Read Online Edgewood Series: Books 1 - 3 by Karen McQuestion - Free Book Online Page B

along the way, a thought nagged at me that I needed to go back to the abandoned train station and check out the field where I’d seen the lights. Mallory’s group said they’d gone back a few days after their sighting and the fragments were gone, all gone. I had no idea how that could be. It would take one person forever to pick up the individual pieces. Even a crew of people couldn’t possibly get them all. There were thousands, maybe tens of thousands of fragments. There had to be some proof left behind. If I recovered a piece I would definitely one-up that smug bastard Jameson, who thought he was better than me. Okay, maybe he was smarter. So what? That didn’t mean I had nothing to contribute. What had he said? I’d give my right arm to be able to study a chunk of that stuff. I didn’t want his right arm, or any part of him at all, but I’d love to see the look on his face if I had a piece of something he wanted.
    I made my way toward the field as quickly as possible. When I was nearly to the train station, I saw the lights off in the distance. Not the kind of lights I’d seen falling from the sky earlier in the week. These were man-made lights, accompanied by the buzzing of some kind of electrical equipment. I walked up a small hill and darted behind the boarded-up train station building before peeking around the corner.
    The field had been marked off like a crime scene. Each corner was staked and connected by yellow tape. Bright lights on tripods illuminated the space where the light spiral had been just a few nights ago. Two armed guards stood on either side of the field, each of them carrying a gun in a shoulder holster. Their guns weren’t as long as rifles, but they were bigger than handguns. From this distance it was hard to identify them exactly. I didn’t recognize their uniforms either. Not the police or any military that I was aware of. What could this be all about? They were guarding rocks?
    Inside the taped area, at least a dozen men walked slowly while waving a device like a metal detector over the ground. They wore white jumpsuits that zipped up the front. Their hands sported oversized white gloves like Mickey Mouse. No one spoke, but the device made an odd, high-pitched EMF noise I found maddening. Back and forth the men walked in slow, careful steps, their gaze on the ground. They were looking for the pieces of stone that had fallen from the sky, I was sure of it. The event had happened two nights ago. Maybe they’d picked up most of it already and now were checking to make sure they got it all?
    As I watched, one of the devices went off, making an annoying beeping noise like an old-fashioned alarm clock. The worker turned off the alarm, tucked the device under his arm, and bent at the waist to pick something up. I couldn’t see what it was, but he was able to hold it in the palm of his hand, so it wasn’t big. He walked over to a man who stood just outside the perimeter.
    I hadn’t noticed that man before. He was dressed differently from the others—no white suit for him, so clearly he wasn’t one of the workers. I only saw his back, but he was trim and tall, and dressed in dark clothing. He had the authoritative stance of someone in charge. He was overseeing this operation, was my take on it. The worker showed the boss whatever it was he’d picked up, and when he got a nod of approval, plunked it into what looked like a cylindrical container the size of a garbage can. The two exchanged a few words, and the next thing I knew, the worker was headed my way, the detector tucked under his arm.
    Oh man, he was coming right at me. This couldn’t be good. If I was spotted I was so screwed. If I started running now, I thought it would attract attention. I froze and shrank back against the building. Involuntarily, I raised my hand to my mouth, willing myself silent. On my side of the building it was fairly dark. Maybe I would be okay.
    And then I had another thought. What if the boss man had