“All right, I’ll buy that,” Zack said. “But let’s be honest: you were never what anyone would call the sociable type even before all the crap that went down three years ago. Afterward your loner tendencies got a whole lot more pronounced. Hell, you practically disappeared when you moved here.”
“I like it here.”
“I can see that,” Zack said.
He did not say anything else for a time. Fallon waited.
“I should probably mention the other reason I decided to pay you a visit today,” Zack said eventually.
“I knew it,” Fallon said.
“Well, you are psychic.”
“Let’s have it.”
“I want you to show up at the Society’s Winter Conference this week,” Zack said.
Fallon did not hesitate. “No.”
“You’ve skipped it for two years in a row.”
“You know why.”
“Yes, but things are different this year.”
“Give me one good reason I should make the trip to Sedona.”
“I’ll give you two. The first is that there’s a move afoot to encourage the Council to replace you as the head of J&J.”
Fallon felt as if he’d walked into a stone wall. It took an effort of will backed up by a little talent to pull his senses together.
“That’s not possible,” he said. “J&J is mine. I inherited the firm from Uncle Gresham. It’s always been a privately held business within the family. It’s not just another branch of Arcane like the labs or the museums. The Council can’t fire me.”
“There is talk to the effect that if replacing you is not an option, the Council should sever its ties with J&J and hire a new investigation firm.”
Fallon gripped the window ledge. “Someone thinks I’ve lost it?”
“It has been suggested,” Zack said neutrally. “But the politically correct argument being used is that you’re spending too many resources on Nightshade.”
Fallon closed his eyes. “They think Nightshade is finished because of the Hawaii case.”
“Yes,” Zack said.
“It’s not.” Fallon opened his eyes. “I can feel it, Zack. That damn organization is like a hydra. We cut off one of the snake’s heads, but a new one will soon take its place. Trust me. As long as they have Humphrey Hulsey and the recipe for the formula, we can’t let down our guard.”
“I believe you and I’ll back you all the way. But in the meantime, I need you to back me.”
“You want me to do that by showing up at the Sedona conference?”
Zack watched him very steadily, his startling blue eyes cold and determined. But there was understanding in his expression as well.
“Yes,” he said. “Face it, cousin, you can’t stay hidden away here in Scargill Cove forever. We both know that. Those who wield power within Arcane need to see you. If you remain out of sight, the rumors will only get worse.”
Fallon exhaled slowly. He had known this request was coming sooner or later, he reminded himself. His parents had dropped a few pointed hints some weeks back. Nevertheless, Zack was applying more pressure than the situation appeared to warrant. There was an underlying urgency to the demand that required a little study.
Fallon heightened his senses and watched the paranormal web light up.
“Well, hell,” he said softly. “It’s not just me or J&J they’re after, is it?”
“I don’t think so,” Zack said, very serious now. “Got a feeling that severing the connection with J&J and cutting off the resources you require to fight Nightshade is part of a long-term strategy.”
“You’re next,” Fallon said, comprehension hitting him in the gut. “With J&J out of the picture, the next logical step would be to convince the Council to remove you and put someone else in charge of the Society.”
“Someone other than a Jones, to be specific,” Zack said. “Someone who would be in a position to redirect not only the full resources of the Society but its goals and objectives, as well. My talent tells me we’re looking at what those in the business world call a hostile takeover.”
Fallon whistled softly. “More like a coup d’état.”
“I want to counter it with a show of force. Within Arcane, power and talent are everything, always have been. The Jones family has a lot of both of those commodities. I want to remind the members of that. Hell, we founded the organization. We aren’t going to give it up without a fight.”
More sectors of the paranormal spiderweb shivered with light. “Nightshade,” Fallon said softly. “Or what’s left of it. Got to be.”
“Maybe,” Zack cautioned. “Maybe not. I haven’t been able to identify the source of the recent wave of rumors, let alone whether or not the individual responsible is linked to Nightshade. This thing could be coming from an entirely different direction. There have always been those within the Society who resented everyone on our family tree.”
“Because we’re descended from the founder.” Fallon looked around the room, mentally cataloging the antiques scattered around the space: the desk and the old inkwell, the Victorian umbrella stand and the wrought iron coatrack on the wall. All of the offices of J&J across the U.S. and in London had some mementos that reflected the history of J&J and the Society. Both of which were inextricably bound to the history of the Jones family, he thought. “They fear us because we’ve always controlled Arcane.”
“Not just the organization,” Zack reminded him. “But a lot of its deepest secrets, as well. The family has always had enemies. You know the old saying.”
“Friends may come and go but enemies accumulate.”
“The Joneses have had more than four hundred years to acquire our enemies.”
Fallon smiled grimly. “And what’s more, we’re good at it.”
“Comes with the territory,” Zack said. “Like I told you, I don’t know yet if the person who started the rumors about you and J&J is in any way connected to Nightshade, but I think it’s clear that his ultimate goal is to make certain that the Joneses lose control of Arcane.”
“And its secrets. It’s actually a hell of a strategy, when you think about it. Why go to all the trouble and risk of resurrecting the currently broken version of Nightshade if you can take over Arcane from the inside and create a super-Nightshade? It’s brilliant.”
Zack cleared his throat. “Let’s save the conspiracy theories until we know exactly what we’re dealing with.”
Fallon turned back to the window. Even those within his own family circle considered him a conspiracy nut. Zack and everyone else used the term conspiracy theoryso loosely, he thought. They did not seem to grasp the bright, shining line that separated a valid theory of a case and a conspiracy fantasy. No wonder it had been easy for someone to fire up the new rumors at the highest levels of Arcane. I gave the traitor all the ammunition he needed.
“Will you come to the Winter Conference?” Zack asked quietly.
Zack was right, Fallon thought. Within Arcane, power spoke and spoke loudly.
“I’ll show up for the opening-night reception,” he said. “Will that satisfy you?”
“Yes.” Zack came up off the desk and clapped Fallon on the shoulder. “Thanks, cousin. I knew I could count on you.”
“One thing you should know. I’m working on another project at the moment.”
“Sorting out the Bridewell curiosities? No problem. Once Rafanelli and his team pick up the gadgets, that old case will be closed.”
“I’m not talking about the curiosities,” Fallon said. “I meant Isabella.”
Zack shot him a knowing smile. “Bring her to the conference. Hell, the fact that you’ve got a date will, uh—”
“Make me look more stable?” Fallon asked evenly. “Normal?”
“Yeah, something like that,” Zack admitted.
Fallon turned back to the view of the Sunshine. “You don’t understand. I’m working on Isabella’s case.”