Read Online Experiment in Terror 03 Dead Sky Morning by Karina Halle - Free Book Online

side.
    “Aren’t you going to introduce us?” I asked, smiling at Bill.
    “Bill, this is Perry, Perry this is Bill.”
    I handed the coffee to Dex and then stuck my hand out for Bill. We shook. His handshake was disappointingly weak.
    “Dex was just filling me in about your project,” Bill said. I thought I detected a hint of animosity in his voice or maybe I was just extremely paranoid. Probably the latter, though it did depend on what he and Dex had been talking about.
    “Oh yeah, what do you think?” I asked, not letting on that I actually knew less than he did. I sat down beside Bill so he was sandwiched in the middle.
    He turned to me, the sun glaring off of his balding peak and exhaled slowly.
    “Frankly, I think it’s a waste of your time,” he said gruffly. “We’ve had film crews over on that island, archeologists. The heyday is over. There’s a plaque now to commemorate the ones who died there so we’ve done what we can. I’d prefer if everyone just moved on so it could just be a park, just be a campsite that families go to for a nice holiday.”
    I could feel Dex staring at me intently but I didn’t want to meet his eyes.
    “So you’d rather we didn’t tramp all over your island cuz it may scare off future campers, is that it?” I asked, which was somewhat ballsy.
    “You’re pretty direct.” Bill chuckled unpleasantly.
    “Only when I need to be.” It was then when I shot Dex a look to tell him to shut up.
    “Look,” said Bill. “The park board has no problems with curiosity. But, personally, I’m uneasy about the island being exploited for a TV show–”
    “Internet show,” Dex interjected.
    “That’s even worse,” Bill continued. “Internet show. You two aren’t from here, you don’t understand the history of the place. You just want to make things up in order to sensationalize it for a few viewers. You may end up doing more damage to the park than the government did back when it was a leper colony.”
    “That seems a bit unfair,” I said. “We work history into our show, we don’t ignore it. We plan to show it as it is. I mean, hell, I think a haunted island would draw more visitors to it, don’t you think?”
    “No,” said Bill. “And D’Arcy Island doesn’t need more visitors. It’s fine the way it is. People go there to escape the crowds on other islands and nine times out of ten, nothing spooky or mysterious goes down. I’d like to keep it that way.”
    “When was the last time you were on the island?” I asked.
    “Five years ago,” he answered.
    “So why all the concern if you have nothing to do with the place? You’re what, working in the city parks now?”
    “I have my reasons,” he said grumpily, pulling his coat in closer around him as if he was suddenly cold.
    “But you’re not stopping us,” Dex prodded.
    Bill stared straight out at the water, watching the waves as if he was under their spell.
    “No,” he said finally. “I’m not stopping you. Only because I don’t think you’ll find what you’re looking for.”
    Even I didn’t know what we were looking for, but I nodded as if I understood.
    “How are you getting to the island?” he asked Dex.
    “I’m borrowing a friend’s sailboat out of Victoria,” he said. I raised my brows at him, which he ignored. Sailboat? Since when did Dex know how to sail? Ah, what did it matter – when did Dex know half the things he seemed to know.
    “I hope your friend knows where you are going and will give you the proper coordinates and instructions when approaching the island.”
    “Such as?” I asked, just in case Dex’s friend, whoever he was, wasn’t so educated.
    “Campsite is on the southeast side of the island but you’re going to want to anchor off the northwest side and take your dingy ashore. There’s some good anchoring spots near the lighthouse where the mud is a bit grabbier.”
    Lighthouse? Not again. I exchanged a quick look with Dex.
    “You’re not going to write this