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"Jonas," she whispered "The crystal The one on his desk It's still here in the villa It's somewhere nearby I'm sure of it"

Chapter Fifteen

"What makes you think the crystal is still around here?" Jonas studied the frozen ie in front of them

The sharp planes of his face were illulow of the vision

"I' the crystal on that desk is trying to connect with itself in real tis and they didn't quite work It sounds crazy, I know" Verity shook her head She was experiencing a disturbing sense of unreality It was different fro she usually had while in the psychic corridor

"Nothing about this ie makes much sense," Jonas said "That's what bothers ot to find out what the hell is going on here, Verity I can't leave this place until I knohat this is all about"

"It isn't even a scene of violence You only pick up scenes of violence"

"But I tune it in by using an object associated with violence That part is norh"

Verity edged backward a step "It's almost as if the violence is about to happen, but hasn't yet taken place"

"Daht That's it That's the answer We're looking at the scene an instant or two before the action took place This guy was probably sitting at his desk when someone walked in and killed him"

"But why aren't we catching the actual death scene? Why would we pick up on it a few seconds before it occurs?"

"I don't know, but I've got to find out I can feel the sense of warning e there daring et at him"

"Or daring you to uncover his treasure," Verity offered, glancing around at the barren cell "Obviously he doesn't realize sootten to it"

Jonas walked to the chest and ran his pal the heavily carved lid "I'one"

"Jonas, don't do that," Verity said, watching the ie uneasily

"Don't touch the chest? Why?"

"I swear his eyes are following you again"

"Just an optical illusion," he said absently

Verity bit her lip, studying the ie The chest was still there behind the man, filled with treasure "Why wasn't this room discovered when the villa was taken apart and shipped over here?"

"Who knows? Digby says in his diary that his relative had huge chunks of the villa left intact and transported that way This roole unit Maybe no one was even aware there was an opening behind these walls It could look like a solid block of stone froby's crazy relative did find the room and the chest, and ordered it reconstructed exactly as it was In which case, he's probably the one who got the treasure, although he never adby's side of the family, apparently"

"But the rest of the furnishings were all sold off I can't believe someone would have overlooked that valuable chest"