touching her, but the room was still empty even as the shadows grew in the corners. The touch came again, and Emma whimpered.
Gabrielle turned toward her, frowning. “You must sit still, Emma. And be quiet. You’re disturbing the spirits.”
The spirits are disturbing me!
Emma closed her eyes, breathing deeply, willing herself not to say anything. Maybe if she sat still Gabrielle would finish up soon.
“Spirits, we would speak with you,” Gabrielle intoned again.
No, we wouldn’t.
Emma took another deep breath.
Invisible fingers tweaked her left nipple. Hard.
Emma gasped, jerking her hands away. Ramos jumped to his feet, sending his chair crashing to the floor. A moment later, the room was flooded with light again as he flipped on the switch for the chandelier.
“Why did you do that?” Gabrielle sounded aggrieved. “I was just ready to initiate contact. I could feel it.”
Initiate contact?
Emma stared at her. Was it even remotely possible Gabrielle had missed all of this?
“You ruined everything.” Gabrielle sighed. “Now we’ll have to begin all over again.”
“No,” Ramos snapped. His face was the color of parchment. “That’s enough for tonight.”
“But we were just getting started. Who knows what might have happened if we’d kept going?” Gabrielle sounded like a petulant five-year-old. “Just because there were no visible manifestations that doesn’t mean the spirits weren’t here with us.”
Emma turned toward the fireplace. The votive candles still lay on the hearthstone in front. She closed her eyes for a moment, but the candles were still there when she opened them. “Sorry,” she mumbled.
“Well, I suppose this will have to do.” Gabrielle shook her head, smoothing her skirt as she stood. “I wish we’d had more time for testing, but it’s certainly atmospheric enough in here even if we didn’t get any results. I’m going back to the hotel now, Emma. Call me in the morning.” She gave them a tight smile, then turned back down the hall. Her footsteps echoed against the bare walls until the front door slammed behind her.
Emma glanced at Ramos. His face still looked pale. She wondered if hers did, too. “Are you . . . okay?”
Am I?
Ramos gazed back defiantly. “Yeah. Sure. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Because . . .” she began, then stopped.
Because the candles went out? Because the doors slammed? Because something groped me in the dark when I couldn’t see anything?
What if he hadn’t seen or felt anything either? What if it was just her?
“Never mind,” she muttered. “I’d better go.”
“Right.” He walked down the hall behind her, their footsteps sounding remarkably hollow in the empty spaces of the house.
At the door, she turned. “Well . . .”
“Well.”
“So, thanks. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
She paused for another moment. Surely there was something she should say.
So did it touch you too? Was I the only one? What did it do to you?
Maybe not.
Quit while you’re ahead, Emma.
“See you,” she called as she trotted down the walk. Somehow she managed to keep herself from breaking into a run when she saw her car.
Chapter 4
Ray drank three beers before he went to bed, which wasn’t his usual nighttime routine. He wasn’t a drinking man as a rule, but then as a rule he also wasn’t a man who was groped by unseen hands in his own dining room. An evening like that required a few beers.
He’d forced himself to climb the stairs as soon as Emma Shea had jogged out the door. Two of the bedroom doors were closed, even though he’d left them open when he’d been working upstairs earlier in the day.
Wind
, he told himself. An open window somewhere. Or the air-conditioning had switched on and the sudden change in pressure had caused the doors to slam and the candles to blow out.
Caused the doors to slam one at a time. Caused the candles to stop burning without a flicker, to simply extinguish themselves. Magical
Gabrielle turned toward her, frowning. “You must sit still, Emma. And be quiet. You’re disturbing the spirits.”
The spirits are disturbing me!
Emma closed her eyes, breathing deeply, willing herself not to say anything. Maybe if she sat still Gabrielle would finish up soon.
“Spirits, we would speak with you,” Gabrielle intoned again.
No, we wouldn’t.
Emma took another deep breath.
Invisible fingers tweaked her left nipple. Hard.
Emma gasped, jerking her hands away. Ramos jumped to his feet, sending his chair crashing to the floor. A moment later, the room was flooded with light again as he flipped on the switch for the chandelier.
“Why did you do that?” Gabrielle sounded aggrieved. “I was just ready to initiate contact. I could feel it.”
Initiate contact?
Emma stared at her. Was it even remotely possible Gabrielle had missed all of this?
“You ruined everything.” Gabrielle sighed. “Now we’ll have to begin all over again.”
“No,” Ramos snapped. His face was the color of parchment. “That’s enough for tonight.”
“But we were just getting started. Who knows what might have happened if we’d kept going?” Gabrielle sounded like a petulant five-year-old. “Just because there were no visible manifestations that doesn’t mean the spirits weren’t here with us.”
Emma turned toward the fireplace. The votive candles still lay on the hearthstone in front. She closed her eyes for a moment, but the candles were still there when she opened them. “Sorry,” she mumbled.
“Well, I suppose this will have to do.” Gabrielle shook her head, smoothing her skirt as she stood. “I wish we’d had more time for testing, but it’s certainly atmospheric enough in here even if we didn’t get any results. I’m going back to the hotel now, Emma. Call me in the morning.” She gave them a tight smile, then turned back down the hall. Her footsteps echoed against the bare walls until the front door slammed behind her.
Emma glanced at Ramos. His face still looked pale. She wondered if hers did, too. “Are you . . . okay?”
Am I?
Ramos gazed back defiantly. “Yeah. Sure. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Because . . .” she began, then stopped.
Because the candles went out? Because the doors slammed? Because something groped me in the dark when I couldn’t see anything?
What if he hadn’t seen or felt anything either? What if it was just her?
“Never mind,” she muttered. “I’d better go.”
“Right.” He walked down the hall behind her, their footsteps sounding remarkably hollow in the empty spaces of the house.
At the door, she turned. “Well . . .”
“Well.”
“So, thanks. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
She paused for another moment. Surely there was something she should say.
So did it touch you too? Was I the only one? What did it do to you?
Maybe not.
Quit while you’re ahead, Emma.
“See you,” she called as she trotted down the walk. Somehow she managed to keep herself from breaking into a run when she saw her car.
Chapter 4
Ray drank three beers before he went to bed, which wasn’t his usual nighttime routine. He wasn’t a drinking man as a rule, but then as a rule he also wasn’t a man who was groped by unseen hands in his own dining room. An evening like that required a few beers.
He’d forced himself to climb the stairs as soon as Emma Shea had jogged out the door. Two of the bedroom doors were closed, even though he’d left them open when he’d been working upstairs earlier in the day.
Wind
, he told himself. An open window somewhere. Or the air-conditioning had switched on and the sudden change in pressure had caused the doors to slam and the candles to blow out.
Caused the doors to slam one at a time. Caused the candles to stop burning without a flicker, to simply extinguish themselves. Magical
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