Closer: Bay City Paranormal Investigation, Book 4

“Dean, there’re several clean beach towels in the laundry room, if y’all need them.”
“Cool, thanks.” Lifting his mug, Dean blew on the coffee and took a sip. His gaze followed Bo out the French doors and onto the porch. “How big a fight was it?”
“Not that big, really. You were right about me wanting to go to the fort. That makes it kind of hard for me to yell at him about it.” Sam stared out the window, hands folded on the table. “I won’t lie to you, I was upset at first about y’all coming to stay here. This was supposed to be our time, you know? Just Bo and me. No work, no kids, nothing to do but just be together.”
Putting his fork down, Dean laid a hand on Sam’s arm. “I’m sorry.”
Sam gave him a fond smile. “It’s okay. Like I told Bo, I realized he was right to invite you. It didn’t make sense for y’all to drive back and forth every night or spend money on a hotel when you could stay here. And Bo and I can still have our time together. We’re hoping going on the case tonight’ll get the urge to explore out of our systems.”
Dean shook his head. “I don’t know, Sam. Knowing the two of you, I think it’ll just make it worse.”
Sam didn’t answer, and was glad Dean didn’t push the issue. He had a sneaking suspicion his friend was right.
    At nine thirty that night, the group stood in a huddle beneath the arch of the short tunnel forming the entrance to Fort Medina. They’d set up cameras in strategic locations throughout the fort—with the help of what seemed like miles of extension cords—and were preparing to begin the night’s investigation.
    Sam gazed around at the fort’s moonlit center pentangle and the high brick walls surrounding it. His stomach churned with a mixture of sadness and excitement. The fact that he and Bo had ended up here after all hurt, because it meant being with Sam hadn’t been enough to keep Bo away. On the other hand, this place pulsed with the palpable energy of the centuries. The need to dive headfirst into it, to see and hear and learn , itched along Sam’s palms.
    Bo’s hand closed around his arm, breaking his thoughts. He turned to meet Bo’s smiling face. The childlike gleam in those brown eyes made Sam’s heart lurch.
    We both want to be here. Stop worrying. Sam returned Bo’s smile. For a moment, the familiar thrill of a new case reverberated between them. It felt good.
    “Okay, people. Equipment check.” Andre pointed his pencil at Dean. “Thermal?”
“Got it.” Dean patted the canvas bag hanging from his right shoulder. “I have extra batteries for all the gadgets in here too.”
“Excellent.” Tapping the pencil on his clipboard, Andre turned his attention to David. “Video?”
David saluted. “Video cameras ready for action, substitute boss-man.”
“EMF and audio recorders are ready too.” Cecile looked up from the powerful laptop they’d set up on a long table Joanne Biggers had provided for them. “All the stationary cameras are showing nice, clear pictures.”
“Good thing for us they wired this place for electricity when they opened it to the public,” David said, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms.
“Speaking of which, are all the floodlights off inside the fort?” Andre glanced at Cecile, eyebrows raised. “Cecile?”
“They should be,” she answered. “Joanne turned them all off from the office right after we finished setting up.”
Andre nodded. “Good. They’re so bright they’d drown out anything we managed to catch on tape.”
“What would you like Sam and me to do?” Bo asked. He gave his braid a tug.
“I’d like to check out the psychic energy here, if that’s okay,” Sam spoke up before Andre could say anything. “Bo can bring a notebook and record whatever I pick up.”
“I have a better idea. How about if you take the notebook, and I take a video camera and audio recorder?” Bo nodded toward the equipment lined up on the table. “That way if you sense something, we can try to get some concrete evidence of it.”
Sam gave Bo a sharp look. Bo stared back. His expression was relaxed, but the glint in his eyes warned of dire consequences if Sam protested. Clearly, Bo knew Sam had been trying to keep their workload to a minimum. Bo wasn’t having it, and Sam knew from experience that he would argue his position all night if need be. The last thing Sam wanted right now was to fight with Bo over what they would and would not do in this investigation, and Bo