Terminating a Covenant Marriage is a legal and financial nightmare.” He did not add what they both knew, which was that adultery was one of the very few legally accepted reasons for dissolving a Covenant Marriage. “What’s the point of getting into one if you don’t want kids?”
Mercer stretched out his legs and gazed into the fire. “Obviously you do not understand, so we’ll drop the subject. The bottom line here is my intention to step down.”
“No offense, Mercer, but I find it a little tough to grasp the concept.”
“Why? I’m forty years older than Tamara. I don’t know how long I’ll have with her. I intend to enjoy every minute of whatever time I have left, however. I’ve got money, I’ve got my health, and I’ve got a beautiful woman at my side. I’d be a fool to continue to devote myself to the Guild.”
Emmett contemplated him for a while. “Does Tamara know of your decision?”
“She knows.”
“Huh.” He shrugged. “So what does this have to do with me?”
“I want your help. And I’m willing to bargain for it. I know why you are here in Cadence. My people told me about your missing nephew. I may be able to assist you.”
Tonight was turning out to be one big surprise after another, Emmett thought. There was nothing he could do but go with the flow. “Before we talk about doing any kind of deal, you’d better tell me what you want from me.”
Mercer nodded slowly and sipped his brandy. After a moment he set the glass aside. He propped his elbows on the arms of the heavy chair and steepled his fingers.
“As I said, I am preparing to step down. But I intend to do so in an orderly manner, one that will leave the Guild on the right course for the future.”
“In other words,” Emmett said, “you want to handpick your successor.”
“Precisely. I have worked for years to create a strong organization that can take care of its own. To a large extent, I have achieved my goals. All members in good standing can be assured of an excellent pay scale and a safety net of benefits for themselves and their families.”
“So long as they follow orders, don’t ask any questions, and don’t cross you,” Emmett said.
“I have always rewarded loyalty well.”
“And crushed anyone who stood up to you or questioned your decisions. You’re a real old-fashioned kind of guy, Mercer.”
“I will admit that in the past you and I have differed on the subject of how an organization such as the Guild should be run.”
“You could say that. Your approach is about seventy years out of date.”
“It is true that I have honored tradition during my tenure as chief of the Cadence Guil
d.”
Emmett grunted again. Hard to argue that one.
“It may interest you to know, however,” Mercer continued, “that I have concluded it is time for the Cadence Guild to change.”
“I’ll believe that when I see it.”
“I intend for Cadence to follow the lead of the Resonance Guild,” Mercer said steadily. “I want to see it restructured and modernized along the same lines.”
Emmett searched his face. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
“Entirely serious. But sudden shifts cannot be effected overnight. Furthermore, they must be accompanied by strong leadership. I shall begin the process of change this year, with Tamara’s help.”
“You mean her Guild Foundation work?”
“It’s a start, and she is very committed to her charities. Her Foundation will go far toward helping to change the image of the Guild here in Cadence. But the task of restructuring the organization itself cannot be completed in the few months during which I will remain as head of it. Therefore, I must make arrangements to, as you say, handpick my successor.”
A sudden dark suspicion sparked. Emmett folded his arms across his chest and leaned one shoulder against the mantel. “Got someone in mind for the job?”
“Yes, of course.” Mercer smiled humorlessly. “You.”
Emmett exhaled slowly. “I hate to have to be the one to tell you this, Mercer, but I think you may have accidentally gotten fried the last time you summoned a ghost.”
“I realize my proposal is coming as something of a shock. But surely you can see why I want you to consider it. That’s all I’m asking at the moment. There’s no rush. We’ve got a year to make plans. Plenty of time to work out the details.”
“There’s nothing to work out. I’m giving you my answer right now. I don’t want the job. I’ve gone into the private sector, Mercer. I’m just a businessman these days.”
Mercer unlocked his hands and leaned forward. His fierce eyes glowed with energy and determination. “Listen to me, son—”
“I am not your son,” Emmett repeated through his teeth.
“Sorry. Slip of the tongue.”
The hell it was, Emmett thought. They were both aware of the gossip and rumors that had circulated for years. He had no intention of going down that road tonight. Not with Mercer Wyatt.
“As I was saying,” Mercer continued, “I want to leave the Guild in good hands. Hands that can steer it on a new, modern course. You are the best possible person to do that.”
“No.”
“You’re the one who single-handedly restructured the Resonance Guild when you took charge. You’re the one who established the new ways, turned it into a business, made it respectable. I want you to do the same for the Cadence Guild.”
“In case you haven’t heard, I’m out of Guild politics. I’m a business consultant now.”
“That is precisely what I want,” Mercer said seriously. “A business consultant who is uniquely qualified to help transform the Cadence Guild into a respected business enterprise.”
“Forget it, Mercer. I don’t want any part of your plan. I wish you luck with it, but I don’t want to be involved.”
“I see.” Mercer sat back in his chair. He did not look defeated; he looked more like a man who was content to bide his time. “We’ll leave that for the moment, then. Let’s move on to other matters.”
Emmett came away from the mantel. He walked to the window and looked out over the lights of the city below. “Do you really know something about my nephew, Mercer? Or was that just a lure to get me here tonight so that you could try to talk me into taking over the Guild?”
“I’ll be honest with you. I have no direct knowledge of young Quinn’s whereabouts. But my sources tell me that he followed a young woman here to Cadence. True?”
“Yes.”
“The young lady apparently disappeared, and your nephew, who, I understand, is a dissonance-energy para-rez, vanished shortly thereafter, according to my information.”
Emmett looked out at the brooding, moonlit ruins of the Dead City. “Your information is good.”
“There are some advantages to having been in my position as head of the Cadence Guild for so long,” Mercer said dryly. “I’ve had plenty of time to set up reliable information networks both inside and outside the organization.”
Emmett turned slowly to face him. “What do you know?”
“I know that Quinn’s lady friend is not the first young person to disappear here in Cadence in recent weeks,” Mercer went on. “No one has taken much notice of the fact because none of the missing persons was underage and none appears to have had much in the way of concerned family.”
“Until now.”
“Until now,” Mercer agreed. “In addition, there has been no indication of foul play.”
“How many have turned up missing?”
“I can’t be certain. You’d be amazed at how many young people disappear every year. Had no idea myself until I started looking into it. Most of them wind up on the streets or in Curtain cults. Some go to another city. No one seems to notice.”
“Why did you suddenly decide to take notice?”
“Because when I heard that you were in town looking for your nephew, I made a few inquiries. I learned that some of the young people who have disappeared in recent weeks have been dissonance-energy para-rezes. Untrained ghost-hunters who were in the process of applying to the Guild. They never appeared for basic training and indoctrination. My first assumption was that someone had enticed them into a gang or cult or an unlicensed excavation team. The Guild takes a dim view of outsiders using ghost-hunters for illegal purposes.”
“Bad for the public image,” Emmett said dryly.
“Yes. This sort of thing has occurred occasionally in the past. It’s been relatively easy to put a stop to it. But this time there are complications.”
“Tried going to the police?” Emmett suggested mildly.
Mercer gave him a disgusted look. “Of course not. If I did that, the media would get wind of it in no time. I won’t have the papers running headlines declaring that the Guild can no longer police itself. Not on my watch, by God.”
“Right.” Mainstreaming the Cadence Guild was not going to be easy, Emmett thought. Not with attitudes like this at the top.
“As I was saying,” Mercer continued, “I have concluded that you and I might be able to work together.”
“You mean you’re willing to give me access to the resources of the Guild to help me look for Quinn?”
Mercer closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them there was a bleak rage in his gaze. “I only wish it were that simple. I am sorry to tell you that the resources of the Guild cannot be relied upon at the moment.”
Emmett watched him for a long time as the full implications of that statement sank in. “Maybe you’d better explain.”
“I have reason to believe that there is a traitor in my organization,” Mercer said wearily. “Someone close to me.”
Emmett said nothing. He knew what it must have cost Mercer to acknowledge such a thing.
“I had to go outside my own Guild just to discover what little information I managed to learn about the situation involving your nephew,” Mercer said. “Someone I trust is plotting against me, Emmett.”
“Every Guild chief has enemies. Fact of life.”
“Of course. And I have dealt with many in the past. But this is different. More insidious. I have been unable to isolate the traitor. It could be anyone on my administrative staff. Anyone.”
“Someone who knows about your plans for the future of the Cadence Guild and doesn’t like them?”
“I believe so. But it may be more than that. It may be personal. I simply don’t know at this point. I only know I can no longer trust my staff.”
“What does that have to do with luring young, untrained hunters off the street?”
“It has occurred to me that this traitor, whoever he is, may be trying to create his own priv
ate army of hunters who will take orders directly from him and who will be loyal only to him.”
“Set up a rival organization? Hell, Mercer, that’s a little over the top, isn’t it?”
“Think about it,” Mercer insisted. “If this bastard wishes to go against me, he will need a power base. That means he will need his own trained ghost-hunters. What better way to do that than to grab young ones who have not yet been indoctrinated into the Guild?”
Emmett whistled soundlessly. “Are you sure you’re not sliding into paranoia here, Mercer?”
“I’m being careful. There’s a difference.”
There was a difference, Emmett reflected, but it was not always easy to see it when you were a Guild boss.
Mercer Wyatt was not a stupid man, he reminded himself, even if he was seriously lovestruck at the moment. Wyatt was smart, powerful, and, above all, he was a survivor. If his instincts told him he had a traitor on his staff, chances were good that he was right.
Emmett studied the pattern of the carpet beneath his feet for a while. Then he looked up. “What all this boils down to is you want me to get rid of your so-called traitor for you.”
“I won’t deny that I need your assistance in this unpleasant affair, since I can no longer trust my personal staff. The way I see it, our interests are aligned, son. You want to find your nephew. I want the person who may have caused him to disappear.”
Emmett ignored the son reference this time. He had other priorities now. He contemplated the city lights for several long seconds while he weighed the pros and cons of getting more closely involved with Mercer Wyatt.
The truth was, he had very little choice. Quinn’s safety came first.
“What information can you give me?” he said at last.
“Not much, I admit. As I said, I had to go outside the Guild to get even that. On your own, you will no doubt stumble onto the few facts I’ve got. But at least I can save you some time. And time may be of the essence here.”
Emmett looked at him over his shoulder. “I’m listening.”
Mercer leaned forward in his chair, his expression intense. “The day your nephew disappeared, he paid a visit to a youth shelter in the Old Quarter near the east wall.”
