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I heard the furnace kick on and warm air began to flow up around my feet and down on
the top of my head. The cold had pushed away the hunger and I could think again. Before
it could return, I retreated from the situation. I slid my chair away from the table, into the
farthest corner of the room, and curled up in the chair, legs against my chest as I
struggled to get control of my breathing and my predator s response. The others sat
down as well but scooted just a bit farther from me. Even Gran watched me with a new
nervousness that I didn t like. But she d only seen the vampire peek out once and never
like this, so I could hardly blame her. I could only hope it didn t affect our relationship.
Thank you, Vicki. Arons s voice was calm but leaked a bit of nervousness that said
that this might not have been on the schedule. After taking a deep breath, letting it out
slow, and then wiping the fog that had appeared on his glasses, he picked up the phone
receiver. Becky? The confrontation phase is concluded. Please bring in our next guest
and the refreshment for Ms. Graves.
Wow. So Vicki had foreseen even this? Damn, she was good. But who was the next
guest? I didn t even expect half the people already here.
The door at the far end of the room opened and a slightly disheveled brunette woman
stepped in the door. I d seen her around the office before, so I presumed she was Becky.
She held open the door and waved someone inside, then brought me a large thermal
mug filled with what smelled like French onion soup.
The young man she d ushered in had skin that was pale, and freckles stood out in
sharp relief under a shock of carrot orange hair. Mr. Arons stood and held out his hand
across the table. Mr. Murphy? Barney Arons. We spoke on the phone last month. Thank
you for coming. I hope you had a comfortable trip. Is your hotel satisfactory?
I d never seen him before in my life and apparently nobody else in the room had,
either. Jason and Cassandra were exchanging confused glances, as were Alex and
Sybil.
Yessir. I ve never flown in a private jet before and Molly and the girls are loving the
hotel room. But you really didn t have to put us up in a suite. A regular room would have
been just fine. He had a light southern drawl but with a sophisticated edge. I couldn t
quite place the location.
Not at all. Ms. Cooper was very clear in her wishes for your stay here. You were to
have the best of everything, with no expenses spared. So, please . . . enjoy it. He waved
toward a seat between Cassandra and Jason. If you d have a seat? We re ready to
start.
Mr. Murphy stopped in his tracks, jaw dropping when he actually got a look at the
people he would be sitting next to. I watched him swallow hard and pull himself together
enough that he wouldn t act starstruck and embarrass himself in front of everyone.
Arons had said five new people. So, Creede, Gran, Dr. Scott, and Mr. Murphy. Was
Vicki the fifth, or was there someone yet to arrive? I put down my soup to ask, Didn t you
say five people, Mr. Arons?
He nodded. Vicki was the fifth. Oh, that reminds me He turned to Mr. Murphy. Mr.
Murphy, do you have any problem with ghosts? Or vampires, mages, or psychics?
Yeah, that was probably a good thing to find out. We had sort of a weird bunch here
today.
Well . . . I ve got a cousin who s a mage and my grandma stayed in the house for a bit
after she died, until we found her Will. But I m not a fan of bats, and psychics sort of
creep me out. Why?
Ah. I see. Let me make formal introductions, for those who don t know each other.
Arons took a moment to identify each person gathered at the table and ended with,
Finally, if you ll direct your attention to the ceiling, you ll see a sparkling formation. We
all dutifully looked up. The gaseous cloud that was Vicki s normal state in this realm
sparkled in the remaining cool air. The deceased has elected to attend this reading. I
hope that doesn t bother anyone.
Mr. Murphy eyed the cloud with an odd look but finally shrugged. I suppose there s not
much to be done about that, is there? Ghosts do what they will. But if she starts throwin
stuff, you ll find me somewhere between here and the hotel. Try to keep up if you want to
talk.
Laughter erupted from nearly everyone. It was just what we needed.
Arons checked his watch again. Excellent. We re right on schedule. Let s begin. He
picked up a remote control and pointed it toward the wall. The lights dimmed and the
blinds turned to block out the sunlight.
With a press of a key on his laptop, the big screen in front of the windows flickered to
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