Free How to Survive a Killer Seance by Penny Warner

around.’ Then he left. That was it.”
    Jonathan Ellington seemed to be a very controlling guy, I thought, as I opened the car door. He’s used to being the boss. Or was it something else?
    “My gut says he was up to something,” Brad said after he got out and closed the passenger door. “I don’t trust him and I don’t think you should either.”
    “But you don’t really know him, do you?”
    “No. But my gut is usually right, Presley. I don’t think you should be alone with the guy.”
    I looked at Brad in disbelief, certain he was overreacting. “You’re kidding, right?” While I saw Jonathan as a player, I didn’t think he was truly evil. After all, he cared about his father.
    “I’m just saying . . .” Brad added, “that guy has got secrets.”
     
    Brad and I went our separate ways home. Neither of us was in the mood to get together—I resented Brad’s implication that I couldn’t take care of myself, and he’d made it clear he didn’t want me working with Jonathan Ellington. I got back in my car and drove to my condo, while he took off in his SUV. It was a long night without him, but my cats kept me company and I finally fell asleep reading a book on the history of the Golden Gate Expo.
    The next morning, Brad’s SUV was missing from the parking lot. I entered the office I shared with Delicia and found a note on the “In/Out” board she’d hung on the wall. Next to her name she’d written, “At vintage stores looking for séance costume accessories.” With Dee playing the part of the medium, I knew I was in good hands. I couldn’t wait to see what she came up with. I erased “At Winchester House” next to my name, and left the space blank.
    I sat down at my desk and swiveled in my chair for a few minutes trying to decide what to do first. After sifting through a stack of pending party forms, I let them flutter back onto the desk like giant confetti, and turned on my laptop. But instead of dealing with a couple dozen waiting e-mails, I Googled the name “George Wells” and “Hella-Graphics.” The screen lit up with an obituary bearing his name.
    WELLS, GEORGE
    San Francisco—George Wells, 60, died unexpectedly on Sunday, April 2. Wells was credited with developing one of the first three-dimensional projectors for Jonathan Ellington, CEO of Hella-Graphics. “This is a tragic loss to Hella-Graphics, to the world, and to me personally,” Ellington said in a press release.
    Really? I thought, because it sure hadn’t seemed like it. I read on.
    Born in San Francisco, Wells earned an electrical engineering degree from Stanford University, which he parlayed into developing state-of-the-art software. He felt he was on the verge of another exciting product.
    Wells is survived by wife, Teddi, and three daughters, Susan MacLeod, Sandra Spellman, and Kathleen Mahn. “George was a kind man who loved to tinker in his garage workshop when he wasn’t working at Hella-Graphics,” his wife of thirty-eight years said. A private memorial is planned at the Wells home next Sunday. Donations may be made to the George Wells Engineering Scholarship Fund, c/o Stanford University.
    I sat back, digesting the information about a man I had seen just a couple of months ago. But the obit left a lot of unanswered questions. And there was no mention that he’d hanged himself in his office.
    I reached for my phone to try Teddi again, but it trilled, announcing a text message. I didn’t text much, except to respond to Dee’s texts. My mother preferred to communicate by old-fashioned telephone, my clients by e-mail, and Brad in person. I picked up the phone and read the texts from Jonathan Ellington.
    Great meeting last night, Presley! Glad you’re on board. Details coming via e-mail attachment from my
    VP, Stephanie Bryson. LMK if you have questions. Let’s meet again this afternoon at the mansion.
     
    Several more texts followed.
     
    I think party should start around 8. Want it to be dark enough outside