by Jayne Castle
She cleared her throat. Her gaze slid back to the forms in front of her. “Yes, well, the first step will be to determine the identity of the culprit, won’t it?”
“That won’t be necessary. I already know who is selling Lodestar secrets.”
Amaryllis looked up swiftly. “If you already know who is behind this, why don’t you simply fire him? You just said you don’t intend to prosecute.”
“It’s not a man. It’s a woman.” Lucas turned and walked back to his chair. “Her name is Miranda Locking. She’s a vice president at Lodestar. I’ll let her go when this is finished, but there are some things I want to know first.”
“Such as?”
Lucas paused behind his chair and gripped the back of it. “I want to know if she sold me out for money, or if there was … some other reason.”
Amaryllis’s eyes went to his hands, which were clenched very tightly around the chair. “Some other reason?”
Lucas ignored her quizzical expression. He released the back of the chair and began to pace the tiny office. “There’s a go-between involved, of course. A broker who buys the information from Miranda and then sells it to the highest bidder. I want to nail him, too.”
“You probably won’t be able to prove that this go-between, as you call him, has actually broken any laws,” Amaryllis warned. “And even if you can, you’ve already said you don’t want to go to court. If you’re not willing to press charges, I don’t see how you can do anything about the person who’s buying the information from Miranda Locking.”
Lucas paused at the far wall and examined the array of framed diplomas and certificates that hung there. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll deal with the broker. All I need from you is a little help picking him out of a crowd.”
“I’m not sure I like the sound of this, Mr. Trent. You do realize that I can’t possibly work with you if you have any intention of taking illegal action against this broker person.”
“I wouldn’t dream of asking you to violate your professional ethics, Miss Lark.” Lucas did not take his eyes off the wall full of official papers. “And you probably have a lot of them, judging by all these fancy certificates.” He leaned closer to study one of the diplomas. “I see you graduated from the University of New Seattle with a degree in Transphysical Science and Philosophy.”
“Yes. I did my graduate work in Ethical Metaphysics in the Department of Focus Studies at the university.”
“Impressive.”
“Thank you.”
“And it says here you’re qualified to work with a class-ten talent.”
“You did request a full-spectrum prism.”
“So I did.” Lucas swung around on his heel and contemplated her for a long moment. “And it appears that’s exactly what I’ve got.”
Amaryllis’s brows rose. “If you choose to work with me, you will have to accept my professional ethics.”
“Of course. Don’t worry, I don’t intend to do anything violent to this go-between, should we be lucky enough uncover his identity.” Lucas kept his voice calm and reassuring as he lied through his teeth. “But if he’s doing what I think he’s doing, I will see to it that he is exposed.”
“I don’t understand. What exactly do you think he’s doing? Other than buying your company’s secrets, that is?”
Lucas hesitated. “I think he’s a hypno-talent. I believe he may be using hypnosis to force Miranda to sell him Lodestar proprietary information.”
Amaryllis stilled. She blinked once or twice and then seemed to collect herself. “Let me get this straight. You think that a hypno-talent forced Miss Locking to commit an act of corporate theft?”
“It’s a possibility,” Lucas muttered.
“A highly unlikely one. Look, Mr. Trent, surely you know that there are very few strong hypno-talents. It’s a rare psychic power. People who do possess such skills generally go into medicine.”
“Not all of them.”
“Well, it’s true that a few do stage acts,” she admitted. “But I have never heard of a hypno-talent using his or her abilities to force someone to commit a crime. I’m not sure it’s even theoretically possible.”
“I don’t see why it would be impossible,” Lucas said.
“A hypno-talent would have to be extremely strong to force someone else to perform an act that violated the victim’s own ethical code. I’d say it would require a class-nine or even a class-ten talent. You know how rare nines and tens are in any talent field.”
“There are a few around.”
“Less than one half of one percent of the population, according to the latest research.”
“But they do exist,” Lucas insisted.
“Yes, but a hypno-talent with that kind of power would be able to do very well in a legitimate profession. He or she would be working at the university or at one of the hospitals. Why would such an individual take the risk of becoming a criminal?”
“Who knows? The challenge of it all, perhaps.” Lucas spread his hands. “Hell, maybe brokering the theft of corporate secrets is more exciting than a career in anesthesiology or research.”
“I doubt it.”
Lucas smiled slightly. “No offense, Miss Lark, but you sound a little naïve. Spend a few months in the Western Islands and you’ll learn that there are a lot of people in the world who would jump at the chance to violate all your cute little notions about the ethical use of psychic talent.”
Red flags appeared in her cheeks. She glared at him. “You’re forgetting something, Mr. Trent. Even if a powerful, extremely unethical hypno-talent exists and happens to live right here in New Seattle, that individual could not operate alone. He or she would require an equally powerful and equally unethical prism to focus the talent.”
“I know.”
Amaryllis sighed. “Be reasonable, Mr. Trent. The odds are very much against such a combination getting together to form a criminal team.”
“But it’s possible.”
She threw up her hands. “Well, yes, hypothetically speaking, I suppose it’s possible. But not probable.”
“I want to check it out.”
Amaryllis eyed him thoughtfully. “You’re clutching at straws, aren’t you?”
“I’m approaching this in a rational, logical manner.”
“Know what I think? I think you’re looking for excuses to explain why Miranda Locking sold your secrets to your competition,” Amaryllis said gently. “I understand. It’s easier to believe that Miss Locking fell into the clutches of an evil class-ten hypno-talent than it is to accept the fact that she betrayed her position of trust in your firm. Isn’t that right, Mr. Trent?”
She was right, but Lucas had no intention of admitting it. He reminded himself for the hundredth time in the past twenty minutes that he had known this would be unpleasant.
Hiring a professional prism to help him focus his psychic talent was something he had done his best to avoid. Utilizing the services of a trained professional in order to harness the paranormal energy of his own brain went against the grain. It was his mind, after all. He should be able to control it and use it without outside assistance.
Most talents at the lower end of the power range readily accepted the fact that their paranormal gifts were useless without the assistance of a prism. It was that way with most things here on St. Helens. Complex synergistic principles governed the natural order. It was the toughest lesson the colonists had had to learn during the past two hundred years. On St. Helens the laws of nature could be summed up with the old Earth adage, It Takes Two to Tango.
The first indications that true paranormal abilities were beginning to show up in the population had been documented less than fifty years after the colony had been stranded. It had taken another twenty years before the researchers had figured out that natural and necessary complements to the talents were also appearing.
Ten more years had passed before the experts arrived at the obvious conclusion that prisms and talents were made for each other, at least
in one very crucial sense. No talent, no matter how gifted or well trained, could focus his or her paranormal powers for more than a few seconds without the aid of a prism. Most could not focus their abilities at all without assistance.
It was the general consensus that prisms were nature’s way of ensuring that talents did not become dangerous or predatory. The link between prism and talent required absolute, willing cooperation from both parties if it was to endure long enough to accomplish anything useful.
The authorities who studied the phenomenon scoffed at the notion that an innocent, unsuspecting prism was at risk of being “enslaved” by a powerful, villainous talent. The scientific evidence had not stopped novelists and filmmakers from producing a host of popular tales involving mythical off-the-scale psychic vampires.
There was also a wildly successful genre of romance novels featuring implausible talent heroes who were capable of seducing beautiful, feisty female prisms and turning said prisms into love slaves.
Lucas had noticed the newest release of popular author Orchid Adams in the window of the bookshop across the street from the offices of Psynergy, Inc. The title of the novel was Wild Talent. He had no intention of buying it or reading it. It would only have depressed him. He was already too painfully aware of the limitations of his own abilities, psychic or otherwise, when it came to dealing with women.
In spite of all the overheated excitement generated by fictional psychic vampire talents, real-life prisms were quite safe. They had natural, built-in defense mechanisms. Prisms could simply withdraw from an unwanted focus link. If they were accidentally matched with a talent who overwhelmed their focusing capabilities, they went psychically numb.
Burnout, as the condition was called, was a short-term, temporary problem that was, nevertheless, extremely unpleasant for the prism. Those who had been through it described it as being as disturbing as losing one of their other senses such as touch, smell, or sight. It could take weeks for a prism to recover.
For that reason, responsible, reputable focus agencies such as Psynergy, Inc. requested evidence of talent classification and certification from their clients.
Lucas brought his attention back to the matter at hand. “I’m not looking for excuses. I’m looking for answers.”
“Believe me, Mr. Trent, no one could be more sympathetic. I, myself, have occasionally been accused of being a trifle too obsessive about getting answers. When questions have been raised, what else can one do? However, in this instance, I feel that there are no real questions.”
“If I’m deluding myself in order to avoid having to admit I screwed up by giving Miranda Locking the job with Lodestar, that’s my problem. Do you want to take the contract or not?”
“If you’re absolutely determined to pursue this investigation,” Amaryllis began very softly.
“I am.”
“And if your only goal is to identify the person to whom Miss Locking sold the information—”
“It is.”
“Then that’s a perfectly legal security investigation,” Amaryllis concluded. “I’ll work with you under the terms of the standard contract.”
Lucas smiled thinly. “I thought you’d accept the arrangement. I’m a class-nine talent. That means Psynergy, Inc. can charge me a fortune for your services.”
“You’re free to take your business to another agency.”
“We both know it won’t be any cheaper elsewhere.” Lucas walked back to his chair and sat down. “Let’s get on with this. I haven’t got all day.”
“Very well.” Amaryllis picked up her pen. “Now, then. You say you’re a class nine?”
“Yes.”
“Tested and certified, of course?”
“Of course.” Lucas leaned down to unsnap the clasp of the briefcase he had set beside the chair. “I’ve got the usual papers to prove it.” He removed the official talent classification certificate that he had been given several years earlier when he had finally, reluctantly, submitted to testing. He tossed the folder that contained the test results onto Amaryllis’s desk. “All signed and sealed. If you’re qualified to work with a class ten, you’re safe enough with me. I only tested a nine.”
“No need to be modest, Mr. Trent.” Amaryllis examined the certificate with great interest “Nines are extremely rare.”
“So are full-spectrum prisms who can focus them.”
“True. And that’s why my firm charges so much for my services. Supply and demand, Mr. Trent. As the owner of Lodestar Exploration, I’m sure you are intimately acquainted with those basic laws of economics.”
Lucas ignored that. “Well? Everything in order?”
She frowned as she flipped through the papers he had given her. “According to this, you weren’t tested until the age of twenty-two. That’s rather late. Most people are tested in their midteens.”
“I grew up in the Western Islands,” Lucas replied easily. “We don’t have any fancy test facilities. There was no opportunity to get myself certified until I came to New Seattle to get my degree in Synergistic Crystal Mineralogy at the university.”
“I see.”
Lucas covertly studied Amaryllis’s expression as she finished examining the documents. He relaxed slightly when he saw her nod to herself, evidently satisfied.
He had been forced to account for the delay in getting himself certified several times in the past. After all these years, he had his answer down to a glib spiel he could rattle off with little effort. The excuse of growing up in the Western Islands neatly sidestepped the truth, which was that he had deliberately avoided the test until he was certain that he could conceal his off-the-chart abilities.
He had aimed for a class-eight certification but his control had not been as good in those days as it was now. He had wound up with a nine.
He had opted not to go for a top-of-the-scale class ten because people tended to be wary around class tens. Most folks respected such talent, even admired it or were in awe of it, but a ten was rare enough to make them uneasy. Class tens often got treated with the same sort of cautious reserve as people who possessed great beauty or extremely high intelligence. That kind of attitude was not particularly good for business.
Amaryllis closed the folder and tapped the tip of her pen against it. “You’re a detector-talent. You have the ability to sense other talents when they focus their psychic energies. That’s unusual.”
“And damn useless for the most part.” Only a lie of omission this time, Lucas thought. He loosened his tie. “There aren’t a lot of applications for that sort of psychic power.”
“I realize that,” she murmured sympathetically. “Most of the available job openings are in casino security.”
“Yeah, I know. Personally, I’ve never been attracted to that line of work.” Lucas was well aware that detector-talents were often employed to ensure that talents who had a gift for analyzing the laws of chance did not cheat at cards or dice. “My interest in gambling is limited to business decisions.”
“I suppose you plan to utilize your ability to detect a working talent to determine whether or not Miss Locking has been hypnotized?”
“Right.” Lucas leaned forward, braced his elbows on his thighs, and clasped his hands loosely between his knees. “When I realized that someone was selling Lodestar information, I conducted a preliminary internal investigation. I kept Miranda under surveillance for a few weeks. Fed her false data to see where it went.”
“What did you learn?”
“That she makes regular contact with a man named Merrick Beech. I think he’s the broker. I want to confirm it, and I also want to find out if he’s been working with a prism to hypnotize Miranda.”
“In order to do that, you’d need to catch Beech in the act of actually focusing with an intent to hypnotize. Do you have any idea of how difficult that would be?”
Lucas narrowed his eyes. “I think I’ll have a chance to do just that on Thursday evening.”
“Thursday?”
“Miranda
and Beech are both scheduled to attend the reception that will follow the dedication ceremony at the New Seattle Museum.”
Amaryllis’s eyes lit with sudden enthusiasm. “They’re opening the new wing of the museum on Thursday night, aren’t they? The gallery where the Western Island relics will be on display.”
“Yeah.” Lucas frowned. “Even a strong hypno-talent would be forced to regularly renew whatever hypnotic suggestion he’s giving his victim, right?”
“Yes. Especially if it’s a suggestion intended to make her act against her basic inclinations.”
“And he’ll have to use a prism to focus that suggestion.”
“Yes, but as I’ve already told you, it’s almost impossible—”
“My guess is that Beech will use the opportunity Thursday night to work on Miranda. I want to catch him in the act.”
Amaryllis bit her lip. “You want to employ me to help you focus your detector-talent the night of the reception?”
“That’s it.” Lucas smiled grimly. “Simple, straightforward, and perfectly legal. Not to mention entirely ethical.”
Amaryllis drummed her short, neat nails on the desk. “The reception will be an exclusive affair. I’m sure that only VIPs and major contributors will get invitations. I’m afraid I don’t move in those circles.”
“I think I can pretty much guarantee that getting an invitation for you will not be a problem,” Lucas said dryly.
Amaryllis blushed again. “Yes, of course. You’re the person who found the relics, aren’t you? I expect that the Museum Guild authorities would give you anything you wanted.”
“Let’s just say, they’re grateful.”
“I’m sure that’s putting it mildly,” Amaryllis murmured.
Lucas shrugged. Everyone knew that the museum considered the Western Islands relics to be the most significant contribution ever made to its collections. The artifacts were expected to draw huge crowds, not to mention extremely healthy donations.
Amaryllis regarded Lucas with somber consideration. “I have to tell you that in my professional opinion, I believe you will be wasting your time on this investigation, Mr. Trent. It’s almost inconceivable that someone has actually been able to use hypnotic suggestion on Miss Locking unless—”
