Chapter three

Andi’s research on Dr. Gilbreath confirmed her suspicions. The woman was a nutcase. She claimed to be an expert on the supernatural, having successfully filmed more than two hundred alleged haunted houses, all complete with sounds and sightings of aberrations and ghosts. The pictures on her website, although somewhat convincing, still had Andi in a state of disbelief. Photos could be altered. And if there were indeed documented cases of haunted places, why didn’t it make headline news? Why were the stories shoved to the back of legitimate newspapers? Oh, they made the front page of the weekly trash magazines sometimes, but what sane person read that crap and actually believed it?

No, Andi was of the mindset that all things, no matter how bizarre, could be logically explained. Which was why she was still having difficulty reconciling the fact that she was about to spend an entire week at the Zeiko Place.

“Andi, Bill says they’re waiting on you.”

Andi looked up from her computer, then to the clock. “They’re here already? ”

Carl shrugged, then moved away.

Time to meet the ghostbusters. Andi hoped she wouldn’t appear too cynical. But again, that was a sign of a good reporter. If you were too gullible, you’d believe anything and write anything. But there was a fine line between being too gullible and too stubborn to see things for what they were. So, she’d told herself she’d keep an open mind about this whole thing. She only prayed she would not see the ghosts of the long-dead Zeiko family.

A quick knock on the conference room door, and she walked in, her eyes drawn to the older woman, Dr. Gilbreath, as she was explaining a photograph to Bill. She was older than Andi expected, and not nearly as weird-looking as Andi had hoped she’d be. This woman appeared perfectly normal. She smiled pleasantly at Andi and offered her hand.

“You must be our reporter. I’m Dr. Gilbreath. Glad you could join our team, ” she said, motioning to the three others who sat around the table. Andi slid her eyes around the room, pausing when dark eyes—somewhat familiar dark eyes—held hers. A woman about her age, with dark hair, smiled at her, then lifted an eyebrow. It was a gesture Andi used to find unbelievably sexy. Now, it only managed to annoy the hell out of her.

“Andrea Beene. My God. Beenie Weenie, how long has it been? ”

Andi bit her lip, her blue eyes flashing at the nickname she’d been forced to suffer through during adolescence. She squared her shoulders and gave a slight smile. “Not nearly long enough.”

“You two know each other? ” Dr. Gilbreath asked.

“Small world. Yes, we went to high school together. Andi and I used to... hang out.”

Andi glanced quickly at Bill. “May I have a word with you? ”

“But—”

“Now.” Andi walked from the room, not caring a bit of the impression she was making on these people. She simply could not believe that she was here, of all people.

“What in the world is wrong with you? ”

“I can’t work with her.”

“Dr. Gilbreath? Why she seems perfectly—”

“ No! Not her. The other one.”

“The other one? Your old high school friend? ”

“She was no friend. ” Andi took a deep breath. “Bill, please, I just have a lot of unpleasant memories and... and issues with that woman. I can not work with her.”

“You’re almost thirty. You still have issues from high school? ”

“Yes, I have issues, as ridiculous as that sounds. So, you’ll have to get someone else to go on this little witch hunt.”

“I’m sorry, but no.”

“No? ”

“No. It’s all arranged. You’ve already done the research. It’s too late to back out now.”

“Bill, please.”

“No, Andrea, I’m sorry. You’ll just have to get over whatever issues you have.”

He walked back into the conference room, making apologies as Andi collected herself. How was she going to survive the next week locked in a haunted house with Jaime Tucker?