Read Shadow Touch for Free Online

shadow. He was interested in the shadow herself—how her mind worked, what motivated her, her essence, how she came to be. It was a fascinating phenomenon.
    One night, then tomorrow . . . what? He guessed he’d be back in the lab, jockeying for research hours with Shadow, capital S.
    “Shadow is on the move,” a soldier said suddenly.
    Cam startled, looking right and left, down the lengths of hallway outside Ms. Russo’s room. “Where?” The minx had to have gone another way. Why use a door when you don’t have to?
    Excitement thrummed in his blood. Eleanor’s shadow, one more proof that the laws of nature were defunct, was on the move. Aside from the sudden sinister aide of the creepy Order, this was a great place to work.
    Jose was listening to his earpiece. “Level two. West side. Still moving.”
    It would be foolish to wait here. Cam and Jose jogged down the hallway. They skipped the wait for the elevator and took the stairs two at a time to get to the security center. Once there, Cam hoped to have a view of the major open areas within Segue. None of the offices or apartments was monitored, except for Ms. Russo’s, a necessary precaution.
    “She’s totally random,” Marshall said when Cam joined him at the extended console manned by security. “We spotted her in the West atrium, then she vanished into the unfinished apartments. Scared the shit out of Dr. Marea on four, then ended up in the kitchen ogling a cheesecake.”
    A wall of monitors showed the rooms and corridors of Segue. Soldiers were stationed throughout. Sightings were to be reported immediately. Most of the rooms were empty, though awash in light so that security could better view the shadow’s movements. The lab levels showed more activity—it was almost evening, but work was life here. Interesting that Wiley Scott was hanging out at Carol Witter’s office. At the edge of one of the lower rear balconies, a couple of staffers sat chatting while having a smoke. No shadow.
    A flat screen to Cam’s left listed the shadow’s reported appearances. They had only six. Not enough to look for patterns. Cam didn’t really expect there to be any. Whims and impulses, Eleanor had said.
    The view into Ms. Russo’s apartment showed the flesh and blood version idling at a window, looking out. After a while, to Cam’s amusement, she did sit down on the couch and turn on the television, but only to flip through the channels restlessly. Food was brought up to her. Cam went hungry. Ms. Russo rinsed her dishes in the apartment sink. She paced.
    The hours wore on.
    “Contact,” another soldier said, his voice coming through the monitor. This time on the third floor again, moving more slowly. Cam watched on the monitor. The shadow walked to the center of the room, and then stalled as something to her right caught her attention. Whatever it was took her through the wall.
    “What happened?” Marshall asked the soldier.
    “A sound got her attention,” came the soldier’s voice over the console speaker.
    On a monitor, Barbie Hinkle, a systems tech, ran toward the soldier, pointing in the direction of her apartment. Her hair was dripping, a robe belted at her waist. Cam could make out few words. Most of them were foul.
    Similar scenarios played out over the next two hours. The list on the flat screen grew. Ten. Fourteen. Nineteen. The shadow responded to noises and people and light. She wandered into the ghost hunters’ elaborate setup of apparatus, then left right away again. He liked her more and more. The ghost hunters were full of crap.
    Flesh and blood Eleanor Russo did not sleep. She’d curled up on the sofa staring at the TV. At one point, she swiped at her face, so he knew she’d started crying. And he felt like an asshole all over again, wishing he could help. She was a nice girl. Strong, brave, smart, and way too serious.
    “Ten minutes, no sign of the shadow,” Marshall noted.
    But Cam continued watching Eleanor. He’d known her all of