Canyons of Night by Jayne Castle

you.”
    Dev gave him a wary, uncertain look. “You think people would laugh at me?”
    “Probably. Strong talent usually has a genetic component. Has your grandmother ever talked to you about the possibility that you might have some above-average psychic ability?”
    “Are you kidding? No way. If I asked her about something like that she’d pack me off to a shrink. I’d wind up in the loony bin. She’s already worried about me as it is. The last thing I want to do is make her think I’m going crazy, like my mom did.”
    It was no secret around the station or in town that Devin was the offspring of an illicit affair. His mother had taken her own life a year earlier. The kid’s father, a married man who lived in Crystal City, met his financial obligations but took no interest in the boy. What Devin had going for him was his grandmother, Myrna Reed. Myrna cared deeply about his well-being. But sometimes a boy needed a man’s firm hand.
    “Coming into a talent can be a little scary sometimes,” Slade said. “You don’t always understand what’s happening to you. And other people will think you’re strange. That’s why I’m advising you not to talk to anyone else about it, at least not for a while.”
    “Can I talk to you?” Devin asked softly.
    “Yeah, sure.”
    Having this conversation was probably a mistake, Slade thought, just like inviting Charlotte to dinner tonight. He had established a strict rule for himself when he took the job. The rule was simple. Don’t get personally involved with the locals . He wanted no strings attached when he finally got his act together and boarded the ferry six months from now to leave for good. But today he had broken the rule twice. Not a good sign. He never broke his own rules.
    “There’s someone else you need to talk to, and soon,” he said.
    “Who?” Devin asked.
    “Miss Enright.”
    Devin looked uneasy. “Why?”
    “Why do you think?”
    Devin’s mouth tightened. “You want me to tell her that I was the one who went into her shop last night?”
    “What I want doesn’t matter here. What matters is that you need to do what’s right.”
    “I told you, I didn’t take anything,” Devin insisted.
    “She knows that. But how would you like it if someone you and your grandmother didn’t know walked through your house sometime when neither of you was home.”
    Devin looked alarmed. “That would be illegal.”
    “Yes, it would. Even if all the guy did was look around.”
    Devin processed that for a moment. His mutinous expression morphed into tight-lipped resignation.
    “Okay, okay, I’ll tell her it was me,” he grumbled.
    “Good plan.” Slade reached into the pocket of his shirt and took out the small, wire-bound notebook and a pen. He opened the notebook, clicked the pen, and wrote down a website and a password. “Next time you’re on your computer, check out this address.” He tore the page out of the notebook and handed it to Devin.
    “Arcane?” Devin’s brow furrowed. “Is it some kind of game site?”
    “It’s not a game. But if anyone asks you about the Society, it’s okay to pretend that it’s just some whack-job website. Lot of those online.”
    “How do you know all this stuff?”
    “Because I’ve got a little talent, too.”
    “Yeah? Prove it. Tell me what I’m thinking. Or better yet, let’s see you fly up into the air.”
    Slade smiled. “There’s no such thing as mind-reading or levitation, although I know an illusion-talent who could make you believe that both are possible. We’re not talking superhero abilities. We’re talking psychic sensitivities and, sometimes, the ability to manipulate some of the energy in the ultralight regions of the spectrum.”
    “What’s that mean?”
    “Go do some research at that website. We’ll talk about what you learn there some other time. I’ve got to get this fish into the refrigerator at the station.”
    He took his boot down off the bench and started toward the entrance of