Arcane Society Story 01 - The Scargill Cove Case Files

transportation that did not leave a paper or computer trail.
    She would hitchhike to Scargill Cove.

Continue reading for an excerpt from
the first novel in the new Dark Legacy series
    Copper Beach
    Available in hardcover from G. P. Putnam’s Sons.

A crazy man with a gun was never a good combination. A crazy man with paranormal talent and a gun made for a very bad start to the day.
    Abby Radwell watched the terrifying scene taking place in the library from the shadows of the doorway. The intruder holding the pistol on Hannah Vaughn and her housekeeper could not have been more than twenty-one or twenty-two. His eyes were fever-bright. His long hair was matted and disheveled. His jeans and ragged T-shirt looked as if they had not been washed in a very long time. He was becoming more agitated by the second.
    “I’m not playing games, lady.” The intruder’s voice rose. He waved the pistol in an erratic pattern. “I know the key is here in this room. You have to give it to me and then she has to unlock it.”
    “You are welcome to take the key,” Hannah said, somehow managing to maintain a calm, soothing tone. “But I can’t unlock it for you. I don’t know how to do that.”
    “She’s supposed to unlock it,” the intruder said.
    “Who are you talking about?” Hannah asked. “Surely you don’t mean my housekeeper. Mrs. Jensen doesn’t know anything about unlocking encrypted books.”
    “Not the housekeeper,” the intruder said. He used the back of his arm to wipe the sweat off his forehead. “The woman who is working for you here in this library. She knows how to unlock hot books.”
    “I don’t understand,” Hannah said. “Mrs. Jensen and I are the only people in this house. Please, take my copy of the key and leave before this situation gets out of control.”
    Hannah was doing a magnificent job of lying, Abby thought. But the situation was already out of control.
    Hannah Vaughn was eighty-two years old and confined to a wheelchair. She was helpless against the armed intruder. She was doing her best to defuse the mad tension in the room but her tactics were not going to work. Mrs. Jensen was pale and shaken. She looked as if she were about to faint.
    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 911 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 get the key for 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 unlock the key.”
    “Huh.” The intruder blinked several times and shook his head as if to clear it. He was shaking 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. “ The Key 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 that 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, so close . 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 Key is no good to me unless you unlock it.