Page 24 of Signs and Wonders

“Too bad. He’s really good at that stuff,” Seth noted. “I’m glad he’s gone back to school.”

“Me too. He just needed to get away from the family to shine.”

Seth toasted a bagel and brought his breakfast to sit beside Evan. “Show me what you’ve got.”

Evan clicked open a video. “These are from the resort. Swain bought the old Mountain Laurel Lodge and remodeled it, calling it ‘Summit’ and holding his Renou-Vous wellness programs there. Parker’s been combing through their website and anything else he can find online. He’s not sure whether the stuff he found was recruiting new customers as much as creating social proof that Swain is a big deal.”

“Interesting. Let’s have a look.”

The first video featured sweeping panoramic views of the mountains around the lodge, then photos that revealed an updated mid-century resort. Calm music and a woman with a soothing voice talked about learning to leave the cares of modern living behind, find inner peace, let go of doubt, and discover the path the cosmos intended.

Seth and Evan sat back when the clip ended, still staring at the screen. “Pretty words and nice pictures, but that’s just a warmed-over secular version of ‘go to church, and your life will be perfect,’” Evan said.

They watched a few more videos which followed the same theme. Seth frowned. “I’d love to get Travis’s input since I think there’s a trace of magic in the voice-over. If someone watched a lot of them, I think there’s a low-key hypnotic suggestion going on that isn’t entirely mundane.”

“I didn’t get the feeling that Swain wanted a following from the masses.”

Seth shook his head. “That’s not what I meant. But if local people or authority figures watched these, they might come away with the warm fuzzies enhanced by a touch of magic. Makes them less likely to look hard at any discrepancies or tolerate people who do.”

“I also notice that Swain isn’t in the video. He’s quoted, and they mention him being the teacher-in-residence, but there aren’t any pictures. Mighty convenient,” Evan noted.

“Parker also sent a bunch of other stuff—I’m guessing he signed up for information on a phony account. There’s a brochure about the resort itself with a map and floorplan—we should ask Tyler where the creepy places were.”

“They might have finished renovating it by now,” Seth pointed out.

“Maybe not, unless they’re at full capacity. I have a feeling Swain would prefer a smaller number of easily influenced guests than a mob who might be harder to control.”

“You’re probably right,” Seth agreed.

“And look at the comments on the videos.” Evan scrolled down to show him. “They’re not just good reviews. They’re like the testimonials people used to give in church about how their lives had gotten turned around because of the saving power of grace. They’re true believers—or well-paid PR flacks. Maybe some of both.”

“Swain’s got charisma—and magic. And he’s been swaying crowds for a century. He knows just what buttons to push to have them eating out of his hand,” Seth muttered.

“I asked Parker to see if he could find ties between Swain and the local power brokers—mayor, police chief, bank president, business and tourism organizations. I’m sure he’s got them in his pocket, but it would be nice to know for certain,” Evan replied.

“I don’t think we can count on any local help, except that guy Milo and Brent told us about, Drake,” Seth said. “I was hoping that once Brent and Travis got here, we could meet him and cook up a plan.”

“Oh yeah? What do you have in mind?”

Seth rolled his shoulders and let his head fall from one side to the other, working out tight muscles. “Mainly, divide and conquer. You and I need to go back to the camp and find Swain’s anchor if it’s there. Cameron needs a bodyguard. We also need to check out the resort and that cyber hub in Moundsville that Brent mentioned. Even with help, that’s a lot of territory to cover.”

“Maybe Brent and his FBSI friend can have a look at the Hub,” Evan suggested. “That’s in the agent’s purview, and if it does include creatures who can impersonate people, Brent knows how to deal with it.”

“Yeah, that’s what I was thinking. You and I can take Travis with us to the camp to see what else the ghosts can tell us. Tyler and I can have a look around the resort. And when it’s your turn to keep an eye on Cameron, maybe you can teach him the finer points of research and take him back to the library.”

“Sounds like a plan—although it never works out as smoothly in real life. And speaking of which—we promised to pick up Cameron,” Evan pointed out.

“Let me grab coffee to go.” Seth stood and carried his dishes to the sink. “I also thought I’d try my hand at hacking into Swain’s cyber hub.”

“Won’t he have magic protecting it?” Evan filled his travel mug.

“Maybe. There is such a thing as Ensorcelled Encryption. But magic and electronics don’t usually mix well,” Seth pointed out. “It’s one thing to ward the server room from the outside. But trying to spell-protect the actual circuits and programs? That would be a lot harder.”

“You said the videos might have a magical touch.” Evan added sweetener to his black coffee before tightening the lid.

“In the videos, a spell could have ramped up the charisma and appeal of the speaker, putting the person in a receptive state. Sort of like being hypnotized on a light level,” Seth explained. “I don’t think they could use magic to make people do things just because they watched the video. But I don’t know for sure. Fortunately, we have friends who might know. Let’s ask Travis and Brent, and we can figure out who else might be able to help.”

Tyler had the day off, so Seth and Evan drove him and Cameron to Lacey’s in time to prep for the breakfast crowd.

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