Page 35 of The Shop on Hidden Lane

Fifteen

“Shit,” Harry said. He studiedthe empty shelf inside the vault, more shaken than he wanted to admit. “This is not good.”

“No.” Angela folded her arms. “It’s not. When was the last time you checked on the weapons?”

“It’s been a while,” Harry admitted.

The large vault had been built into the basement of the big house. He had supervised the construction himself. It had been designed to store the artifacts and memorabilia that the family had collected over the decades, and it was crammed.

A lot of the objects on the shelves—from vintage government-issue coffee mugs, typewriters, and pencil holders to clunky-looking office equipment and furniture—had been collected over the years in the wake of the shutdown of Bluestone. All of it had absorbed a paranormal vibe, the result of having spent time in one of the long-forgotten labs.

“A year ago when Luke said he was ready to start taking control of the company I brought him down here and showed him theweapons,” Harry said. “I also reminded him of the story of Pandora’s box and the importance of the old pact.”

“I remember,” Angela said. “You said he took it all very seriously.”

Harry rubbed his jaw, thinking. “Dad and Tobias Harper never really believed the crystals were destroyed in the Fogg Lake explosion. They were both convinced that in the chaos afterward someone grabbed the box and vanished with it.”

“There are no accurate records of who made it out of the lab alive that day and who died, at least none that we know about. The government did everything it could to bury the Bluestone Project.” Angela turned and walked briskly out of the vault. “We must call Luke and the Harper woman. They need to know that this thing has taken another nasty turn.”

Harry followed her. “The Harper woman’s name is Sophy.”

“I’m aware of that.”

“Thought so.”

Once outside of the vault Harry reset the security system and then shook his head. “Hard to believe someone got past this lock. It’s the latest tech out of the Wells, Inc. lab.”

“I understand the Harpers are good with locks,” Angela said coldly.

Harry grunted. “I know.”

Sixteen

“The Kaleidoscope documents and theprototypes are missing?” Luke put the phone on speaker and raised his voice a little to be heard above the muffled roar of the jet’s engines. “Stolen? That’s hard to believe. Are you sure they weren’t misplaced? Maybe they fell off the back of the shelf. There’s a lot of junk stored in that vault.”

The sharp edge on his words sent a whisper of alarm across Sophy’s senses. She had just selected a slice of aged cheddar from the lavish tray of munchies that had been waiting for them when they boarded the sleek private jet. She paused before popping it into her mouth.

She wasn’t the only one who reacted to Luke’s tone. Bruce, secured in a safety harness in the passenger seat directly across the aisle, caught the vibe. He looked up from the fake bone he had been gnawing.

“No mistake,” Harry said. “The guns and the documents are gone.”

“Any idea when or how?” Luke asked.

“The most likely time was while Angela and I were in Europea few months ago. As for the how, that’s the more interesting question.”

“Yes,” Luke said, “it is.”

“It’s also an embarrassing question,” Sophy said. She took a bite of cheese. “So much for the reputation of Wells, Inc.”

“I heard that,” Angela snapped on the other end of the connection.

Harry cleared his throat. “Ms. Harper has a point. This doesn’t make the brand look good.”

“No,” Luke said. “It doesn’t.”

“No one,” Harry said, “absolutelyno one, outside this family”—

“And mine,” Sophy inserted.