The Haunted Way (Champions of the Crystal Book 5)

Chapter 6: Discovery

"That's lovely," Ford said, coming to stand behind her. "I knew you could sing, but not this."

"You're making me nervous," Sabrina said, lifting her fingers from the keys. "Go read your book."

"I finished it," he noted proudly. "Had the killer identified by page 32."

"Then tackle some real literature. I'd hate for you to waste your time with mysteries you already have figured out," Sabrina replied. "I saw a complete Shakespeare in there—go learn some sonnets. That ought to keep your brain busy."

"Teach me to do this instead," he said, sliding onto the bench next to her.

"Come on, Ford. It took me years to learn to play the piano. I can't teach you in an afternoon."

"I'm a quick study," he said.

The front door slamming made them both jump. Before they could do more than look at each other, Cynthia's voice shouted, "Sabrina!"

"In here," Sabrina called.

"Thank God." Cynthia leaned against the doorway to the living room, flushed and out of breath. "I think you two have to get out of here. I think I just compromised you. I'm so sorry. I had no idea."

"What are you talking about?" Sabrina demanded, getting to her feet. "What do you mean, compromised us? The blood sample was anonymous!"

"Yes, but..." Cynthia took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Sabrina. I should have listened to you. But I didn't think there could be anything wrong with it, and he agreed so easily—"

"What?" Sabrina went ashen. "You didn't take a blood sample from Ford!"

"I did. And I got a visit from the military this afternoon, demanding to know who he was and where he was. They're talking quarantine, Sabrina. What the hell is going on?"

"Shit. We have to go, Ford. We have to go now!" Sabrina said, pushing at him until he got off the bench. "Go pack for us! And call the capsule!"

"Why? I was just getting comfortable here!" he protested, not moving.

"Sabrina, what the hell is in his blood?" Cynthia demanded.

The doorbell made them all freeze. "Damn it," Cynthia whispered. "You two, hide! I'll get rid of them."

Sabrina and Ford ran for the nearest closet. Cynthia took a deep breath, trying to pat down her tousled hair, and answered the door. To her terror and annoyance, another Air Force officer was standing on her doorstep. This one was much younger, however, and vaguely familiar. "Yes?" she said impatiently. "Haven't you people taken up enough of my time? I've told you all I know."

He seemed taken aback. "I'm sorry, ma'am. I wasn't aware anyone else had contacted you recently."

"I told Colonel Martin I didn't know where the John Doe lives. And I would appreciate the test results on the blood I sent in, by the way! The lab says your people confiscated everything. Where the hell do you get off acting this way?"

"I don't know anything about that, ma'am, though I can look into it if you'd like. I'm here about a different matter. I've been assigned to reopen the investigation into the disappearance of Captain Scott Devon and his sister. We've had information that she may have been seen on the East Coast recently. Have you been in contact with her?"

"Look," Cynthia said, feeling a little desperate, "you people are really ruining my day. First you screw up a patient's confidential test results, and now you're reminding me that my best friend disappeared without a trace two years ago! I don't know what happened to Sabrina Devon, or her brother. I pray to God they're somewhere safe. But you are not going to find them by asking me."

"I appreciate your time, ma'am. If she should contact you, please be aware that she may be under undue influence. The individual she is reportedly traveling with is dangerous, possibly psychotic. If you hear from them, you should be careful not to let them know you are aware of that, and call this number immediately." He handed her a card with a phone number.

"Okay, fine. Good afternoon!" Cynthia all but slammed the door in his face.

——————————

Scotty walked down the street, fingering the digital satellite phone in his pocket and running the conversation with Cynthia back through his mind. He felt extremely depressed, though he had hoped not to be recognized. It was so bizarre to have someone he'd known throughout his childhood speak to him like a stranger. He had never felt further from home.

Oh well, he thought with a mental shrug. He couldn't afford to dwell on that right now. Something was wrong; he'd had the feeling ever since Cynthia opened the door, as if a tone almost beyond the range of his hearing was demanding his attention. But she'd thrown him off with that rant about the Air Force and test results, and—

Scotty came to an abrupt halt. "Shit," he muttered. Cynthia was a pediatrician. But if she were hiding Sabrina and Ford, and had ordered some medical tests on Ford, the alien factors in his blood would certainly have interested the government. "Oh, dammit," he sighed. "Bad enough they have half the galaxy after them. Now the Air Force!"

He turned back around to look at Cynthia's house. Now that he was trying, he could feel the faint tingle of crystal dissonance. "Shit," he muttered again, looking around. Sure he was unobserved, he lifted his comlink. "Khediva, bring me up."

He materialized on the control deck a second later. Tirqwin and Aurora were already there, looking irritated and disappointed, respectively. "Anything?" he asked.

"Your Aunt Euphrasia has not heard anything," Tirqwin said. "She recognized me, though. I said I was passing through town and wanted to see if either of you were there. She did not seem to think it was peculiar. I think she misses you, though."

"When this is all over, I have to find a way to go visit her," Scotty sighed. "What about you, Aurora?"

"No one in Washington has heard from Sabrina since her disappearance. Her belongings are still in storage, and her bank accounts have not been accessed," Aurora reported. "I take it you had no luck?"

He hesitated. "There's something going on. Cynthia claims she doesn't know where they are, but the Air Force is after her about some test results. If she was trying to treat Ford, the shit's hit the fan now for sure. We can't let the Air Force, or anybody else on Earth, catch Ford. He'd be a prime lab rat, and we'd've interfered with Earth's development in the worst possible way."

"Then we should retrieve them as expeditiously as possible," Khediva said.

"I don't know. Let's wait and see what's going on," Scotty said. "If they know the Air Force is onto them, they'll be leaving soon and we can follow the ship. I don't want to back them into a corner on Earth while the Air Force is in the equation. I don't want Sabrina to get desperate. She's unpredictable when that happens, and it's usually messy."

Tirqwin snorted, but said, "You have a point."

"Scotty," Aurora said gently, "that may well be a good plan. But it will look like reluctance to your superiors and mine."

"Screw your superiors and mine," Scotty retorted.

Tirqwin cleared his throat. "I believe I take offense at that, if I understood the idiom correctly."

"I didn't mean it literally," Scotty said, exasperated. "Look. This is my assignment. We do it my way. I'll take the consequences if it goes wrong."

They were silent for a moment, and Scotty was beginning to wonder what would happen if Tirqwin or Aurora refused to agree to his plan, when Khediva said, "The level of crystal dissonance in this system has just risen significantly. Something is happening."