Abby’s senses were wide open. Her intuition was screaming at her to rush back downstairs and out onto the street. The intruder was not yet aware of her presence. She could call nine-one-one once she was safely outside. But by the time the police arrived, it might be too late for Hannah and Mrs. Jensen.
Abby spoke quietly from the doorway. “I’ll getThe Keyfor you.”
“What?”The intruder whirled around to face her, eyes widening in shock. “Who are you?”
“My name is Abby. I’m the one you’re looking for, the woman who can unlockThe Key.”
“Huh.” The intruder blinked several times and shook his head as if to clear it. He was shivering, but he managed to steady himself somewhat. He gripped the gun with both hands, aiming it at her. “Are you sure you’re the right woman?”
“Yes. What’s your name?”
“Grady.” The response was automatic.
“All right, Mr. Grady…”
“No, my name is Grady Hastings.” Grady looked confused for a few seconds. He wiped his forehead again. “That’s all you need to know. Get the book. Hurry. I don’t feel too good.”
“The book you want is encrypted?”
“Yes, yes.” Excitement heightened the fever in Grady’s eyes. “TheKey to the Latent Power of Stones.They told me you could unlock it.”
“It’s in the crystals section, up on the balcony,” Abby said.
“Get it. Hurry.”
“All right.” She walked into the room and headed toward the small spiral staircase that gave access to the balcony which wrapped around the library. “How did you know that it was in Mrs. Vaughn’s collection?”
“The voices told me. Just like they told me that I needed you to break the code. I have to have that book, you see. It’s vital to my research.”
“You’re doing research on crystals?” Abby asked.
“Yes,yes.And I’m so close to the answers, soclose.I gotta have the book.”
“Okay,” Abby said.
Mrs. Jensen whimpered softly. Hannah had gone very quiet. She watched Abby with a sharp, knowing look. Her anxiety was a palpable force in the room.
“All right,” Grady said. “That’s good. Okay, then.” He seemed to regain a measure of control. “But I’m coming with you. No tricks. You have to break the code.The Keyis no good to me unless you unlock it. That’s what the voices in the crystal told me, you see.”
“I understand,” Abby said soothingly. She started up the spiral staircase.
Grady gave Hannah and Mrs. Jensen a quick, uncertain look and seemed satisfied that neither of them would cause him any trouble. Hefollowed Abby up the staircase. Abby was aware of his heavy, labored breathing. It was as if he was exerting enormous energy just to hold the gun on her.
“You’re ill,” Abby said. “Maybe you should leave now and go to the emergency room.”
“No. Can’t leave without the book.”
“What sort of crystal research are you doing?” she asked.
“Know anything about latent energy in rocks?”
“Not a lot, but it sounds interesting.”
“So much power,” Grady said. “Just waiting for us to figure out how to tap it. I’m almost there. Got to have that book.”
Abby reached the top of the spiral steps and walked along the balcony to the section of shelving that contained Hannah’s fine collection of volumes devoted to the paranormal properties of crystals. Many of the books were filled with the usual woo-woo and occult nonsense. Hannah said she collected those volumes for historical purposes. But a few of the titles contained the writings of researchers, ancient and modern, who had done serious work on the power of crystals, gemstones and amber.
The most valuable book in the Vaughn collection was Morgan’sThe Key to the Latent Power ofStones.Written in the eighteenth century, it was locked in a psi-code that added enormously to its value. In the world of antiquarian and collectible books that had a paranormal provenance, encrypted volumes were the rarest of the rare.
