The Scargill Cove Case Files

glittering web of the invisible psychic grid that is my chessboard, I start moving pieces. Running scenarios.

    Hooker must have known about Craigmore’s psychic talent for manipulating the energy of crystals.

    If he knew that much, Hooker might have known about the crystal weapon Craigmore kept as a souvenir of his black ops work.

    Question: Did Hooker know about Craigmore because they worked together at the black ops agency? Yes. Feels right.

    The black ops agency was shut down several years ago. But Hooker and Craigmore were about the same age. Could have been colleagues.

    If Hooker knew that Craigmore was dead, why point me in that direction? Did he know about the Nightshade connection? My talent says no.

    If Hooker knew about Nightshade he would have left another message. The scratches are about Craigmore and crystals and the weapon.

    I watch more points illuminate on the paranormal plane. Craigmore’s crystal gun. That was the crux of Hooker’s message.

    Maybe there was more than one crystal weapon. Reasonable assumption. Any remaining guns would be incredibly valuable. And dangerous.

    Arcane. The government. Rogue crystal-talents. Arms dealers. The list of potential buyers is a long one. But so are the risks.

    Anyone trying to sell the crystal guns would have a big marketing problem. The buyers would all be willing to kill for the product.

    Maybe that’s what happened to Hooker. He wasn’t murdered for his stash of weed. He was killed for his stash of crystal guns.

    The whole paranormal grid is hot now. I can feel answers slamming into place. But I need more background.

    I also need more coffee. I go back up the cliff trail and walk into town. Stop at the Sunshine. Marge still hasn’t gotten a new waitress.

    Marge wants to know if I’ve had any luck looking for an assistant. I tell her no. She gets me my coffee. I go back to the office.

    I take a good look around the office. I’m buried in paperwork. Probably do need an assistant, but how do I find one in this town?

    Back to work on the Fitch case. I fire up the computer. Hit my favorite conspiracy theorist sites. Whack jobs are as busy as ever.

    I exclude the Area 51 crowd. Not dealing with aliens here. Focus on the black helicopter folks. Strike out.

    Move on to what used to be my favorite conspiracy site, but the Sentinel went dark a while back and it is still silent. Rumors are circulating that the Sentinel is dead.

    The Sentinel was way, way out there, definitely over the horizon, even for a conspiracy theorist. But in a weird way, I’m going to miss the site. What does that say about me?

    No luck with the usual suspects. Sit back and think for a while. Get an idea and pick up the phone. Call Arizona Snow.

    Arizona Snow is the ultimate conspiracy theorist. Lives in a little town on the Oregon Coast. Eclipse Bay.

    Snow is kind of crazy. Sunk so deep into her conspiracy theories that she will never escape. Some people say I’ll end up like her.

    Snow and I have never met but we have mutual acquaintances. Grace and Luther in Hawaii. They worked the Craigmore case.

    When AZ answers the phone I start to introduce myself; use the Grace and Luther connection. But Snow says she knows who I am.

    The fact that AZ recognizes my name and is willing to talk to me is a little scary. The woman is loony tunes. But she’s got talent.

    AZ once worked for a secret government agency. She was black ops before they had a name for it. Now she’s nuts. Coincidence?

    When I talk to AZ, am I talking to my own future? Am I doomed to get so far out on the psychic plane that I’ll never find my way back?

    Have to worry about my para-psych problems some other time. Got to find those missing crystal guns before Nightshade or a rogue does.

    Arizona asks if my phone is encrypted. I say yes. She starts talking about rumors of three men who vanished several years ago.

    AZ says that at one time the three missing men worked for her old agency. Got sent to another dept. for some tests. Never returned.

    Rumor was that the tests were intended to identify agents with certain psychic abilities. AZ thinks the men went to another agency.

    AZ hints that one of the projects at the other agency involved some kind of psychic weapons. Agency shut down years ago.

    Officially, the three men died in an accident. But rumor is they pulled a disappearing act and took some of the weapons with them.

    AZ says there haven’t been any rumors of the crystal guns in