Twilight: Bay City Paranormal Investigations, Book 3

you asking the man at the desk if you could speak with me.”
The woman’s face lit up with a wide smile. This close, the fine laugh lines around her eyes and mouth and the streaks of gray in her braids told Sam she was likely older than Bo or himself. “Dr. Broussard, I’m so happy to meet you.” Grasping Bo’s hand, she pumped it hard. “I’m Alexa Bledsoe, call me Lex. Hi.”
“And you can call me Bo.” Returning Lex’s infectious smile, Bo let go of her hand and glanced at Sam. “This is Sam Raintree, one of the investigators at Bay City Paranormal.”
“Nice to meet you, Lex.” Sam took her hand, and bit back a yelp when her fingers closed around his. Damn, but the woman had a grip like a wrestler.
“Why don’t we go back into the lobby?” Bo suggested. “It’s cold out here.”
Lex shot a nervous glance at the door. “Do you think it’s okay? I don’t want to get in trouble.”
“I’m sure it’ll be fine.” Taking her elbow, Bo steered her through the massive wooden door and into the warmth of the lobby. “What did you want to see me about, Lex?”
“I need you to investigate my place,” she answered. “Sunset Lodge. My guests are being frightened away and I don’t know what to do.”
Bo’s gaze cut to Sam before settling on Lex again. “Please don’t take this the wrong way, Lex, but why us? I know of at least two investigative agencies in this general area. They both have good reputations in the business. Plus we’re in the midst of an investigation here at the Kimberley Inn. Is there some reason you needed us in particular, rather than one of the other agencies?”
She glanced around, then leaned close to Bo and Sam. “I’ve heard about Oleander House, and South Bay High,” she whispered. “I think that’s what’s happening at Sunset Lodge. I think there’s an interdimensional gateway.”
Chapter Two
    Ten minutes later, Lex was nestled in a large chair in the corner of the tremendous lobby, with a mug of Irish coffee in her hand and the BCPI team gathered around her.
    “So, Lex,” Andre said, leaning forward with his elbows resting on his knees. “Tell us about your place. Sunset Lodge, right?”
    “That’s right.” Lex sipped from her steaming mug. “My husband and I bought Sunset Lodge ten years ago, when the previous owners became unable to keep up with it.”
    “I imagine running a business like that would be a lot of work,” Cecile observed.
“Especially this one.” Lex grinned. “It’s located at the top of one of the highest peaks in the western North Carolina mountains, almost at the Tennessee border. There’s no electricity, and it’s only accessible by foot or horseback.”
David let out a low whistle. “Dang. No offense or anything, Lex, but I don’t blame the former owners for letting it go. Sounds pretty rough.”
“It is, in a way. But the beds are big and warm, the food’s out of this world, and the view is not to be believed, especially watching the sun go down from Sunset Rock. People come from all over the country for the experience. We stay fully booked up to a year ahead.”
“It sounds fantastic.” Setting his coffee mug on the table between the sofa and Lex’s chair, Sam leaned on the arm of the couch and gave Lex a keen look. “Why don’t you tell us why you believe you have an interdimensional gateway?”
She stared into her coffee for a moment. Please don’t be another one, Sam thought . If it really was a gateway, he knew he wouldn’t be able to walk away from it. He’d promised himself he’d do his best to permanently close any gateway he found, and he intended to honor that promise. But the thought of facing another gateway, of having those alien beings inside his mind, made him feel sick.
He refused to think of what might happen to his friends, or to Bo, if Lex’s suspicion was correct. The temptation to run the other way would be too strong to fight if he let himself dwell on it.
“In the past two weeks, several guests at the Lodge have seen strange things in the woods around Sunset Rock,” Lex finally spoke up, her voice so soft Sam could barely hear her over the buzz of conversation around them. “It’s about a twenty minute hike between the Lodge and the Rock. People have caught glimpses of what they say is a strange animal in the woods on the way back to the Lodge after the sunset. It’s always at the same spot, in the trees to the left of the path about halfway between the Rock and the Lodge. A