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Projection.”
    “How cool!” Dee squealed as she entered the room. “Can I play the medium? I go to psychics in the city all the time!”
    Before I could answer, I caught Brad shaking his head.
    “I know. It seems odd, what with his father in the hospital with a stroke. He says he’s doing it for his dad. Did you meet Jonathan while you were there . . . cleaning up?”
    “Yeah. He showed up. He told me to keep my mouth shut, like I was one of his employees or something. It’s like a cult over there—his employees are fiercely loyal. No wonder, with all the perks they get working there.”
    “Really? Like what?” I asked.
    “You name it,” Brad said. “And everything’s state of the art. He’s got people working such long hours, they don’t get much time outside of the office. So to keep them there—and keep them happy—he’s installed a gym, a spa, a screening room, a video game room, a cafeteria . . . He’s even hired personal trainers, a gourmet chef, and a masseuse for his drones.”
    I heard the disgust in Brad’s voice. Or was it jealousy?
    “Why don’t you like him? Sounds like he’s awfully good to his employees.” Except George?
    Brad gave a hollow laugh. “Employees? More like slaves. They have no life, other than working there.”
    I couldn’t tell if Brad had a legitimate grudge against him—or if it was something else.
    “Well, I’m only doing an event for him, at the request of his father. And for my mother.”
    “Your mom?” Brad looked surprised.
    “Apparently she met Jonathan’s dad, Stephen Ellington, at the care center and has a thing for him. She practically begged me to take the job.”
    “You’re a sucker for your mom, you know?”
    “Can’t help it. Besides, if Jonathan is really that loaded, my fee should pay the rent here for a few months. And I’m going to need it,” I added, glancing around the new office.
    I picked up my purse and backpack that contained my notebook and party planning sheets. “I’ve got to run,” I said to Dee. I wasn’t sure she heard me; she was busy trying on a blond wig I’d recently used at a Cheerleaders and Jocks party.
    “Want company?” Brad asked.
    “Seriously?”
    “Why not? We could grab dinner along the way.”
    “Don’t you have any blood to clean up or maggots to . . . to . . .” I didn’t have an ending.
    “Nope. Maybe I could help you with the party.”
    What was he up to? “Brad, I realize you have a lot of hidden talents and secret knowledge, like how to break into locked rooms and send untraceable e-mails, but don’t tell me you know how to conduct a séance or conjure up a three-dimensional spirit.”
    “Maybe,” he said mysteriously, crossing his muscular arms like a freed genie.
    I silently pondered his offer. I could always use help. And there was something about Jonathan Ellington that bothered me. If he was a slave driver, taking advantage of his employees, making them work long hours at low wages, I wasn’t sure I wanted to be involved in his plans. And I didn’t relish the thought of fighting off his advances either.
    “All right, but—”
    My cell phone rang again. I checked the caller ID, then answered.
    “Hi, Mom.”
    “Presley! I just heard the news.”
    “What news?” Had Jonathan’s father taken a turn for the worse?
    “And I want to come along.”
    “Where? What are you talking about?”
    “The Winchester Mystery House. I hear you’re meeting Jonathan there tonight. It’ll help take my mind off Stephen.”
    Great. Now I had an entourage, made up of my mother and a crime scene cleaner.
    What more could a party planner want?

Chapter 4

    PARTY PLANNING TIP #4
    To give your Séance Party a feeling of authenticity, choose your spiritualist carefully. Attend one of her séances to see how realistic her psychic abilities appear to be, or at least how dramatically she plays the part.
    My MINI Cooper is just right for me, but when you add a well-muscled guy over six feet tall and a