Flash

Uncle Rollie's business affairs and keep track of things at Glow while running this operation."
    Zara frowned in concern. "You've been pushing yourself much too hard since Rollie died."
    "Not like there's any option." Olivia took a healthy swallow of the triple-shot espresso-revved latte. "Until my so-called silent partner decides to return from his summer vacation, I'm stuck. Everything is in limbo until he shows up."
    "Be careful what you wish for." Bolivar gave her a troubled look. "This Sloan guy owns fifty-one percent of Glow now. Who knows what he'll want to do with it?"
    Zara nodded in somber agreement. "Rose says that everyone at the firm is speculating Sloan will want to sell or merge Glow. That would be a disaster."
    Olivia had been dealing with her family's fears about the future of Glow since an hour after the news of Rollie's death had reached Seattle. Everyone's first reaction to the prospect of having a stranger at the helm of the family firm had been instant panic. Not without reason, she reminded herself. One way or another, most of the Chantry clan had a strong, personal interest in Glow.
    She took another sip of the latte and prepared to give Zara and Bolivar the same reassuring patter she had given all the other Chantrys who had besieged her lately.
    "Sloan's a venture capitalist," she said mildly. "He arranges startup and expansion capital. He doesn't actually run the companies in which he has a stake. All he'll care about is getting his money out of Glow. Don't worry, I'll arrange a way to pay him off and get rid of him."
    Zara sighed. "I certainly hope you're right."
    "Trust me on this," Olivia said. "I may not know much about legendary passion and romance, but I do know business."
    "Speaking of romance and legend," Bolivar said deliberately. "What are we going to do about the Camelot Blue fog?"
    Zara looked at Olivia. "Bolivar's absolutely right, dear. You must go with the romance and passion angle here. This is King Arthur. The Round Table. Knights in shining armor. It cries out for a dreamy, atmospheric feeling."
    Olivia eyed Merlin's Cave. "You're sure?"
    "Positive," Zara said.
    "Okay, okay," Olivia said. "When it comes to that kind of thing, you know I rely on your opinion, Aunt Zara. Let's punch up the romantic angle for the whole event."
    Bolivar grinned. "Good plan."
    "I still say we should be going for creepy, not romantic," Olivia said.
    "Don't worry," Bolivar assured her. "The new cold light fibers I've installed inside the cave will give you both an eerie and a romantic quality. The whole thing will really pop when we crank up the fog machine."
    Olivia set her cup down on Zara's drafting table. "Let's try it"
    "You got it." Bolivar went to stand at the control panel.
    Olivia walked to the six-and-a-half-foot-high entrance of the blue cave and peered into the depths of the plastic foam construct. The fake cavern walls shimmered with a weird blue light.
    "Give me the full range of special effects, Bolivar. Lights, sound, and the stupid fog. I want to see the whole show."
    Bolivar flipped switches on the panel. "Here we go. I give you Merlin's Cave."
    Olivia stepped into the artificial cavern. She was quickly enveloped in the futuristic blue light. The strange glow turned hazy as the fake fog swirled from concealed jets.
    "Creepy enough for you?" Bolivar called.
    "Pretty eerie, all right," Olivia admitted. She moved deeper into the cave.
    The imitation stone walls had been painted by one of the freelance artists who contracted with Light Fantastic. The woman specialized in faux and trompe l'oeil finishes.
    Olivia was pleased with the final result. The stone-textured surface of the interior of the cave was satisfyingly rocky in appearance.
    A short distance past the entrance, the cavern curved abruptly, cutting off the view of the studio outside. Olivia studied her surroundings with a critical eye.
    It was not Hollywood or Disneyland, but it was good, she decided. The client would be pleased.
    The mist thickened, and the light grew more ominous. She looked at her hands and noticed that the strange glow had turned her skin an otherworldly color.
    She walked around another corner and stepped into the center of the cave. On the night of the event a half-dozen computer stations would be installed to allow guests to experiment with the latest versions of Camelot Blue wizardry.
    "Give me the storm sequence," Olivia called.
    "Here goes." Bolivar's voice was muffled by the cave walls.
    Haunting