Free Midnight Crystal by Jayne Castle

communities. If all of the quartz explodes, the Old Quarters would probably be destroyed.”
    “Maybe. There are a lot of ifs in this situation. At this juncture, there’s too damn much we just don’t know. But my intuition tells me it could be very, very bad.”
    She took a deep breath. “That settles it. This isn’t just a Guild problem. You need Arcane’s help. You need me.”
    “Yes,” he said. “I believe I do. I think we’ve got some time. Like I said, the destabilization process has probably been going on for years. I don’t want to tell Fortner and the Chamber that the underworld and the Old Quarters in all of the cities will have to be evacuated until I know for certain that there isn’t any alternative.”
    “I understand why you’ve kept a lid on this situation. If the media picks up on this, there would be instant panic. You definitely need Arcane. The Society has been studying the paranormal for centuries. For starters, we should get an Arcane lab team down to the maze to assist your people immediately. Meanwhile, you and I have to find that lamp.”
    “The problem with working openly with you and Arcane is that it’s bound to start rumors.”
    She thought about that for a few seconds. “We shouldn’t have any trouble keeping a joint research project quiet. Arcane and the Bureau have both had a lot of experience with that sort of highly classified work. But you’re right; the media will certainly notice if you and I spend a lot of time together aboveground searching for the lamp. You’re a Guild boss. The media loves gossip about high-ranking ghost hunters. We need a cover.”
    “Got any ideas?”
    “I’m the head of J&J. Of course I’ve got an idea. By the way, I want to meet your sister as soon as possible. Preferably at night.”

Chapter 7

    SHORTLY BEFORE NOON, WITH GIBSON UNDER ONE arm, Marlowe opened the glass-paned front door of Jones & Jones and walked into the office.
    Rick Pratt was at his desk. He fixed her with an accusing look and held up a copy of the Frequency Beacon .
    “You’re having an affair with the new Guild boss, and you didn’t tell me, your faithful office manager?” Rick said. “I’m crushed, I tell you. Devastated.”
    She had hired Rick immediately after taking over the office. He had been the first and only applicant for the job, but one look at his dreamprints had told her he would be perfect. Not only was he intelligent, he had a high level of intuitive talent and a flair for organization.
    He was about thirty, red haired and blue eyed. He wore a pair of gold-framed spectacles and bought his designer jeans and shirts at the trendiest shops in the Quarter. An amber and gold stud gleamed in his earlobe. There was an expensive engagement ring on his hand. He and his fiancé, Daniel Fields, a professor at the university, had been formally matched by an Arcane matchmaker. They were in the midst of planning a Covenant Marriage.
    Uncle Zeke had been running J&J for years without an assistant, claiming there was no need for one due to the lack of business. It was certainly true that clients were not exactly standing in line out front, but Marlowe had big plans. She intended to make J&J the premier psychic investigation agency in Frequency, once again the first choice for members of the Society who needed the services of a PI.
    “Let me see that paper,” she said.
    She put Gibson down on the desk and picked up the newspaper. The photo on the front page of the Beacon showed Adam and her standing on the side of the mountain road at two thirty in the morning. Gibson was perched on Adam’s shoulder. The scene was illuminated by the headlights of the pickup that had stopped for them. It had been raining when they had emerged from the catacombs. All three of them were soaked.
    The banner headline read, “Guild Boss and Mistress Caught by Storm.” Beneath it was another line: “Rain Dampens Secret Rendezvous.”
    Gibson crossed the desk to the large ceramic