Read GHOST GAL: The Wild Hunt for Free Online Page A

office, there were no full walls in the outer office. That way, whoever was working in the office at any given time could easily see everything. All they would have to do is stand up.
    In addition to Samuel, there were a few others who were occasionally in the office. Like her friend, they did not use their real names either. It was funny how they all used very generic, non-exotic sounding names. There was Bob, Jim, Frank, and Steve. She had never heard a last name mentioned for any of them. Samuel was the constant though. And as plain as his co-worker’s names were she often wondered why his name wasn’t just plain Sam. Whatever the case, Samuel was always there when she came in.
    Samuel Esau sat in the section that he called home. As always, his desk was cluttered with small stacks of paper and assorted whatnots he had picked up along the way. Samuel was a collector, which she found fascinating. Although Alexandra thought his collection was made up mostly of junk he had picked up here and there, Samuel seemed to hold onto each piece for special reasons all his own.
    Samuel was also a contradiction.
    Considering his profession, Alexandra was surprised by his laid back manner. Unlike his opposite number at the OESI, Samuel wore khakis and tropical shirts rarely buttoned all the way up. He sometimes wore sneakers, but more often than not it was flip-flops, even in the winter. His hair was disheveled and as it grew longer, began to curl and frizz around the edges and a few strands were almost always dangling over his eyes. Plus, from the look of his scruffy face, he hadn’t toucheda razor in at least a week, maybe more. A pair of sunglasses capped off the look, whether they were on his eyes or atop his head. Samuel definitely looked like he belonged with the bohemian artists and creators who made Soho their own.
    Whether due to his appearance or his character, the locals had embraced Samuel as one of their own and he certainly fit in with the Bohemian Lifestyle that so many of the artists living in Soho called their own. Alexandra knew he liked to paint and that he was quite skilled at it. His landscapes, especially, were good enough to hang in a gallery exhibit, although he never accepted such invitations. Painting was something he did for the sheer joy of it. Most of the time he gave his paintings away to people he met along the way. Alexandra prized one of his landscapes she had hanging in her tiny living room.
    Alexandra also lived in the area. She was not quite as freewheeling as some of her more esoteric neighbors, but Alexandra was no wallflower either. She often wondered what her artistic neighbors, or the local ladies that swooned over him, would think if they knew exactly what Samuel was or what he truly did for a living. Then, she wondered if any of them would actually care. Somehow, she hoped none of them would, but the actions of supposedly enlightened people often surprised her.
    “Well, when that day comes you are more than welcome to tell me you told me so,” Samuel said into the telephone as she walked in. He had his bare feet propped up on the desk as he leaned back casually in his tattered desk chair. As soon as he heard the bell ring, he turned to see who had darkened his door. When he saw who was walking in, he smiled. “I’ll have to call you back, brother,” he said into the phone as he dropped his feet back to the floor and sat up a bit straighter. “Someone just came in. Sure thing, man. You just remember what I said, all right? We’ll talk later. Bye.”
    She smiled and waved even as he motioned for her to come on in.
    “Well, well, well, if it isn’t my favorite ghost hunter,” Samuel said as he walked over to meet her.
    “Flatterer,” she said, trying to hide the light blush in her cheeks.
    “I am what I am,” he said, a big smile in place. Not for the first time, Alexandra noticed just how handsome Samuel was, despite his lack of effort to look the part. His beauty shone through no