Page 6 of The Shop on Hidden Lane

“A paranormal weapon?” he asked finally.

“Maybe, but I can’t be certain.It definitely isn’t a regular pistol.”She paused. “You don’t sound surprised by the possibility that the device might be based on paranormal tech.”

“There are a few psi-based weapons out there,” he said. “They date from the days of the old Bluestone Project. The one thing they have in common is that they are extremely dangerous to use.”

“Because they fire paranormal radiation of some kind?”

“Well, that and the fact that most people can’t handle them, at least not for long. According to my great-grandfather’s journal, that was the main reason the program tasked with developing psi-guns was forced to abandon the project. They were as dangerous to the shooter as they were to the target.”

Her librarian’s curiosity kicked in.

“Why?”

“Because the act of firing the weapons produced a psychic recoil that, over time, damaged the shooter’s aura. Continued use resulted in insanity and death.”

“I see. Well, this killer certainly seems unstable.”

The novelty of being able to communicate with someone while in the trance had caused her to stay too long. She could not risk another minute. She was no Cinderella and Luke was not her idea of Prince Charming, but it might as well have been midnight in the ballroom.

She prepared to strike another note on the chimes, the one she would use to ride out of the trance and back into the waking state.

A shadow in the doorway made her hesitate.

“Oh, shit,” she whispered in her trance voice. “This isn’t over yet.”

“What’s happening?” Luke asked.

“There’s a figure in the doorway. A man. He enters the room. There is no hesitation. He knows his way around. He stops near the sofa.”

“Deke,” Luke said. “It must be.”

“He’s got something in his hand.”

“A gun?”

“I don’t think so. I can’t see the object, but whatever it is, it’s important to him. Now he’s returning to the door.”

“When did this go down? Before or after the murder?”

“Good question. The visions are not connected. I’m viewing two separate incidents. Both are very recent but there’s no way to know which happened first. This one is much weaker and fainter than the murder scene. That indicates no violence is involved, thank goodness.”

“But it’s important?”

“Very. There’s a lot of tension around the man.”

Another ghostly silhouette appeared on the threshold, evidently waiting for Deke. She could not make out the figure’s face but she would know that energy field anywhere.

She struck the chimes, got a note, and rode it out of the trance and into the heavy darkness inside the cabin.

“Sorry,” she said, safely back in her normal voice. “That’s it. That’s all I can tell you. Please turn on the light.”

Luke flipped the switch and studied her with his CIA assassin eyes. She knew he didn’t believe her. That was his problem.

“Can you track the energy prints outside the cabin?” he asked.

“Across the porch maybe but that’s about it. The ground absorbs the paranormal currents very quickly.”

She was talking fast now because she was flying on adrenaline.The mirrored sunglasses concealed her eyes but she knew that she had stayed too long in the trance. The ice fever would strike very soon and it would be bad. She had to get back to the shop. She needed to dose herself with the tea and then she had to come up with a plan to find Bea.