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Belatedly, Bee remembered that turning off the lights was a big moment in every episode ofHex or Hoax?, as it signaled the official start of the investigation and an invitation for the ghosts to come out. For Adam, though, it was probably meant for atmosphere on the surveillance cameras.
Darkness fell over the library, casting shadows over the rows of books and furniture. Though ambient light came through the windows, the silence and dimness gave the place a somewhat eerie feeling.
“I’m going to check a few things upstairs.” Adam picked up a black bag, and they started up the stairs.
Though Bee intended to stick close to him so she’d be there during the paranormal activity—not only did she want to see his reaction firsthand but she also wanted him to know she wasn’t rattling chains or starting up a fog machine in another room—she found that she didn’t really mind the idea of spending more time withhim. Adam Powers the man, not the debunker.
Even if they were in the dark. Alone. Or…especially because of that.
Destiny’s warnings notwithstanding. And Bee was convinced her friend’s usually accurate reading was based on Adam’s skepticism—not on the man himself and his very attractive energy.
Puffalump sat curled up in a winged armchair on the mezzanine, one of his favorite spots for presiding over the lower level. He watched them approach, his eyes slightly narrowed, before he leaped onto the back of the chair and issued a low, screeching meow.
“He’s…uh, interesting,” Adam remarked as they passed the cat on the way to the history section.
Puffalump opened his mouth to display his sharp teeth. Bee paused to give him a quick ear scratch.
“He was an orphan,” she explained. “My friend Aria owns a cat café on Mariposa Street—it’s a regular café, but she takes in foster cats and has them available for adoption. About a year ago, she acquired Puffalump, but she was having a hard time finding him a home since he’s older and had some health issues. So I adopted him, but he took a bit too much interest in Edgar, and I worried about leaving them alone together at home while I was at work. So I brought Puffalump to the library, and he’s been here ever since.”
“Who’s Edgar?”
“My canary. Edgar Allan Crow.”
Adam laughed. Once again, the sound of it shot pleasure through her. Emboldened by their new camaraderie and remembering all of his illustrious academic credentials, she decided to probe a little.
“Do you have any pets?” She followed him to the open area beside the stacks.
“No.” He unzipped the bag and set some kind of recorder on a table. “Never have. No, wait. I did have a goldfish once. I’d won him at one of those county fair games. Unfortunately, he didn’t last long.”
“I read that you grew up in Washington, DC.” She eyed him a bit warily in case he took offense at her obvious snooping, but he just nodded.
“Did you move out to California for the Explorer Channel job?” she asked.
“Yeah.” He straightened and headed into another room to check the light meter. “Mostly.”
“Why mostly?”
He glanced at her. “I know librarians are curious by nature, but are you always this outright nosy?”
Bee’s cheeks warmed. “Well, it’s not as if I had to do some deep internet dive for information about you. Your bio is right on theHex or Hoax?website. Not three years ago, you were an MIT professor and the director of some physics research institute. So you don’t have to be a librarian to wonder how a man with your academic credentials and background ended up as a consultant on a ghost-hunting show. Especially given that you don’t even believe in ghosts.”
Adam was silent, his attention focused on adjusting the light meter.
Bee studied him—his head bent, the ambient light shining on his thick hair, his eyelashes making little shadows on his cheekbones. Though she didn’t—couldn’t—trust him to be on her side, she experienced a strange feeling of tenderness, as if her heart sensed a sudden vulnerability.
Which made no sense because she didn’t know him all that well.
And his muscular body certainly belied the wordvulnerable.
And she really couldn’t afford to feel any…affection for him, especially given that they were on opposite poles of the paranormal debate. She had to focus on her goal, not get distracted by him and all of his—
“I resigned,” he said.
She blinked. “From your positions? Why?”
He pulled his phone from the back pocket of his jeans and unlocked it. After scrolling on the screen, he held it out to her.
Bee stared at the headline of a news article dated three years ago. “Professor Resigns Over Plagiarism Violations.”
