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At the end of every episode, Clyde revealed whether his investigation had discovered proof of a hoax—magnetic fields, infrasound, doctored EVP recordings, and so on—or if they’d been unable to find real-world evidence to explain the paranormal activity.
The lack of evidence confirmed—in the public’s eye, at least—that the location was truly haunted or “hexed.” Recently, Dr. Adam Powers had joined the show’s last few minutes to explain Clyde’s conclusions and debate with the host.
Bee had watched every episode ofHex or Hoax?before she’d called the Explorer Channel and put forth the Bliss Cove Library as a possible investigation site. She’d calculated that the show declared about thirty percent of the locations to be hoaxes, with the majority providing, in Clyde’s closing phrase, “spooky proof that there is more to this world…and other worlds…than we can ever understand or explain.”
Bee wasn’t worried about the Bliss Cove Library being declared ahoax. She’d worked here long enough to know zero real-world evidence existed for the strange happenings people had reported since the turn of the twentieth century.
And she wanted—needed—the most popular ghost-hunter show on TV to declare to the world that the Bliss Cove Library was absolutely one-hundred-percent without a doubt haunted.
She also knew Captain John Marcus would help her out.
“These were spared from disaster.” Adam Powers’s voice was all amber and gold tones like a smooth, well-aged whiskey.
The sound of it hit Bee’s bloodstream like a shot, warming her all the way to her toes. She looked up from her computer. He was walking toward her with the pastry box, his stride long.
“Excuse me?”
“Saved.” He set the box on the counter and flipped it open to reveal the array of pastries she’d bought—powdered and glazed doughnuts, crisp apple fritters, pecan tarts, and golden-brown croissants. “The coffee didn’t penetrate the box, so these are all undamaged.”
“Well, that’s good to know, but—”
He plucked a powdered doughnut from the box and took a large bite.
“Dr. Powers, I’m afraid there’s no food allowed in the library.”
“Where do you eat your lunch?”
“No food is allowed in thepublicareas of the library.” She snapped the lid back on the box. Then, remembering his perception of her ascrusty, she forced herself to paste a pleasant smile on her face. “I was hoping to have a chance to talk to you and Mr. Constantine before filming starts tomorrow. Unfortunately, he was preoccupied. Perhaps you’ll have time for a meeting later today?”
“I have time right now.”
He took another bite of the doughnut. When a sprinkle of powdered sugar clung to his upper lip, Bee wanted to lick it off.
Whoa, girl.
Between lusty thoughts like that and her visceral reaction to putting on Adam’s shirt, she’d clearly been out of the attraction loop for longer than she’d realized.
“Great.” She widened her smile. “I just wanted to explain a bit more about Captain Marcus and his routine. He’s most attached to the cupola, and people often see his shadow through the windows. He also tends to stick to the upper floors, especially the conservatory and former bedroom. He was quite well known for his talent in playing the violin, which is why most people hear violin music coming from the conservatory. However, he and his brothers were also good singers, and the sea shanties we still hear are… Is there a problem?”
He gazed at her with his eyebrows pulled together and his mouth turned into a frown. “I read the history and report you sent to the producers.”
“Oh, good. Then you’re up to date on the details, and you know you won’t get any good footage on Halloween. I did want to mention we haven’t seen a lot of activity in the basement and storage rooms, but a few weeks ago, I was—”
Adam held up a hand, stopping her words. “You’re wasting your breath.”
“Excuse me?”
“You don’t need to tell me anything about John Marcus and hisactivity. I’ve heard the same story a thousand times.”
Bee’s heart began a slow, sickening descent. “The same story?”
“Shadowy figures, cold spots, strange noises…I know the drill.”
“But the haunting is specific to the Gardenia House and the library, so—”
“Miss Delaney.” He leaned in, fixing her with his blue-green gaze that seemed to capture and hold the overhead lights. “There is no such thing as ahaunting.”
She shook her head, certain she hadn’t heard him correctly. “There must be a mistake. Aren’t youHex or Hoax’sscientific expert?”
