Page 55 of Real Fake Hauntings

“Thank you,” I said primly. “How come you’re here?”

“One of my buddies volunteers for the walk,” he said easily, not a trace of guilt or suspicious motives to be seen or heard. “I was going to talk to him for a bit when I met Preston.”

“You two know each other?” I narrowed my eyes in Preston’s direction.

“Sure,” Alex went on. “He’s come to the cemetery before.”

“He’s what?” I choked out.

“He wants to hire us to work on his new house,” Alex said, all excitement.

Dru was going to love that. “Ian hasn’t told me anything.”

“Oh, the boss doesn’t know yet.”

“Cavalier wasn’t in when I visited,” Preston said. “Alex here convinced me to allow him to pitch the renovations.”

“You did?”

Alex seemed to grow taller at Preston’s words. “I want to pitch the project to the boss. Show him the numbers and everything and ask to be lead.”

I let out a low whistle. “That’s a big step.”

“Yep. Preston agreed to the idea.” And judging from his expression, Preston had now joined Alex’s private pantheon.

“That was generous of you,” I told Preston. Not that I believed it for a moment. The man was up to something, I was sure.

Preston shrugged. “Alex was very convincing.”

I narrowed my eyes, trying to peer into his brain. Alas, no magic spell for that. “I’m sure.”

He simply smiled wider. Hmph.

“I didn’t know you liked to do the zombie walk, boss,” Alex said, completely unaware of my and Preston’s private war.

“I don’t usually.” I looked down at my mummy-wrapped wrists and forearms. “I’m investigating the pentagrams issue,” I added, watching Preston closely for any reaction.

“Pentagrams?” he asked with polite curiosity.

“Someone’s been messing with people’s walls,” Alex explained. He sent me a wink while Preston was focused on me, letting me know that he might be excited about getting his first renovation project, but he wasn’t about to spill his guts about Crane and his early—literal—grave.

I smiled back, something settling inside of me. Yes, Alex might act like an empty-brained guy sometimes, but he was made of sterner stuff.

“The culprit might be a witch, so I was called in to investigate,” I said like it was no big deal, barely stopping myself from flicking imaginary dust off my jacket.

“I hope you catch them,” Preston said politely.

And since he was too tall to be my UNSUB, I showed them the webcam screenshot on my phone. “Have you seen this person around?”

“Did they paint the pentagrams?” Alex asked, taking a closer look at the picture.

“Possibly.” I turned the phone toward Preston. “Seen them around?”

Preston scowled at the screen. “Hard to tell. It could be anyone.”

“Have you seen someone in a hoodie walk by right before I got here?” I asked.

They shook their heads.

---