“What do you mean?” Nico asked. Opal’s suggestion had him curious.
Opal inhaled and exhaled deeply. “I think we should do some research.”
Nico laughed. “Sure. I’ll google ‘houseboat vortexes’ while you buy a copy ofHow to Deal with Prancing Figments.”
Opal gave him a level look. “Have you considered where we’re standing?”
Nico’s eyes traveled the showroom. “Of course.”
“And what were we doing before we found the pool?”
“Making an inventory,” Nico said defensively.What’s she getting at?
Opal tilted her head to the side. “How much of that task did we accomplish?”
Nico held his tongue, refusing the bait. Tyler looked sheepish. “Not much,” he said.
Opal smiled triumphantly. “So… did it occur to anyone else that a collection like this might have information regarding the supernatural spin-cycle downstairs?”
Nico’s toes curled in his shoes. Nodding in surrender, he surveyed the room with fresh eyes. “We should check everything—boxes, crates, chests, whatever. List all the books we find, then scan their headings and indexes. Look for anything about the Darkdeep.”
Emma brightened. “Backstory. Yes. A place like this must have an incredible history.”
“Look for stuff about this island, too,” Opal added. “Also whoever built the houseboat, or assembled the collection. There’s no way it doesn’t all fit together.”
“Don’t forget the tunnel,” Tyler chimed in. “Shoot, anything about Still Cove at all.”
Energized, they split into pairs, Opal and Nico attacking a heap of books inside a huge orange trunk while Emma and Tyler rifled through dusty cabinets. Soon they were calling out titles to one another, making group decisions on how to sort them.
“Weapons of the Nineteenth Century?” Emma announced.
Opal pursed her lips. “Hmmm. Stick it in the ‘Unlikely’ pile.”
Tyler blew a cloud of dust from the cover of another volume. “A Topographical Survey of the Washington Coastline. Might be something about Still Cove in here.”
Nico nodded. “That’s a definite ‘Maybe.’ ”
Tyler was placing the book on a stack when Opal squealed. “Guys! Listen!” She held up a moth-eaten tome that looked older than all the others. “Natural Forces and Phantasms: Science of the Mind Realms.”
“That one’s smoking hot!” Nico called out. “Make a new pile.”
And so it went for a half hour, until most of the books were sorted. Yawning, Nico scratched the back of his head. They’d found some decent leads. In addition to Opal’s find, there were three history books about Timbers, a collection of Skagit Sound legends, a set of houseboat schematics, and a leather notebook withTorchbearer’s Logbranded on its cover.
But nothing specifically about the pool. Nico couldn’t help feeling disappointed. Then he chastised himself.What’d you expect, a book calledDarkdeep for Dummies?“We’ll start with these and see if they spark anything,” he said, trying to sound upbeat.
Emma smiled over-big, wheedling like a saleswoman. “And the Darkdeep tests? Steady as we go?”
“That’s not a good idea,” Nico said. “Opal’s right about us being in over our heads. Let’s figure out what the Darkdeep is before making any more figments. Deal?”
Emma’s expression soured. “Then let’s get reading.”
“Tonight?” Tyler glanced at his watch. “It’s dark already, and we’ve got school.” He went to the lone window. “I don’t see any figments, but a few could still be around. Are we starting this now or heading home?”
Nico checked his phone. No messages, but no service either. “I’m willing to stick around for a bit.”
“My mom has book club tonight,” Opal said. “That buys me two more hours.”
Emma shrugged. “My parents went to a movie. I’ve got until ten at least.” Tyler groaned theatrically, but settled down on the floor. “Research party!” Emma crowed, and the others laughed.
