The stoic resignation in his voice sent a frisson of alarm through her. The ring was connected to something very painful.
"Whose ring is it?" she asked gently.
"It belonged to a man who died three years ago. Last year I got his watch. The year before that I received a photo of his casket."
She studied his hard face. "What's going on, Fallon?"
"Someone wants to make certain that I never forget."
"That you never forget what?"
"That I killed my friend and partner."
20
They sat down on a large rock facing the wild surf. Holding it in his gloved hand, Fallon studied the black metal ring that was set with a green stone.
"His name was Tucker Austin," he said. "We were both J&J agents at the time. My uncle was running the agency back then. He was preparing to retire and turn the business over to me."
"But you worked as an agent, first?"
Fallon shrugged. "Family tradition. Tucker and I handled a number of cases together that year. We made a solid team, at least for a while. He was a high-end light-talent."
"I've never heard of that kind of ability."
"Probably because it's rare. A medium-range light-talent can manipulate the light that comes from the normal end of the spectrum. A dreamlight-talent can read the radiation from the dark ultralight sectors. But people like Tucker can bend both visible and paranormal wavelengths in such a way that they can make themselves invisible."
"The government is working on a superstealth fighter plane that uses that principle," Isabella said. "Top secret black arts stuff. My grandmother broke the story on her website a few months back."
"The news was in all the popular-science magazines and several newspapers long before it appeared on the Iceberg site," Fallon said dryly.
"Really?"
In spite of his dour mood, Fallon's mouth kicked up a little at the corner. "You do realize that if it's in the New York Times, it isn't exactly a big secret."
She sniffed. "Not because the black-arts people didn't try to keep it secret."
"Okay, I'll give you that point. Back to my story. Tucker was especially useful to J&J because he could make himself invisible not only to those with normal vision but also to those who can see or sense energy in the paranormal ranges. He could conceal his own aura."
"Wow. He could hide from aura-readers and hunter-talents?"
"Tucker could move through a crowd of high-end auras and hunters like a ghost."
"I can see why he was so useful to J&J. He would have been the perfect psychic spy to send out against bad-guy talents."
"Tucker loved the work. The more dangerous, the better as far as he was concerned. He was a real adrenaline junkie. Like I said, we made a good team."
"You're an adrenaline junkie?"
"No. I was the plodding research guy. I handled the investigative and planning phase of the cases. I identified and drew up the list of suspects. Tucker went inside to get the evidence. Then we put it all together and gave the package to my uncle at J&J. He decided whether the case could be turned over to regular law enforcement or if it was a situation that J&J had to take care of on its own."
She nodded. "The way we handled the killer at the Zander house yesterday."
"You know, in some quarters that kind of activity is called taking the law in our own hands," Fallon said. There was a deep weariness in the words. "And it is frowned upon."
"Arcane polices its own because no one else can do the job."
"That has certainly been the rationale for J&J's existence since it was founded," Fallon agreed. "I've never told any of my agents or even anyone in my family, but sometimes in the darkest hours of the night I wonder if that makes it right."
She turned toward him. "We both know we can't leave para-psychopaths free to prey on the public. Not if it's in our power to stop them. Regular law enforcement doesn't even acknowledge the existence of criminals with paranormal abilities. How could the cops possibly track down the bad guys, let alone keep them in prison?"
"Don't think I haven't asked myself that question a million times." Fallon leaned forward, rested his forearms on his thighs and cradled in his gloved fingers the box that held the ring. He watched the surf pound on the rocks. "But sometimes I wonder, Isabella."
She put her hand on his arm. "The fact that you even ask the question is what makes you the right man to head J&J, Fallon Jones."
They sat together for a time, watching the relentless waves.
"What happened to Tucker?" she asked after a while.
"I killed him."
There was no trace of emotion in his voice. That told her everything she needed to know. Fallon was haunted by the death of Tucker Austin.
At first she thought he was not going to tell her the rest of the tale. But eventually he started to talk again.
"Tucker and I were assigned to the biggest case of our careers. A nightclub not so coincidentally named Arcane had popped up on the J&J psi-dar. It catered to sensitives, many of whom were not members of the Society. Some didn't even realize they had a little talent. But they were drawn to the club consciously or unconsciously by the energy of the place."
"All nightclubs have to give off a lot of intense energy or they go bankrupt," she said.
"Yes, but most clubs get their energy from the music and the crowd and a good marketing image."
"And the alcohol and the recreational drugs that are frequently available," she added.
"The Arcane Club attracted its patrons with all those things, but it offered one additional lure, an elite club within a club."
"Wait, don't tell me, let me guess. The insiders' club was called the Governing Council?"
He looked at her. "You're good."
"Thanks," she said. Pride tingled through her. Fallon Jones did not give praise lightly. "So whoever operated the Arcane Club got a kick out of creating a shadow version of the real Arcane Society, including the Council. Creepy."
"It was," Fallon agreed. "Also smart marketing."
"Did the club offer a parallel version of Jones & Jones?"
"Within the world of the club, J&J provided security."
"For crying out loud," she said, incensed. "They made the J&J staff the bouncers? That's just wrong. We are an elite investigative firm."
He smiled a little at that and went on with the story. "Unlike most insider clubs, the big draw wasn't a drug; it was the lighting fixtures in the rooms that were reserved for the exclusive patrons."