of the centuries. The need to dive headfirst into it, to see and hear and learn , itched along Sam’s palms.
Bo’s hand closed around his arm, breaking his thoughts. He turned to meet Bo’s smiling face. The childlike gleam in those brown eyes made Sam’s heart lurch.
We both want to be here. Stop worrying. Sam returned Bo’s smile. For a moment, the familiar thrill of a new case reverberated between them. It felt good.
“Okay, people. Equipment check.” Andre pointed his pencil at Dean. “Thermal?”
“Got it.” Dean patted the canvas bag hanging from his right shoulder. “I have extra batteries for all the gadgets in here too.”
“Excellent.” Tapping the pencil on his clipboard, Andre turned his attention to David. “Video?”
David saluted. “Video cameras ready for action, substitute boss-man.”
“EMF and audio recorders are ready too.” Cecile looked up from the powerful laptop they’d set up on a long table Joanne Biggers had provided for them. “All the stationary cameras are showing nice, clear pictures.”
“Good thing for us they wired this place for electricity when they opened it to the public,” David said, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms.
“Speaking of which, are all the floodlights off inside the fort?” Andre glanced at Cecile, eyebrows raised. “Cecile?”
“They should be,” she answered. “Joanne turned them all off from the office right after we finished setting up.”
Andre nodded. “Good. They’re so bright they’d drown out anything we managed to catch on tape.”
“What would you like Sam and me to do?” Bo asked. He gave his braid a tug.
“I’d like to check out the psychic energy here, if that’s okay,” Sam spoke up before Andre could say anything. “Bo can bring a notebook and record whatever I pick up.”
“I have a better idea. How about if you take the notebook, and I take a video camera and audio recorder?” Bo nodded toward the equipment lined up on the table. “That way if you sense something, we can try to get some concrete evidence of it.”
Sam gave Bo a sharp look. Bo stared back. His expression was relaxed, but the glint in his eyes warned of dire consequences if Sam protested. Clearly, Bo knew Sam had been trying to keep their workload to a minimum. Bo wasn’t having it, and Sam knew from experience that he would argue his position all night if need be. The last thing Sam wanted right now was to fight with Bo over what they would and would not do in this investigation, and Bo knew it.
Sam sighed. “Okay.”
“Great. Let’s grab our stuff and get going.” Setting his clipboard and pencil on the table, Andre picked up one of the video cameras. “Teams are David and Cecile, Sam and Bo, Dean and me. We have stationary cameras set up in all the main hotspots, but I want everyone to take a handheld video camera anyway, along with EMF detectors and an audio recorder. Dean, you take the thermal first. We’ll meet back here in an hour to touch base and you can give it to Cecile then.”
“Gotcha.” Dean took the small two-way radio from his belt and switched it on. “We still using channel two?”
“Yes.” Andre turned on his own radio. “Come on, Dean. You and I will start from this first room on the left. David and Cecile, y’all start on the right. Sam and Bo, you can start up on top of the wall, if you want. The steps are across the courtyard from here.”
With that, the group claimed the necessary equipment from the table and broke up to begin the night’s work. Sam fished a notebook and pen out of a canvas bag lying beside the table. He trailed behind Bo as they crossed the five-cornered courtyard. The place looked eerie and mysterious in the moonlight.
On the other side, they stopped at the bottom of a flight of steep, narrow stone steps. Sam gazed up at the shape of the brick rampart against the night sky. “I think I’ll leave off tuning into the psychic channel until we get up there.”
“I think that’s a
Bo’s hand closed around his arm, breaking his thoughts. He turned to meet Bo’s smiling face. The childlike gleam in those brown eyes made Sam’s heart lurch.
We both want to be here. Stop worrying. Sam returned Bo’s smile. For a moment, the familiar thrill of a new case reverberated between them. It felt good.
“Okay, people. Equipment check.” Andre pointed his pencil at Dean. “Thermal?”
“Got it.” Dean patted the canvas bag hanging from his right shoulder. “I have extra batteries for all the gadgets in here too.”
“Excellent.” Tapping the pencil on his clipboard, Andre turned his attention to David. “Video?”
David saluted. “Video cameras ready for action, substitute boss-man.”
“EMF and audio recorders are ready too.” Cecile looked up from the powerful laptop they’d set up on a long table Joanne Biggers had provided for them. “All the stationary cameras are showing nice, clear pictures.”
“Good thing for us they wired this place for electricity when they opened it to the public,” David said, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms.
“Speaking of which, are all the floodlights off inside the fort?” Andre glanced at Cecile, eyebrows raised. “Cecile?”
“They should be,” she answered. “Joanne turned them all off from the office right after we finished setting up.”
Andre nodded. “Good. They’re so bright they’d drown out anything we managed to catch on tape.”
“What would you like Sam and me to do?” Bo asked. He gave his braid a tug.
“I’d like to check out the psychic energy here, if that’s okay,” Sam spoke up before Andre could say anything. “Bo can bring a notebook and record whatever I pick up.”
“I have a better idea. How about if you take the notebook, and I take a video camera and audio recorder?” Bo nodded toward the equipment lined up on the table. “That way if you sense something, we can try to get some concrete evidence of it.”
Sam gave Bo a sharp look. Bo stared back. His expression was relaxed, but the glint in his eyes warned of dire consequences if Sam protested. Clearly, Bo knew Sam had been trying to keep their workload to a minimum. Bo wasn’t having it, and Sam knew from experience that he would argue his position all night if need be. The last thing Sam wanted right now was to fight with Bo over what they would and would not do in this investigation, and Bo knew it.
Sam sighed. “Okay.”
“Great. Let’s grab our stuff and get going.” Setting his clipboard and pencil on the table, Andre picked up one of the video cameras. “Teams are David and Cecile, Sam and Bo, Dean and me. We have stationary cameras set up in all the main hotspots, but I want everyone to take a handheld video camera anyway, along with EMF detectors and an audio recorder. Dean, you take the thermal first. We’ll meet back here in an hour to touch base and you can give it to Cecile then.”
“Gotcha.” Dean took the small two-way radio from his belt and switched it on. “We still using channel two?”
“Yes.” Andre turned on his own radio. “Come on, Dean. You and I will start from this first room on the left. David and Cecile, y’all start on the right. Sam and Bo, you can start up on top of the wall, if you want. The steps are across the courtyard from here.”
With that, the group claimed the necessary equipment from the table and broke up to begin the night’s work. Sam fished a notebook and pen out of a canvas bag lying beside the table. He trailed behind Bo as they crossed the five-cornered courtyard. The place looked eerie and mysterious in the moonlight.
On the other side, they stopped at the bottom of a flight of steep, narrow stone steps. Sam gazed up at the shape of the brick rampart against the night sky. “I think I’ll leave off tuning into the psychic channel until we get up there.”
“I think that’s a
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