Oleander House: Bay City Paranormal Investigations, Book 1

nothing to do with how much he enjoyed investigating.
    As afternoon melted into evening, the group gathered in the library to discuss the day’s events and plan for the night and the next day.
    “Just please tell me,” David said as he plopped into an armchair, “that we can stay inside tomorrow.”
Bo grinned at him. “Does that mean you want to pull tape-watching duty?”
David wrinkled his nose. “Me and my big mouth.”
Bo laughed. “Don’t worry. We’re all going to take turns again.”
“So what did you and Sam find in the old kitchen today?” Amy asked. “Did anything happen?”
“Not really. There was a very brief spike in the EMF reading, but neither of us saw or felt anything.” Bo’s gaze cut to Sam. “I guess we’ll see if anything shows up on the tape or not.”
Sam kept quiet and hoped his attraction to Bo hadn’t somehow come through on camera.
“We got something on the tape from last night’s investigation,” Andre told them. “The upstairs one.”
Bo’s eyes sparkled. “What was it?”
“It looked like the beginnings of a mist forming,” Amy said. “But it wasn’t like any other mist I’ve ever seen. It was sort of hard to focus on.”
Andre nodded. “That’s as good a way to put it as any. It was almost like the light wouldn’t quite touch it, or something.”
Bo tugged absently on the end of his braid. “Let me see.”
Andre found the tape, popped it into the VCR and rewound to the place he’d marked. He hit play. The nursery sprang to life on screen, along with Amy and Andre’s faces. Bo’s voice sounded through Amy’s radio, Andre remarked on the sudden cold, and suddenly Sam saw it. A dense, swirling darkness which deflected the eye, making it difficult to look at. The air seemed to curve around it.
The hairs stood up on the back of Sam’s neck. Something about the way the darkness pulsed seemed purposeful. Alive, almost.
“Wow.” Bo stared at the screen, his face alight with excitement. “This is really amazing.”
“We marked it.” Amy tapped the screen with one slender finger. “This bit’s definitely going on the CD.”
“We mark all possible evidence and transfer it to CD,” Andre explained, evidently noticing Sam’s puzzlement. “That has to be done back in the office, since it’s so time intensive.”
“Plus the equipment’s a real bitch to haul into the field.” David grinned at Sam. “I’ll show you how to do all that when we get back.”
“Sounds great,” Sam said, smiling.
Cecile stood and smoothed her hands down the front of her skirt. “I’m going to my room, to rest for a while before dinner, if that’s all right?”
Bo nodded. “Of course.”
“Good riddance,” David muttered. Cecile stiffened and hurried away.
“David,” Bo said when she was out of earshot, “could you please at least try to be civil to her?”
“I’m trying, man, but she’s on my last nerve.” David shook his head. “You wouldn’t believe how she acted today.”
Bo chuckled. “Worse than last night?”
“Hell yeah. It was full-on communicating-with-thedead shit this time. Christ, I can’t believe we have to work with that woman.”
Andre nudged David’s shoulder. “She faking?”
“I’d bet my left nut she is.”
“You don’t know that,” Amy said doubtfully. “Maybe she really can feel…you know. Something.”
David rolled his eyes. “The only thing she feels is a desperate need for attention.”
“We still have to work with her, so I’d appreciate it if everyone would please try to get along.” Bo’s expression was stern, but his eyes glinted with amusement. “I’m going to go get cleaned up before I start dinner. Y’all can get the equipment put up and check the camera in the nursery, if you don’t mind.”
Andre heaved himself to his feet. “C’mon, Sam, you and I can go do that right now.”
Sam got up and silently followed Andre out of the room. His arm brushed Bo’s as he passed, and their eyes met. Sam smiled briefly and kept moving, thanks to the lifelong habit of keeping his desires hidden, but the heat he thought he saw in Bo’s eyes made his breath come short.
Get a hold of yourself, Sam. You’re acting like a teenager with his first crush, seeing things that aren’t there. Just get the fuck over it.
    “The old tape’s not up yet, is it?” Sam glanced at his watch as they climbed the stairs to the second floor. “It’s only four o’clock.”
    “I know. It’ll be up about six fifteen.”
“Then