Dark Light

Chapter 38

"ALWAYS KNEW I COULD COUNT ON ELVIS," JAKE TANNER said.

They were gathered in the Green Gate Tavern. Simon was behind the bar. Mitch, Jeff, and Andy lounged on their stools. Bottles of beer sat in front of them. Jake was drinking coffee.

Sierra stood at one end of the bar, her arms folded on the polished surface. Elvis, attired in his sparkling white cape, the new pair of tiny sunglasses that Jake had made perched on his head, sat beside her on the counter. There was a cup of coffee and a bowl of pretzels in front of him. He had already drained half the coffee.

"What made you put the coordinates behind the mirror in the miniature dressing room?" Sierra asked.

"Dunno." Jake shrugged. "Just came to me in a juice dream."

Mitch scowled. "You got the idea in a dream? How the hell does that work?"

Jake exhaled heavily. "The juice is weird crap. It takes you into another dimension. You feel so damn brilliant, like you're a god or a wizard or something. Everything seems so clear in the dreams. You think differently. It's like you're having visions."

"What happens when you wake up?" Sierra asked.

He shook his head. "That's the big downside. When you come out of a juice dream, reality and the visions get all mixed up in your head. But one day after you and Elvis visited me and brought me some cookies, I drank some juice and had this really clear vision. I saw myself getting kidnapped by aliens, just like the others who had gone missing. Somehow I knew that if that happened, it would have something to do with the ruins we had found in the jungle."

"It was probably your subconscious mind putting together some of the facts about the recent kidnappings combined with your own knowledge of the situation," Sierra said.

"No," Jake said. "After I got into the juice big-time, my subconscious brain wasn't working any better than my conscious brain. It was something you said that day, I think."

Mitch looked at him. "What did she say?"

"We had talked about the disappearances and how no one was looking for the guys who'd gone missing. She wanted to know if I had any idea why someone would want to kidnap a bunch of washed-up hunters. Then we talked about how all the juicers seemed to be ex-hunters. I guess I sort of knew all along that there had to be a connection and that they might come for me. I just hadn't wanted to think about it."

"So you wrote out the coordinates of the fountains on a piece of paper and tucked it behind the dressing room mirror," Sierra concluded. "Just in case you, yourself, went missing."

"Right," Jake said. "Knew you'd look for me."

Simon shook his head. "Great idea, but why the hell didn't you simply give Sierra those coordinates?"

Jake sighed. "Part of me didn't feel right about that. In fact, at the last minute, I almost changed my mind about putting the coordinates behind the mirror."

"For heaven's sake, why would you have had second thoughts?" Sierra demanded.

They all looked at her, saying nothing.

She raised her eyes to the ceiling. "Right. Guild secrets. I should have known."

"Patterson told me that the fountains were a classified Guild matter," Jake explained apologetically. "Hell, the man was a member of the Council. What was I supposed to do? I liked you a lot, and I trusted you, but, well, you weren't one of us at the time."

"One of you?" she repeated, going blank.

Simon grinned. "He means you weren't Guild. Now you are."

"So it's okay to tell me secrets?" She waved her hands. "What kind of crazy logic is that?"

"Guild logic," Jeff explained helpfully.

Mitch regarded Jake with a thoughtful expression. "You seem to be okay off the juice."

Jake grimaced. "Luckily the withdrawal doesn't last long. It's more mental than physical. You miss the dreamworld for a while, and you get the shakes for about a day, but then things return to normal."

Simon looked at him. "Think you'd go back on the stuff if you had a chance?"

"Not like that's going to happen now that Fontana and the government authorities have control of the source," Jeff said dryly.

"I wouldn't go back on it," Jake said. He frowned, very serious now. "I'm done with the juice."

"How do you know?" Andy asked.

"Had time to do a lot of thinking while I was filling up those bottles for the Riders," Jake said. "Something Sierra told me started to make a lot of sense."

"What was that?" Simon asked.

Jake looked at Sierra, intent and determined. "You told me I was an artist. Don't know if that's true, but I do know I get something out of making those miniatures. It's satisfying somehow."

"I understand," Sierra said.

Jeff grew thoughtful. "I'll bet Mitch and I could sell your miniatures for you in our shop. What do you say, Mitch?"

"Sure." Mitch said. "People love miniatures. There are collectors out there who will pay big bucks for fancy, high-end dollhouses and all the little things that go inside."

Sierra smiled at Jake. "Congratulations. I think you've found yourself a new career path."

"Thanks to you and Elvis," Jake said.

"Don't thank us," Sierra said. "Thank Fontana and Ray. They're the ones who went into the jungle to find you and the others."

Simon chuckled. "Fontana's First Rule: Never leave a man behind for ghost bait."

Jake looked at Sierra. "Well, he sure as hell married the right woman. She wouldn't leave a man behind, either."