Beacon's Hope (Potomac Shadows Book 2)

by Jim Johnson

  Malcolm stared at the pistol. I sensed him reach out for some ley threads, and I did as well, but before we could latch onto any, a car door banged closed nearby and then someone called out, “Hey! Good evening, there.”

  We all turned toward the sound of the newcomer. It was Detective Bello, who had just climbed out of his dark sedan.

  I shot a glance at Malcolm and then stared at Bello as he approached, his hands out to either side of his body as if to show he was unarmed. I got a very strange vibe off him through the etherics, but what it meant, I couldn’t guess at.

  The leader of Buster Jay’s men frowned, then lowered his pistol and focused on Bello. “Who the hell are you, man? Get back in your car. This business don’t concern you.”

  Bello raised his hands out to either side, and shook his head. “On the contrary, this business concerns me a lot. As do those two you have at gunpoint.”

  I shot another look at Malcolm, who looked as mystified as I felt. I felt a surge through the ley threads around me, and, confused, pulled on one to reactivate my Sight.

  At first I thought it had been Malcolm pulling strength from the ley threads, but in fact it was Bello who shone bright in my Sight, almost too bright to focus on. His aura shone out in bright purple.

  Bello gathered ley energies around him, even reaching deep down into the ley grid for more. I had never seen anyone gather up so much energy, not even Miss Chin. I was struck dumb in surprise. I had suspected Bello knew more than he let on, but this…this was more than I had imagined.

  Bello readied the energies under his control and grinned at the leader. “Let’s be reasonable, here. It’s late at night, it’s quiet in the city, and it’s cold. Not a bad night to be out in the city.”

  He flexed the threads, and then started moving tendrils toward all of Buster Jay’s men. I could barely track them with my Sight—they moved too fast to follow.

  “And if you could only…remember why you’re here.”

  In an instant, Bello had stabbed each of the thugs with a powerful etheric thread, though none of them seemed to react, at first.

  And then, individually, each man looked around in confusion. They started mumbling about what they were doing and why they were there. The leader looked at the pistol in his hand and then holstered it, and shot a confused look at Bello, who was still standing there with his hands stretched out,

  “What you doin’, man?”

  Bello grinned. “Just getting some exercise. I don’t get out much to play.” He fixed his eyes on the man. “The better question is...what are you doing here?”

  The man stared at Bello and then at us, and then on to the men he had traveled with. “Shit, hell if I know. I guess we was just out for a moonlit drive.”

  I frowned, but saw Bello continue to flex the energies and the threads around us. “It’s a nice night for a walk. Maybe you should continue on your way.”

  The leader stared at Bello in confusion, but nodded, and then gestured to his allies to fall into step. “Come on, let’s go back to my place. I got some Luke Cage to watch.”

  His allies, all looking confused, stared walking with him, trading looks and glancing at Bello and me and Malcolm with vague looks on their faces.

  Bello lowered his hands and crossed his arms as the group of them walked off. Once they were out of sight, he took a few steps toward us. “Looked like you two could use some help.” He offered a sidelong grin.

  I glanced at the departing group and then stared at Bello. “You son of a bitch. You’ve been a Weaver all this time and didn’t tell me?”

  Bello raised a palm. “Hold on, Rachel. I appreciate you being upset, but I had to protect myself.”

  I frowned. “But all those times you ran into me, and Malcolm. At Branchwood, in the alleyway in Del Rey…you’ve been watching us.”

  He glanced at the two of us and nodded. “Guilty as charged.”

  Malcolm said it first. “Why, man?”

  “Because you two are very special people, and I wanted to see what you were capable of.”

  I shook my head. “And what have you seen?”

  “I see two young people with a lot of talent in things they never knew existed.”

  I glanced at Malcolm and then focused on Bello. “And?”

  Bello shrugged. “And that’s all. I’m sorry if I startled you before, in the alley. I had been telling the truth—I was looking into the Mathison case.”

  “And you just happened to run into me?”

  “It wasn’t coincidence. I wanted to be there when you were.”

  Malcolm shook his head. “Kinda creepy, dude.”

  I added, “Seriously. Don’t do that again. I don’t care what you’re up to. If you wanna check us out, do the direct thing and ask.”

  Bello nodded. “I hear you, loud and clear. And I’m sorry, for what it’s worth.”

  Malcolm stared off in the direction of where Buster Jay’s boys had left. “Hey, what did you do to them, anyway?”

  “Just a little trick with the etherics.”

  I frowned. “You...made them forget something?” A little alarm went off in my head.

  Bello nodded. “Essentially, yes. Effective use of the ley energies can have an impact on the simple-minded. Even the strong-minded, if you know what you’re doing.”

  The alarm in my head got more insistent. I think I had seen this before. “And is there any way to protect against it?”

  Bello glanced at me and nodded. “If I’ve read you right, you already have the means to shield yourself. Just a different application of that.”

  “Got it.” Something I’d have to ask Miss Chin about, among other things. “So, what now?”

  Bello shrugged and then started toward the black SUV recently vacated by Buster Jay’s boys. “I got what I came for. You two are free to go. You both look exhausted. You should go home and get a good night’s sleep.”

  I opened my mouth, closed it, then said, “But, I mean...why have you been keeping tabs on us?”

  Bello opened one of the passenger doors of the SUV and then turned to us. “Newly Awakened people interest me and my organization. That you two have displayed talents and training is even more interesting. I promise to keep my distance from now one, but remember that any time you need some help, give me a call.”

  I glanced at Malcolm, who looked just as confused. “Malcolm, let’s get the hell out of here.”

  Malcolm nodded, but then glanced at Bello. “Hey, thanks for helping out tonight.”

  Bello turned from the SUV. “Any time, Malcolm. Take care of yourself.”

  Malcolm glanced at me and then climbed into his car. He unlocked the doors and I soon joined him inside his Mustang.

  He glanced at me. “Any reason we should linger here?”

  I shook my head. “Hell, no. It’d be awesome if you could just get me back to Del Rey. I’ve had enough of this magic stuff tonight.”

  “I heard that.” Malcolm got the car into gear and pulled out of his parking space. Bello gave us a cheerful wave as we drove off. I just stared at him in confusion.

  I was silent most of the drive, but as we crossed the bridge back into Virginia, I glanced at Malcolm. “What the heck have we gotten involved with, Malcolm?”

  He glanced at me and shook his head. “No idea. I guess we just be careful from now on?”

  I bit my lip in thought, then nodded. “I guess so. I don’t know what to make of Detective Bello, but I think it’s time we introduced you to Miss Chin.”

  The moment I said it, I felt like it was the right call. I glanced at him. “I think we’d be better off training together. I have Charity to help me with Beacon stuff, and you…you have me to work with, and I think Miss Chin can help you.”

  He glanced at me as he drove. “Help me how?”

  I thought about what he had done while in the Holding, and about his powers and how they were different from mine. “If I had to guess, Malcolm, I think your talents lie in a different direction from mine.
I think you’re a Warden, like Miss Chin.”

  He raised an eyebrow and stared at me. “Really?”

  I stared off into the darkness and nodded. “Yeah, and I think ol’ Bello is one too.” I glanced at him. “Got some time to go to Branchwood tomorrow?”

  He glanced at me and shrugged. “Sure, yeah. After getting some sleep tonight, I got nothing going on.” He frowned. “You wanna go back to the stairwell?”

  I shook my head. “No. I think we should ask your grandmother and my grandpa some questions, about the night you and I went to Branchwood and fought the Spinner.”

  Chapter Forty-One

  “I SUNK YOUR BATTLESHIP!” MY GRANDPA crowed and waved his hands in the air.

  I slumped at my game console and shot a glance at Malcolm. He and his grandma sat at the table with me and Grandpa. We had just finished our third epic four-way Battleship game, with house rules and high stakes.

  Grandpa helped himself to the stack of Oreos in the center of the table. “You all have just witnessed the awesome firepower of the U.S. Navy. Weep, mortals, and despair!”

  I shook my head and chuckled. Malcolm just threw up his hands and slammed shut his game console. Grandma Forbes snickered under her breath. “Too much night-time TV for you.”

  Grandpa grinned widely, showing off his cookie-stained teeth. “I love this game.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh. It was good to see Grandpa happy. I glanced at Malcolm, who caught the look and nodded.

  Grandpa took another Oreo and then gestured toward the stacks of cookies. “Go on, help yourselves. If I eat all of these, the nurses will be in here giving me shots to knock down my sugar levels. Eat, eat.”

  Malcolm and I grabbed a few while they were available, and Grandma Forbes even helped herself to one. “I left my teeth back in my room, but I can sure gum one to death.”

  Malcolm made a face as he twisted his cookie apart. “Grandma, come on. That’s nasty.”

  I twisted my cookie apart as well and licked the filling off. “Ever wonder why, when you twist an Oreo, almost all the filling seems to end up on just one cookie?”

  Grandpa nodded. “It’s like magic.”

  I glanced at him. Speaking of magic… “Hey Grandpa. Congrats on the third win today. I don’t know how you do it, but somehow you just had my and Malcolm’s number.”

  He nodded and took a sip of milk from a glass on the table. “Good fortune today, I guess. I had you two dialed in.”

  Malcolm shook his head. “Next time, I’m just gonna pile up all my ships on top of each other and wait you out.”

  I grinned. “Next time, I’m going to add a house rule that we get to teleport one ship to a different spot on the board midway through the game.”

  Grandpa snorted. “No pun intended.”

  I stared at him. “What?”

  He stared at me, expectantly. I frowned and ran the last thing I said back in my mind. “No…what did I miss?”

  He sighed. “Midway? Battleship?” He glanced between me and Malcolm. “Anyone?” He turned to Grandma Forbes. “Kids these days.”

  Malcolm frowned. “Wasn’t Midway more about aircraft carriers?”

  Grandpa focused on him and sniffed. “Technicality. Still a naval battle.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Anyway. The moment’s lost. Let’s move on.”

  Grandpa smiled and helped himself to another Oreo. “What’s on your mind?”

  I shifted my chair so that I could focus on both him and Grandma Forbes. Malcolm scooted his chair a bit behind mine, so that he could watch them both too. We had agreed on this when he picked me up and drove me here this morning.

  “I was curious…that night Malcolm and I were here at Branchwood, the night the cops and doctors showed up, what do you remember?”

  Grandpa took another sip of milk and then dunked his Oreo into it and chewed thoughtfully. “I don’t know, really. The night is kind of a blur. I know you were here, and Malcolm was here…”

  Grandma Forbes added, “And there was a lot of running around in the halls. Questions by the police, nice doctors and nurses getting us back to our beds.”

  Grandpa nodded, and his face turned sad. “And I remember a few of the residents here had died that night. I think they said it was a gas leak somewhere.”

  Grandma Forbes nodded. “Very sad. We lost some good friends that night.”

  I glanced at Malcolm and then reached out with the ley threads and plugged them into my Sight to monitor them. “Anything else you can remember?”

  I sensed Charity, who was propped open inside my satchel, add her Sight to my own observation threads. And she looped Malcolm in. The three of us used the etherics to monitor Grandpa and Grandma Forbes.

  “Hmm, no, I don’t think so. There was a hullaballo in the hallways, and then we came back to our rooms. You and Malcolm said good-bye, and then I went to sleep.”

  The etherics around Grandpa didn’t change, though I sensed something off but couldn’t quite place it. “Charity, did you see that?”

  Yes. I’ll look more closely. Continue talking.

  I nodded. “Grandma Forbes. Anything else you can add?”

  She stared at the half-eaten Oreo in her hand. “Hmm, no, my dear. It’s much as your grandpa said. Though I think I remember the kitchen serving cupcakes that night.”

  I frowned. “Cupcakes?”

  Grandpa snapped his finger and nodded. I sensed a little blip in his aura, and felt Charity adjust the etherics to focus on that blip. “Yes! Cupcakes. Nice almond flavor with a delicate sweet-frost.”

  Malcolm said, “Cupcakes?”

  Grandpa nodded. “And the nurse who brought it in was so nice.” He looked distant, then smiled. “Nice lady. Didn’t catch her name.”

  I sensed Charity manipulating his aura somehow, but couldn’t quite catch the nuances. I asked, “What do you remember about her?”

  He shrugged and glanced at Grandma Forbes. “Do you remember? She was nice, dark hair…”

  Grandma Forbes rolled another Oreo toward herself. “I don’t know…haven’t seen her around since. I think she was kinda short for a nurse, though.”

  A trickle of dread wiggled down my spine. “Short, you say?” I tried to sound casual. “Short like me?” I was just a bit over five foot and a half tall—worth a shot.

  Grandpa shook his head as he helped himself to the last Oreo on the table. “No, my dear. Shorter. Way shorter. Though she sat on a chair while we talked. I don’t think she could have been much taller than four foot, maybe a little more.”

  I shuddered. “And what did you talk about?”

  He bit a chunk out of his Oreo and then shook his head. “Don’t remember. About the night, I guess, and the gas leak. And about how good the cupcakes were. I think I fell asleep right after she left, so I don’t really know what we talked about.”

  Grandma Forbes nodded. “I was tired too. I think I ate my cupcake then fell asleep.”

  I nodded. “Charity?”

  I am uncertain. I monitored their memories as they answered you, and it appears that there have been some alterations, but this is not something I’m adept at. I’d need to study more in depth, but I hesitate to do so.

  “Why?”

  I do not wish to make any changes or trigger something that may have been left behind. If someone has altered their memories, they were a powerful ley thread manipulator.

  “Could a Weaver do this?” My suspicion was coming out, loud and clear.

  One with sufficient training and intent, certainly. I have heard of such things being possible, but have not seen them firsthand, until now.

  I nodded and stood up. I patted Grandpa’s hand. “Well, thanks for the cookies and the games, Grandpa. I’ve gotta get to work and Malcolm’s gonna give me a ride there.”

  Grandpa smiled brightly up at me. “It was nice of you to visit. Will I see you next Wednesday?”

  I smiled. “Of course. I wouldn’t miss our date for the world.”

  I lea
ned down and kissed him on the cheek, and then waved toward Grandma Forbes. “Take care, you two.”

  Grandma Forbes nodded. “I think we’re gonna go another round here, and then it’s time to clean up for Dance Night.”

  Malcolm grinned. “Cut a rug with the best of them, grannie.” He hugged his grandmother and then shook Grandpa’s hand.

  I left the room with Malcolm right behind me. We headed for the visitor’s desk in silence, signed out, and then headed for his car parked outside Branchwood.

  He glanced at me as we got into the Mustang. “So what do you think?”

  I shook my head. “It’s all circumstantial, but I think we need to keep an eye on Miss Chin. I think there’s more here going on than we know about.”

  He drove us out of the parking lot. “Think she’s been lying to you?”

  I shook my head. “I don’t know. But I think we need to find out, over time.”

  He nodded. “Think she’ll have me on as a student?”

  I shot him a smile. “Of course. I think I’ll introduce you to her as my student, and we’ll explain things, and then we’ll go from there.”

  I rested my hand on his arm. “It’ll be bumpy for a while, but it’ll be okay. She’s a good teacher, and it’ll be good to have you there with me. If she has tampered with the memories of our grandparents, maybe together we can figure out why.”

  And I can assist as well.

  “Thanks, Charity. Your wisdom and experience will help, I’m sure.”

  I gave Malcolm Miss Chin’s address, and as he drove, I thought about what Grandpa had said, and then thought about that night at the house, during the storm where Vinya had flipped out after watching me and Abbie meditate. I had been tired that night and much of it was a blur.

  But there were pieces of that night I thought I should have remembered but didn’t, and now I wondered if Miss Chin had been involved in that too.

  I sighed, then focused on Charity. “Think you can help me figure out if my own memory has been tampered with?”

  I can, yes. We should plan some meditation time soon, perhaps in your friend Bonita’s basement.