Free GHOST HUNTER by Jayne Ann Krentz Page A

had became home to the down-and-out and those who lived on the margins of society, as well as a varied selection of nightclubs, bars, and taverns.
    But due to their close proximity to the ancient alien metropolises, the Old Quarters all possessed one strong, vibrant, economic underpinning that kept them from sliding into complete decay: a lively trade in alien antiquities, both real and fake.
    Interspersed with the cheap apartment houses, dives, and forlorn storefronts here in the cramped streets of Cadence's colonial neighborhoods, Cooper saw small shops purporting to offer relics from the Dead City and the Early Colonial era:
    When he had made quiet inquiries a few months back to assure himself that Elly was not living in a dangerous neighborhood, he had been told that her shop was in one of the newer, recently gentrified sections of the Old Quarter. Today when he had driven slowly down Ruin Lane, he had been relieved to find out that his information had been solid.
    True, the area wasn't as neat and tidy as the street where she had lived back in Aurora Springs, but he didn't see conventions of drug dealers, cop cars, and prostitutes on the corners, either.
    "There's Bertha's shop," Elly stated. "Go around the corner. We'll park in the alley."
    "I seem to be spending a lot of time in alleys tonight."
    "They're considered a scenic attraction here in the Old Quarter. Very atmospheric."
    He eased the Spectrum slowly into the narrow service lane behind Newell's Relics, parked, and climbed out. The fog was getting thicker, he noticed.
    Elly, with Rose on her shoulder, emerged from the front seat before he could get around to the passenger side.
    She removed a key from the depths of her tote and went quickly toward the rear door of Newell's Relics.
    "Hang on a second," he said quietly. "I want to be sure the Spectrum is still here when we come back."
    He sent out a little pulse of psi power through his amber, using it to grab some of the ambient energy drifting through the night. Concentrating briefly, he formed a tiny ghost and anchored it to the rear license plate of the Spectrum. The little UDEM flared to life, illuminating the plate in a faint, green glow.
    "That should do it," Elly said dryly. "Can't imagine anyone dumb enough to steal that car now."
    He shrugged. "In my experience, it's excellent insurance against grand theft auto."
    Okay, so it was a little flashy, he conceded silently. Very few dissonance-energy para-rezzes were strong enough to anchor a ghost, even a small one, outside the catacombs. But replacing the Spectrum would be both expensive and inconvenient. The little UDEM sent an unmistakable message:
Touch this car, and the owner will hunt you down and fry your brains.
    Elly opened the door of the darkened shop and switched on the lights.
    He followed her inside and found himself in a back room filled with small green quartz artifacts. There was nothing that looked particularly valuable, as far as he could see. Most of the relics were the sort of simple tomb mirrors, undistinguished urns, and unexceptional vases that were found in low-end antiquities shops in every Old Quarter.
    "Where's her rat hole?" he asked.
    "Same place mine is, in the cellar. Stairs are over there."
    "You've got an entrance to the catacombs beneath your shop?" he asked, surprised.
    "Yes. Pretty cool, huh? Doesn't do me much good, of course, but I let my friend Doreen use it. She takes me down with her sometimes."
    "Who's Doreen?"
    "She's another ruin rat. A tangler. Very fashionable. She went shopping with me shortly after I arrived and helped me pick out a new wardrobe."
    "I did notice the new clothes," he said neutrally.
    "Doreen has a shop and apartment directly across the street from mine."
    "I see."
    He followed her down a cramped flight of steps into the depths of a damp, dark cellar.
    "You know, this isn't how I had planned to spend my first night in the big city," he remarked.
    "That's the trouble with you Guild bosses, you're