Ghost Hunter

by Paige Tyler

  “And take one of these, too,” Robert added, handing her a business card. “It has a twenty-four hour emergency number on it in case you need to get hold of us for something.”

  Bella grinned. “Like if the ghost hunter in your book is in a tight spot and you need help figuring how to get him out.”

  Trace and Wes both scowled at that.

  “On second thought, maybe you’d better not,” Bella muttered.

  As Cassidy drove back to Stamford a little while later, she had to admit she’d had a good time, despite how rude Trace had been. She was more exhausted than she realized though, and by the time she walked into her friend’s apartment, all she wanted to do was fall into bed. She obviously wasn’t as recovered from her ordeal as she thought.

  Standing in front of the bathroom mirror as she brushed her teeth, her eyes were automatically drawn to the scar above her left breast. Pink and jagged, it was almost completely visible above the low-cut tank top she’d changed into when she got home, and she frowned as she studied it. The doctors had told her the scar would fade with time, but she wasn’t so sure. Even if it did, the memory of what had happened that horrible night would never go away. By rights, she shouldn’t even be alive. Somehow, Del Vecchio’s blade had miraculously missed her heart. If he had stabbed her an eighth of an inch more to the left…

  Shuddering, Cassidy tore her gaze away from the mirror and swallowed hard. That bastard Del Vecchio was dead. He couldn’t hurt her ever again. She needed to stop thinking about him.

  She pulled back the blanket and climbed into bed. She didn’t bother to set the alarm clock. Thanks to those godawful nightmares, she’d be up early anyway.

  Chapter Three

  When Cassidy walked into the ghost hunters’ office the following afternoon, she found Bella and Robert sitting at the table in the front room, an EMF meter and thermal scanner in front of them, along with a lot of other equipment she didn’t recognize.

  Bella smiled. “We were wondering where you were. Robert and I wanted to make sure we had a chance to go over this stuff with you before we leave.”

  “I stopped at the café down the street to get something to eat.” Cassidy looked around. “Where are Trace and Wes?”

  “They had to go on an emergency call,” Robert said. “They’ll be back in a little while.”

  Cassidy wanted to ask what kind of emergency, but Bella and Robert launched into an explanation of the equipment before she could say anything. Deciding knowing what kinds of tool ghost hunters used was more important for her novel anyway, she pulled out her notebook and wrote down everything they said.

  They went over the EMF meter they’d used the night before, in greater detail this time, as well as several other types of meters. Cassidy was surprised to learn the detectors ranged from the inexpensive hand-held kind to the top of the line tripod-mounted version. She had no idea that much thought went into the tools a ghost hunter used, or that there would a be a need for so many different kinds.

  Next, they showed her the thermal scanners. Like the EMF meters, these came in various shapes and sizes, ranging from the cheap ten-dollar variety to the expensive one Cassidy had seen them use the night before. They even had a non-contact variety that could measure the temperature in a room from twenty feet away using an infrared beam.

  After that, Bella and Robert took her out to the garage to show her the rest of the equipment. There was one locker with nothing but different types of cameras in it. In addition to the regular high-speed digital camera she was familiar with, there was a motion-detection camera and an infrared camera, as well as a video camera.

  “I thought ghosts couldn’t be captured on film,” she remarked.

  “You’re thinking of vampires,” Bella said.

  The other woman shuddered a little as she said the word and Cassidy wondered if Bella was speaking from experience. She shook her head. If she believed vampires existed, then she’d have to also assume ghosts existed, and she still wasn’t sure about that.

  “Do you have any footage of actual ghosts?” she asked.

  “Some,” Robert said.

  “Can I see it?”

  He pushed his glasses up on his nose and gave her an apologetic look. “You’d have to ask Trace about that.”

  Cassidy groaned inwardly. She could forget about it then. Mr. Big Bad Ghost Hunter was never going to give the okay for that.

  She turned her attention to Robert as he opened the next locker. The shelves were filled with containers of salt, sage and garlic as well as bottles and bottles of holy water. While not as interesting as the other stuff they’d showed her, Cassidy jotted down a quick note about it anyway.

  She expected them to give her a tour of the other storage lockers, too, but when they made no move to open them, she assumed they must hold personal gear.

  While Bella and Robert packed the things they’d need for that night’s excursion, Cassidy wandered back inside so she could look at the EMF meters and thermal scanners again. As she walked past Trace’s office, however, she found herself stopping in the doorway. She hoped it would give her some insight into the mysterious ghost hunter, but besides the desk and two chairs in front of it, there wasn’t much in the room, unless she counted the file cabinet in the corner. Trace was definitely a minimalist. Then she noticed the framed photos on the wall. The temptation to look at them was too great to resist. Glancing over her shoulder to make sure Bella and Robert were still in the garage, she went into Trace’s office to take a closer look at the photos.

  The first one was of a group of men standing in organized rows. From the uniforms and shiny badges they wore, she realized they were police officers. She read the caption along the bottom. New York City Police Academy, December 1996. She scanned the men’s faces and was surprised to find Trace among them. He was younger in the picture and just as handsome. There seemed to be an innocence about him then that wasn’t there now, though. That was to be expected, she supposed. He’d been a rookie and hadn’t seen all the atrocities and horrors of the street yet. As a cop, he’d probably seen and experienced things other people never had to.

  Her gaze wandered to the next photo. In it, Trace was standing with another man in what looked like a bar. It was obviously taken several years after the first one and although Trace wasn’t wearing a uniform, the badge at his waist told her he was still a cop. She wondered why he’d traded in a detective’s badge for ghost hunting.

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing in here?”

  Cassidy whirled around at the sound of Trace’s voice, her heart racing. How the heck hadn’t she heard him come in? She felt her face go red as she frantically tried to think of something to say.

  “I…um…I was just looking around,” she finally stammered.

  He regarded her coldly. “Well, there isn’t anything in here that’s going to help you write a romance book, so you can leave.”

  Cassidy wished she could come up with something equally rude to say in return, but unfortunately nothing would come to mind. Settling for giving him a glare instead, she brushed past him and out the door. There might not be anything in his office to help with her book, but she could definitely model the hero’s gruff, unlikeable partner after Trace, that was for sure.

  * * * * *

  Trace clenched his jaw as he watched Cassidy go. To say he was furious at finding her in his office was an understatement. He was damn pissed. What the hell had Bella and Robert been thinking letting her wander around by herself? He was going to have a little discussion with both of them about security.

  Swearing under his breath, he walked around the desk to check his laptop and was relieved to see it hadn’t been turned on. He was afraid Cassidy had gone through it looking for interesting information to add to that stupid book she was writing.

  “Why do you have to give Cassidy such a hard time?”

  Trace looked up to see Wes standing in the doorway. “What are you talking about?”

  “You know damn
well what I’m talking about. You haven’t said a civil word to her the whole time she’s been here.”

  Trace scowled. “She was poking around my office and I told her to get the hell out. What’s wrong with that?”

  Wes shook his head. “Your social skills suck, you know that?”

  Trace ignored the insult. He could always count on Wes to give a blunt assessment of a situation, whether his opinion was wanted or not. “We don’t have time to entertain would-be romance writers who want an up close and personal look at our world. It’s bad enough Robert has us doing those damn dog and pony shows at the local colleges. Now we’re bringing civilians on our investigations. I don’t like it.”

  “Damn, Trace. It’s only for the weekend. Lighten up a little bit.”

  “What we do is dangerous, Wes. People can get killed.”

  “Don’t you think I know that?” Wes shook his head. “Look, we’re just taking her on a couple of routine calls. We aren’t going to get her involved in anything dangerous. Besides, Robert and Bella will keep an eye on her.”

  “Like they were keeping an eye on her a few minutes ago?” Trace crossed his arms over his chest. “What about the house we’re going to tonight? Unlike the place in Moores Mill, there’s a good chance this one really is haunted.”

  “I know, but it’s still your standard everyday ghost. The thing probably won’t even materialize while we’re there.”

  “And if it does?”

  His friend shrugged. “Then we show Cassidy what we really do for a living.”

  “And traumatize her in the process,” Trace muttered. “Great.”

  Wes frowned. “Cassidy doesn’t strike me as the type who scares easily. Or backs down from a fight. She certainly stands up to you.”

  Trace snorted. That was true as hell.

  “Not only that, but she’s damn easy on the eyes, too,” Wes continued. “If you stopped being such an asshole around her, maybe she’d ask you for some one-on-one ghost hunter training.”

  Trace glared at him. Sure, she was pretty, but he wasn’t going to admit it. “If she’s so damn easy on the eyes, why don’t you offer her some personal ghost hunter services then?”

  “Because I’m not the one hurting for female companionship.” Wes shook his head. “No wonder you don’t get laid. But whatever. I’m going to go help Bella and Robert load the Hummer. Let me know when you’re ready to head out. If you’re so worried about Cassidy’s well-being, you can always let her hang out with you when we get to the house.”

  Trace didn’t bother to answer. There was no way he was going to babysit anyone. He let his gaze follow the other man as Wes walked over to where Cassidy stood at the conference table. She was writing something in a notebook and she looked up to give him a smile.

  Wes was right. Well, not the part about him never getting laid. He got laid. Sometimes. When he went to the trouble of picking up a girl in a bar for a one-night stand. It was the part about was his social skills sucking that Wes was right about. Trace wasn’t sure interpersonal relations had ever been his strong suit, but he had to admit they’d gotten even rustier over the last five years.

  In the outer room, Wes and Cassidy disappeared into the garage. Trace sighed. His friend had been right about something else, too. He shouldn’t have given her such a hard time about being in his office. She was just looking at the photos. That’s why people put them on the wall, after all.

  His gaze went to the photo of him and his old partner. One look at the stocky blond-haired man and he immediately remembered why he was so serious about the job he did. The monsters he hunted sometimes won and when they did, people died. People like his ex-partner Tom.

  Swearing under his breath, he left the room without a backward glance.

  * * * * *

  Cassidy did her best to ignore Trace when he came out to the garage. However, ignoring six-foot-four-inches of broad shoulders and hard muscle was difficult to do when he was standing right beside her. Reminding herself what a jerk he was underneath that great body, she grabbed another duffel bag and put it in the back of the Hummer with the others. She hoped they were actually taking her on a real investigation this time and not some stupid paranormal home inspection again. She looked around for Bella or Robert so she could ask, but didn’t see either of them. She considered asking Trace, but figured he’d make some sarcastic remark. She’d wait to talk to Bella and Robert.

  Unfortunately, they were busy running around packing other duffels, so she had to contain her curiosity until everyone had piled in the Hummer. Once again, she was in the back with Bella and Robert.

  “Where are we going tonight?” she asked as Wes turned onto the main road.

  “A house up in Delhi,” Robert said. “A couple bought it about a year ago. According to the husband, the place needed a lot of work but it was a real steal, so he and his wife couldn’t pass it up.”

  Cassidy knew where this was going. “Let me guess. The reason the house was such a good buy is because it’s haunted, right?”

  He nodded. “A little while after they moved in strange things started happening.”

  “What kind of things?”

  “The usual,” Bella said. “They’d close a door when they left a room, then come back and it would be open. Or they’d put something down on one table and it would be moved to another.”

  Beside Cassidy, Robert was nodding again. “That’d be enough to scare anyone, but then the wife claims she saw something else even more terrifying, something that freaked her out so much she refused to spend another night in the place. That was three months ago.”

  “What did she see?” Cassidy asked.

  “We don’t know for sure,” he admitted. “The wife was a little bit confusing on the details.”

  Cassidy frowned. That sounded hokey. Why wouldn’t the woman tell them what she’d seen? Was it a ghost or wasn’t it? Then abruptly it hit her. Robert was making the whole thing up for her benefit. She looked at Bella, then at Wes, and finally at Trace. None of their faces gave anything away. When she admitted she was a little bummed she hadn’t seen a ghost last night, they must have decided to make up one so she could feel as if she was getting her money’s worth. It was a sneaky thing to do when she thought about it, but she had no choice other than to play along.

  “If the woman wouldn’t tell you what she saw, then how do you know the place is even haunted? Maybe the house turned out to be a money pit and claiming it’s haunted is their way of trying to get out of paying the mortgage.”

  Trace looked at her over his shoulder. “And how exactly would claiming the house is haunted get them out of paying the mortgage?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe they thought you’d give them some kind of official documentation saying it’s haunted or something.”

  “Official documentation. Right. That’d get them out of their mortgage.” He shook his head. “You should stick to writing romance books.”

  Cassidy gritted her teeth. Okay, so maybe that didn’t make sense. “All right, so assuming the house is haunted, what’s the plan?”

  “Plan?” Trace asked.

  “Yeah. Do we do the same thing we did at the house we went to last night? Or is there a different procedure when you suspect a place is actually haunted?”

  Trace started to answer, but Wes beat him to it.

  “We do the same thing,” he said, glancing at her in the rearview mirror. “And if it turns out the house is haunted, we’ll try to cleanse it.”

  “Cleanse it?”

  “The thing Trace did with the salt and the herbs last night,” Bella explained.

  “Oh.”

  Cassidy hoped they’d do something a little more exciting than season the place with herbs. She felt as if she was hanging out with a team of chefs, not ghost hunters. But then she reminded herself they were making up the whole thing anyway, so it didn’t matter what they did.

  When they arrived in Delhi two hours later, however, Cassidy had a hard time s
uppressing a shiver as they pulled up in front of the house. An old multistory Victorian with turret rooms to either side of the front door and a wraparound porch, it must have been a spectacular home at one time. Now, in the dim light of dusk, it looked more like something straight out of an Edgar Allen Poe tale. Trace and his team couldn’t have picked a house that looked any more haunted. It didn’t help that the wrought iron gate swung ever so slightly in the evening breeze, either. Even though she knew it probably wasn’t any more haunted than the house they’d gone to last night, she felt goose bumps chase up her arms as she climbed out of the Hummer.

  Cassidy glanced at Bella and was surprised to see the other woman wet her lips nervously as she stared at the house. Maybe the others hadn’t let her in on the plan, and she thought the place was haunted. Cassidy didn’t know if she was feeding off Bella’s apparent uneasiness or what, but her heart started to race as she fell into step beside the woman as they walked up the broken path to the front door. Trace and Wes were already on the porch waiting for them. Unlike last night, there wasn’t a lockbox on the door, which made sense since the place wasn’t for sale. Instead, Robert pulled a key out of his pocket and fitted it into the lock. Cassidy frowned as his hand trembled. Since he’d told the story, she thought for sure he was in on things. Maybe he was trying to sell it.

  The door creaked as he pushed it open and a chill ran down Cassidy’s back at the sound. Trace and Wes went in first, leaving the rest of them to follow.

  The inside had the same creepy vibe as the outside, and Cassidy took an unconscious step closer to the others as she played the flashlight Bella gave her over the ornate molding and peeling wallpaper in the entryway. Obviously the people who owned the house hadn’t gotten around to fixing it up very much before they left.

  Wes flicked the light switch by the door. “Power’s already turned off.”

  “Good,” Trace said. “I’ll take the first and second floor. Wes, you take the third floor and the attic. Robert and Bella, take Cassidy with you and check out the basement. If you guys get any EMF readings at all down there, give a shout.”