Read Coalescence (Camden Investigations Book 1) for Free Online Page B

would need for tonight.
    “Wow,” an auburn-haired man exclaimed with a gasp upon
entering. “Nice digs. Guys, check out the space in this room. It would make for
a great headquarters.”
    “Whoa—down puppy,” Mitchell responded. “Gavin,
introduce yourself properly and gentlemanly to our gracious hosts.”
    A younger man, possibly early twenties, with raven-black
hair following from behind Gavin, wasted no time to quip. “Yeah, then make all
the bad observations you want, we’re used to them.”
    Iris eased up, observing how the UFO hunters alleviated
stress. They weren’t too different from them. She cracked her neck, a
relaxation technique, and stuck out a hand to greet outspoken Gavin.
    “I wish I could accept your compliments on the living
room, Gavin, but I’m afraid Mom’s life insurance policy gets the props.”
    Everyone observed Gavin shrink from regret. He folded his
arms in front of him, crisscrossed. “My sincere apologies. I’m sorry for
offending you.”
    Iris chuckled. “That’s just my dark humor taking over.
Really, the room is this spacious because it’s supposed to be a combination
living/dining room. Since DJ and I never dine here, we removed the
table. If you think we need the table, we can always reassemble it.”
    Gavin nodded while the dark-haired man patted his
shoulder. “Nice first impression, Gavin. By the way, I’m Darian. Spelled with
two As.”
    More handshaking ensued until each woman was given the
chance to introduce herself to each of the guests. Iris’s eyes were glued on
DJ. Her sister’s complexion was nearly rose colored. It was the first time DJ
had looked like herself since the accident, and Iris sensed a connection
between DJ and Darian, especially as her sister’s eyes seemed to grow wider by
the moment. DJ threw a reproachful glance her way as if to say: I’m on to
you .
    Kassidy plugged a wire from her laptop into the
wall-mounted, flat-screen TV.
    Gavin seated himself on a sofa, folded hands resting on
his knees. Darian dared to take a seat on an opposite sofa, next to DJ. Iris
noticed Mitchell observing his young investigator. She pushed Rachel into the
last open space next to DJ.
    Mitchell and Iris stood together, two leaders from
different worlds looking over the proceedings. Once the video began to play on
the forty-six inch screen, things really began to resemble the bridge of the Starship
Enterprise.
    “You say this is a phantom-recording. No chance of the
memory card being used by anyone else?” Gavin asked.
    Kassidy cocked her head and folded her arms across and
chest. “Not unless the store clerk had some fun with it. I unsealed it from its
package moments before our investigation. It was a virgin. I’m sure of it.”
    Gavin broke from Kassidy’s icy glare after a long moment.
“Could this anomaly have anything to do with the artifact?”
    Mitchell responded. “That seems to be the $64,000
question. Doesn’t it?”
    “What if the artifact—or the dial—was some
kind of recorder in itself and maybe it transferred the images onto your
camera?” Darian asked.
    “That’s a very good question,” Mitchell said. “Now, how
would we go about proving it?”
    “We would need to take the artifact apart. Reverse
engineer it, just like those shy folks who hide out in underground bases at
Area 51.”
    Everyone laughed. “I trust you are good with your hands,
Darian,” Mitchell said. “But it’s too dangerous. We still don’t know what it is
or where it came from. And it’s radioactive to a degree. I wouldn’t risk
opening it to expose any one of us further.”
    “Yeah,” Gavin added, “I conducted a lot of searches online.
It’s definitely not part of some video game, although one might mistake its
protrusions for some kind of rad tech joystick. I also checked anything
relating to satellites, specifically the hardware used. It was just as
fruitless. I’m about 95 percent sure it’s not used in any satellites we know
of. But . . .