Finn was frowning. “But Aylia Blackwood saw a serial killer hunting the five families.”

Quentin shook his head. “Did she? I can tell you from experience that visions—that farseeing—is just a glimpse into a future that may or may not be set. Two members of the Five have died, and Simon was taken; she could have glimpsed just enough of that future to believe what it seemed to indicate. We interpret what we see, even if unconsciously, and filter it through our knowledge and experiences.”

After a moment, Finn nodded. “Okay, that makes sense. But . . . is it why Daniel would have killed Cole Ainsworth and buried Simon alive? Just a distraction?”

Hollis said, “I think that was the plan, but the fact that he got so . . . enthusiastic . . . with Cole and played his little game in burying Simon is also because he’s more than a little twisted and has been since he was a kid, according to what we were told by his pastor.”

She filled them in on what she and DeMarco had learned, finishing with “Not that there’s any evidence, especially after all this time, but the spirit of the old man I saw in the restaurant was definitely Lucius Matthews, and I believe he was trying to warn me about Daniel. I think he was probably Daniel’s first victim, killed because Daniel didn’t want him talking to his mother. Or maybe just because he was angry.”

Finn looked from one to the other. “You were both able to use your Talents in questioning Reverend Matthews?”

“We’d both dropped our shields,” Hollis confirmed. “There had to be something he knew, or else why did the crows lead us there? So we probed.”

“I thought you were having problems with this energy interference, like the rest of us.”

“Well, that’s another thing we may have figured out.” Hollis exchanged a glance with her partner. “Even though you were all aware of the energy once Duncan began building his power base, it’s only interfered with everyone’s abilities in the last few weeks. Not before that. So what happened back in January? Duncan Cavendish was destroyed.”

“Yeah.”

“And Cavendish was after energy, sheer power to add to his own. Which he stole from psychics who were descended from the five families. I remembered something Geneva told me. That it was Duncan, with that weird energy-weaving Cavendish talent— No offense,” she added hastily to Nellie.

Nellie smiled faintly. “No offense. I think it’s weird too.”

Hollis smiled at her, then went on. “It was Duncan who figured out how to construct something they called a barrier to hold in psychic energy. I mean, it was something he came up with long before Bishop taught Nellie how to weave a similar thing to help contain her energy. Right?”

Finn answered, “Yes. What became obvious later is that he saw young psychics as a potential threat. Saw anyone with Talents he couldn’t somehow control or repress as a threat. What he told the families, however, was that by allowing him to construct the Barrier in their children with Talents, it would allow the children to grow and mature until they were old enough to be able to deal safely with their Talents. He claimed they had to be at least thirty before they’d have the necessary control.”