Amaryllis

"We both know it won't be any cheaper elsewhere." Lucas walked back to his chair and sat down. "Let's get on with this. I haven't got all day."

"Very well." Amaryllis picked up her pen. "Now, then. You say you're a class nine?"

"Yes."

"Tested and certified, of course?"

"Of course." Lucas leaned down to unsnap the clasp of the briefcase he had set beside the chair. "I've got the usual papers to prove it." He removed the official talent classification certificate that he had been given several years earlier when he had finally, reluctantly, submitted to testing. He tossed the folder that contained the test results onto Amaryllis's desk. "All signed and sealed. If you're qualified to work with a class ten, you're safe enough with me. I only tested a nine."

"No need to be modest, Mr. Trent." Amaryllis examined the certificate with great interest, "Nines are extremely rare."

"So are full-spectrum prisms who can focus them."

"True. And that's why my firm charges so much for my services. Supply and demand, Mr. Trent. As the owner of Lodestar Exploration, I'm sure you are intimately acquainted with those basic laws of economics."

Lucas ignored that. "Well? Everything in order?"

She frowned as she flipped through the papers he had given her. "According to this, you weren't tested until the age of twenty-two. That's rather late. Most people are tested in their mid teens."

"I grew up in the Western Islands," Lucas replied easily." We don't have any fancy test facilities. There was no opportunity to get myself certified until I came to New Seattle to get my degree in Synergistic Crystal Mineralogy at the university."

"I see."

Lucas covertly studied Amaryllis's expression as she finished examining the documents. He relaxed slightly when he saw her nod to herself, evidently satisfied.

He had been forced to account for the delay in getting himself certified several times in the past. After all these years, he had his answer down to a glib spiel he could rattle off with little effort. The excuse of growing up in the Western Islands neatly sidestepped the truth, which was that he had deliberately avoided the test until he was certain that he could conceal his off-the-chart abilities.

He had aimed for a class-eight certification but his control had not been as good in those days as it was now. He had wound up with a nine.

He had opted not to go for a top-of-the-scale class ten because people tended to be wary around class tens. Most folks respected such talent, even admired it or were in awe of it, but a ten was rare enough to make them uneasy. Class-tens often got treated with the same sort of cautious reserve as people who possessed great beauty or extremely high intelligence. That kind of attitude was not particularly good for business.

Amaryllis closed the folder and tapped the tip of her pen against it. '"You're a detector-talent. You have the ability to sense other talents when they focus their psychic energies. That's unusual."

"And damn useless for the most part." Only a lie of omission this time, Lucas thought. He loosened his tie. "There aren't a lot of applications for that sort of psychic power."

"I realize that," she murmured sympathetically. "Most of the available job openings are in casino security."

"Yeah, I know. Personally, I've never been attracted to that line of work." Lucas was well aware that detector-talents were often employed to ensure that talents who had a gift for analyzing the laws of chance did not cheat at cards or dice. "My interest in gambling is limited to business decisions."

"I suppose you plan to utilize your ability to detect a working talent to determine whether or not Miss Locking has been hypnotized?"

"Right." Lucas leaned forward, braced his elbows on his thighs, and clasped his hands loosely between his knees. "When I realized that someone was selling Lodestar information, I conducted a preliminary internal investigation. I kept Miranda under surveillance for a few weeks. Fed her false data to see where it went."

"What did you learn?"

"That she makes regular contact with a man named Merrick Beech. I think he's the broker. I want to confirm it, and I also want to find out if he's been working with a prism to hypnotize Miranda."

"In order to do that, you'd need to catch Beech in the act of actually focusing with an intent to hypnotize. Do you have any idea of how difficult that would be?"

Lucas narrowed his eyes. "I think I'll have a chance to do just that on Thursday evening."

"Thursday?"

"Miranda and Beech are both scheduled to attend the reception that will follow the dedication ceremony at the New Seattle Museum."

Amaryllis's eyes lit with sudden enthusiasm. "They're opening the new wing of the museum on Thursday night, aren't they? The gallery where the Western Island relics will be on display."

"Yeah." Lucas frowned. "Even a strong hypno-talent would be forced to regularly renew whatever hypnotic suggestion he's giving his victim, right?"

"Yes. Especially if it's a suggestion intended to make her act against her basic inclinations."

"And he'll have to use a prism to focus that suggestion."

"Yes, but as I've already told you, it's almost impossible--"

"My guess is that Beech will use the opportunity Thursday night to work on Miranda. I want to catch him in the act."

Amaryllis bit her lip. "You want to employ me to help you focus your detector-talent the night of the reception?"

"That's it." Lucas smiled grimly. "Simple, straightforward, and perfectly legal. Not to mention entirely ethical."

Amaryllis drummed her short, neat nails on the desk. "The reception will be an exclusive affair. I'm sure that only VIPs and major contributors will get invitations. I'm afraid I don't move in those circles."

"I think I can pretty much guarantee that getting an invitation for you will not be a problem," Lucas said dryly.

Amaryllis blushed again. "Yes, of course. You're the person who found the relics, aren't you? I expect that the Museum Guild authorities would give you anything you wanted."

"Let's just say, they're grateful."

"I'm sure that's putting it mildly," Amaryllis murmured.

Lucas shrugged. Everyone knew that the museum considered the Western Islands relics to be the most significant contribution ever made to its collections. The artifacts were expected to draw huge crowds, not to mention extremely healthy donations.

Amaryllis regarded Lucas with somber consideration. "I have to tell you that in my professional opinion, I believe you will be wasting your time on this investigation, Mr. Trent. It's almost inconceivable that someone has actually been able to use hypnotic suggestion on Miss Locking unless--"

"Unless what?"

Amaryllis sighed. "Unless she was a willing subject. In which case she's simply a dishonest, mercenary, untrustworthy employee. Not a victim of a criminally inclined hypno-talent."

"I thought she was more than just another employee," Lucas said quietly.

"The two of you have a personal relationship?"

"Not in the way you probably mean. But, yes, we have a relationship. Three years ago Miranda was engaged to marry my partner, Jackson Rye. I gave her the VP job in public relations after Rye was killed in the Western Islands Action. I knew she needed the work. And I felt the company owed her something."

Amaryllis was silent for a long time. "Very well, Mr. Trent. I'll sign a contract with you." She picked up her pen and started to write her name at the bottom of an official looking form.

"Thanks."

"By the way, have you thought of a cover story to explain my presence at the reception? I'll need to be quite close to you at all times, you know. Perhaps I could masquerade as a member of the catering staff. Of course, that would mean you'd have to clear it with the company that is handling the food service for the museum."

"Your cover won't be a problem." Lucas studied the tiny, round earrings she wore. "I'm going to take you along as my marriage agency date for the evening."