Chapter Fifty-Five
Fifty-Five
Victoria whirled and fled. Sophy thought she moved with impressive speed, considering the pencil skirt and the pumps.
There was a reverberating clang as the massive steel door slammed shut behind her.
The other heavy door closed a second later, sealing the chamber.
Sophy heard the muffled thuds of dead bolts sliding into place.
She and the others were trapped in the battery room.
The energy levels were so intense she knew they had only a couple of minutes left before the inevitable explosion occurred.
“That’s enough, dear,” Bea said. “Time for some housekeeping.”
“Your aunt’s right,” Luke said. “This has all been damned entertaining but we need to move. Can you neutralize the energy levels long enough for us to get out of here and back to the surface?”
“Sure,” Sophy said.
In that moment she was a goddess.
She knew at once that she would not be able to calm the seething vortex currents with her core talent alone. Human energy simply wasn’t strong enough to tame the powerful forces of nature. She picked up the unlocked crystal and set about channeling energy through the stone.
When she had identified the currents she needed she went to work. The job required strength and subtlety. No one would thank her if she accidentally triggered the explosion that was waiting to happen.
Technically the task was no different than scrubbing the psychic stains of trauma that had soaked into a residence. She just needed a lot more power.
“I really hate housework,” she grumbled to no one in particular.
When she was finished an eerie calm settled on the chamber. Satisfied that she had done all she could, she lowered her talent. The crystal went dark. She relocked it, aware that her fingers were shaking. This was not a good time for the ice fever, she thought.
She set the stone on the pedestal with the other crystals, dusted off her hands, and looked around.
“We should leave,” she said. “The power levels have been temporarily neutralized, but that situation won’t last long. There’s too much energy embedded in this place. Too much heat. Something very bad is going to happen soon.”
“We’ll go out the way we came in,” Luke said.
The door of the control room opened. Whitley stood in the entrance. He looked thrilled.
“I knew the crystals could control the forces of the vortex,” he exclaimed. “I was right.”
“No,” Luke said. “This place is going to blow in a matter of minutes. Your only chance is to leave with us.”
“I am not going anywhere. This is my masterpiece.”
“Suit yourself,” Deke said. “We’re leaving.”
Luke took the jammer out of his jacket. The steel door slid open, moving a lot more slowly than it had closed.
A maddened Smoking Ghost stood in the way. He had a pistol in one hand.
“So much for the new sedative formula,” Deke said.
“Go for it, Bruce,” Luke said.
Bruce launched himself at Smoking Ghost. His powerful jaws clamped around a forearm. Smoking Ghost yelled and tried to get out of the way. The gun fell to the floor. So did Smoking Ghost. He groaned once and went still.
Bruce stood over him and looked at Luke for directions.
“Thanks, pal,” Luke said. He crouched beside Smoking Ghost and checked for a pulse. He shook his head and got to his feet. “The effects of the Kaleidoscope recoil would have taken him out very soon but the sedative probably sped up the process. Let’s go.”
Sophy glanced back into the mirrored chamber. Whitley was standing in the middle of the circle of towers, admiring his handiwork.
“There’s no point trying to convince him to leave,” Bea said quietly. “He’s insane.”
“And he’s responsible for several deaths,” Deke added. “Let him go down with his ship.”
They retraced their steps back through the old lab and up the glowing blue staircase. Bruce led the way through the maze. Sophy followed the others outside.
The first light of dawn was showing over the canyon walls. The illuminated sculptures sparkled in the gardens. The windows of the empty inn were warmly lit. It all would have been very serene, she thought, if it weren’t for the weight of impending doom that enveloped the deserted compound.
“With luck, the SUV is still in the garage,” Luke said. “If not, we’ll have to use one of the golf carts.”
Deke grunted. “If we end up escaping in a golf cart, we all agree that we will take an oath to never tell anyone.”
The SUV was in the garage. It sat alone amid the rows of empty parking spaces. Luke unlocked it and got behind the wheel. The others piled in. Deke took the front passenger seat, reached underneath it, and produced a pistol. He lowered the side window and took up a shooter’s position.
Sophy, sitting in the back seat with Bea and Bruce, met Luke’s eyes in the mirror.
“You told me you weren’t armed,” she said.
Luke drove hard and fast out of the empty garage, heading for the gate. “I said I didn’t like guns.”
“The Wells family is in the security business, dear,” Bea reminded her gently. “It stands to reason they have some familiarity with firearms.”
“Luke told you the truth,” Deke said. “He doesn’t like guns. Take it from me, he’s not very good with them.”
“Thanks for the positive feedback,” Luke muttered.
“You were born for upper management, not fieldwork,” Deke said.
Sophy sat back in the seat. “Actually, Luke was born to dream.”
Deke glanced at her, curiosity sparking in his eyes. “Think so?”
“No doubt about it.”
The SUV roared through the open gates, but Luke braked when a figure lurched into the middle of the road and waved frantically.
“It’s Hatch,” Sophy said. “Looks like the others left him behind.”
“As far as I’m concerned we can leave him behind, too,” Deke growled.
“We need some answers and he has them,” Luke said. “He can ride in the cargo bay.”
They paused long enough for Hatch to clamber into the back of the SUV. He collapsed next to the case of bottled water.
“Thanks,” he gasped.
Luke floored the accelerator.
The explosion occurred a short time later. The towering red rock canyons that enclosed the small valley contained most of the energy but the force of the blast sent shock waves through the desert floor. The road heaved and twisted beneath the wheels of the SUV. Pavement cracked and buckled.
Sophy put an arm around Bruce, who was not strapped in, and held him close. In the cargo bay Hatch yelped as he got tossed around. They all hung on while Luke fought for control of the vehicle.
When things settled down Deke glanced back through the rear window.
“The town of Fool’s Gold will be okay,” he predicted. “The authorities will probably write it off as an earthquake that, in turn, caused a fire. Luckily for all concerned, the art colony was evacuated shortly before the emergency occurred.”
“Nice work coming up with a sanitized version of events,” Luke said. “You might want to consider a job in the marketing division at Wells.”
“No thanks,” Deke said. “I’ve got other plans. I’m going to work for the Shop on Hidden Lane.”
He reached one hand over the seat. Bea smiled, grasped his fingers briefly, and squeezed.
Luke flashed a quick grin. “I can’t wait to hear what Grandma has to say about that.”
Sophy gave Bea a stern look. “Just how long have you and Deke Wells been—” She broke off, aware that she was flushing. She waved one hand. “Never mind. We’ll discuss this later.”
“Good idea,” Bea said. “Because it’s a long story.”
“With a happy ending,” Deke said.
“Even if we almost got killed,” Bea added.
Sophy looked out the rear window. The smoke was growing pale and starting to thin. “Whitley can’t have survived the explosion.”
“No,” Deke agreed. “The lab wasn’t built to withstand those forces. Nothing is.”
“I wonder if the Tuxedo Twins and the fake librarian made it out of the blast zone.”
“I hope not,” Hatch said. He grabbed a bottle of water and opened it. “Like I said, I got played.”
“Talk,” Luke ordered.