"You did it." Orchid hurried to the opening. "My God, you really did it. You found the exit."
"Like they say, everyone has some talent, however small." Rafe got to his feet and moved past her into the stairwell. "If I know crypto-talents there will be an emergency switch for the siren right around here somewhere." He spotted the green lever immediately. "Right. Here we go."
He slammed the lever upward. The uncomfortable whine finally ceased.
"What a relief." Orchid gripped the edge of the steel door frame and sagged wearily against it. "Tell me, does this sort of thing happen a lot to you in the course of your private investigation work?"
"No." In the eerie green light of the emergency fixture he could see the tense, drawn expression in her eyes. He had been very careful to involve her only in cases that held little or no possibility of physical danger.
But after what had just happened, she might very well refuse to work with him again.
A frisson of dread swept through him. Maybe she wasn't exactly what he was looking for in a wife. But what if he never saw her again?
Rafe took a step forward. Reached out to touch her shoulder. "Orchid? Are you okay?"
"Yes, of course." She smiled weakly. "Just give me a minute. You'd better see to poor Mrs. Turlock."
"I'll get her." He made to step past Orchid and then hesitated. "Look, I'm sorry. I never thought anything like this would happen."
"Of course you didn't. Hey, don't give it another thought. I'm fine, really." She straightened and moved determinedly away from the door frame. "Actually, it was all quite fascinating. I must admit, working with you is never dull."
"I'm not sure that's a compliment."
Her smile brightened. Amusement replaced the strain in her smoky green eyes. "And you did rescue us from that horrible place."
"Least I could do."
"It was rather impressive, to tell you the truth. I was afraid we'd be trapped in there until someone from Mrs. Turlock's household staff returned."
"You don't have to remind me that you had your doubts about my ability to get us out."
She grinned. "Next time I promise to have a little more faith in your strat-talents."
Relief rushed through him. "Next time?"
"Sure. You know, I think I may have a flair for the private investigation business."
An hour later, Rafe drove home with the leer's window down. He needed the brisk, bracing night air to clear his senses. He was still brooding over Orchid's remark.
A flair for the private investigation business.
What if the only thing she saw in him was an opportunity to play private detective?
He absently noted the small, dark compact parked at the curb as he waited for the gates to his driveway to swing wide. The vehicle did not belong to any of the few neighbors he had left.
The door of the unfamiliar compact slid up into the roof just as Rafe was about to drive through the open gates. The street lamp gleamed on the figure of a tall, thin, bird-boned man in a rumpled gray suit. Light winked on the lenses of his wire-rimmed glasses.
He waved frantically in an obvious effort to get Rafe's attention.
"Mr. Stonebraker, is that you, sir?" The thin man hurried toward the Acer. "I've been waiting for hours. I must speak with you."
Rafe quickly assessed the scene with a short burst of strat-talent. He sensed nothing amiss. No obvious trap, at any rate. Just an anxious-looking potential client.
The last thing he needed at that moment was a client.
"It's late," Rafe said.
"I'm afraid this can't wait." The bird-thin man stopped and peered at Rafe through the leer's open window. "My name is Brizo. Dr. Alexander Brizo. I'm with the university."
"What do you want from me?"
"We desperately need you to find something for us, sir. Something that was stolen from one of our labs."
"Did you try the police?"
"Good lord, no." Alexander Brizo's eyes widened with horror. "The last thing we want to do is bring the authorities into this. There must be absolutely no publicity. Reputations are at stake. And the research contract, of course. Our lab fought hard for it. We don't want to lose it."
"What, exactly, was stolen from your lab, Dr. Brizo?"
Brizo blinked several times. "An object."
"Maybe you could be a bit more specific."
"An object sent back by the fourth Chastain Expedition. They're still in the field, you know, excavating the alien tomb that was discovered by the third Chastain Expedition."
"Yes, I know." Rafe frowned. "Are you telling me that one of the alien relics was taken from your lab?"
"That is exactly what I'm trying to tell you. You must find it for us, Mr. Stonebraker. Quickly. If word gets out that it was stolen while in our care, my colleagues and I will be in an extremely awkward situation. A great deal of grant money is at stake."
"Any idea who took the relic?"
Brizo looked uncomfortable. "Yes, we think it was a man named Willis. Theo Willis. He was a prism assigned to assist the psychometric-talent research team that is studying the most recent shipment of artifacts."
"Got any idea why he stole it?" Rafe asked patiently.
"No. Actually, we don't." Brizo looked baffled. "It's not as if one can use the relics in any way. None that have been found thus far still function. The researchers say they are much too old. And one can hardly sell an alien relic on the open market. They're easily recognized, after all. Any potential buyer would know it was stolen from a museum or a research lab."
"There are people who will collect almost anything that is rare or valuable, Dr. Brizo. That means that there is a market for anything rare or valuable."
"I see. You refer to an illicit, underground market. The sort that supposedly exists for works of art and such."
"Right."
"I hadn't thought of that. Yes, I suppose it's possible that Willis stole it with the intent of selling it to a collector. I certainly can't think of any other reason why he would have done such a thing. No other lab would want it unless it also got grant money to study it."
"You're sure this Theo Willis is the thief?"
"Virtually certain."
"Any idea where he is now?" Rafe asked.
Brizo's narrow face seemed to grow even thinner. "Well, yes. But I'm afraid that knowing where he is won't do us much good."
"Why not?"
"Because he's dead, Mr. Stonebraker. His body was found yesterday. He apparently drove his car off a cliff."
For the first time since Brizo had hailed him, Rafe felt the familiar stirring of his hunter's instincts. "Follow me to the house, Dr. Brizo. We can talk there."
Brizo cheered slightly. "You'll take the case?"
"Yes."
The scents of the night sharpened as Rafe drove through the gates. The light of the twin moons was so bright that he could make out each silver-tinged leaf on the looming oak-drona trees that lined the drive.
He knew this feeling, he thought. It was the sensation he always got when he became interested in a new case. The anticipation of the hunt.
But this time he was not responding to the prospect of the investigation itself. Finding something as unique as a stolen alien artifact would be simple. The underground market for such items was very small and his contacts in it were excellent.
No, it was not the case that aroused all his senses tonight. It was knowing that he now had an ideal excuse to hire Orchid Adams again.
Chapter 3
Orchid smiled when her cousin, Veronica Adams, walked through the door of the restaurant. The effect on the other diners was predictable. She turned every head.
It was not just the fact that Veronica was a very blonde, very attractive woman who moved with the kind of grace and poise that captured attention. It was her stark white attire and her aura of serene composure that drew the eye.