Dream Eyes

hallways and corridors that end in interesting passages.”
    “I’ve never seen anything like this, and I doubt that Sam has, either,” Judson said. “He’s going to be a like a kid in a sandbox. Where did Evelyn get the idea for building this engine? From her own research?”
    “She told me that years ago she found some notes describing the possibility of constructing a mirror engine in an old diary that she discovered in a library. Evidently a Victorian-era paranormal researcher named Welch tried to build a similar device back in the late eighteen hundreds, but there was a major flaw in the design.”
    Gingerly, Judson reached out to touch the nearest mirrored panel. A shock of psi zapped across his senses. Hastily, he yanked back his finger.
    “What was the flaw in Welch’s design?” he asked, shaking his fingers a little.
    “Welch was a wack-job. He concluded that the most efficient way to trap strong energy in mirrors was to murder people. He planned to kill his victims in a chamber of mirrors that he had constructed in his mansion, hoping to infuse the energy given off at death into the glass.”
    “What the hell?” Judson looked at her. “Are you serious?”
    “Oh, yes,” Gwen said. “Evelyn showed me Welch’s notes. She said he had been onto something but that he was wrong in his conclusions about how to fuel a true mirror engine.”
    “Good to know,” Judson said. He studied the mirrored hallway with a growing sense of unease. “What happened to the first engine?”
    “Evelyn wasn’t sure, but from what she could find out, the mansion in which it had been constructed was destroyed in a huge explosion and fire. Her theory was that the engine got overheated and blew.”
    “How many other people besides you and Ballinger knew about the history of the mirror engine and Welch’s theories of how to fuel it?”
    “As far as I know, Evelyn didn’t tell anyone else except me,” Gwen said. “We discussed making the story of the first engine into an episode for
Dead of Night
. But Evelyn said she didn’t want to turn that snippet from paranormal history into a TV show, for fear that some modern-day crazy might take it seriously.”
    “She was right. There’s always a nutcase out there in the audience. But Zander Taylor murdered two people here in this lab and tried to kill you. Are you certain he wasn’t aware of Welch’s work?”
    “As certain as I can be,” Gwen said. “He did a lot of talking that day, boasting about all the psychics he had killed. But he never mentioned the mirror chamber or Welch’s work. As far as Evelyn or I could tell, he was not interested in the science or the history of the paranormal. He just liked to commit murder by paranormal means.”
    “And he somehow came across an untraceable weapon that allowed him to fulfill his fantasy. Did he tell you when or how he found the camera?”
    “No. All I can tell you is that Evelyn was certain it didn’t come from her lab. But maybe she did find out recently.” Gwen’s expression sharpened. “Maybe that’s the secret she hid inside the engine.”
    “What about lights inside the maze?”
    “There’s some more strip lighting in there,” Gwen said. “But in a weird way you don’t need lights inside. The mirrors give off so much energy that I think most people with a little talent could perceive the illumination. There is a lot of power in there, though. It can be disorienting.”
    She moved through the entrance. He followed. He thought he was prepared, but the hot energy of the mirrors crashed and churned like storm-tossed waves on a beach, igniting his senses.
    “Damn,” he said. “This is a real adrenaline rush, isn’t it?”
    Gwen glanced back over her shoulder. “Are you sure you’re okay with being in here?”
    “Oh, yeah.”
    Understanding brightened her eyes. “It is kind of a thrill ride, isn’t it?”
    “That’s one way to describe it.”
    “The interesting thing is that it doesn’t affect everyone the same way,” she said. “The other members of Evelyn’s study found it very disturbing. They said it gave them the same creepy feeling you get when you go into a dark alley or down a mine shaft.”
    She turned a corner and disappeared deeper into the chamber. He caught up with her. The energy in the mirror panels seemed to be getting stronger as they moved toward the heart of the engine.
    Judson looked into the depths of a nearby mirror and saw his own image repeating endlessly into