Oleander House: Bay City Paranormal Investigations, Book 1

Forget about Bo. Walk away from the turmoil he’d somehow landed in before it became impossible to extract himself.
    The problem was, he knew it was already too late. Even if he could make himself give up on the promise in Bo’s eyes, he couldn’t leave Oleander House. Not now. Not without knowing what it was that filled the place with such watchful menace. The house drew him like gravity, and he had to stay.
    Besides, this wasn’t a pleasure excursion. It was his job now. He had an obligation to these people. Quitting now would be cowardly.
    The sound of a door opening interrupted his musings. He looked to his left and saw Andre coming through the French doors from the upstairs parlor.
    “Andre!” he called.
    Andre spotted him and hurried over. “Come down to the library, man, you’ve gotta see this.”
Sam stood and followed Andre back to the parlor doors. “See what?”
“David and Cecile just got back with the pictures. We’ve been looking ’em over.” Andre grinned as they entered the parlor. “You got something, Sam. On those shots you took yesterday.”
Sam’s eyes went wide. “Seriously?”
“Yeah.”
“What is it?”
“Hell if I know.” Andre frowned. “It’s fucking weird. I can’t describe it, you’ll just have to see.”
They descended the stairs in silence. Andre’s sense of urgency was contagious. Sam had to force himself to walk into the library instead of running. David and Cecile looked up, both beaming excited smiles.
“We’re here,” Andre announced. “Amy gone to get Bo?”
“Yes,” Amy answered from the doorway. She strode over, dragging Bo behind her by his wrist. “C’mon, let’s see.”
Everyone crowded around David, who held the pictures. He shuffled through them. “Here,” he said, passing one to Sam. “You see it?”
Sam frowned at the photo. “What? I don’t…” Then he saw. His jaw dropped open. “Oh my God. What the fuck is that?”
David shook his head. “Don’t know. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Amy nudged Sam’s shoulder. He passed the picture to her, feeling stunned. It went from one person to the next, each exclaiming over the unexplainable find. Bo caught Sam’s eye and smiled. Sam returned the smile, pulse racing with excitement.
When the photo came back around Sam took it again, staring hard at the…whatever it was in the bottom left corner. Something there at the very edge of the picture seemed wrong, the air thick and distorted. Dark and shadowy in a way that defied description. Almost as if the fabric of reality was being pulled inward on itself. Like a vortex, Sam thought, the image hitting him with the force of a freight train.
And within that swirling twist in space, Sam swore he saw eyes looking back at him.
“There’s something in there,” Bo said softly at his shoulder.
Sam turned, startled. Bo stood at his side, staring hard at the photo in his hand. He looked up and met Sam’s gaze. “Do you see it, Sam?”
Sam nodded. “Eyes. Fuck.”
“The stills from the nursery the first night have that same sort of thing, almost,” David added, blue eyes very serious. “I think we can say that whatever happened in the nursery Friday night when y’all were investigating, it was one hundred percent real. You got it on videotape and stills. And it looks like what’s on the stills from the parlor is the same thing.”
Cecile made a harsh noise in the back of her throat. “I don’t like this. Whatever it is in this house, it’s dangerous. I can feel it.”
David put an arm around her shoulders. “She’s right, Bo. Should we really be staying here if our lives are in danger?”
“Yes,” Sam said, at the same time as Andre and Bo. The three of them looked at each other.
“Okay.” Bo ran a hand through his hair. “Here’s the deal. I’m staying. Sam and Andre are staying too. If the rest of you want to leave, I won’t stop you. Obviously this investigation is different from any other one we’ve done. Cecile’s right, it could end up being more dangerous than we thought, and I don’t want to force any of you to risk your lives.”
Everyone was silent for a long moment. Cecile was the first to speak. “I know it’s dangerous, but this is the chance of a lifetime to learn more about the spirit world. I’m staying.”
David gave her a long, considering look. “Me too. What the hell, right? Life’s too short to spend wrapped in cotton wool.”
Amy laughed without humor. “Well, shit, I’m not gonna be