Read Online The Realm of the Shadows (Tropical Breeze Cozy Mystery Book 2) by Mary Bowers - Free Book Online Page B

giving the outfits a tough, S&M look. I noticed that Jazz’s jumpsuit was a girlier version of the men’s, with a tight fit to her slim waist, somewhat flared shoulders, a plunging neckline, and leggings that amounted to tights. Apparently this was how one dressed for hard-core ghost-hunting, except for the flip flops, which didn’t go with the rest of the get-up. She’d also ditched the executive briefcase and had a black canvas satchel with the show’s logo on it, which she threw down on the ground beside her. She’d replaced the diamond earrings with large hunks of onyx surrounded by diamond chips: black, to match the jumpsuit, of course. The glasses were gone. I wondered if she was going to change into combat boots before the show. They were the only thing missing from her tomb-raider look.
    Seth stood beside me, and at some point murmured into my ear, “I’m the team psychic, though all of us receive messages from time to time. My natural abilities are the strongest, though.”
    The pudgy dude glanced at him with pure loathing. Then he turned to me, leaned in, and said, “I’m Perry Farnham, by the way. Equipment tech. I handle the monitoring apparatus, analyze data, and research the local lore. You could call me the first line of attack,” he said a trifle smugly. “I observe the situation, weed out the hoaxers, then I decide if it’s even worth an investigation. The wrap-up of each episode is mine, where I analyze the data we’ve collected.”
    “Call him Pluto,” Seth told me. “Everybody does.”
    I had a hazy memory of the artwork on their van. “It seems like somebody’s missing,” I commented.
    “Oh, that’s Wizard,” Seth said. “He never shows up until filming begins. He mostly keeps to himself in his workshop until it’s time to try out his latest invention.”
    “Wizard?”
    “He’s our mechanic. He’s back at the lab in Jacksonville, working on his containment device. He’s been tinkering with it for years, but it’s tricky. Ghosts don’t want to be locked up any more than the living do, and the theory behind it is still, you know, like, theoretical.”
    I stared at him. He seemed serious. As I looked I was surprised to see that Jazz was hanging on his arm and gently pawing his bicep.
    “Um,” I said, trying not to stare at the petting going on beside me, “by the way, I found something your crew dropped on the lawn. You might tell your people to be more careful about throwing things around here.”
    He looked down. “Oh, that’s just one of our pens. We hand them out by the thousands.” He gave me a benevolent smile. “You can keep it.”
    “That’s not the point –“ I stopped because I’d lost him. He was gazing at the activity in the cemetery, and the bright lights glazed his young skin with a ghostly radiance.
    Never mind, I thought. I’d talk to his boss about it later.
    Seth seemed to be somewhere in his twenties. He had the kind of blond-angel beauty that must’ve been giving him free passes since Kindergarten. He had the light build of a lean man who hadn’t yet hit middle age, and was about my height – average for a man. Teddy had at least ten years on him. In addition to the bodybuilding, Teddy had a natural beefiness that would someday be a problem if he didn’t watch his weight. I looked at Teddy in the cemetery, the focus of all eyes and cameras, posing and gesturing in the lights, and wondered if the extra pounds added by the camera weren’t making him look like he was carrying too much bulk already. Teddy had better watch his back.
    By now, Jazz had let go of Seth and was chewing on a sculptured nail. In a sudden, compulsive movement, she removed her earrings and threw them into the messenger bag. I could almost hear her nerve-endings jangling around inside of her, and once she’d ripped off the jewelry, she stood next to Seth, humming. I had to look away. Just the sight of her was getting me agitated.
    Michael and I exchanged a look, and at