Read Oleander House: Bay City Paranormal Investigations, Book 1 for Free Online

Yeah. I was just thinking of last night. It was…” Terrifying. Exhilarating. So close… “It was exciting.”
Bo nodded. His hand didn’t move. “What did you see?”
“I don’t… I mean, we didn’t really see anything.”
“Maybe not. But something happened that you’re not telling me.” Bo stopped the tape without looking, sharp gaze fixed on Sam’s face. “I’ve known Andre for years. He doesn’t rattle easily, but last night he was more shaken up than I’ve ever seen him. And I may not know you yet, but my gut tells me that whatever he experienced, you experienced the same thing. Am I right?”
Part of Sam still wanted to deny it, if only because Andre clearly didn’t want anyone to know. But Bo was his boss now. He figured he owed him the truth.
“Yeah,” Sam said finally. “At least, I know what I felt, and I think Andre felt the same thing, but I don’t know for sure because I haven’t had a chance to talk with him about it.”
“What was it?” Bo leaned forward, thick braid swinging over one shoulder. “Tell me.”
Sam wondered if Bo knew he was still holding Sam’s hand. “The temperature dropped, and then I had this sudden sense that there was something near. Something not friendly.”
“And you didn’t see anything?”
“Not a thing. For a second there, I really thought something was going to manifest. But it didn’t. The feeling went away just as suddenly as it appeared.”
“Andre felt the same thing?”
“I think so.”
Bo sat back, letting his fingers slide away from Sam’s as if he hadn’t noticed they’d ever been there. Sam wished he didn’t feel the loss quite so keenly.
“Why didn’t you want to tell us last night?” Bo asked after a moment. “You and Andre both.”
“I can’t speak for Andre, but I didn’t say anything because I didn’t quite know what to think of it. I just needed a little time to process it.” Sam stared at his lap, feeling guilty now. “I should’ve told you. Sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it. The first time I had a paranormal experience, I didn’t tell anyone for a week.”
Sam looked up again, surprised. “Really?”
“Yep. It’s just such a profound experience the first time, I guess part of me wanted to keep it to myself. You know?”
“I know exactly what you mean.”
Sam didn’t mention his first experience with paranormal phenomena. He’d been thirteen, getting his first kiss under the bleachers at school. Shirts and jeans had easily covered the bruises and long, shallow scratches that had appeared on the body of the boy he’d been kissing, so there was no need for explanations to anyone. Not a word had been spoken by either of them, and there’d been no more kisses.
If Bo could read the pain of that memory on Sam’s face, he didn’t let on. “How about we start the tapes now?”
Sam returned Bo’s smile. “Good idea.”
By noon, they’d gotten halfway through the tapes, Bo watching the servants’ quarters tape, Sam watching the one from the nursery. Sam felt like he’d been staring at the TV screen for days instead of hours. Not a damn thing had shown up so far. He sighed and rubbed his eyes.
“Dull, huh?” Bo glanced over at him, grinning.
Sam laughed. “Deadly. Please tell me it’s not always this boring.”
“Nope. Wait ’til you see a mist form right in front of your eyes, or a door opening by itself. That’ll make up for all the times you stare at the same patch of wall for hours on end.”
As if to lend credence to Bo’s words, a faint grunt of nearly subterranean depth sounded on the nursery tape. The back of Sam’s neck prickled.
“Bo,” he said softly. “Listen.”
Bo stopped his own tape and leaned over. The grunt came again, followed by a strange, undulating hiss, so faint that Sam wasn’t even sure he heard it. Bo’s eyes went wide. “Wow.”
“No kidding.”
They watched for a moment more, but nothing else happened. Sam turned off the tape and swiveled around to face Bo. “Okay,