He held up the small disc to show her the green crystal glowing inside.

“You’re right,” he said. “I am a dumbass. This is some kind of paranormal tracking device. They must have put it on your vehicle back in Seattle. I saw Ink stick a conventional tracker in the wheel well at the Sefton house. I got rid of it, but it must have been intended as a backup. This one was on the car the whole time.”

She examined it uneasily. “What are you going to do with it?”

“Hand it over to the Foundation team in Fogg Lake. They’ll be thrilled. Old Bluestone tech always makes the researchers happy.”

“But that device tells the bad guys where we are.”

“So what? They already know we’re headed for Fogg Lake.”

“I guess that’s true,” she said. “For the record, I never called you a dumbass.”

“Yes, you did.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“The implication was crystal clear.”

“Let’s get back in the car,” Olivia said. “It’s cold out here.”

CHAPTER 27

Something I’ve been wondering about,” Harlan said. “Earlier tonight, when you scared the hell out of those guys by warning them they would end up in nightmares, et cetera, et cetera, was that the real thing?”

Olivia was lounging in the driver’s seat, the wool scarf bundled around her neck and shoulders for warmth, her hands shoved into the deep pockets of her jacket. She turned her head to look at Harlan, who was cranked back a few degrees in the passenger seat. His eyes were closed, but she had known before he spoke that he was wide awake. Alert.

“The real thing?” she repeated, wanting to make certain she understood the question.

“You know what I mean,” he said. “Was that the oracle talking? Asking for a friend.”

“It was an act, Harlan. Nothing more. Don’t tell me you fell for it. You’re supposed to be the smartest guy in the room, remember?”

“We’ve already ascertained that upon occasion I am a dumbass.”

“Yes, it was an act. I faked the voice and I had the fog for cover. My audience was primed because they were already nervous. Stress and the atmosphere of these mountains after dark will do that to people. It wasn’t hard to fake the oracle thing. You said it yourself. People see what they expect to see.”

“You’ve had experience scaring people?”

Olivia smiled. “Halloween is a very competitive event in Fogg Lake.”

“I’ll bet. Can’t imagine kids doing the trick-or-treat thing in this fog.”

“Builds character.”

Harlan smiled. It wasn’t a big smile, but it was a smile.

“Growing up as the son and heir apparent of Stenson Rancourt must have made for an interesting childhood,” she said. “Did you ever go trick-or-treating?”