“You don’t believe me,” she said.
“I do believe you. That’s the problem,” he told her.
“I don’t understand.”
“Leslie, you’ve got to get out of here. I mean it.”
“But, Joe—”
“Leslie, I think you were the target on the night of the gala, not Matt. I just don’t know why. And now someone out there is kidnapping and killing women. And I think it’s someone who knows you. Who knows you have a gift for finding the dead. For whatever reason—maybe for lots of reasons—someone sees you as a threat, don’t you see that? And you’re in danger here.”
She was quiet. “How’s Brad?”
Joe frowned, startled by the question. “He’s fine.”
“So you didn’t…?”
“I told you I wasn’t going to hurt him and I didn’t.”
“But you still think…?”
“I think he’s a jackass, but one with a certain amount of integrity. Is he guilty? I still don’t know. What I do know is that the area around here is honeycombed with underground passages. And there are a few things I have to do tonight, but I’m going to see to it that you’re safe. I’m going to rejoin the police, and we’re going to find the truth. Without you. Do you understand?”
“Joe,” she said firmly. “Maybe things happen for a reason. Maybe I’m back here to help, to stop this bastard. For all I know, maybe I wasn’t supposed to survive the explosion, but now I have a chance to try to help. You have to let me. Please.”
“You have helped, Leslie. But now you have to let the pros take over.”
He took her into his arms then and cradled her against him. Every male cell in his body wanted more. Every caution in his mind warned him that he could offer no more than his support right now, his friendship, his strength…his life.
He drew away, even though she wasn’t fighting his hold. She was staring up into his eyes.
She touched his cheek, a smile slowly curving her lips. “I’ll behave. Where are you going?”
“I want to get back to Robert. The rest of that tunnel needs to be checked out.”
She frowned and backed away from him, her words suddenly urgent. “That’s the most important thing you can do. She’s down there somewhere, Joe. Genevieve is down there.”
“How can you be so certain?”
“Because of the crying.”
“But you said—”
“I heard the echo of the dead girl’s tears, but I hear Genevieve crying, too, and her tears are real. And she’s not far from this house. I know it.”
He pulled out his cell phone. Then he hesitated. It was ridiculous to suspect Robert. But Robert had been on his list, and Robert was the one handling what was now no longer a missing persons case but a homicide.
Leslie didn’t want to suspect Brad.
No one wanted to believe someone they knew and liked was capable of evil.
He realized he was going to have to head straight over to police HQ as soon as Adam and Nikki got back. To be professional, he had to work this as he would any other case, and that meant involving law enforcement. Luckily, it wasn’t far. His feeling of urgency seemed to be increasing by the minute.
Just then he heard the door open. “Pizza!” Nikki called out.
Leslie smiled. “It’s okay, go.”
He nodded. “And you be careful. When I get back, we have to talk.”
She smiled, rose on her toes and kissed his cheek.
He left the kitchen just as Nikki and Adam entered carrying pizza boxes and a bag of sodas.
“You’re not eating?” Nikki asked.
“Leslie will explain,” he said. “Don’t leave her,” he ordered as he left.
“Not a chance,” Nikki assured him.
After he left, Leslie ate pizza, drank soda and carried on what she thought was a calm conversation, but she felt as if she were going insane.
“Why don’t we try it?” Nikki asked.
Leslie stared at Nikki blankly. Apparently she hadn’t been managing the conversation as well as she’d thought. “Try what?”
“A seance.”
“A seance?” She almost choked on her pizza. “A seance? Nikki, isn’t that pretty silly for people like us?”
“Maybe not,” Adam told her. “Maybe Matt has some learning to do and this will help.”
She stared at them both. “Okay. If you think it can help.”
Nikki shrugged. “The goal now is to find Genevieve alive. Whether any of the ghosts here can help with that or not, I don’t know. But…”
“Okay, let’s try it. If there’s anything we can do, we should do it,” Leslie said.
“Where?” Adam asked.
“Where else?” Leslie said. “The dead room.”
After several frustrating minutes in which he was continually told that the man to talk to was Robert Adair, Joe was tempted to give up. It wasn’t as if he didn’t have other suspects.