and he’d never see it.”
A heavy feeling settled in Sam’s chest. He’d recognized that look in Bo’s eye the night before. The look that saw only him and excluded the rest of the world. He knew Bo must’ve seen the same look in his eyes.
If one of us was a woman, everyone else would’ve noticed, he thought with surprising bitterness. It bothered him that the world at large didn’t recognize his desire, and he wished it didn’t.
“Hey, guys!” Amy said, breezing through the door with a small audio recorder in one hand and a thirty-five mm camera in the other. “Did we catch anything?”
“Not yet.” Andre pulled Amy onto his lap, equipment and all, and kissed her. “What about y’all?”
Bo and Amy had spent the morning sweeping the upstairs rooms with still cameras and handheld audio recorders, while David and Cecile did the same in the outbuildings.
Amy shrugged. “Who knows? We’ll have to listen to the tapes and develop the film.”
Sam felt Bo enter the room, his presence raising the hairs on Sam’s arms. Sam glanced sidelong at him, and didn’t know whether to feel triumphant or terrified when he caught Bo looking back. Bo turned hastily away, cheeks going beautifully pink.
“So, how’s it going?” Bo clapped Andre on the back, studiously avoiding Sam’s gaze. “How far have y’all gotten?”
“We just got done with the barn and the washhouse,” Andre answered. “Not a damn thing so far.”
“Okay. Let’s all take a break for lunch, then we’ll switch places. You and Sam can take the cameras and audio recorders around the downstairs while the rest of us review potential evidence.”
“Did anything happen in the nursery this time?” Sam asked, congratulating himself on sounding far more collected than Bo did.
Bo looked straight into his eyes, shoulders tense as if it were difficult to do. “No. Of course we didn’t have the thermometers or EMF detectors, but we didn’t feel the temperature drop, and we didn’t experience anything unusual. We’ll just have to wait and see if we caught any EVPs.”
“Electronic voice phenomena,” Cecile said as she and David came in. “Right? David’s been explaining it to me.”
“That’s right.” Bo arched an eyebrow at the pair standing much closer together than they would have twenty-four hours previously. “I’m very happy to see you two getting along so well.”
David grinned. “Beats the hell out of arguing all the time.”
Andre leaned forward, resting his chin on Amy’s shoulder. “Cecile, can I ask you something?”
She looked nervous, but nodded. “Sure.”
“Are you really psychic, or what?”
“Of course I am.” The room went quiet. Sam could see Cecile’s face closing up. “You don’t believe me.”
“It isn’t that we don’t believe you.” Bo darted a warning look at Amy. “It’s just that some of the things you’ve said and done have been a little…well, over the top. To be perfectly honest, it’s the sort of thing that experience has taught us to treat with a healthy dose of skepticism.”
Cecile stared resolutely at the floor as Bo talked. In the tense quiet that followed, she raised her face, and Sam was startled to see tears gathering in her eyes.
David laid a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, Cecile—”
She jerked away and stalked out of the room without a glance at any of them.
For a space of seconds, no one spoke. Amy broke the silence with a heartfelt sigh. “Great. Now I feel like a heel.”
Crossing his arms, David glared at Andre. “Why the hell’d you have to ask her that? Christ, Andre.”
Andre’s mouth fell open. “What? Hey, you’re the one who’s been bitching about her being a fake!” “Yeah, well, maybe I changed my mind.”
“Changed your mind. Right.” Nudging Amy gently off of his lap, Andre stood and leaned toward David. “If you did, it’s only because you got in her pants.”
David’s expression turned stormy. “That’s not it, and you damn well know it. You’ve got no
A heavy feeling settled in Sam’s chest. He’d recognized that look in Bo’s eye the night before. The look that saw only him and excluded the rest of the world. He knew Bo must’ve seen the same look in his eyes.
If one of us was a woman, everyone else would’ve noticed, he thought with surprising bitterness. It bothered him that the world at large didn’t recognize his desire, and he wished it didn’t.
“Hey, guys!” Amy said, breezing through the door with a small audio recorder in one hand and a thirty-five mm camera in the other. “Did we catch anything?”
“Not yet.” Andre pulled Amy onto his lap, equipment and all, and kissed her. “What about y’all?”
Bo and Amy had spent the morning sweeping the upstairs rooms with still cameras and handheld audio recorders, while David and Cecile did the same in the outbuildings.
Amy shrugged. “Who knows? We’ll have to listen to the tapes and develop the film.”
Sam felt Bo enter the room, his presence raising the hairs on Sam’s arms. Sam glanced sidelong at him, and didn’t know whether to feel triumphant or terrified when he caught Bo looking back. Bo turned hastily away, cheeks going beautifully pink.
“So, how’s it going?” Bo clapped Andre on the back, studiously avoiding Sam’s gaze. “How far have y’all gotten?”
“We just got done with the barn and the washhouse,” Andre answered. “Not a damn thing so far.”
“Okay. Let’s all take a break for lunch, then we’ll switch places. You and Sam can take the cameras and audio recorders around the downstairs while the rest of us review potential evidence.”
“Did anything happen in the nursery this time?” Sam asked, congratulating himself on sounding far more collected than Bo did.
Bo looked straight into his eyes, shoulders tense as if it were difficult to do. “No. Of course we didn’t have the thermometers or EMF detectors, but we didn’t feel the temperature drop, and we didn’t experience anything unusual. We’ll just have to wait and see if we caught any EVPs.”
“Electronic voice phenomena,” Cecile said as she and David came in. “Right? David’s been explaining it to me.”
“That’s right.” Bo arched an eyebrow at the pair standing much closer together than they would have twenty-four hours previously. “I’m very happy to see you two getting along so well.”
David grinned. “Beats the hell out of arguing all the time.”
Andre leaned forward, resting his chin on Amy’s shoulder. “Cecile, can I ask you something?”
She looked nervous, but nodded. “Sure.”
“Are you really psychic, or what?”
“Of course I am.” The room went quiet. Sam could see Cecile’s face closing up. “You don’t believe me.”
“It isn’t that we don’t believe you.” Bo darted a warning look at Amy. “It’s just that some of the things you’ve said and done have been a little…well, over the top. To be perfectly honest, it’s the sort of thing that experience has taught us to treat with a healthy dose of skepticism.”
Cecile stared resolutely at the floor as Bo talked. In the tense quiet that followed, she raised her face, and Sam was startled to see tears gathering in her eyes.
David laid a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, Cecile—”
She jerked away and stalked out of the room without a glance at any of them.
For a space of seconds, no one spoke. Amy broke the silence with a heartfelt sigh. “Great. Now I feel like a heel.”
Crossing his arms, David glared at Andre. “Why the hell’d you have to ask her that? Christ, Andre.”
Andre’s mouth fell open. “What? Hey, you’re the one who’s been bitching about her being a fake!” “Yeah, well, maybe I changed my mind.”
“Changed your mind. Right.” Nudging Amy gently off of his lap, Andre stood and leaned toward David. “If you did, it’s only because you got in her pants.”
David’s expression turned stormy. “That’s not it, and you damn well know it. You’ve got no
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