Abby picked up her own mug. “There was a falling-out among the partners?”
“You could say that. Ray Willis tried to murder Knox and my father. Dad never told us exactly what happened in the mine shaft that day, but in the end there was an explosion. Knox and my father escaped through an air shaft. Willis didn’t make it out.”
“What happened?”
“Afterward, Dad and Knox made a pact. They decided that for the foreseeable future, the crystals should stay in the ground. Those rocks were just too dangerous. There was no telling what would happen if they fell into the wrong hands. They agreed to keep the location of the mine a secret, and they tried to destroy all traces of its existence.”
“The foreseeable future has turned into forty years?”
“Yes, but Dad still hasn’t changed his mind about the Phoenix. He does not want it found, not yet at any rate. He says if the time comes to reopen that mine, Coppersmith Inc. will handle the job.”
“Meanwhile, your father is committed to keeping the secret.”
“His old partner, Quinn Knox, kept the secret, too. But he died a couple of weeks ago. Before he passed on, however, he warned us that his son, Lander Knox, who is evidently a full-blown bad guy with a lot of talent, is on the trail of the lab book.”
“You say your father and Knox searched for the book after the explosion?”
“Not just the notebook. Several of the crystals that Ray Willis was using in his experiments went missing, too. Dad and Knox couldn’t find the book or the stones. Eventually, they gave up and told themselves everything had been buried with Willis in the explosion. But over the years there have been occasional whispers that indicated that the book and at least some of the crystals survived. In the beginning, Dad chased down every lead. Now my brother, Judson, and I do it. But until now, nothing has ever come of any of the rumors.”
“What happened to your father’s partnership with Knox?”
“They worked together for a while. Found a new mine, one that produced copper. They sold out to a big mining company and split the profits. That was the end of their partnership. My father spent his share of the money on exploration and development of another rare-earths mine that became the foundation of Coppersmith Inc.”
“What happened to Quinn Knox?”
“He and Dad lost contact over the years. Knox evidently had a problem with gambling and a few other addictions. But Dad heard from him for the first time in decades when Knox called from his hospital bed to warn him about Lander Knox. Apparently, Lander found one of the crystals that Quinn had kept and learned about the existence of the Phoenix Mine. He has concluded that he was deprived of his rightful inheritance, and he’s determined to find it. To do that, he needs the lab book.”
“You really think this Lander Knox is the person who is trying to blackmail me?”
“I think there’s a very high probability that he’s the blackmailer, yes. But we have to assume that there may be others who will do whatever it takes to get that book.”
“Wow, a lost mine and a missing lab book.” Abby looked genuinely amused. “You know, if it weren’t for the blackmail part, this would actually be one of my cooler gigs.”
“I’m glad you can see the positive side of this situation.”
He studied the tea she had placed in front of him. Normally, he never drank tea, herbal or otherwise. But this tea was a mysterious golden green. He picked up the cup and swallowed cautiously. The brew tasted oddly soothing. He could feel the warmth flooding through him, and it felt good. It occurred to him that he had been cold for a while now. Strange that he had not been aware of it until tonight.
They drank the tea together in silence. Eventually, he put down the cup.
“By now you’ve probably heard the rumors about me,” he said.
9
SHE DIDN’T PRETEND THAT SHE DIDN’T KNOW WHAT HE WAS talking about.
“Well, sure,” she said. “Even my friend Gwen has heard them.”
“I didn’t kill Cassidy Lawrence.”
“I know.”
That was not the response he had expected.
“How do you know that?” he asked.
Abby shrugged. “Gwen would never have left us alone together if she thought you were capable of that kind of thing.”
He frowned. “She’s that good?”
“She’s that good.”
“Huh.”
So much for the fantasy of Abby throwing herself into his arms and swearing a vow of unqualified trust. Take what you can get, Coppersmith.
“There’s one other thing I’d like to clarify,” he said.
“Yes?”
“For some reason, a lot of folks seem to believe that Cassidy and I were engaged.”
“Not true?”
“No,” he said. “We saw a lot of each other for a while, and people made some assumptions. We had an affair, but she was not my fiancée.”
“I see.”
Abby’s phone chimed into the sudden, acute silence. She flinched, clearly startled, and picked up the device. She glanced at the screen, smiled and took the call.
“Talk about a psychic intercept,” she said. She walked out from behind the kitchen counter, heading toward the small desk. “We were just chatting about you, Gwen.…Yes, that’s what I told him. You can take off for Hawaii without having to worry about me.”
Abby stopped in front of her desk and began to flip through a small stack of mail.
“Yes,” she said. “I promise I’ll call Nick if I think I need backup. But I’ll be fine.…Yes.…Good night. Safe trip. I know it’s a job, but try to have some fun in Hawaii, okay?…Yes, I promise I’ll call with updates.”
She closed the phone and set it down. “Good news. Gwen just gave you a clean bill of aura health.”
“I appreciate that,” Sam said.
Abby tossed the last of the mail aside and reached for the small package that sat on the desk. “I don’t remember doing any online shopping recently.”
A visible shiver went through her when her fingers closed around the parcel. She gave a sharp, audible gasp. Energy sparked in the atmosphere.
“Oh, my,” she breathed.
Newton jumped to his feet, ears sharpened. He whined softly.
Sam was already moving, crossing the room to where Abby stood, gazing raptly at the package that she held in both hands.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Nothing is wrong.” She had recovered from the initial shock. Anticipation sparkled in her eyes. “I think someone sent me a very special gift, a book, judging by the energy. An old one.”
He could sense the subtle shiver of energy around the package now. “Whatever is in there is hot.”
“Yes, indeed,” she said. She began to unwrap the package with great care. “Very hot.”
The hairs lifted on the nape of his neck.
“Who sent it?” he asked.
“I don’t know yet. There’s no return address. Maybe there will be a note inside. I have a hunch that it’s a thank-you gift from one of my clients.”
“Your clients have your home address?”
“No, of course not. Too many crazies in my line. All of my business correspondence goes to an anonymous private post office box and is then forwarded here.”
She got the outer wrapping off, revealing an ornately carved wooden box.
“Those are alchemical designs,” Sam said.
“They certainly are.”
Abby opened the hinged lid of the box. There was a small leather-bound book inside. She used both hands to take it out. She smiled.