The central characters of Poltergeist: The Legacy do not belong to me –

they are the property of Trilogy and MGM; I’ve only borrowed them for a while.

All other characters are created by me. Hope you enjoy …

POLTERGEIST:

THE LEGACY

THE COUNTING HOUSE

Chapter 1

Tuesday

Rachel smiled to herself. There was something about hearing couples argue in a light hearted way – not really an argument, more a spirited attempt to gain the answers to questions yet being just as energetically rebuffed – which amused her in a bittersweet way. She and Patrick had teased each other in exactly the same fashion. And to hear Nick wheedling for information which Merlin was just not going to give was a lot of fun. Nick had a good sense of humor but he had to be in the right mood to let it out to play. Since he’d met Merlin, he was a lot more easy going.

Rachel didn’t feel she was intruding. The discussion was taking place behind her and she wasn’t obviously listening in. But she couldn’t help smiling at what she could hear.

“C’mon, level with me. Why are you going into town?”

“I told you, I got things to do.”

“Shopping?”

“Maybe. It depends. An’ I wanna try out my new automobile,” she added.

Nick’s eyes narrowed. “Can I come?”

“No, not this time. You always hijack the car an’ you never let me drive. Tell you what, you have mine an’ I’ll take that old thing you usually drive around.”

“It is not old. It’s a classic,” he retorted.

“That’s just another way of saying expensive.”

“Is it work?” This was asked in a more serious voice.

“No. It’s personal.”

“Then tell me!” he coaxed, laughing. “We don’t have secrets from each other, Merli.”

“I know,” she replied. “An’ this isn’t a secret. It’s a surprise.”

That shut him up temporarily while his mind went into overdrive. Alex chose that moment to come in from the control room with a sheaf of paper.

“There’s something strange going on here,” she remarked, spreading the sheets on the table. “Take a look at this.”

Rachel rose from the small desk in one of the alcoves, came to the table and looked down. “Where’s this?” she frowned.

“A small place called San Stefano. You see these pink dots? All congregated, more or less, in the same general area?”

Rachel nodded.

Alex pointed to another sheet. “A list of missing person’s reports. Each dot is a disappearance.”

“Is there a localized black hole there?” Rachel commented, astonished yet horrified.

“There’s something there,” Alex agreed quietly. “I want to go take a look.”

In his office, Derek was speaking on the phone. “Well, if you’re in this area, you know you’re always very welcome to stay here.”

“I do know that, Derek, and I thank you for it,” Philip replied. “If I get a chance to come to San Francisco, I will surely stop by and see you all.”

“I hope you do. Good luck in your search.”

“I think I’ll need it,” Philip said soberly and hung up.

Derek replaced the phone on the hook and, hearing voices in the library, went to investigate. “What’s all this?”

Before Alex could tell him, Andrew knocked once on the open door and came in. “These just arrived for you, Nick,” he said and handed over two official looking envelops.

“Thanks, Andrew.”

“I have to go,” Merlin announced, taking quick advantage. Nick at once forgot his mail and opened his mouth to continue the debate. “Later, I promise,” she interrupted. “I will share the surprise.”

“Okay,” he grudgingly accepted and kissed her. “Nice surprise?” he queried as an afterthought.

“Possibly. Certainly a challenge. It’ll cost big bucks,” she answered and smiled. “Open your mail. I’ll see you all later today.”

“Take care,” Rachel called.

“So .. what’s all this?” Derek repeated.

“Missing persons,” Alex said. “All in this general area. I know, missing persons are for the police to investigate but there’s more to it than missing people.”

“Such as?” Derek asked.

“For one thing, it isn’t just single people. It’s couples. It’s entire families. The local chapter of MUFON has distanced itself from a splinter group who says all these people have all been taken by flying saucer possibly to help colonize a new planet. Yeah, that’s a little wild even for us to consider but there have been reports of strange lights in the sky.”

Rachel smiled again and waited for Derek’s scornful reaction. But he didn’t react with scorn or tell Alex she was wasting her time. He merely frowned and leaned closer to look at the map.

“San Stefano?” he asked.

Alex nodded. “The strange lights could be something other than flying saucers. Foo fighters. Marsh gas. Will o’the wisp. Electrical storms in the upper atmosphere. Or it could be something else again because with any of those things people do not usually vanish from the face of the earth. So I ran a check on the town and this area just outside. No local legends, as such, but I did discover that no one drives along this particular highway on the last day of the month. That’s day or night. It’s a superstition rather than a legend and it appears to have started up about .. fifty, sixty years ago.”

“Why?” Rachel asked.

“Apparently because people have the habit of disappearing,” Alex shrugged “It’s human nature to look for the quick fix instead of resolving the original problem. Avoiding that highway on the last day of the month is the quick fix.”

“Probably because they don’t know how to solve the problem,” Derek remarked. “What about a piezo map?”

“I’ve compiled some data using satellite images. I can’t say there’s a definite indication of anomalous energy but the readings are off. Not typical.” Alex straightened. “I’d like to go take a look.”

“The end of the month is coming up in a week’s time,” Rachel pointed out. “You’re running a big risk, Alex.”

“You shouldn’t go alone,” Nick commented.

“Well, why don’t you come with me?” Alex inquired.

“I would but I can’t.” He flapped the two envelops. “My buddy from the Teams, Jazz, he’s finally getting married and I am not saying no to this invitation. An’, the day after, I’ve been invited to a baptism. All in the same area.”

“Where?” Derek frowned.

“On the coast, south of San Jose.”

Alex glanced at the map on the table. “It’s near enough to San Stefano that, if I need help, I can call.”

Nick came to the table to study the map as well. “Maybe .. another ninety minutes by road. Sure, I can do that but try not to get into any trouble over the weekend.”

“You’re still not going alone,” Derek said firmly.

“Who else is available?”

“Call Philip.”

“Philip?” they queried together.

“Tell him what you’ve discovered,” Derek went on.

“Why?” Alex frowned.

“Because some of his parishioners have disappeared near San Stefano. He’s flying out to look for them. You and he can investigate together and, when Nick has finished his personal responsibilities, he can join you as back up.”

“And Peri,” Nick added. “She’s invited too. To the wedding, at least. I don’t think Liz knows about Peri.”

“Liz?” Rachel queried.

“Liz Barrow, now Liz Sumner. The baptism is for her second child.”

Derek nodded. “Well, if Peri doesn’t want to attend that, she can back up Alex and Philip and wait for you to join her.”

“Okay,” Nick agreed.

“Rachel, you and I will mind the store,” Derek concluded. “And be ready to go to San Stefano as well .. in case we are needed.”

*****

“Everything’s been agreed. The funds are ready to be transferred. All we require is a signature.”

Merlin smiled as she took the pen. Ever since she’d learned that Reuben Meyer had once lived in the house on Paradise Drive, she hadn’t felt comfortable there. She’d covered the entire place, inch by inch, looking for signs of contamination. She hadn’t found any but the house felt .. tainted by association. It didn’t feel like home anymore. So, when she’d seen the house next door was for sale, she’d swung into action. It was a slightly bigger property with a slightly smaller yard. The pool house was bigger because the pool was bigger. It had a gym. A four car garage. She’d made an offer, it had been accepted, and all she had to do was sign.

Merlin signed.

“When are they moving out?”

“In a week. As soon as the funds clear your account.”

“Fine.”

“Will you sell your existing property?”

“No, I’ll keep it as an investment. Use it as a guest lodge.”

“Well, I believe our business is concluded.”

“Thank you.” She rose and shook his hand then left his office. Next stop, interior designers …

*****

Rachel paused by Nick’s workstation and sipped at a cup of tea. “It might be awkward for Liz an’ Peri to be in the same room,” she remarked.

“Why?” Nick frowned, looking up. “Peri doesn’t care about stuff like previous girlfriends.”

“I realize that but look at it from Liz’s point of view,” she invited. “She isn’t just a previous girlfriend, Nick. She’s a previous fiancée. Okay, she’s happily married now, or so we must assume, but .. you’re the one who got away. An’ Peri is the one who finally caught you.”

“You know it wasn’t like that.”

“I know it, sure. Liz doesn’t. All I’m saying is that it could be awkward for her, and the baptism of a child is a special occasion. Don’t spoil it, okay? You could call an’ ask if it’s okay to bring your wife. That way, Liz will have time to accept it before Peri turns up. She may even say no, it isn’t okay.”

“An’ Peri may not wanna go, period. I’ll ask her first, then I’ll call Liz.”

“Thank you.”

“No problem.”

“So .. what’s this big surprise which is gonna cost money?” Rachel asked.

“I have no idea,” Nick admitted. “But I do know that, when Peri talks about big bucks, she means a small fortune.” He shrugged idly. “Good thing she can afford it.”

“A small fortune?” Rachel queried.

“It’ll hardly put a dent in her finances. Rachel, Peri has serious money.”

She shook her head. “So why do you come down on her so hard when she goes shopping?”

“Typical male stereotype,” Nick grinned. “If I said sure, go ahead, I’d damage my credibility as a fully paid up member of the male species.”

Rachel laughed. “Have you thought how Liz’s husband is going to react seeing you again? Kevin, wasn’t it? As I recall, there wasn’t any kind of warm male bonding between you two the last time you met.”

“The guy was under stress,” Nick pointed out. “I’m no threat to him, Rachel.”

She regarded him steadily, letting him work his own way to the answers.

Eventually, Nick shook his head slightly. “Right. If it’s gonna be awkward for Lizzie, it’ll be tough on him an’ for all the same reasons. Liz and I were an item before we both married other people. Maybe I should just call her, call them, an’ say I can’t make it.”

“Might be for the best,” she agreed. “However, if you call an’ tell them that you’d like to bring your wife, it’ll give Liz a chance to get over any regrets she still has and it’ll give him a chance to let go some of the tension. They’ve probably already argued about this.”

“Then how come I got the invite?” Nick asked.

“She won,” Rachel answered.

*****

Alex was in the study, the phone held to her ear, waiting for Philip to come talk with her. She was looking forward to working alongside him again. Eventually, she heard footsteps and the phone being lifted.

“Philip, it’s Alex.”

“Alex, how are you?”

“I’m good, thank you. What about you?”

“Concerned about my parishioners.”

“Yeah, Derek told me you were heading out this way. It looks like we’re going to be working together.”

“This isn’t Legacy work, Alex. I don’t want you to think – ”

“It’s coincidence,” she cut in. “I’ve been monitoring the same area where I assume your people have vanished. They aren’t the only ones, Philip. People have been disappearing in that area for almost sixty years. Maybe even longer than that. I have a stack of missing person reports. There’s something off in the energy readings. I was going to take a closer look and that’s when Derek said I should contact you and tell you what I have. We’ll be together .. yet separate, if you understand.”

“Yes, I do,” he said and she heard his smile.

“And Nick will be back up. He’ll be in the area anyway on personal business then he’s going to head over to San Stefano in case we need help.”

“Just Nick? Although just Nick is more back up than most people alive will ever need.”

“Peri will be there too,” she laughed, her voice reassuring. “Only because she’ll be with him on that personal business, not for any other reason.”

“That’s good to know.”

“Can I ask you – when did your parishioners disappear?”

“Just over two weeks ago .. we think. They were due back Saturday of last week but never came to church on the Sunday. They’re good, loyal Catholics, Alex. They wouldn’t miss a service. Father Brennan called by their house and their neighbor said they hadn’t come back. They were supposed to be away for eight days.”

“But that can’t be right,” Alex frowned.

“What can’t?” Philip inquired in a taut voice.

“All these reports,” she began, riffling thru them, “have dates ranging from .. the second to the fifth of the month, and that ties into the local superstition that people avoid a certain highway on the last day of the month. If your parishioners were on that highway during their vacation .. it’d be too late. They would have been there during the first week of this month, not the last day of last month.” She hesitated. “It could be that their disappearance is unconnected with all the others. Have you checked the local hospitals?”

“It was the first thing we did when Father Brennan came back, and not just the local hospitals either. We called every emergency room in the entire Bay area and down the central coast and valley. The Bromptons were never treated, never admitted. The hospitals we called hadn’t even had any John Does. We asked, thinking maybe an accident had destroyed their identification and given them amnesia, but no.”

Alex’s frown deepened. “Then the local superstition can’t be viewed as reliable.”

“Superstitions generally aren’t,” Philip commented dryly.

“I know; it’s just .. I was hoping that there would be a specific time of danger, or window of opportunity, which could be avoided but it seems this phenomenon, if there is one, strikes without warning. I think I’m going to be glad of your company.”

“The feeling’s mutual,” Philip replied somberly.

*****

“I just need some ideas working up,” Merlin instructed. “Color schemes, furnishings, décor, that kinda deal. No plants. I’m not at home long enough to take care of them, although there’s a big pool room so you can put plants in there. I don’t want a lot of ornaments to collect dust an’ clutter up the place. I prefer light an’ airy downstairs, darker an’ more intimate upstairs, except the bathroom.”

“Costings?”
“Naturally.”

“Budget?”

“No object.”

He raised his eyes to look at her. “Really?”

Merlin leaned back, casually crossing one leg over the other. “Don’t I look like I can afford it?”

“Honestly?” He regarded a knee visible thru the rip in her jeans. “No.”

“Well, I can. And, no, I am not gonna give you a copy of my last banking statement to prove it. You have to trust me. I don’t want you to source other companies to carry out the work on my behalf, nor do I want you to source materials or furniture. I’ll do that myself. I just want ideas. Okay?” Merlin brushed at a speck on her thigh. “When I say money’s no object, I don’t want you to imagine your account can be ridiculous an’ I’ll just pay it. I won’t. Just because I inherited a fortune doesn’t make me stupid. I’m a reasonable woman an’ all I ask is that others are reasonable too. Do we understand each other?”

“Yes,” he said, flushing slightly.

“Great.”

“When do you need the ideas?”

“Is a week long enough? If it isn’t .. two weeks max. I can’t give you the dimensions because I can’t get in for another seven days. And I haven’t seen the interior of the property at all.”

“But .. you bought it. A four million dollar house.”

“Yeah.” She rose and leaned forward over his desk. “What’s more, I bought it cash.”

“A week will be long enough .. and our account will be reasonable.”

“Nice doing business with you,” she smiled.

*****

Alex had left the map on the library table and Derek paused to study it again. He had an uneasy feeling about all this and he was pleased both Nick and Merlin would be available nearby. As he gazed down at all the pink dots and thought there were a lot of them, he stiffened and his face blanked out.

He saw a road. A single, solitary street. Beautiful houses with manicured lawns on one side, their drives elegant but containing no automobiles. On the other side of the street were hovels, tumbledown houses patched with sheets of corrugated metal and heaped around with garbage. And, while he saw no people, he felt a great uprising of abject hopelessness, fear, loathing and utter resignation. His breath caught in his chest. It felt like a prison. Trapped with no way out.

The world crashed back and he swallowed, gripping the edge of the table till his heart slowed and the sweat began to dry.

His uneasy feeling became a lot worse.

“Derek, I’ve spoken with Philip,” Alex said as she came in. “He – Are you okay?”

“I don’t think you should go there,” he said quietly.

“Why?” she frowned.

“It’s a trap.”

“I guessed as much. Why else would people disappear and not be found, ever?” She shrugged. “I know it’s there, Derek. I won’t walk in with my eyes closed.”

“There’s a difference between investigating the phenomenon behind the disappearances and disappearing yourself.”

“I’ll have Philip with me, and Nick and Peri nearby. If I do get trapped, I’ll call and they can come to the rescue.”

He straightened. “I think Rachel and I should be nearby as well. Some situations cannot be resolved by force. Sometimes, it takes stealth and cunning over brawn.”

Alex angled her head. “Did you see something?”

“A town,” he replied. “A street in a very strange town .. but no people. They were there, I know it. I could sense their hopelessness. It’s a prison, Alex. Wherever it is, it’s a prison.” He looked round. “I will let you go if you and Philip agree to be careful. More than careful. Don’t go near this area on the last day of the month, or on the days either side of it.”

Alex had been about to tell him that there was no safe time to go into the area but she knew that, if she did, he would’ve refused to let her do this fieldtrip. He would have put his own life in jeopardy by going himself and he wouldn’t have allowed her to do the same. She wanted to do this so she kept quiet.

“All right,” Alex said. “I’ll be very careful.”

*****

Nick wasn’t hopeful of speaking to Jazz but his call went straight thru.

“Yeah,” Jazz said, sounding tense.

“What’s this? Nerves before the big day?”

“Nick! Tell me you’re accepting the invitation.”

“I am. I wouldn’t miss seeing you tie the knot.”

“Thank God. No, I don’t have nerves, not about doing this. What I do have are arrangements, an’ dumb phone calls about them. And I have soon to be in laws and an entire family who are already boasting about the fact that their daughter is marrying a SEAL, an’ sharing in the honor. You got in laws, right?”

“Uh huh.”

“How d’you cope with ’em?”

“I don’t see ’em all that often,” Nick replied. “They’re good people. They’re in laws so they interfere but they do it in a good way an’, mostly, they do it by telling Peri what to do, not me.”

“What about your former career?”

“They understand. To them .. what I did was just a job, no big deal.”

“I wish … ” Jazz groaned.

“Just keep ’em at arm’s length an’ remember you’re marrying Janice, not her family.”

“Right. My daily mantra.”

“So .. why Santa Cruz an’ not San Dog?” Nick asked.

Jazz sighed. “The family. They live there.” Then his voice brightened. “When are you planning on getting there? Any chance it can be before the day?”

“Sure, I can swing that. Last night of freedom … ”

“Hit a few bars, talk a lot, drink more. I could use that to ease me into those chains. Is Peri coming with you?”

“I’ll say yes but I have to check with her. She should be cool.”

“That’s great. I really wanna meet this woman. You driving down?”

“I could bring the chopper but .. I’ll probably drive. I got commitments the day after. An old girlfriend of mine has invited me to the baptism of her second child.”

“Not your kid, I hope.”

“No way,” Nick laughed. “Look, I won’t keep you from all those dumb arrangements. I’ll call when I get in an’ I’ll try to get down on the Thursday.”

“That’d be great. Speak soon, Nick.”

He hung up and nodded, smiling fondly. He doubted his other call would be so easy going.

*****

“Has he answered yet?”

Liz Sumner checked a sigh. “No. He’ll only have gotten the invitation today.” She glanced round. “I don’t know why you’re so wound up about this. Nick is a friend. He knows I married you .. and there’s a reason I married you.”

He nodded but didn’t say what was on his mind.

You married me because he didn’t want you, Liz. I’m second best, second choice. Don’t try to deny it. I could see it in your eyes when you looked at him that time in the hospital. You held me but … I thought, after this long, after moving from the city, after putting distance between you and him, that we could put it behind us. I thought we had. Marilyn was baptized without him having to be present. But you had to invite him this time, didn’t you? Why is that, Liz? Why is Nick Boyle still a ghost haunting our lives? If I could get away with it, I’d shoot him, put him six feet under. But that would only make him some kind of saint to you.

She put a hand on his arm. “Believe me, Nick is just a friend. It’ll be nice to catch up, to see him again. He’ll leave an’ you’ll still be here.”

Kevin eased his arm away. “Yeah, I’ll still be here.”

Liz regarded him. “You want me to tell him not to bother? That the father of my child is being a child himself?”

“Tell him whatever you want, Liz. I can’t fight with you anymore, not about this. If you think I’m being childish because I don’t want my wife’s ex-fiancé turning up to my son’s baptism, you go ahead. I won’t try to stop you.”

“Kevin!” she said but he’d already walked away.

*****

Merlin strolled around furniture stores, browsing, trying to figure out her own ideas. The realtor had given her a floor plan so she had something to work with. He’d said that the current occupants had installed a unique electrical system and had some .. unusual ideas about room use. She didn’t know what he meant and wouldn’t till she finally got thru the front door. It could be the whole place would have to be gutted and completely remodeled. Or .. she might find she liked their ideas on room use. Whatever she found, there was a lot of potential. Nick could have his own room to do whatever he wanted in there – there was plenty of space for them to spread out.

She noticed the time and decided to head home, put him out of his misery. Let him check over the Mustang and see she hadn’t scraped or dented it.

For someone who, until fairly recently, had a lot of houses but nowhere really to call home, it’s strange that Angel Island is home now. Home is where the heart is, I guess, and my heart is wherever Nick happens to be.

She smiled as she burned rubber.

*****

Alex raised an eyebrow. “Is this .. friendship with James getting to you?”

“I’ve met him,” Rachel replied. “He seems an honest young man. Friendly. His father’s an attorney. It’s clear he likes Kat, and that she likes him. A couple of old heads on young shoulders,” she laughed. “And, yeah, it is definitely getting to me.”

“Because Kat’s too young?” Alex queried.

“There’s a three year age gap and, as she pointed out, very reasonably, if they were both ten years older, no one would comment. Kat also pointed out that Nick is four years older than Peri. But, as I pointed out, she is still, officially, a child and James is, officially, an adult. Providing they both remember that, I have no current objections to them being friends. It’s getting to me because .. Alex, I can remember being that age. Seeing Kat so excited makes me feel ancient. There again,” Rachel sighed, “I know it has to happen an’ James does seem to be a good guy. He told me, straight out, that he used to dabble on the fringes with magic but he’s long since given it up. He said that he an’ Kat have that in common, plus he’s met Peri who put the fear of God into him. I don’t think he’d do anything stupid.”

“If he’s that honest, I don’t think you have anything to worry about,” Alex responded. “And, if Kat is happy in the friendship, doesn’t it give you a little space to make some friendships of your own?”

“I guess. Pretty soon, she’ll be leaving home for college. I’ll have an empty nest.” She thought about that. “Probably sink myself into my work an’ become a bitter, crabby old woman .. unless, like you say, I start getting out there. Meeting people. Making friends.”

“Derek would take you out. He likes the theater. Concerts. And you know him. He’s already a friend,” Alex pointed out. “Pete Miller. He’s another guy you know, and he has already told you he doesn’t want anything more. Where’s the threat there?”

“What is this? The Alex Moreau Singles Agency?” Rachel queried.

Alex shrugged. “I just don’t like to see my friends unhappy.”

“I’m not unhappy, Alex! I just get a little lonely at times.”

“Whatever,” Alex said.

She’d said it in such a wistful, careful voice that Rachel could have kicked herself. How could I be so insensitive? Alex is unhappy and she’s lonely. She’s projecting what she feels inside onto me. Jack isn’t dead but she feels his loss. He’s a lot farther away now, almost cut off from the world. I should have seen this. I should at least have expected it.

“You’re right. I do know guys who are my friends. I’m just making excuses. It’ll stop. The more Kat .. I hate saying ‘goes out’ because that sounds like dating an’ they’re not. The more she spends time with James, the less excuse I have to say no. And, there again, why do I need male friends to go out? There is no rule which says women can’t socialize.”

“The Bolshoi is appearing here next month,” Alex said airily.

“I wonder if Derek can get us tickets,” Rachel smiled.

*****

“Hey, Nicky, I’m back!” Merlin greeted as she came into the control room.

“Good. Couple of things I need to speak with you about.”

“You can go check,” she said. “No, I did not dent or scrape, an’, no, I didn’t burn out the engine. Anyone tells you otherwise is lying.”

“I believe you,” he grinned. “The weekend, this weekend. How you fixed?”

Merlin’s eyes narrowed for a moment. “My calendar’s quite empty. Why?”

“Jazz sent us an invitation to his wedding. I’m going. Driving down Thursday so I can spend some quality time with him before the big day. He really wants to meet you.”

“Okay. Look forward to it.”

“Great. The other thing which came in the mail is an invitation to a baptism on the Sunday. Liz Sumner … ” He hesitated. “Liz an’ I used to be engaged. She wanted to get married but .. I could never take that last step, y’know? We broke up. She married another guy. I’m happy for her. The invite’s just for me but I think you should come too. If you don’t wanna go, I’ll turn it down.”

“Why can’t you go on your own?”

“I could but .. it’d be difficult – for them, not for me. Kevin doesn’t exactly get along with me. I was willing but he didn’t see it that way. If you’re there, it’ll be easier.”

“What if she doesn’t want me there?” Merlin asked.

“Then I don’t go.”

“Okay. If she’s agreeable, I’ll go hold your hand.”

“It doesn’t bother you that Liz an’ I were an item once?”

“No, it doesn’t. The big word in that sentence is ‘once’. You an’ I are the item now. You know I don’t get involved in your past, Nick. There were women in your life, there were guys in mine. It’s all history an’ can’t be changed so why waste time making accusations?”

“I’ll call her then.” He leaned back. “So .. what’s the big surprise that’s gonna cost a small fortune?”

She came closer. “You know I’ve checked over Paradise Drive for signs of contamination, found none an’ declared it clean.”

“Yeah,” he nodded. “You still don’t feel comfortable there.”

“You know the big house next one along?”

He nodded again. “The small mansion, yeah.”

“That one, right. In a week’s time, it’s ours.”

Nick sat up. “A new house?”

Merlin smiled. “Bigger pool. It has a gym. Four car garage. Plenty of rooms and plenty of room in them. I figure we could, y’know, plan it together, do the work together. Make it our home. I mean, we’ve always had this thing, haven’t we? This is your home, Paradise Drive is mine. The new place would be ours.” She shrugged. “What d’you think?”

“I think it’s a great idea, Merli,” Nick replied, rising to kiss her. “I can’t wait to see it.”

“In seven days, you will.”

“Ah .. it may be a little longer than that. You remember Alex’s fieldtrip?”

She nodded, her eyes serious.

“Derek wants us to go along as backup. It’s in the same area. We head down to Santa Cruz on Thursday, stay till Saturday night, drive on to Watsonville, attend the baptism – if Liz wants us to – an’ then, early evening Sunday, head back inland to San Stefano to be on call in case Alex an’ Philip need us.”

Merlin frowned. “San Stefano in the Diablo Range?”

“That doesn’t sound like good news,” Nick remarked. “That one, yeah. I didn’t realize it was in those mountains. You know it?”

“Not that particular town, no. It’s more that there’s a warm spot just east of the town. It’s been growing hotter over the last decade. Has it erupted? I’m sorry, I wasn’t really paying attention this morning to what Alex was saying.”

“I think it must have. People are vanishing. Alex is gonna go find out why an’ see if she can put a stop to it.”

Merlin nodded. “Good idea to send us down there too. I think we should go with her, rather than wait to be called in.”

“You got any idea what’s going on?” he asked.

She shook her head. “Only that there’s a warm spot getting hotter .. an’ it’s growing.”

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