“Would you feel safer if the lights were on?”
Shay laughed. “There’s nothing here that wants to hurt me.”
“What about me?” Colin looked around and then met Shay’s wide-eyed stare. “Is there someone here who wants to hurt me?”
“I don’t know.” Her voice softened. “Why don’t you ask?”
“I am.”
“Not me, silly.”
“You’re the only one here.”
“You really don’t believe, do you? Yet you’re here. Why?” Her voice was filled with suspicion.
“To prove to your grandmother that she’s not being haunted.”
“Colin, first I don’t think she’d call it that. It’s not like she doesn’t welcome his presence. Second, while I might want her to move on and accept that he’s gone, I don’t want Gram hurt.”
He reached out for her hand, but she tucked it up under her arm.
“I have no intention of hurting your grandmother or anyone else. I know you don’t trust me, Shay, but I swear I’ve never lied to you and I’m not going to start now.”
“Maybe not to me, but what about to the Palma family back in Washington? Your group released information on them without their consent and look what happened.”
“I didn’t have anything to do with that mess.”
“Colin, I hooked your group up with them. She was my friend and co-worker. He lost his job because his boss thought he was worshipping the Devil and the kids were ridiculed at school. You ruined their lives. Why should I think you wouldn’t do the same with Grammy?”
“Shay, I’m sorry about what happened with your friends. I had no idea the guys were going to air the video on the Web. If they’d said something to me first, I would have stopped them. I gave that family my word and I don’t lie. You know how I feel about liars.”
Dave stuck his head around the corner of the kitchen wall. “Everything okay in here?”
“Yeah, we’re fine,” replied Shay.
“Sorry, we’ll keep it down,” Colin told him.
“No problem. You know how it is with the headphones and digital recorders. Those things pick up the slightest noise and amplify. If you need a break from monitor duty, just say the word.” Dave disappeared back down the hall.
Colin had forgotten about the EVP—electronic voice phenomenon—session going on, where they hoped to catch the spirit’s voice on recorder. Now the entire team knew about his past mistake. Not really his, he hadn’t released the data himself, but he’d put his trust in the wrong people. Because of that, not only had the Palmas paid, so did he when he lost Shay.
“Look,” he turned back to Shay. “I’m in charge of the group’s website and I promise before anything gets put up there, even anonymously, I’ll bring it to you and your grandmother first for approval. Deal?”
“What’s to stop one of them from uploading the evidence without telling you?” she nodded toward the hall.
He got up and walked to the sink and looked around.
“Cabinet on the right.”
“Thanks.” He took down a glass and filled it with cold water while he thought about her question. She wasn’t going to like his response, but he wouldn’t lie. “Nothing. They all have access. We each have specific jobs we take care of. Equipment, and that includes the website, is mine, but I’m giving you my word, this group is different. I know I’m asking a lot, Shay, but give me a chance. Trust me.”
He was asking her for everything, more than he deserved.
“What are you doing in Connecticut, Colin? Are you here for the weekend? Do you live here? What happened to your job at Point Defiance?” She peppered him with questions instead of giving him the answer he wanted.
“I was offered a position at the Roger Williams Park Zoo as zookeeper working with the big cats, which beats the hell out of being the assistant to the assistant zookeeper. So yes, I live here.”
“Does your boss know what you do during your spare time?” She’d taken a few steps toward him, but held back.
He laughed. “PJ is my boss, but I don’t really go around advertising my hobbies.”
She stepped closer, apparently searching for something, he just didn’t know what.
“Really? I’m surprised you’d let this lap over into your real job, and that you’d keep quiet about what you do. You used to be so passionate about finding out the truth. What happened? Are you now a believer and afraid of how the world will react?”
“No, I still don’t believe in ghosts. In almost every case, the claims have been easily proven as faulty or old wiring, rodents, cats, weak latches on doors, thin walls, or the side effects of medication.”
“So, you think my gram is a drug addict?” For the first time since their arrival, he’d seen genuine delight on Shay’s face and heard it in her voice.
“No, I think she’s lonely and can’t fully accept that the man she loved, the person she planned to spend seventy years with, is gone. In her mind, he’s still here.”
“She’s not crazy.” All traces of laughter died away. “What if she’s right? What if his spirit is still here with her?”
“You don’t believe that any more than I do, Shay.”
She took a step closer until they were almost touching and leaned into him. “I don’t know. There are times when. . .” She shook her head and looked up. “What would it take to prove to you O’Malley’s spirit is really here?”
Was she kidding? She’d never been a believer or even interested in the paranormal. Something was up. She was holding back on him.
He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and stared into those stormy eyes. A man could get lost in their depths. He already had. “Seeing a full body apparition would probably make a believer out of me, but short of that give me something I can’t explain through common sense and science.”
“Give you the impossible?”
“As the famous author, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle said, when you have eliminated the impossible—”
“Then whatever remains, even if improbably, must be the truth. Or something like that. I remember.” She turned her head away from him for a moment and then met his gaze. “I don’t know what you’ll find here, but I’m going to try to trust you to keep your promise.”
“Thank you.” Colin leaned in for a kiss before she could register his intent.
“Whoa!” He arched his back and spun around. Cold water rushed out of the faucet, hit a spoon and shot all over, drenching him. Front and back. Head to toe. Colin fumbled to turn off the water.
Shay had jumped out of the way and now stood laughing.
“How in the world?” he asked. It was a twist knob. It couldn’t come on by itself.
“Improbable, impossible.” Shay shrugged. “O’Malley giving you a sign?”
The rest of the team and her grandmother had all hustled into the kitchen. Now they stood, staring with their mouths agape.
“What happened in here?” PJ asked.
“Dude.” Dave laughed. “I said I’d give you a break if you needed one.”