No Humans Involved

'One what?'

'Shed.'

He threw a smug smile over his shoulder as he started up the steps. 'My dear, I never said there is a shed. I said there was one. It has, of course, long since been torn down… to hide the evidence.'

OUTSIDE WE went. On the way, Grady thanked me for the information about Amityville. While unwarranted, he appreciated the thought. It was a step back into his good graces.

He stopped beside a koi pond. As our shadows passed over the water, the fish zoomed from under the lilies, their mouths breaking the surface. Was someone feeding them in their owner's absence? Probably. They looked expensive.

'Here, Bob?'

Grady lifted a hand for silence, although no one had spoken. Then he checked to make sure the camera was rolling before continuing.

'The shed was here? You're quite certain?' He paused. 'No, no, I understand.'

Grady turned to the camera. 'Bob says he can't be certain this is exactly the right spot. The sense of darkness in this entire yard is overwhelming. This, however, appears to be reasonably close to the original location.'

And so, Grady picked up where he'd left off, channeling the 'spirit' of the dead girl. I tried to relax, but startled at every noise and movement, waiting for the children to come and make their presence known.

'What the hell is that?'

I jumped and glanced over to see Kristof staring at Grady, who was waving his arms, rolling his eyes, shaking and moaning.

'I think he's possessed,' I said.

'By what? Epilepsy?'

'He's a famous TV medium from the U.K.,' I said, as if that explained everything.

Kristof sniffed. 'Not so famous that he can afford a decent tailor, evidently. Or acting lessons.'

'They aren't letting Eve come back, are they?'

'No.' He spat the word. After a moment, he went on. 'I have, in the past two years, on occasion, tried to find reasons for them to let Eve return, if only temporarily.'

'And they think you're tricking them again.'

A humorless laugh. 'Not 'again.' I haven't tricked them yet, damnable spirits. Eve's tried too. No luck. You can't blame us, but they get…' A dismissive wave. 'Offended, as if we're insulting them, when the fact is that we are the ones who should be offended. We play by their rules. We assist in their enterprises. We are-' a twist of his lips, '-their humble servants, and yet when we ask for the briefest respite from our bargain, you'd think we were the most unrepentant convicts asking for a day pass.'

I had no idea what he was talking about, but knew he couldn't explain.

'So they said no.'

'They'll 'look into it.' And, perhaps, should I prove to be telling the truth, they'll find someone to help you.'

'But not Eve.'

He looked away, but not before loneliness and disappointment pushed the bitterness from his eyes. 'No. Not Eve.'

He pushed to his feet. 'This is ridiculous. They cannot expect us to wait on their forbearance and trust that they will find someone suitable. Eve isn't the only person who can help us. The Fates won't like my choice, but that is their problem.'

It seems to me that forbearance and trust are things a higher power can reasonably expect from mere mortals. But men like Kristof Nast are not accustomed to being refused, and being dead didn't change that. If his insolent determination helped my case, I wouldn't argue.

'Who are you-?' I began.

A dismissive wave. 'You'll see.'

NATURE AND SCIENCE

I HAD ANOTHER INTERVIEW after the seance, then nothing. Jeremy would be here in a few hours. Robert hadn't found anything useful. Kristof hadn't returned. So I was stuck cooling my heels. I decided to call Paige, check what she knew about rituals involving children. This wasn't a call to make in a public place, so I headed outside.

As I sat down on the front porch, Will hailed me. I greeted the portly young man and he handed me an icy bottle of water.

'I saw you heading outside and thought you might need this. The sun's a killer today.'

'That's so sweet. Thank you.'

'Oh, and I also wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed your segment the other day, with Tansy Lane. Incredible. The whole crew's still talking about it. I think you've made some believers, Ms. Vegas.'

I laughed. 'Jaime, please. And I hope they're still believers when all this is done because that definitely wasn't a typical summoning for me. I got lucky, which I can only hope is a good omen for the show.'

My gaze strayed toward the cell phone in my hand-a subtle hint that there was something I'd come out here to do.

He stepped closer and lowered his voice. 'I also wanted to commend you on how well you handled Angelique.'

My mouth opened in protest, ready to say I hadn't 'handled' her at all, but he continued before I could.

'I can't believe they brought her on the show after the things…' He coughed. 'Well, you know what I mean. Anyway, as far as most of us are concerned, you're still at the top of your game, and we're looking forward to seeing you put her in her place.'

I could tell by his expression that he was willing, even eager, to go on, but would it help me to know what she'd said? No. If I heard her insults or insinuations, I would indeed want to 'put her in her place' and I couldn't afford to do that. Not on this shoot.

'I appreciate the support. Now, if you'll excuse me-'

'Absolutely. And thank you for helping with Mr. Grady this morning. Becky really appreciates it. She was really afraid this was going to be difficult, knowing you're lining up a show of your own, and Grady's hoping to relocate here.'

'Relocate-?'

I snapped my mouth shut. This one was tougher to ignore. A lot tougher. But I promised myself I'd investigate later, Right now, I had to concentrate on the ghosts.

As he headed into the house, I stepped off the porch and caught a flash from the shrubs, like the sun reflecting off a mirror-or a camera lens. A slower, more careful look around, listening for the rustle of a quick retreat. Silence.

It could have been nothing. Or it could have been a crew member sneaking around with a camera, hoping for a shot he could sell to the tabloids. Photos of C-list celebs aren't worth much, but if you can get ones that are embarrassing enough, you can make a few bucks. One last survey, then I headed toward the road, making sure I wasn't slouching or squinting unbecomingly, just in case.

AFTER CALLING Paige, I went to the kitchen to grab a sandwich. I hadn't been in the mood for a communal lunch, and it was almost two now. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Grady stride in. His gait was fluid, almost gliding.

'Hello,' I said without turning.

'I need to speak to you.'

My fingers tightened around my coffee cup, but I kept my tone even. 'Good. I need to talk to you too.'