Free After Dark by Jayne Castle Page A

ghost-hunter, in which case I understand you have some limited immunity.”
    He drew a deep breath. “Okay, so you do know what it feels like.”
    â€œLet’s get something straight here. I spent most of the past four years of my working life in the Dead City. No para-archaeologist, regardless of how effective the team’s hunters are, can spend that much time in the field without brushing up against a few small ghosts.”
    He was not going to get far with logic and reason, he realized. Might as well cut to the chase. “You don’t seem to get the picture here, Miss Smith. I’m firing you.”
    â€œYou’re the one who doesn’t get it, Mr. London. You can’t fire me. We’ve got a contract.”
    â€œDon’t worry. I’ll compensate you for your time.”
    â€œThere’s more than money involved now. If what you say is true, it’s possible that poor Chester was killed because of your cabinet—” She broke off abruptly.
    He realized she was looking at someone who was approaching the table.
    â€œHope I’m not interrupting anything, Lydia. Saw you from across the room and had to say hello.”
    The voice was easy, refined, masculine. The kind of voice that projected well, Emmett thought. The voice of a man accustomed to the lecture hall. An educated voice.
    â€œHello, Ryan.” Lydia forced a chilly smile. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it? This is Emmett London. Emmett, this is Professor Ryan Kelso. He’s head of the Department of Para-archaeology at the university.” She paused delicately. “A former colleague.”
    And formerly something more than a colleague, Emmett thought. He didn’t consider himself the intuitive type, but even he couldn’t miss the undercurrents swirling around the small table. A disturbing tendril of possessiveness uncoiled deep inside him. Probably not a good thing. He could have done without the added complications.
    He took his time getting to his feet, absorbing the salient points of Ryan Kelso in a single glance. Tall, athletically fit, dark hair, gray eyes. Chiseled features.
    Ryan looked every inch the fashionable academic in a brown turtleneck, a tweed jacket, and a pair of trousers that rode low on his hips. He wore amber in a chunky wristband on his left arm.
    Emmett shook hands briefly. “Kelso.”
    â€œA pleasure, London.”
    Ryan gave Emmett a quick, assessing survey and then switched his attention back to Lydia. “What’s this about finding a murder victim in that peculiar little place where you work? Saw something about it in the papers.”
    â€œHis name was Chester Brady,” Lydia said stiffly. “I doubt if you knew him.”
    â€œCan’t say that I did.” Ryan’s mouth curved with amused disdain. “The papers implied that he was a ruin rat who had probably been killed by one of his criminal associates. What was he doing at Shrimpton’s? Trying to steal one of your acquisitions?”
    â€œChester was a friend of mine. A very strong trap tangler,” Lydia said in a steely voice. “One of the most powerful I’ve ever met. Who knows? If he’d had access to a decent education, he would have been a first-rate paraarchaeologist. Probably could have been chairman of the department at the university by now.”
    Ryan dismissed that with a chuckle. Then his eyes softened with concern. “It must have been very traumatic for you, finding the body and all. I mean, the shock of that coming on top of what happened six months ago—”
    â€œNot everyone thinks I’m fragile,” Lydia said with conviction. “Believe it or not, the detective in charge of the case put me on her list of suspects. Apparently she believes I’m fully capable of handling the stress of murdering an old pal and stuffing his body into a sarcophagus.”
    â€œUh—” Ryan floundered briefly, clearly