The ambulance with Chandler Chastain on board was waiting at the airport in Seattle.
A stylishly dressed woman, her auburn hair cut at a sharp angle that emphasized her striking features, came forward to greet them.
“I’m Olivia LeClair,” she explained. “I am so sorry about what happened to Mr. Chastain. My partner, Catalina Lark, is out of town. She and her husband are doing some research on another possible lost lab location, but I or my assistant has been with Mr. Chastain every moment since I got the call from Victor Arganbright. I want to assure you that no one except medical personnel who were personally vetted by me have been allowed near Mr. Chastain and I authorized no procedures, just as Arganbright instructed.”
“Vetted by you?” North asked.
“I’m a very good aura reader,” Olivia said.
North nodded. A strong aura analyst was usually able to discern potentially dangerous energy in an individual’s aura.
“Understood,” he said.
“Thank you for protecting my husband until we could get here,” Lily said.
“From what I can tell, Mr. Chastain’s aura appears strong,” Olivia continued, “but some of his energy bands are oscillating erratically. I hope the doctors at Halcyon Manor can correct the problem quickly. I understand they are doing a lot of advanced work on disorders of the paranormal senses there in Vegas.”
“Yes,” Lily said. “They are.”
Two medics opened the back door of the ambulance and removed the gurney. The Halcyon doctors took charge, moving swiftly.
North had talked to the medics during the flight from Las Vegas. They had tried to tell him what to expect. He thought he had steeled himself for the sight of his father in an unnerving state. He was wrong. It shook him to the core.
His mother, however, appeared strong and resolute.
“We will get through this,” she said quietly.
They fell into step alongside the gurney.
“Hello, darling,” Lily said. She clasped Chandler’s hand and continued talking as the group moved toward the plane stairs. “I’m here to take you home, where the doctors will know how to deal with this situation. Meanwhile, North will find out who did this to you.”
She spoke in a calm, utterly convincing tone of voice that left North speechless. He had always known his mother was a strong woman but he had never seen her in action in such devastating circumstances. He watched his father’s face while Lily continued to talk and squeeze his hand.
Chandler opened his eyes. He gave no indication that he recognized his son or his wife. Instead he gazed into the distance as if he was staring at something only he could see. But North was suddenly very sure that his father had responded to Lily’s voice.
“He knows who you are, Mom,” North said quietly.
“Of course he does,” Lily said.
The medics halted at the foot of the stairs and prepared to carry the gurney and its passenger up into the plane.
“Wait,” North said.
“Orders are to get Mr. Chastain home as fast as possible,” one of the medics said.
“I just need a minute,” North said. “Mom, I think Dad’s responding to your energy on some level. I want to try asking him a couple of questions.”
Lily paused and then she nodded once. “Go ahead.”
North touched his father’s shoulder and tried to think of questions that required only simple yes or no responses.
“Dad, were you attacked?” he asked.
There was no visible response but Lily stiffened. She gazed down at her husband, transfixed.
“Yes,” she whispered. “I’m sure I felt something just now. A vibe. I can’t explain it but it felt like a yes.”
North kept his hand on Chandler’s shoulder. “Dad, do you know who attacked you?”
There was a moment of fraught energy in the atmosphere. Lily frowned and then tightened her grip on Chandler’s hand.
“No,” she said. “He doesn’t know.”
“We need to get in the air,” the pilot said.
North asked the only other question he could think of in that moment. “Dad, were you attacked because of the object you bought at Swan Antiques?”
Another shiver of energy. Hot and intense. This time North could have sworn his father was struggling to focus on him. But the effort cost him. Chandler closed his eyes and went limp.
“Yes,” Lily said. She looked at North, her eyes very fierce. “The answer is yes.”
“I can work with that,” North said.
He stepped back from the gurney. The medics carried their patient up the stairs and disappeared through the door.
Lily turned to North. “Do what you have to do,” she said. “But be careful. Your father and I love you.”
“I know,” North said. “I love you, too.”
Lily gave him a brief hug and then hurried up the stairs.
North waited until the Foundation plane was in the air. When it was gone he concentrated on the task at hand. He turned to Olivia LeClair.
“I need to locate a go-between named Sierra Raines,” he said.
She smiled. “Yes, Victor Arganbright said you wanted to hire her. She’s waiting for you at the Vault in Pioneer Square.”
“Sounds like a nightclub.”
“It is.”
“It’s almost noon.”
“The Vault is open twenty-four hours a day,” Olivia said. “I’ll give you a ride.”
“Thanks,” North said.