Copper Beach dl-1

by Jayne Ann Krentz

  Sam looked at her. “Take a wild guess.”

  “Oh, yeah, right. Coppersmith Inc.”

  “Yes.”

  “Oh, geez. This is not good.”

  “No,” Sam said. “It’s not good.”

  “You said the prism was valuable. Wonder why the guy who gave it to Grady didn’t come back for it?”

  Sam picked up the bundled prism. “Maybe because he couldn’t get through the crystal lock on the door of this shed.”

  Sam stowed the last taped and sealed box in the cargo bay of the SUV.

  “Where are we going to store all of this stuff ?” Abby asked.

  “We’ll take it back to the Copper Beach house for safekeeping until we figure out how to spring Grady from the hospital.”

  Abby looked at him. “We are going to get him out, aren’t we?”

  “Yes. But right now he’s safer where he is.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Sam closed the cargo door. “As long as everyone assumes he’s crazy, he’s not a threat to whoever set him up.”

  “Oh,” Abby said. “I see what you mean.”

  Sam started toward the shed. “I’ll be right back.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “I want to see if I can remove the crystal from the lock that Grady used to secure his lab door. It’s a nice piece of engineering. I’d rather not leave it behind.”

  “Good thought.”

  She followed him back around the house and checked her email while he studied the lock. He would have to dismantle the whole mechanism, he concluded, which meant using a screwdriver and some other tools.

  He was in the process of removing the lock when he heard Abby’s sharp exclamation.

  “Sam, we got it.”

  He eased the lock out of the door. “Got what?”

  “The lab book.”

  “But the auction was set for two days from now.”

  “Not any longer,” she said. “Our preemptive bid has been accepted.”

  He gripped the lock in one hand and looked around the edge of the door. “Are you sure?”

  “Not until I actually see it.” Abby was aglow with triumph and excitement. “But I just got a message from Milton, who claims that he wants to unload the lab book as quickly as possible and he’s giving my client first crack. Actually, we’re getting first and last crack. He wants to know if we’re still interested.”

  “Why did we get lucky?”

  “In a word, me. I told you, my reputation is good. The bottom line here is that Milton is running scared and wants to unload the lab book as quickly and safely as possible.”

  “He figures I’m the safe bet, because you wouldn’t be working for me if you thought I might be untrustworthy.”

  “That’s pretty much what it comes down to,” she said. “He’s decided to trust you because he trusts me. But he wants to move fast. I get the impression that he is very nervous. Believe me when I tell you that it takes a lot to make someone like Milton nervous.”

  Sam pulled the lock mechanism out of the wall. “Get the details. Tell him the money will be wired into whatever account he wants as soon as we have verified the authenticity of the journal.”

  She sent the message. A moment later, she looked up from the screen.

  “Done. Milton just sent the code for the pickup location and his bank-account information.”

  Sam headed for the door. “Where is the pickup point?”

  “A place where no one ever thinks twice about someone collecting a package.”

  41

  “I LEFT A SHOPPING BAG HERE A COUPLE OF HOURS AGO,” Abby said. She held up the claim ticket that she had found in a sidewalk planter in front of the museum.

  The woman behind the coat-and package-check desk smiled. “I’ll be right back.” She took the ticket and disappeared into a back room.

  Sam glanced around. “Isn’t this a risky way to conduct business?”

  “Beats the old locker routine at the bus station,” Abby said.

  Sam surveyed the monumental glass-walled forum in which they stood. There was art everywhere, some of it hanging from the high ceiling. “Definitely more upmarket.”

  The woman reappeared. She held out the shopping bag with the familiar department-store logo on its side. “Here you are.”

  “Thanks,” Abby said.

  She took the bag and opened her senses a little. Currents of energy swirled in the atmosphere. The object inside was hot. She looked at Sam and knew that he had picked up on the heat. Without a word, he took the shopping bag from her. They walked through the front doors onto First Avenue and turned right toward the Pike Place Market.

  “This better be the right lab book,” Sam said.

  “I’m sure it is.”

  “Wonder where Milton is? Think he’s watching us?”

  “No,” Abby said. “I think he’s on a plane out of town as we speak. I told you, he was scared.”

  “Like everyone else involved in this thing.”

  “Except us, of course,” she said proudly.

  “Speak for yourself.”

  “Hah. Nothing scares you, Sam Coppersmith.”

  “You’re wrong. I’ve been running on the edge of panic since that first day you came to see me on the island.”

  “I don’t believe that for a minute.”

  “Believe it,” he said.

  “Why?”

  “Because I’ve known from the start that you were in danger.”

  She glanced at him. “And that scares you?”

  “Like nothing else I’ve ever encountered in my life.”

  “Oh,” Abby said. She was not sure what to do with that information. “I’ve known some people who were scared of me but not for me. Except for my mom, of course. But she’s been gone a long time.”

  “Trust me, I’m scared for you. That’s why we’re headed back to the island.”

  “Okay,” Abby said. “For now, I mean. I appreciate it. But I can’t stay there forever. After I break the code on this book for you, my job is done. I’ve got things to do. I have to find a new place to live, someplace that will take dogs. Got to put my old condo on the market. Then I have to get back to work.”

  “We’ll take it as it comes.”

  A brisk wind whipped Abby’s hair. She could see a bank of ominous dark clouds moving in over Elliott Bay.

  “It’s going to rain soon,” she said.

  “I understand it does that a lot around here.”

  It was clear that Sam’s mind was not focused on the weather.

  “How will we know?” Abby asked after a while.

  “What?”

  “How will we know when this thing is over? It will be easy to get the word out that the lab book has been acquired by a new owner and that the code has been broken. Heck, I’m sure it’s already out in the underground. But we can’t be sure that will be the end of the matter. What if whoever tried to kidnap me decides to try to steal the book from you?”

  “I don’t think the killer will risk trying to steal the lab book from my vault. He knows that he can’t get through my lock.”

  “You’re still convinced that whoever is after the book is the person who murdered Cassidy, aren’t you?”

  “I’m sure of it.”

  “Now what?”

  “Now we go home. Can’t miss the annual tech summit and the big barbecue.”

  “I didn’t realize you were looking forward to it.”

  “The weekend is going to be a lot more interesting than usual this year.”

  “Why?”

  “The killer will be there.”

  42

  THE COPPERSMITH FAMILY COMPOUND WAS ABLAZE WITH fiery grills. The annual Black Box technical summit was concluded, and the big barbecue was in full swing. The weather had cooperated, with plenty of sunshine and temperatures in the mid-seventies. The long summer day was drawing to a close, but there was still some light in the evening sky.

  Abby stood at the edge o
f the crowd, a glass of sparkling water in her hand, and tried to shake off the chill that was lifting the hairs on her neck. Everything looked normal. There was a line in front of the open bar set up under a large tent. Elias and Willow Coppersmith were mingling with their guests. The sound of laughter and conversation rose up into the trees. All appeared as it should, except for one thing. A few minutes ago, Sam had disappeared.

  Earlier that afternoon, he had given a series of tours of his lab, answering an endless string of questions. Abby had been amazed at his patience with the children and teenagers. Afterward, he had done his duty, socializing with the employees and their families. But now he was gone.

  She took a sip of the sparkling water. She hadn’t had anything stronger to drink all afternoon, even though she could have used something to calm her nerves. A strange darkness was gathering at the edges of her senses. Every time she tried to focus on it, the eerie shadows flickered out of sight. But the sense of wrongness was intensifying. The only thing she knew for certain was that it was linked to Sam. He had set his trap, and now he was waiting for the killer to walk into it.

  She had assumed the snare involved catching the killer on camera in the lab. But now she was having doubts.

  Jenny O’Connell materialized out of the crowd. She had a glass of wine in one hand.

  “I’ve been looking for you, Abby,” she said. “I wanted to apologize for my behavior the other day, when you and Sam came to the Black Box library. To be honest, I was a little taken aback, or maybe just plain insulted, that Sam Coppersmith was using a freelancer to go after a hot book for his family’s personal collection.”

  “I understand,” Abby said. “It’s okay. I know what librarians and academics think about those of us who work the underground market.”

  “It’s hard enough having serious academic degrees and just enough talent to know that the paranormal is real. Most of us in that category have to pretend that we don’t really believe in the existence of extrasensory perception, psychic energy or any of the rest of it. We tell people that we study the sadly deluded folks who do believe in it and examine the effects of such bizarre beliefs on culture and society.”

  “I understand,” Abby said again. She couldn’t think of anything else to say.

  “Unlike many of my colleagues, I was lucky enough to get a job in a scholarly collection like the Coppersmith company library, where the paranormal is taken seriously. And what did I do? I treated you the way my old academic colleagues would have treated me if they had realized that I actually do believe in the paranormal.”

  “I get that,” Abby said. She smiled. “My father has spent a lot of time in the academic world. I have a sense of how things work there. Please don’t worry. I accept your apology.”

  “Thank you.” Jenny sounded grateful and relieved. “I really would like to know more about your end of the field. I have to admit that I’ve always had a great curiosity about the private collectors’ market. It’s such a mystery, and so intriguing. Perhaps we can talk shop one of these days?”

  “Sure,” Abby said.

  “Wonderful. I’ll look forward to it.”

  Jenny wandered off in the direction of the bar. Abby watched her go and then turned to search the crowd once more. There was still no sign of Sam.

  There was something else that was bothering her now, as well. Jenny O’Connell had been in the company of Gerald Frye for most of the evening. Now she was alone.

  43

  SAM SAT IN THE CHAIR, ANKLES STACKED ON THE CORNER OF his desk, and listened for the sound of footsteps in the hall. His gun was on top of the desk. So was the green prism.

  It was just a matter of time. He had seen the killer make his way to the edge of the crowd a few minutes ago. Sooner or later, he would show up in the lab.

  The desk lamp was switched off, but Sam was jacked. The crystals and stones in the display cases glowed in the darkness, casting the strange shadows that could be created only by ultralight.

  The footsteps he had been waiting for echoed in the hallway at last, faint at first and then louder as they neared the door. There was a short pause.

  The door opened slowly. A figure appeared, silhouetted in the opening. A toxic mix of fear, panic and desperation burned in the atmosphere.

  The intruder hesitated, then moved quickly into the room and closed the door. There was a sharp click. A penlight beam arced through the darkness and came to rest on the packing boxes in the corner.

  “You don’t have to go through the boxes, Dr. Frye,” Sam said. “I’ve got what you’re looking for here on my desk.”

  Gerald Frye froze. “Sam.”

  “I had a feeling you would be the one who came here tonight, but I had to be sure.”

  “I was looking for you, Sam. Your mother noticed that you had disappeared from the party. She’s worried because you’ve been so depressed lately. She asked me to see if you’d retreated here to your lab. I told her that you probably just wanted to get away from the crowd for a while, but that I’d make sure you were okay.”

  “Skip the bullshit,” Sam said. “You’re here to get the prism that you used to manipulate Grady Hastings. Must have come as a shock today when I mentioned during the tour that I had packed up the contents of the lab of a small-time researcher named Hastings.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “The prism is the one thing that connects you to Grady Hastings. You realized that if I ever examined it closely, I would know that it had probably come from the Black Box lab. You were right.”

  “You’re not making any sense,” Frye said.

  “I recognized the para-engineering immediately. Knew it could only have come from our facility. But there’s a large staff in the Black Box. It took me a while to go through the list of suspects. I had a hunch you were the one who had created the hypnotic recording and tuned it to Grady Hastings’s aura, though. You’re one of the very few people in that lab with the technical expertise and the talent to do it. But that didn’t mean that you were the killer. There was always the possibility that someone else had used your device. Trust me, I know how it feels to be set up. I didn’t want to make a mistake, so I ran this little experiment tonight.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Frye edged toward the door.

  “There’s no point trying to run. It’s over. Just a couple of things I want to get clear. Whose idea was it to try to steal the crystals? Yours or Cassidy’s?”

  “I’m not going to answer any of your questions. If you lay a hand on me, I’ll scream bloody murder. There are a couple hundred people outside.”

  “We’re in a concrete basement. No one will hear you scream.” Sam took his feet down off the desk, sat forward and rested one hand on the glowing green prism. “But I’m not going to touch you. We’re just going to talk.”

  “Why would I do that?”

  “Because you want me to know how brilliant and how talented you are.”

  There was stunned silence. A great calm descended on Frye. He moved to the nearest display case and examined the cut geode inside. The blue ultralight from the glittering crystals embedded in the rock etched his face in eerie shadows.

  Frye grunted. “Everyone said you were heartbroken, but I knew you were just pissed off because you had let Cassidy get so close to your family’s secrets.”

  “That was part of it.” Sam got up and walked around to the front of the desk. He leaned back against the edge and folded his arms. “So whose idea was it to try to steal the crystals?”

  “Mine. I recognized Cassidy Lawrence for the opportunist she was the first time I met her. We were two of a kind. I dropped a few hints about the Phoenix stones. Imagine my surprise when I found out that she was already aware of them. That’s why she set out to seduce you at that gem-and-mineral show.”

  “Guess that explains a few things.”

  “Cassidy, of course, thought she was using me. She was accustomed to being able to manipulate every
man she encountered. She certainly dazzled you.”

  “How did she learn about the crystals?”

  “The rumors of the Phoenix Mine have had forty years to turn into a legend. Cassidy came from a long line of crystal talents. She paid attention to that kind of chatter. She picked up the whispers of the Phoenix a year ago and started doing some serious research. She arranged to meet you at that gem-and-mineral show. The next thing you know, you’re giving her a tour of the lab and she’s filling out a job application.”

  “You started working for us before Cassidy did. How did you learn about the Phoenix Mine and the crystals?”

  “Ray Willis filled up more than one lab notebook with the records of his experiments,” Frye said. Cold triumph rang in his words.

  “I’ll be damned. Willis kept more than one notebook?”

  “There were two, the one he showed to your father and Knox, and a second one in which he kept his own private records. Shortly before the explosion in the mine, he sent the second one to my mother for safekeeping.”

  “Why would he send it to your mother?”

  “The two of them were lovers at the time that your father and the others discovered that vein of crystals,” Frye said. “He realized the true value of the stones immediately, and wanted to conceal some of the results of his experiments from his partners.”

  “Did your mother have any idea of how dangerous the stones are?”

  “No, of course not. The first lab book wasn’t encrypted, but it might as well have been, as far as she was concerned. The notes are all written in the form of para-physics equations and technical jargon. I found it when I went through her things after she died a few years ago. But there was nothing in the notebook concerning the exact location of the Phoenix Mine.”

  “But after you found the lab book you knew who did have that information, though, didn’t you? Your father’s partners, Elias Coppersmith and Quinn Knox.”

  “I managed to track down Knox,” Frye said. “He was deep into the booze and the pills by then. I tried to question him, but I couldn’t get much out of him. His brain was mush. He told some very tall tales about the Phoenix Mine, but he had long since forgotten the coordinates, or pretended that he had forgotten. All I got from him was that it was somewhere in Nevada.”