Free Harmony 01 After Dark by Jayne Castle Page A

"Green lights?" Ryan looked pained. "How original." "Cost a bundle, but I'm pleased with the effect," Emmett said. "The lights and the wall mirrors give the gallery a real weird feel, know what I mean?" "I can imagine," Ryan murmured dryly. Lydia smiled blandly. "Sounds like you've achieved exactly the sort of creepy effect that we strive for at Shrimpton's, Emmett."
    "'Creepy'—that's the word." Emmett looked at Ryan. "I need a few more pieces to fill out the collection, though. That's why I'm here in Cadence. Lydia thinks she can turn up some choice mirrors for me."
    "I'm sure she will." Ryan glanced over his shoulder. "If you'll excuse me, I'd better get back to my companion. Nice to meet you, London."
    "Sure," Emmett said.
    Ryan turned to Lydia. "It's great to see you getting out again, Lydia."
    He leaned down with the obvious intention of giving her the sort of casual peck on the cheek that constituted a friendly farewell between old friends, but he missed his target. At the last possible instant, Lydia, acting as though she was entirely unaware of his intent, reached out to pick up her fork, and her elbow somehow connected with his groin.
    "Umph." Ryan took a hasty step back, started to put a hand gingerly on his crotch, then apparently thought better of it and took some shallow breaths instead.
    "Oh, sorry." Lydia paused with the fork in midair. "Didn't realize you were standing quite so close. It was terrific seeing you again too, Ryan. Give my regards to everyone at the lab."
    "Right." He backed away from the table. "Catch you later, Lydia. Good luck with the consulting work."
    Turning on his heel, he moved quickly off through the maze of small tables. Emmett watched him go and decided that Ryan had the air of a man making a strategic retreat. Or maybe it was more of a desperate flight to safety.
     
     
    Chapter 8
     
     
    silence descended ON them. Emmett looked at Lydia. She met his eyes. A moment of perfect comprehension, he thought.
    The waiter returned with the entrees. When he was gone, Lydia refocused her attention on her food.
    "He thinks I lost my para-rez pitch because of something that happened to me six months ago," she said after a while.
    "I got that impression."
    "I had a bad experience in the Dead City ."
    "I know," Emmett said quietly.
    "You do?" She looked up quickly, frowning. "I hadn't realized—" Then she grimaced. "Yes, I suppose you would know."
    "I called one of my people back in Resonance City . Had him take a quick look into your background."
    "I see."
    "The report said you were surprised by an illusion trap. It overwhelmed you, and you disappeared into the catacombs before anyone else on the team realized what had happened. There was a search, but you had vanished. Two days later you walked out on your own."
    She shrugged. "So they say. To be honest, I can't remember anything about the forty-eight hours I spent underground. The para-rez shrinks said it's probably better that way."
    "What do you think happened?"'
    She hesitated. "I may have gotten caught in a trap. I'm good, but no tangler is perfect. But there's another possibility."
    "What's that?"
    "I could have gotten badly fried by a really powerful ghost. That would also account for two full days of amnesia."
    He frowned. "Couldn't have been a ghost. You were with a university excavation team. The report said you had two fully qualified ghost-hunters."
    She cocked a brow. "You read the official report of the inquiry council, didn't you?"
    "Yes."
    "It's supposed to be confidential, you know."
    "I know."
    She let that go. "You're right. There were two hunters with us. They claim they accompanied me to the entrance to the tomb chamber. They told the committee that while they were dealing with a couple of small ghosts at the entrance, I disappeared into one of the antechambers. That was the last they saw of me."
    Emmett waited.
    "They said I didn't follow standard safety procedures." Her mouth tightened. "They implied I behaved