Fired Up

episodes began.”
    “Were you on any other kind of medication prior to that?” she asked. “Even some over-the-counter stuff can have unpredictable effects on sensitives, especially high-level ones like you.”
    “Some anti-inflammatories occasionally. That’s it.”
    “Well, if it’s any consolation, the murky stuff is definitely fading,” she said.
    “I lost an entire day of my life, not to mention the nights when I went walkabout.”
    “I realize it’s very unsettling,” she said gently. “But things are stable now. I can sense it. Last night it felt as if we turned a key in a psychic lock. You’re fine, Jack.”
    “I sense a but.”
    She took a deep breath. “But I’m still wondering why there is so much power locked up in that lamp.”

39
    THAT EVENING THEY HAD DRINKS IN ONE OF THE HOTEL BARS. Jack swallowed some of his whiskey and thought about how good it felt to be sitting there with Chloe. Like a real date, except that he could not imagine any of the other women he knew sitting there so casually across the table from a man who could plunge them into a waking nightmare in a heartbeat. Then, again, Chloe wasn’t like any of the other women he knew.
    “Where does J&J go from here?” she asked.
    “Fallon’s frustrated.” He shrugged. “That is not an unusual condition for him, however.”
    “No luck finding the mystery woman who knocked on Stone’s door?”
    “No. But he seems pretty sure that’s a dead end, anyway. He’s convinced that now that Arcane has recovered the lamp and stashed it in one of the Society’s vaults, Nightshade will terminate the project. Those responsible for the failure will be given notice in the organization’s customary fashion.”
    “They’ll be cut off the drug.”
    “Apparently.”
    “But Fallon still doesn’t know why Nightshade wanted the lamp?”
    “His working theory is that Nightshade went after the lamp for the same reason they wanted the formula.”
    She nodded. “Because it holds out the possibility of enhancing talent.”
    “Makes sense. But whatever the reason, we’re out of it. The problem is Fallon’s now.”
    She raised her wineglass in a small salute. “Another case closed for Harper Investigations.”
    For some reason he didn’t like the sound of that. It sounded too final. But she was right.
    “You’re good,” he said.
    “Told you so.”
    He smiled. “Yes, you did. You know, I’ve been thinking.”
    “About?” she prompted. There was an aura of anticipation about her.
    “According to Fallon, Nightshade is very well organized. There are several circles or cells of ascending power with some version of a corporate board of directors at the top. There seem to be no links between the circles. Each one functions independently.”
    The aura of warm anticipation that had enveloped her promptly faded. He was almost sure she gave a tiny, wistful sigh. He had the feeling he had screwed up. What had she expected him to say? She recovered immediately.
    “In other words, J&J can take down some of the circles, but that won’t help them find clues that would lead to the people at the top,” she said.
    “Right. But here’s the thing: Regardless of how well organized it is, at its heart Nightshade has to be a for-profit business.”
    She raised her brows. “You mean its goal is to make money?”
    “The ultimate goal for an organization like Nightshade is power. But money is the gasoline that fuels that engine. From what Fallon has told me Nightshade is, at its core, a company engaged in pharmaceutical R&D, manufacturing and distribution. High-tech labs and distribution networks, legal or otherwise, don’t operate on thin air. They burn cash. Lots of it.”
    “Makes sense,” she agreed.
    “That means that those cells or circles have to make money. What’s more, it’s a given that each circle is kicking up a share of the profits to the guys at the top. That’s how moneymaking organizations of any kind work.”
    “Which means?”
    “Which means,” he said deliberately, “that no matter how well a circle is isolated from the other circles there has to be some way for it to send money up to the top of the organization. It also has to be able to move the drug.”
    “Got an idea?”
    “I’m wondering if Fallon Jones is paying enough attention to the oldest rule in business.”
    “What’s that?”
    “Follow the money.” He drank some more whiskey and set the glass down, a sense of anticipation building inside him.