“I don’t know,” Drake said again. “What I can tell you is that Rachel and Charlotte and Fletch and Jasper have taken a close look at every man in Shadow Bay who fits the profile I drew up. Egan is a perfect match.”

“Except that he just arrived on the island,” Kirk pointed out.

“Look, I admit there are a lot of questions that need answering here, but I’m convinced that Egan has the answers,” Drake said. “Whether he knows it or not.”

Kirk frowned. “You think maybe he doesn’t know what he’s doing? Maybe he’s an innocent victim who Tucker is manipulating?”

“Maybe,” Drake said. “Regardless, I need your help. We’ve got to bring him in.”

Kirk and Myrna exchanged brief glances. Drake could see that the decision had been made.

“You got it,” Myrna said. “Not like we have any better ideas.”

Kirk came away from the desk. “Let’s pick him up.”

“What charges?” Jasper asked dryly.

“Hell, I don’t know,” Kirk said. “We’ll call him a person of interest for now.”

Drake glanced out the window, trying to suppress the rising sense of urgency that was eating at him. A moment ago he’d gotten the gut-wrenching feeling that something had happened to Alice, but there was nothing going on out in the street that indicated trouble. He was on edge like everyone else. He had to control his imagination. Stick to the facts, Sebastian.

The fog was coming in earlier that afternoon and people were reacting accordingly. The amber lanterns in windows and over doorways had been lit even though it was not yet dark. Parents had already hauled kids off the swings in the small park. The softball game had ended. In the town square the door of the library opened. Those who had spent most of the day inside trooped out.

Everyone headed toward the B&Bs or the Marina Inn. By now Alice would be fully occupied with the evening dinner rush. She was safe indoors. So why was his intuition waving red flags of warning?

Because something bad had happened, of course. When you were born with a psychic talent, you learned to pay attention to your intuition. He headed for the door.

“Where are you going?” Rachel asked.

“I need to find Alice,” he said.

“She’ll be at the tavern,” Jasper called after him.

Drake ignored him and went out onto the front porch of the station. He jacked up his senses a little, looking deeper into the gathering shadows. One of the shadows, a small one with four eyes, rushed toward him down the middle of the empty street.

Houdini’s fur was plastered against his small frame. He was running on his four hind legs and clutching a small object in one front paw. Drake’s blood turned to ice.

“Houdini.” Drake went down the steps and crouched on the pavement. “What’s wrong?”

Houdini vaulted up onto his shoulder, yammering madly. He waved the object in his paw. Drake rose and took the object.

The door of the police station slammed open. Jasper and Fletcher emerged and Myrna and Kirk followed.

“What is it?” Fletcher asked.

Charlotte came down the steps, peering through the gloom. “Looks like eye makeup.” She took the flat plastic box and looked at the label. “It’s not a standard cosmetic counter brand. This is stage makeup, the kind actors wear.”

Drake looked at Houdini. “Where did you find this?”

Houdini rumbled in agitation.

“I saw Houdini playing with some kids a short time ago,” Kirk said. “Maybe they can tell us where he found the stage makeup. The families will all be down at the tavern by now.”

TEN MINUTES LATER DRAKE STOOD IN THE GLOOM-filled warehouse, looking at Egan’s ragged bedroll and the “Prepare for the Glorious Dawn” sign. He found the rest of the stage makeup and some fake eyebrows stashed in a nearby crate.

“He’s got her, doesn’t he?” Jasper asked.

Houdini growled.

“We’ll find her,” Drake said.

Fletcher was grim-faced. “How are we going to do that?”

Drake looked at Houdini. “Time to play hide-and-seek for real, pal. Find Alice.”

Houdini needed no second urging. He took off at a run. Drake followed, Jasper and Fletcher on his heels.

“Where’s he going?” Jasper asked. “I can’t see more than ten feet in this fog and the stuff is getting worse.”

“He’s heading for the graveyard,” Drake said.

Chapter 33

ALICE CAME AWAKE ON A SURGE OF PANICKY ENERGY AND the sound of a low, moaning litany infused with resigned despair.

“Oh, shit, oh, shit, oh, shit.”

The voice was male, she decided.

She realized she was lying on what felt like a very hard cot. She opened her eyes and discovered that she was on her back looking up at a green quartz ceiling that glowed with the unmistakable radiance of Alien psi. The ambient, senses-ruffling currents of energy in the atmosphere confirmed that she was in a chamber that could only have been built by the ancients.

For a few tense seconds she listened for Houdini’s reassuring chortle. But all she got was the bleak, toneless litany.

“Shit, shit, shit.”

She sat up slowly and looked around. It came as no surprise to discover that there were no windows. The Aliens had avoided sunlight and fresh air as if both were poison. There was a door that was a heavy, manmade mag-steel gate fitted with prison-style bars. It was mounted on steel rails at the bottom and top so that it could be slid aside. Through the bars she could see a portion of a glowing green hallway.

She was not alone in the Chamber. A young man was huddled in the corner. He was visibly pulled in on himself, his arms locked around his knees. He rocked numbly. His long sandy-brown hair was dirty and unkempt. There was dull fear in his eyes, as if he had seen one too many ghosts. Alice was quite certain that he had not eaten or slept well in a long time.

“You must be Pete,” she said.

He stopped rocking. His eyes widened. “I’m officially whacked now, aren’t I? Flat-out crazy.”

“I doubt it.” She waved a hand to indicate their surroundings. “But I can certainly understand why you might think so. Living in this place would make anyone a little nuts. Karen Rosser told us that Tucker had probably sent you into the Chamber a few more times since you helped her escape. She says it’s a real nightmare trip.”

Disbelief flashed in Pete’s eyes. It was followed by a faint glimmer of hope.

“You saw Karen?” he whispered. “She’s okay? She made it to Shadow Bay?”

“She’s fine. We found her in Deception Cove. She’s safe in Shadow Bay now.”

“You’re for real?” Pete came out of his huddled position and got slowly to his feet. “You’re not a ghost?”

“What makes you think I’m a ghost?”

“You’ve been asleep ever since they brought you in here. I was waiting for you to wake up. But a minute ago you sort of disappeared and then you reappeared. I figured I was hallucinating.”

“Oh, yeah, the disappearing thing,” Alice said. “Sorry about that. Instinct, I guess. I woke up in a bit of a panic. I’m a light-talent, like you and Karen. But you know how it is with talent. No two people get the same version. Mine is only good for vanishing temporarily.”

“I’d give a lot to be able to disappear from this place, believe me. You’re sure Karen is okay?”

“You have my word, she’s safe. I can also assure you that no matter what you’ve been told, Zara Tucker’s operation is not an authorized Foundation excavation. But Foundation Security—the real deal—is here on the island. Just a matter of time before help arrives.”

She infused her words with all the confidence she could muster. But Pete wasn’t buying the act.

“If Foundation Security is on Rainshadow, what are you doing here?” he asked.