Vivica glared at the three men. “What do you mean he’s gone?”
“His room’s empty. All his belongings are still there but he’s gone,” Gaspar said.
“Find him,” Vivica said. “Hurry!” The three men filed out.
Vivica picked up her coffee mug and threw it against the wall. Ceramic shards flew in the air as brown liquid seeped slowly down the wall. “Damn!”
Hans was missing. She had arranged for him to stay in one of the campus apartments. He showed up quietly at the lab every morning at eight for testing and left just as quietly at five. Considering the man had been living off scraps when she found him, the university apartment must have been a veritable oasis.
Why had he left?
Three hours later Hans was discovered at a local school carnival, curled up in the haunted house.
When Gaspar, Maddox, and Fitch came to claim him, they found Hans surrounded by firefighters. “He could have been killed,” one of the firemen said. “Someone set fire to several of the rides. Thank God none of the kids were here yet. We haven’t found out how the fires started though, no matches, nothing combustible to be found.”
Maddox cleared his throat. “Thank you, we’ll handle this.” He led Hans away; the two other men brought up the rear.
“We have to tell Vivica about the fires,” Gaspar said.
Hans walked straight ahead, gray eyes unblinking, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders.
Immediately upon reaching the apartment, Hans fell into a deep sleep. It was obvious he wouldn’t be waking soon.
Vivica stared down at her protégé, her face angry. “Damn, damn, damn!”
“What do you want us to do?” Maddox asked.
“You stay here and watch Hans. Fitch and Gaspar will come with me. We’ll have to call Odina,” Vivica said, annoyed.
“Not her,” Fitch groaned.
“Definitely not her,” Gaspar chimed in.
Vivica turned on them. “What do you recommend? Do either of you have any psychic power I don’t know about?”
The two men stared down at their shoes.
“We have to hire Odina.” Vivica’s hands curled into fists. “Damn I hate mediums!” She stalked out of the room.
Gaspar glared at Maddox, who was smiling. “You lucky bastard.”