The Lost Night Read Free Page A

said.
    Carl guided him along the hallway.
    “Damn it, Rachel, whatever you did to Lancaster in that therapy session has worsened his condition,” Ian said. He kept his voice low, but it was plain that he was not just angry; he was concerned for his patient.
    Rachel shuddered but she did not turn around. She listened to the retreating footsteps, suddenly very glad to know that in fifteen minutesshe would be out of the building and far away from the clinic.
    “I know you don’t want to hear this,” she whispered back, “but Lancaster is deliberately acting crazy. His aura is very stable—scary stable, in fact. He is in full control of himself and his talent. He’s a full-on psi-path and he’s dangerous, sir.”
    “You’re wrong,” Ian said. “There is definitely instability in Lancaster’s aura. He is an ideal candidate for the drug trial that I am conducting.”
    “Right.” She clutched her notebook to her breasts. She really needed to get out of the clinic. She fought the suddenly overwhelming urge to run. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll go pack up my office.” She started to move around him and paused. “I do have one piece of advice for you, although you probably won’t take it.”
    Ian narrowed his eyes. “What?”
    “Do not believe anything Marcus Lancaster says.”
    “If you have any proof that he’s lying, now would be a real good time to provide it,” Ian said, his expression fierce.
    She tried to come up with something, anything that would impress Ian.
    “His ear stud,” she said.
    Ian blinked. “What about it? The crystal isn’t tuned amber. It can’t be used to generate energy. That was checked out when he was admitted. The patients are not allowed to possess amber. And it’s certainly not gem-quality. It’s just a cold, decorative stone of some kind.”
    She took a deepbreath. “Here’s the thing, sir. I’ve seen stones like it before. Also, you should know that Lancaster doesn’t need amber or charged crystal to use his para-senses. He’s a natural. I think he has a mid-level talent for psychic hypnosis, but that’s not my point.”
    “Ridiculous. There is no such talent.”
    “I didn’t expect you to believe that, but think about this, sir: Why would a guy who wears designer suits and watches that probably cost more than the entire city-state budget wear a cheap ear stud?”
    “Probably because it has sentimental value,” Ian snapped, exasperated.
    “Trust me, there isn’t an ounce of sentiment in Marcus Lancaster.”
    “What makes you think that you are qualified to offer an opinion on Lancaster’s para-psych profile?” Ian said. “You were selling tea and giving aura readings when I found you at the Crystal Rainbow.”
    “Yes, I was, and I think I’ll go back to that career. I don’t seem to be cut out for clinical work or for the mainstream world, come to that.”
    She tightened her grip on her notebook and stepped around Ian.
    “Rachel—”
    Surprised by the hesitation in his voice, she paused and turned back.
    “Yes?” she said.
    “Even though you were technically here on probation, I’ll see to it that you receive two weeks’ severance pay,” Ian said quietly.
    “Thanks. I appreciate that. Ispent a fortune on new clothes for this job. I’ll be paying off the credit card for a while.”
    “I suppose you’ll be going back to the Crystal Rainbow Tearoom?”
    “No,” she said. “I think it’s time for plan B.”
    “You’re going to return to the Harmonic Enlightenment Academy?”
    “No. The truth is, I don’t belong there, either. Ever heard of Rainshadow Island?”
    “No,” Ian said.
    “Not many people have. It’s one of the islands in the Amber Sea. It’s not even on most maps. My great-aunts ran a bookshop and café there for a couple of decades. Several months ago they retired and moved to the desert. They left Shadow Bay Books to me. I’ve just let the shop sit, closed up, until I could decide what to do with it. In the back of my