as much an authentic medium as I’m an authentic movie star. I don’t think she even believes in it herself, except for public consumption. Plus she didn’t seem aware of any of the stuff that was going on around us. And I don’t think she could pretend to be innocent if she’d been behind what went on—she’s not that good of an actress.”
“Yeah. I noticed that.” He rubbed a hand over his face. At least the caffeine would probably kick in soon.
“So tell me what happened. The things that happened to you, that is.” Her bright blue gaze was fixed on his.
Ray sighed. He couldn’t think of any good reason not to tell her. “Your medium said some mumbo jumbo about wanting to talk to spirits and the candles went out. Some doors slammed. The candles fell on the floor.”
Emma took a swallow of coffee. “And?”
“And?”
“And did anything else happen to you personally? Did you . . . feel anything?”
He wrapped his hands around the cup, absorbing the warmth against his palms. “I felt something. I’m not sure what it was. Something brushed my face a couple of times. Felt like . . . I don’t know. Fingers or something.”
“Just your face?”
Crap.
This really,
really
wasn’t something he wanted to talk about with her. “No. Something grabbed me.”
“Grabbed you? Grabbed you how?”
The woman was freaking relentless. “Grabbed my balls,” he said between clenched teeth.
“That was why you jumped up. When your chair turned over and everything stopped.” She frowned.
“Yeah. It was sort of . . . unexpected.”
She nodded slowly as she took another swallow of coffee. “It was my breast,” she said after a moment.
“Pardon?”
“It grabbed my breast. It hurt. Sort of.” Her cheeks were flaming. Apparently, it wasn’t something she enjoyed talking about either.
Ray set his cup down quickly so that he wouldn’t spill it. “And you also got the touches before that?”
She nodded, gazing at her cup. “Something brushed my face. Fingers. Only they were cold.”
He blew out a breath. “What the hell?”
She raised her head to look at him again. “I don’t know. So help me, I don’t know. I know your first thought is probably that this is some kind of trick the show came up with, but I swear it’s not. Whatever happened at your house last night had nothing to do with us.”
“Except that it happened after Gabrielle DeVere had her test séance.”
She sighed. “Yeah. Except for that. Only I’d bet good money Gabrielle had nothing to do with it either. I mean, if she’d actually called up some spirits, she’d know, wouldn’t she? And it seemed like nothing happened to her. She didn’t even notice the candles.”
Ray paused, considering. “I’ve been in that house for almost a month now. Nothing like that has ever happened there before, at least not while I was around. So you’re saying it was a coincidence that it happened after DeVere held her run-through?”
Emma’s lips thinned. “Sounds pretty flimsy, doesn’t it? Only Gabrielle hasn’t really called up spirits during all the time I’ve worked with her, and that’s two years now.”
“Which leaves coincidence.”
“Maybe.” She stared back at him again. “I’ve been thinking . . .”
Terrific
. “And?”
“While I was doing research for Gabrielle, I kept coming across people who say spirits have energy, like they give off some kind of cosmic rays or something.”
“So?”
“So maybe something we did tapped into that energy. Maybe it was Gabrielle or maybe it was us. I don’t know. But it feels like we shook up something.”
“I’d say we did,” he muttered as he took another swallow. He should just take the caffeine intravenously to speed things up. If there was one thing he absolutely wasn’t going to do, it was discuss last night’s dreams with Emma Shea, the prim little production assistant.
“So what do you know about the house?” she asked. “I mean, what kind of
“Yeah. I noticed that.” He rubbed a hand over his face. At least the caffeine would probably kick in soon.
“So tell me what happened. The things that happened to you, that is.” Her bright blue gaze was fixed on his.
Ray sighed. He couldn’t think of any good reason not to tell her. “Your medium said some mumbo jumbo about wanting to talk to spirits and the candles went out. Some doors slammed. The candles fell on the floor.”
Emma took a swallow of coffee. “And?”
“And?”
“And did anything else happen to you personally? Did you . . . feel anything?”
He wrapped his hands around the cup, absorbing the warmth against his palms. “I felt something. I’m not sure what it was. Something brushed my face a couple of times. Felt like . . . I don’t know. Fingers or something.”
“Just your face?”
Crap.
This really,
really
wasn’t something he wanted to talk about with her. “No. Something grabbed me.”
“Grabbed you? Grabbed you how?”
The woman was freaking relentless. “Grabbed my balls,” he said between clenched teeth.
“That was why you jumped up. When your chair turned over and everything stopped.” She frowned.
“Yeah. It was sort of . . . unexpected.”
She nodded slowly as she took another swallow of coffee. “It was my breast,” she said after a moment.
“Pardon?”
“It grabbed my breast. It hurt. Sort of.” Her cheeks were flaming. Apparently, it wasn’t something she enjoyed talking about either.
Ray set his cup down quickly so that he wouldn’t spill it. “And you also got the touches before that?”
She nodded, gazing at her cup. “Something brushed my face. Fingers. Only they were cold.”
He blew out a breath. “What the hell?”
She raised her head to look at him again. “I don’t know. So help me, I don’t know. I know your first thought is probably that this is some kind of trick the show came up with, but I swear it’s not. Whatever happened at your house last night had nothing to do with us.”
“Except that it happened after Gabrielle DeVere had her test séance.”
She sighed. “Yeah. Except for that. Only I’d bet good money Gabrielle had nothing to do with it either. I mean, if she’d actually called up some spirits, she’d know, wouldn’t she? And it seemed like nothing happened to her. She didn’t even notice the candles.”
Ray paused, considering. “I’ve been in that house for almost a month now. Nothing like that has ever happened there before, at least not while I was around. So you’re saying it was a coincidence that it happened after DeVere held her run-through?”
Emma’s lips thinned. “Sounds pretty flimsy, doesn’t it? Only Gabrielle hasn’t really called up spirits during all the time I’ve worked with her, and that’s two years now.”
“Which leaves coincidence.”
“Maybe.” She stared back at him again. “I’ve been thinking . . .”
Terrific
. “And?”
“While I was doing research for Gabrielle, I kept coming across people who say spirits have energy, like they give off some kind of cosmic rays or something.”
“So?”
“So maybe something we did tapped into that energy. Maybe it was Gabrielle or maybe it was us. I don’t know. But it feels like we shook up something.”
“I’d say we did,” he muttered as he took another swallow. He should just take the caffeine intravenously to speed things up. If there was one thing he absolutely wasn’t going to do, it was discuss last night’s dreams with Emma Shea, the prim little production assistant.
“So what do you know about the house?” she asked. “I mean, what kind of
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