Part 38 (1/2)
Faint blue frown lines appeared as he worked that out. ”In the mall.”
”Well, gee, that alarm we set off probably had something to do with that.”
”You th . . . Who's that?”
Diana jumped as Kris' hand came down on her shoulder. ”You're talking to a mirror?”
”You're turning into an elf?”
”Yeah. Okay. Fine. Your point.”
”I thought you weren't coming in?”
”You were taking too long.”
”Hey!”
Both girls looked up.
”You want to save that? This is not a place you should be hanging around.”
Diana nodded. ”You're right. We've got to go farther in.”
Jack's eyes widened. ”Are you nuts?”
”Exactly what I keep asking,” Kris muttered. ”But she's not answering me.”
”Look, both of you, we're on a scouting mission, trying to find out who or what we're dealing with darksidewise, and so far, we have found out nothing. There's n.o.body around. n.o.body lurking. n.o.body skulking. Nada. I keep going until I get a look at something. No farther . . .” She raised her hands as both Jack and Kris began to protest. ”. . . so I don't cut off my escape route. Unless . . .” Locking eyes with Jack. ”. . . you've got new information for me.”
”About who's behind this?”
”Well, yeah.”
”No. He's never come out this far, but I have heard a compelling kind of voice coming out of the storeroom, so he could have been there.”
”A compelling kind of voice?” Diana repeated. ”What does that mean?”
”A voice that compels. A voice belonging to the kind of guy who could put all this . . .” His eyes rolled around the mirror. ”... in motion.”
”If not the big cheese; one of?”
”That'd be my guess.”
”Okay, I'll check the storeroom for residual energy.”
”Be careful. If you access the possibilities, they'll know exactly where you are.”
”Really?” She frowned at the mirror. ”I never would have remembered something so crucial to my own survival.”
”Well, excuse me for being concerned.”