Hunting Shadows (Shadow Series #3) (22 page)

“
Marie
, it’s Caitlin,” I said when she answered. “Any news of finding another seer?”

“There’s one
,
but I’m not sure we can fully trust her yet,” she answered. “I’m trying to get some
more information about her before bringing her in.”

“We don’t have time.” I quickly told
Marie
what had happened. “I think my father’s involved somehow. We have no time to spare.
I can’t wait around for a seer who’s entirely trustworthy. The one you found will
have to do.”

After
we
discussed what
our next steps would be, I hung up the phone
. Everyone was watching me expectantly
.

“We’re going back to Connecticut.
Marie
found a seer
who can help to
put me under hypnosis.”

“Does she think the seer is someone we can trust?” Ryan asked.

“Almost, and that’s good enough,” I answered. “We need to get moving.”

“Wait, you’re just leavi
ng?” Sarah asked in dismay. “Jenny’s
parents will be here soon. Marcus said they’re taking her body back to Florida. We
shoul
d all go down there for her fun
eral.”

Sarah didn’t seem to realize the significance of what had happened. As much as I wanted
to be
there for Jenny’s funeral
, I
had impending disaster looming.
Besides, I was sure her parents would hear the rumors about my involvement and I didn’t
know if they would welcome me.

“Sarah,” I said gently, trying to make her understand.
“I’m pretty sure my father was involved in Jenny’s death somehow. We need to stop
him before he kills anyone else. We need to stop him before this gets too big for
us.”

Sarah took a deep breath before answering. “I know. I guess I just feel like it can’t
get worse than Jenny dying.” She
looked at me grimly. “I guess things
can get a lot worse before this is over.”

I was relieved that she didn’t seem to t
hink badly of me
for
leaving
. I a
lready felt like she
was
holding me responsible
for Jenny’s death, but I didn’t blame her.

Simon, Ryan and I
quickly packed
for our trip to Connecticut, making sure to only take essentials. I slipped the palladium
coin into a small compartment of my bag. Ryan had asked me a few times where I had
put the palladium, but I had told him I hadn’t felt comfortable sharing details about
it with anyone. The only person who knew I was taking it with me was Simon.

Sarah stopped me in the bathroom as I was gathering my toiletries.

“I never asked you
if you’re okay
,” she said. “How are you doing?”

“I’m surviving. More importantly, how are
you
doing?”

“I’m still kind of in shock.” Sarah’s expression turned concerned. “I’m worried about
Marcus. I went downstairs while you were at the police station and he’s not doing
well.” She hesitated befor
e continuing. “I told Grant what
really happened, but not in front of Marcus.”

“I think it’s best to keep Marcus out if it,” I said. “He has enough to deal with.
I don’t think he can handle any
more.” I bit my lip, trying to find the words that would convey my feelings. “I’m
sorry. I know I failed Jenny, but I promise
I won’t let
anyone else get hurt
.”

Sarah frowned. “What are you talking about? It’s not your fault.”

I looked at her, not wanting to bring up the fact that I knew she blamed me, so I
just nodded.

“Wait,” she said, grabbing my arm before I was able to leave the bathroom. She took
a deep breath. “I did
blame you at first. And I’m so sorry for
it. I was just so grief-stricken over Jenny’s death that it was easier to blame someone.
So I blamed you because it was easy. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I blame myself. You were right to put the responsibility on my shoulders.”

“Don’t,” Sarah said fiercely. “Don’t carry the guilt around. You tried to save Jenny.
Your guilt will make you do something stupid. Don’t sacrifice yourself because you
think you’re at fault. Because you’re not.”

I reassured Sarah that I would be careful, trying to cover the fact that she was right.
I was willing to do anything to avenge Jenny’s death and destroy my father, even if
it meant the end of my life. At least it would be for something worthwhile.

Chapter Eigh
teen

We didn’t talk mu
ch on the drive to Connecticut in Ryan’s car. I was still trying to come to grips
with what had happened to Jenny. A part of me couldn’t believe that she was actua
lly gone. I couldn’t accept that that her life had been extinguished; she was too
vivacious and full of life to just be gone in the blink of an eye. I wanted to cry,
I wanted to wail at the injustice of it all and my inability to save her, but that
wouldn’t bring her back. The only thing left to do was to make sure that her killers
didn’t get away with it.

It was late by the time we got to the address
Marie
had given us. We pulled up
to an
apartment building that
I instantly
recognized. It was the one
that
I had woken up
in
, the one
Marie
had brought us to after saving us from Lenore and my father.

Marie buzzed us up after we rang the bell and
we made our way up the stairs
.
When we entered the apartment, a
woman who looked t
o be in her forties was
standing beside
Marie
.

“This is Sophia,” Marie said and the woman nodded, smiling at us nervously.

“Nice to meet you, Sophia,” I said as I shook her hand, although the last thing I
wanted to do was exchange pleasantries. I waited impatiently while Marie introduced
Ryan and Simon to Sophia, wanting to move the process
along
as quickly as possible.

“I’ve told Sophia everything that’s happened, like you asked,” Marie told me.
“She’s prepared to help us put you under.”

“Good. Let’s get started.”

Simon grabbed Ryan’s arm as they gathered around me. “If you feel anything going wrong,
you better pull her the hell out,” Simon warned.

“I don’t want to put her life at risk any more than you do,” Ryan said grimly as he
shook Simon’s hand off.

Simon was watching me with
worried eyes as I f
elt myself slip below as
the seers’ energies pushed
me down into unconsciousness.
I felt my body growing weightless and s
oon I was awa
re of nothing besides the interior
of my own mind.

I strained my eyes, trying to make out the shape in front of me. I tensed when I finally
recognized the figure.

“Jenny?” I asked
in a trembling voice. “What are you doing here?”

Jenny’s green eyes looked as vibrant as
they had
when she was alive. She grinned at me as if she didn’t have a care in the world.

“Me? What are you doing here?” Her smiled faded. “Are you gone too?”

“No,” I whispered. “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to save you.”

She shrugged, no longer looking concerned. “You can’t always control what happens.
You should know that by now.”

“Do you know what happened to you?” I asked.

“Do you?” she countered.

“Your vardoger tried to kill you and
I wasn’t strong enough to destroy it before you drowned.
” My voice was filled with pain. “I’m so sorry.”

Jenny arched a brow. “Caitlin, is that really what happened?”

I looked at her confused. “Of course. I was there.”

She shook her head in disappointment. “Don’t believe everything you see with your
eyes.”

“Then what really happened?”

“I can’t tell you that,” she said gently. “I’m not even really here.”

I was starting to get disoriented so I tried to focus my thoughts. “Do you know if
my father was involved? Do you know where he is?”

“Your father is looking for you. A father always looks for his daughter. He knows
you hold all
the answers
.”

“Where is he?” I asked, feeling myself grow frustrated. “How can I stop him?”

“Opposites attract,” Jenny said, her image and voice growing fainter. I wanted to
reach out to grab her, to stop her from leaving, but I felt too weak. “Palladium and
iridium. You think they’re opposites but what if they’re together? What happens then?”

“Jenny, wait!” I yelled but she disappeared completely before I
was finished calling out her name
.

I came to with a jolt, sitting upright as my eyes shot open. I was drenched in sweat
and breathing heavily. Simon was kneeling beside me, his face tight with worry.

“Are you okay?” he asked. I nodded, feeling weak as I sank back into the chair. Marie,
Sophia an
d Ryan were standing around me with
looks of concern on their faces.

“It was difficult bringing
you back,” Ryan said, his jaw tight. “I didn’t think you were going to make it.”

I took a deep breath, trying to steady my pulse. “But I did. And I think I may have
learned something.”

They listened
intently
as I recounted what I had seen while under hypnosis.
I noticed Sophia’s eyes growing wide in fear at the mention of palladium.

“What do you think about Jenny’
s
comment about palladium and iridium being together?” I asked when I was done. “What
if we combine them and
it becomes something we can use?
”

“Do you mean like melting them together?” Marie frowned when I nodded. “Palladium
is dangerous to seers. It takes away our powers. How could it help us?”

“But maybe the properties change once it’s combined with iridium. Maybe it’s something
we can use to defeat my father.”

Marie didn’t look any more convinced. “Even if it’s true, where are we going to find
palladium?
The only one I know who has some
is your father and I doubt he’s going to hand it over if we ask nicely.”

“I have some,” I said. “I brought it with me.”

Sophia’s face whitened and she spoke for the first time since I had come out of hypnosis.
“It’s dangerous! You shouldn’t have brought it here!” She looked terrified.

I ignored her, focusing on what needed to be done. “The
question is, where can we
get them melted together? We can
’t
exactly do it over the stove.”

“Wait a second,” Ryan said. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. I’m not sure this
is a good idea. Sophia’s right. Palladium is extremely dangerous for seers. You shouldn’t
be handling it.”

“What do you suggest we do then?” I asked impatiently. “We have nothing else to go
on.”

“She’s right,” Simon agreed and I felt a flood of warmth by his support. “We have
no other leads
right now and
we should trust her instincts.”

“I’m not having any part of this,” Sophia said. She turned to Marie with a scowl.
“You didn’t say anything about palladium being involved. I’m leaving.”

Marie sighed after Sophia had stormed out of the apartment. “I don’t blame her. Your
father has killed a lot of seers using palladium.”

“Marie, please,” I said in supplication. “I think this could really help us.”

She studied me for a few moments and
I could see her fighting an
internal battle
. She then sighed
again
, seeming resigned.

“Fine. We’ll try it. I think I know
someone who can melt the
metals
together for us.
I have a friend who’s an artist. He works with metals and has a studio
for metal-working
.”

Marie made a quick phone call and I heard her lyin
g glibly to her friend about why we needed
help. “We’re in luck,” she said after she ended the call. “He’s willing to help although
he doesn’t know if he’ll be able to melt the iridium and palladium since it takes
such high levels of heat, but he’s willing to try. We’re going to meet him at his
studio.”

I was grateful for Marie’s help. Who else would know someone who worked with metal
in Connecticut willing to help us at one o’clock in the morning?

We drove over to her friend’s studio in Marie’s car. We pulled up to what looked like
a large warehouse and I could see
through the windows
that
the
lights were on. I wasn’t prepared
for what I saw when we entered. Huge towering metal sculptures were
scattered
everywhere, some abstract and
some in the shapes of things
vaguely familiar
that I couldn’t quite recognize
. We followed Marie to the back tha
t was sectioned off into a
workshop. A large man who looked more like a linebacker than an artist greeted us.

“This is Sam,” Marie said simply. She turned to Sam. “These are the people I was telling
you about.”

“Marie told me you have pieces of iridium and palladium you want to melt
down
together.” Sam’s voice didn’t match his body. It was quiet and gentle.

“Yes,” I said politel
y, and then proceeded to try to
match the story I
had
heard Marie tell him over the phone. “They’re of sentimental value to me because they
belong
ed
to my parents who passed
away when I was young
. No one’s willing to melt them
down for me without charging
an exorbitant fee.”

Sam raised his eyebrow
s at me
. “I can’t imagine someone being in such a hurry to wake me
up
in the middle of the night for sentimental value.” I tensed
at his skepticism, praying that he wasn’t going to change his mind about helping
us. I was relieved when he held his hand out.

“Let’s see them.”

I handed him the palladium coin and Marie gave him an extra piece of iridium she had.
He frowned when he saw the palladium. He shifted his hand around, his frown deepening
at the shadows it cast.

“Are you sure this is palladium? This doesn’t look anything like it.”

“It’s palladium,” Marie said shortly. “Let’s get on with it so we can all get some
sleep.”

Instead of being offended by Marie’s curtness, Sam just nodded and turned away.
I watched fascinated as he put on large gloves and goggles
and picked up a long metal cylinder
that I assumed was a torch
. He turned his head back
towards us.

“You should move away
.”

We all scurried back as Sam proceeded to place the pieces of metal in
a blackened round container. I flinched when fire erupted from the end of the torch,
the sound surprising me more than the sight. I watched mesmerized as he kept the torch
trained on
the
iridium and palladium, praying that he would be able to melt them together.

It seemed like forever when he finally tu
rned off the torch. He moved deftly
for such a large man as he used large iron tongs to pick up the container and pour
the molten metal into a small round mold. I moved closer once he had taken off his
goggles.

“The
palladium took a long time to melt. Longer than I thought it would,” Sam said, wiping
his brow. ‘It needs to cool for a bit before it can be handled.”

I stared at the
dull
piece of metal
in the mold
, wondering if this was what would help me defeat my father.
It looked like a simple piece of round metal and nothing seemed magical about it.
I hoped t
hat I hadn’t misinterpreted what
Jenny had told me
under hypnosis
.

We were silent as we waited for the metal to cool down. It was a bit awkward and I
was relieved when Sam finally released the metal from the mold and handed it to me.
It was still slightly warm in my hand and I gripped it tightly, waiting to feel some
sort of energy or vibration from it, but there was nothing.

“Why don’t I hold onto it for you,” Ryan said. “We don’t know what it can do, and
it’s safer for you if it’s not on you.”

“No,” Simon said emphatically. “Who knows what the hell you’ll do with it. I’ll hold
onto it.”

Ryan glared at Simon and I suppressed a sigh. Both of them were irritating me with
the assumption that I needed to be protected.

“
I’ll
hold onto it,” I said in a voice that brooked no argument. “We have no idea what
powers it
has
, if any. You’re
both in no less danger than I am
, so it
’s pointless to argue about who
holds onto it.”