In Too Deep (Looking Glass Trilogy #1)(11)
Author: Jayne Ann Krentz

"Why are we going back down?" she breathed.

"Because we are no longer alone in the house," he said.

The floorboards squeaked overhead. Fallon was right. The house was no longer giving off empty vibes.

"Something tells me that is not a prospective buyer," Fallon said.

"But the darkness extends to the floor above. I saw it filling the hallway. It must be like midnight up there now. How can he navigate?"

"Probably because he is some kind of talent."

Fallon must have turned his head toward her then, because she could suddenly perceive the dark heat in his eyes.

"You can see in this night?" she whispered.

"I come from a long line of hunter-talents. Good night vision runs in the family. Whatever happens, keep silent. I’ll handle this."

They reached the last step. Fallon drew her through the cold sea of energy and brought her to a halt. The absolute night was disorienting, but when she put out her hand, she realized that they were standing under the staircase.

They listened to the footsteps overhead. The long, sure strides were definitely those of a man, Isabella thought. He was moving like someone who could see in the dark.

The intruder was coming down the hall toward the basement entrance. A moment later she sensed the presence in the open doorway at the top of the staircase. She knew from Fallon’s great stillness that he, too, was aware of the stalker.

The intruder started down into the basement.

"Welcome to my little game," the man said. Unwholesome good cheer reverberated through the words. "I’ve never used local players. Too risky. But when I heard that the silly new real estate agent in town had hired an investigator to clear out the ghosts in the old Zander place, I knew I would have to change the rules for this round."

The hunter paused midway down the steps.

"Then, again, you aren’t exactly local, are you? The office of Jones & Jones is over in Scargill Cove. So, I guess I’m not bending the rules all that much after all. Let’s see now, you’re hiding either under the stairs or behind the armoire. There is no other option in this room. Keeps the scoring simple. I’ll try the armoire first."

Isabella sensed the hunter’s sudden movement on the staircase. At first she thought that he was rushing down toward the armoire. But in the next instant she heard the jarring thump of running shoes on the floor directly in front of her. The hunter had vaulted over the railing.

"Fooled you," the stalker said happily. "I chose the stairs. Bonus points for me. My name is Nightman, by the way. Think of me as an avatar."

A pair of eyes hot with madness and psi burned in the mist from a distance of less than two yards. The preternatural speed, balance and agility with which the intruder had moved, as well as the intense energy in the atmosphere, told Isabella that the intruder was a true hunter-talent.

"Well, well, well," Nightman said, "I can sense a little energy in the atmosphere. Maybe you two aren’t complete frauds, after all, huh?"

"No," Fallon said. "We’re the real deal."

"Once in a while I pick up a player who has a little talent," Nightman said. "Adds spice to the game. Tell you what, I’ll do you first, Mr. Private Eye. Save the lady for some fun later. After you and I are finished, I’ll take her upstairs and let her run. It’s so much fun to watch them try to find a door or a window in the darkness."

"Where did you get the clock?" Fallon asked as if it were a matter of idle curiosity.

"Interesting gadget, isn’t it?" Nightman chuckled. "I found it in an old tunnel under the floor in this room a few months ago. I was checking out the place to see if it would be a good platform for my games. The innards of the clock were in pretty good shape considering that it had been sitting in a damp cave for quite a while. It was stored in a weird glass box. I cleaned it up and got it working. Imagine my surprise when I discovered what it could do."

"It generates night," Fallon said.

"Sure does." Nightman laughed. "I have to tell you, it makes my little live-action video game very interesting for all concerned."

"What turns off the clock?" Fallon asked, still speaking in tones of academic interest.

"It runs down after about three hours," Nightman said. "Then it has to be rewound. It’s motion-sensitive, though. When I’m in the mood for a game, I pick up some junkie whore on the streets of Oakland or San Francisco and bring her here. I set the clock, explain the rules and turn the player loose in the house. We play until I get bored."

"The bodies go under the floorboards here in the basement, right?" Fallon asked.

"There’s a tunnel down below. Probably an old smuggling route. This stretch of coastline is riddled with caves."

Isabella could not stand to remain quiet any longer.

"You must have really freaked when you found out that Norma Spaulding had hired Jones & Jones to investigate this place," she said.

The hunter’s vicious eyes switched to her. "I’m afraid I’ll have to do something about Norma. Can’t let her actually sell this place, not after I’ve put so much creative effort into my game."

"How do you plan to explain the fact that we’re both missing?" she asked.

"Nothing to explain." There was a shrug in Nightman’s voice. "There won’t be any bodies to find. I’ll drive your cars to one of the roadside lookouts and leave them there. No one’s going to look too hard for a couple of missing psychic detectives from Scargill Cove. Everyone knows the town is populated by crazies and losers."

"What kind of weirdo loser picks a name like Nightman for his avatar?" Isabella demanded. She was pretty sure she heard Fallon heave a small sigh but she ignored him. "Or didn’t you know Nightman was what they used to call the guy who cleaned out the cesspools and emptied the privies in eighteenth-century England?"

"That’s a lie." Nightman’s voice rose in shrill rage. "You’re laughing now, but wait until I start using my knife on you."

"New rules tonight," Fallon said.

Isabella felt energy flare fiercely in the unnatural night. She heard a choking gasp and knew that it came from Nightman.

The killer uttered a strangled scream. His eyes got hotter, this time with the energy of terror and comprehension of his impending death.

"No," he wheezed. "I’m the winner. I’m always the winner. You can’t do this to me. It’s my game."

There was a dull thud as his body hit the floorboards. The hot psi dimmed in his eyes and vanished altogether.

The clock continued to tick into the sharp silence that descended on the basement.