were that Chief Attridge took his responsibilities to the residents of Shadow Bay very seriously.
Cyrus smiled.
“Something amusing?” Sedona asked suspiciously.
“I was just thinking that you made a very good decision when you moved to Rainshadow,” he said.
“Works for me,” she said. “This is a town full of people who don’t fit in very well in mainstream society.”
“You consider yourself to be one of those misfits?”
“Since the day I was born.”
Sedona stopped in front of another cottage that was cheerfully decorated for Halloween. Orange and green lanterns were suspended from the porch ceiling. A hollowed-out pumpkin carved with ghoulish features sat near the front door. A skeleton draped in a flowing psi-green cape reclined on a rocker.
“I’ll bet you get a lot of trick-or-treaters here on Halloween night,” Cyrus said.
“I’m hoping for a crowd,” she said. “It’s my first Halloween on Rainshadow, though. I’m afraid the kids might skip my cottage, what with the graveyard nearby and all.”
“How could they resist a house near a cemetery on Halloween?”
“I’ve got my fingers crossed,” she admitted. She went up the steps to her front door. “Good luck hunting those Underworld monsters, Mr. Jones.”
He watched her from the bottom of the steps. “You never answered my question. Can I count on you if I need a gatekeeper down below?”
She turned back to face him. “My standard fees are high,” she warned. “And I’ll have to charge extra because of the unknowns here on Rainshadow.”
“Thanks,” he said. “That’s all I wanted to know.”
She pushed open the door and stepped into the small, dark space. She rezzed a lamp and paused to look at him once again.
“Aren’t you just a little bit concerned that I might not only be psi-burned but crazy?” she asked.
He smiled. “No.”
“Why not? I’ve got all the hallmarks. Three weeks I can’t account for in the Underworld. Tales of secret research labs and strange experiments. That kind of stuff is right up there with stories of Alien abductions and lost worlds underground.”
“I’ve met a few real crazies in my time,” Cyrus said. “I have what you might call a feel for them.”
“I don’t feel like one to you?”
“No,” he said.
“Why do you say that? Everyone knows the human monsters can hide in plain sight.”
“Trust me, Sedona Snow, you’re not crazy. An off-the-charts talent, probably, but not crazy.”
He turned and started to walk away into the night.
“Mr. Jones,” she called softly.
He stopped again and looked at her over his shoulder. “Cyrus.”
“Cyrus.” She sounded as if she was test-driving the name, waiting to see if it felt right to her. “What makes you think I’m an off-the-charts talent?”
“Got a feel for those, too. Lots of them in the Jones family. Our history makes us a little more open-minded when it comes to dealing with unconventional talents, conspiracy theories, and secret labs where strange experiments are conducted. Good night, Sedona Snow.”
Chapter 5
He walked back to his cottage through the fog, unclipping his phone as he went through the front door. Marlowe answered on the second ring.
“Jones and Jones,” Marlowe said. “And for the record, cousin, it’s getting late here in Frequency City.”
“I found her,” Cyrus said. He shut the door, rezzed the light, and lowered himself onto the sagging sofa. “You were right, Sedona Snow is here on Rainshadow. Whatever happened to her during those three weeks, it was bad. She described a real nightmare experience to me.”
“Assuming her memories are accurate and not the by-product of a bad psi-burn.”
“Assuming that, yeah.”
There was a short, tight silence on the other end of the line.
“She’s still alive?”
“Alive and looking quite fit.”
“It’s been nearly a month now since she surfaced. Maybe she somehow managed to get hold of a fresh supply of the drug.”
Cyrus
Cyrus smiled.
“Something amusing?” Sedona asked suspiciously.
“I was just thinking that you made a very good decision when you moved to Rainshadow,” he said.
“Works for me,” she said. “This is a town full of people who don’t fit in very well in mainstream society.”
“You consider yourself to be one of those misfits?”
“Since the day I was born.”
Sedona stopped in front of another cottage that was cheerfully decorated for Halloween. Orange and green lanterns were suspended from the porch ceiling. A hollowed-out pumpkin carved with ghoulish features sat near the front door. A skeleton draped in a flowing psi-green cape reclined on a rocker.
“I’ll bet you get a lot of trick-or-treaters here on Halloween night,” Cyrus said.
“I’m hoping for a crowd,” she said. “It’s my first Halloween on Rainshadow, though. I’m afraid the kids might skip my cottage, what with the graveyard nearby and all.”
“How could they resist a house near a cemetery on Halloween?”
“I’ve got my fingers crossed,” she admitted. She went up the steps to her front door. “Good luck hunting those Underworld monsters, Mr. Jones.”
He watched her from the bottom of the steps. “You never answered my question. Can I count on you if I need a gatekeeper down below?”
She turned back to face him. “My standard fees are high,” she warned. “And I’ll have to charge extra because of the unknowns here on Rainshadow.”
“Thanks,” he said. “That’s all I wanted to know.”
She pushed open the door and stepped into the small, dark space. She rezzed a lamp and paused to look at him once again.
“Aren’t you just a little bit concerned that I might not only be psi-burned but crazy?” she asked.
He smiled. “No.”
“Why not? I’ve got all the hallmarks. Three weeks I can’t account for in the Underworld. Tales of secret research labs and strange experiments. That kind of stuff is right up there with stories of Alien abductions and lost worlds underground.”
“I’ve met a few real crazies in my time,” Cyrus said. “I have what you might call a feel for them.”
“I don’t feel like one to you?”
“No,” he said.
“Why do you say that? Everyone knows the human monsters can hide in plain sight.”
“Trust me, Sedona Snow, you’re not crazy. An off-the-charts talent, probably, but not crazy.”
He turned and started to walk away into the night.
“Mr. Jones,” she called softly.
He stopped again and looked at her over his shoulder. “Cyrus.”
“Cyrus.” She sounded as if she was test-driving the name, waiting to see if it felt right to her. “What makes you think I’m an off-the-charts talent?”
“Got a feel for those, too. Lots of them in the Jones family. Our history makes us a little more open-minded when it comes to dealing with unconventional talents, conspiracy theories, and secret labs where strange experiments are conducted. Good night, Sedona Snow.”
Chapter 5
He walked back to his cottage through the fog, unclipping his phone as he went through the front door. Marlowe answered on the second ring.
“Jones and Jones,” Marlowe said. “And for the record, cousin, it’s getting late here in Frequency City.”
“I found her,” Cyrus said. He shut the door, rezzed the light, and lowered himself onto the sagging sofa. “You were right, Sedona Snow is here on Rainshadow. Whatever happened to her during those three weeks, it was bad. She described a real nightmare experience to me.”
“Assuming her memories are accurate and not the by-product of a bad psi-burn.”
“Assuming that, yeah.”
There was a short, tight silence on the other end of the line.
“She’s still alive?”
“Alive and looking quite fit.”
“It’s been nearly a month now since she surfaced. Maybe she somehow managed to get hold of a fresh supply of the drug.”
Cyrus
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