“Are you kidding?” Harmony’s voice switched to a normal pitch. She held out a hand to North. “By now everyone in town knows who you are. We expected you late yesterday. Come on inside.”

Sierra moved through the doorway. North followed.

The library was crammed with shelves filled with books, some old and bound in leather. Others were new. At the rear of the room there was a staircase. One set of steps led to the upper floor. The other went down into the basement.

Sierra remembered that the upstairs space was the apartment where Harmony lived. By tradition, the Oracle of Fogg Lake always lived in the library.

The basement was where the oldest and most valuable volumes were housed, as well as the Fogg Lake ancestry records and a few artifacts.

“We got caught in the fog,” North said. “Had some car trouble.” He gave Sierra an inquiring glance. “You two know each other?”

“I struggled when I first came into my talent,” Sierra said. “Broke a lot of mirrors before I learned how to get some control. My parents brought me here so Harmony could assess my situation and do some research. She’s the one who figured out that I needed the mirrored crystal to focus my psychic vibe.”

“It’s obviously a rare gift,” Harmony said. “But I found some data in an old journal written back in the nineteenth century by a researcher who took the paranormal quite seriously. Turns out the ability to channel energy via mirrors and glass is not only unusual, it is a particularly difficult talent to handle.”

North glanced at the locket Sierra wore. “Where did you find the right crystal?”

Harmony chuckled. “I didn’t. It found her.”

Sierra smiled. “Harmony was able to tell my parents what I needed. They took me around to every rock and crystal shop in the Pacific Northwest. We attended endless auctions that featured old jewelry. Eventually this locket turned up in an estate sale. I knew as soon as I saw it that I could use it. There were no other bidders.”

“You two must have had a very uncomfortable night,” Harmony said. “How about coffee?”

“Coffee sounds wonderful,” North said.

“Yes, please,” Sierra said.

“Follow me,” Harmony said. She led the way toward the staircase.

North looked around. “How did you land this gig as the Oracle of Fogg Lake?”

“Believe me, I didn’t set out to become an oracle,” Harmony said. “It definitely wasn’t on the list of career paths that my high school guidance counselor suggested.”

“I don’t think my high school guidance counselor mentioned a career as a go-between,” Sierra said.

Harmony gave her a knowing look. “We all have to stumble around until we find our callings. It can be hard to hear the voice above all the noise in the world.”

“So I’m told,” Sierra said.

“I was trained as a librarian,” Harmony continued. “But here in Fogg Lake the jobs of Oracle and librarian always seem to go together. No one knows why. The day I arrived in town the previous Oracle announced she had been waiting for me to show up. She said it was time for her to move on and that I was supposed to take her place here. She packed a bag and left. I was on my own. I’ve been figuring it out ever since. Learn something new every day in this job.”