Page 83 of The Shop on Hidden Lane

“I don’t understand.”

He shrugged. “That’s how I connect the dots. I do it in my dreams. This time around it’s going to be an experiment because I don’t know if I can still dream the way I did before I lost my other vision. For all I know my para-vision was linked to my dreamlight.”

She widened her eyes, intrigued. “You can see connections in your dreams?”

“If I have enough data.” He frowned. “Does that strike you as weird? You’re the one who grew up selling crystals and chimes. You know as well as I do that lots of people take dream analysis seriously.”

“Well, yes. But I never thought of you as the type to put much stock in dreams.”

“I find them useful,” he said. He sounded somewhat defensive. “But it always comes down to interpretation. That’s where things can go sideways.”

“You’re thinking about your affair with the secretly sexy librarian, aren’t you?”

He shot her an irritated look.

“Whatever,” she said quickly. “Moving right along, after you dream, Bruce and I should go into the maze with you. Think of us as backup. I’ve got some talent that might prove useful, especially if your para-vision doesn’t recover. I can see in the dark, remember? So can Bruce, at least to some extent. The three of us are a team. Allies. Colleagues. Three auras are stronger than one, right?”

He watched her with a brooding gaze for a long moment. Then his jaw tightened. “You’re right. We’ll go in together.”

“With Bruce.”

Luke’s mouth twitched a little at the corner. “With Bruce.”

Bruce raised his head again. His eyes glowed and he flapped his tail a couple of times.

Sophy got a rush of satisfaction. Luke was treating her as an equal partner. She was on a roll. “We know we’re dealing with at least four bad guys,” she said. “Trent Hatch, Vincent, the smoking ghost, and someone called the Alchemist.”

“Don’t forget Hatch’s security team.”

“Right. Plus the guards like the one we met at the front gate.”

“I’m not too worried about them,” Luke said. “They all seem to be retired people from Fool’s Gold who are just padding their Social Security and pensions with some part-time work. I don’t think they’re involved in the Alchemist’s project. The real question now is, who is the Alchemist?”

“We’ve got an entire art colony full of suspects.”

“We can exclude the artists,” Luke said. “Pretty sure they’re just unwitting test subjects, like the guests at the inn.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that Hatch’s security team is behind this whole thing. Those blondes look tough.”

“It’s a possibility, but they have the vibe of professionals. Got a hunch they’re in it for the money. It’s just a job for them.” Luke paused a beat. “I think.”

She watched him for a moment. “How did you find your way out of the maze without your other vision?”

“I used the classic technique. Planted one hand on the wall and never took it off until I got to the exit.”

She unfolded her arms and dropped into the nearest chair. “You found your way out of that maze by touch alone. That’s…incredible.”

“Not really. It was the only option available.” Luke went to the table, picked up the weapon, and raised it to eye level. He aimed it at the balcony window and gently twisted the thick barrel. “No question about it, this is old-school crystal tech. Physical contact is required to fire it.” He lowered the Kaleidoscope and studied the doughnut sculpture. “Unlike the hypnotic tiles.”

She lounged back in the chair and crossed her ankles. “No wonder everyone thinks you should take your grandfather’s place as the CEO of Wells, Inc. Got to hand it to you, Luke, you do know how to set priorities and focus on a problem.”

“I’m told the habit can be irritating.”

“Who said that?”

“You may have mentioned it.”

“Oh, right.”