Love, Like Ghosts: A Bay City Paranormal Investigations Story

through Greg’s eyes and vanished before Adrian could grasp it. “There’s nothing to forgive.” Greg squeezed Adrian’s hand. “C’mon, let’s get a move on. We’re gonna be late.”
They started up the road hand in hand. Adrian smiled. He’d just gotten past his first serious disagreement with Greg, and tomorrow night he’d finally get to take Greg to bed. Life was looking up.
~ * ~
    Lyndon Groome—the real one—appeared in the middle of the main hall an hour before the haunted house was supposed to end for the night. And this time, lots of people besides Adrian saw him.
Hidden behind one of the gauze screens, Adrian gaped as a trio of teenage girls squealed in terrified delight at the grisly spectacle of Lyndon hovering in midair to one side of their path. Adrian’s psychokinesis had been acting up for days, but until now he’d been able to channel it into relatively inconspicuous things like cold drafts and objects moving in the dark where no one would see them. Had his powers reached critical overload? Or had Lyndon simply decided that the anniversary of his death—if today indeed marked that event—was the perfect time to leave his tower and scare the crap out of all the people who’d taken over the castle for the better part of a month?
Guilt prodded at Adrian’s insides. In spite of his vow to solve the mystery of Lyndon’s fate, Adrian hadn’t returned to the tower room even once in the last two weeks. Between the haunted house, classes and Greg, he simply hadn’t found time. He wondered if he imagined the spark of hurt in the ghost’s translucent eyes.
Cassss, Lyndon sighed in Adrian’s head. At least Adrian thought it was only in his head. Between the sound effects and the crowd, it was kind of hard to tell.
Adrian wished he could leave his post, open his mind to Lyndon and find out what was going on. But there wasn’t time. The haunted house was still in full swing, and since it was Halloween they had the largest crowd yet. Lyndon faded and vanished in between a couple of high school kids on a date and a group of UNC basketball players, and Adrian still had no idea why the ghost had appeared here tonight, why he’d been visible to others this time, and whether or not Adrian’s psychokinesis had been responsible.
Sorry, Lyndon. I’ll visit the tower tomorrow. I promise. Adrian hoped Lyndon heard him, somehow.
The story of Lyndon’s unexpected appearance started spreading almost immediately. By the time Marisa locked the castle door behind the last customer, Adrian had caught enough furtive whispers and sidelong glances to know that most of the cast and crew had heard about it.
“That was an amazing effect,” Erin said, sidling up to him at the drinks table just as the cast party was getting into full swing. “How’d you do it?”
Adrian snorted into his half-finished cup of chardonnay. “I assume you’re talking about the ghost.” He shot a surreptitious look around the room. Where the hell was Greg? He’d gone to take off his costume and makeup over half an hour ago, and Adrian felt horribly alone without him.
Erin nodded. “Everybody’s talking about it. They’re all saying it must’ve been you, because you’re the smartest person we’ve got.” She tilted her head sideways, a curious expression on her pale face. “So? How’d you do it? And why didn’t you tell anyone you were gonna?”
Before he could answer, something poked him hard in the ribs. Startled, he jumped, turned and came face-to-face with Greg’s teasing grin. “Greg. What took you so long?”
Greg laughed. “Sorry, Susan and I got to talking.” He took Adrian’s hand in his and gave it a squeeze. “Please continue.”
Adrian blinked at him. “Huh?”
“The lady there asked you a question.” Greg blew a kiss at Erin, who laughed and shook her head. “I interrupted you before you could answer her. Please continue.” He aimed a thoughtful look at Adrian. “I’d kind of like to know the answer to that one myself. In fact, that’s what Susan and I were talking about just now. Wondering how you’d pulled off that trick. I didn’t see it myself, but I sure heard enough about it.”
Adrian glanced around. It seemed as though everyone had picked now to come get a drink, and every ear was inclined his way. He rubbed his thumb nervously over the back of Greg’s hand. “It wasn’t me. That was really Lyndon Groome’s ghost.”
Surprised silence met his declaration. Across the room,