Free Microsoft Word - Burning Lamp - Quick_ Amanda by noel

criminal consortium. Surely you employ people who can
    do that sort of work for you?”

    “You know the old saying ‘If you want a job done properly, do it yourself.’ ”

    “Nevertheless, to take such an unnecessary risk seems quite . . . extraordinary.”

    “No offense, Mrs. Pyne, but when it comes to risks, you are in no position to lecture me.”

    She discovered she did not have a ready response to that.

    “To conclude my story,” he said, “I was interrupted in the midst of the search by the homeowner
    and another man. There was no time to retreat back out the window and nowhere to hide. I used
    my shadow-talent to conceal myself. I was then obliged to witness a very heated argument
    between the two men. The gentleman reached into the drawer of the desk, pulled out a gun and
    prepared to shoot his visitor. That was when I intervened.”

    “Why?” she asked.

    He got the cord untied. “Because the man who was about to be shot was a client of mine.”

    “A client? Your client?”

    “He wanted answers to some questions. I had agreed to find them. In any event, I used my
    nightmare talent against the gentleman with the gun without even thinking about it. It was a
    reflexive, intuitive reaction.”

    “The way it always is the first time,” she said quietly, remembering her own first experience with
    her talent.

    “The man screamed,” Griffin said, his voice very low. “It was unlike anything I have ever heard.
    An unearthly sound, as they say in sensation novels. And then he was on the floor. Dead.”

    “What of your client?”

    “Not surprisingly, he fled the scene, thoroughly shaken. He never saw me. Later he and everyone
    else, including the police, concluded that the man who had tried to murder him had suffered a
    stroke. I saw no reason to correct that impression.”

    “Hmm.”

    “I hear the scientist in your tone again, Mrs. Pyne.”

    “I believe I mentioned that my father specialized in paranormal research,” she reminded him.
    “Perhaps I picked up a few of his character traits. You are convinced that this
    nightmare-generating talent of yours is new?”

    “I think I would have noticed early on if people in my vicinity were plunging into states of abject
    terror for no apparent reason.” She refused to be put off course by his sarcasm. An idea had taken
    shape in her mind and she could not let it go.

    “The thing is,” she said, “I cannot help but wonder if perhaps your new ability is somehow
    linked to your first talent. In which case it would not necessarily be a second power, if you see
    what I mean. Maybe it is nothing more than an aspect of your original talent, one that took longer
    to develop.”

    “I told you, there are other symptoms that the curse has struck,” he said, grim impatience edging
    his words. “When I am awake, I experience occasional hallucinations. I can deal with those.
    When I sleep, however, I endure nightmares so extreme that I awaken in a cold sweat, my heart
    pounding.”

    “I see,” she said gently.

    It occurred to her that a crime lord might have good reason to suffer from nightmares. She
    decided not to mention that it might be his conscience that was inflicting the bad dreams. She
    doubted that he would appreciate that observation. As for the hallucinations, she had no such
    easy explanation.

    Griffin pulled down the sides of the velvet sack, revealing the artifact. He stood very quietly for
    a time. Adelaide sensed the energy swirling around him.

    “There is no doubt,” he said quietly. “This is the real Burning Lamp.”

    Adelaide moved closer to the relic. Her palms prickled. She had examined the relic any number
    of times over the years but it never ceased to fascinate her and send a frisson across her senses.

    The lamp was about eighteen inches tall and gleamed like gold in the weak light. As she had told
    Griffin, it looked more like a metal vase than an old oil lamp. The tapered bottom section was
    anchored in a