Free The Realm of the Shadows (Tropical Breeze Cozy Mystery Book 2) by Mary Bowers

that moment, something exploded with a huge flash, and a couple of the bright lights set up around the cemetery fell over with a crash. Invisible birds left their roosts in the old oaks and flew away, tittering.
    Jazz screamed an expletive and ran to help, with Pluto waddling along behind her. But Seth just stood beside us, shaking his head.
    “I told Teddy this would happen,” he said. “It was too much juice for the generator. This is not good.”
    He walked away, but not in the direction of the film crew. He looked like he was going back to relax on the veranda while everybody else fixed whatever the problem was.

Chapter 6
     
    They got things going again in about forty-five minutes, and the cast used the time to gear up for the hunt. Teddy put the finishing touch on his warrior look by swiping black greasepaint over his cheekbones. It was rather attractive, very dramatic, and of course it emphasized the hypnotic eyes. Then he did a little shadowboxing and percussive breathing, conscious that Michael and I were watching, but pretending to ignore us, just a lonely warrior preparing for battle.
    They began again in the cemetery, hovering around Betsy’s grave in a kind of pre-game huddle, and the cameras rolled.
    “You can feel the vibrations emanating from here, can’t you Seth?” An aside to the camera. “Seth, as you know, is the most sensitive psychic on the team.”
    Seth ran with it. “I felt the vibrations when we first arrived, my brother. She is strong. She is one strong lady.”
    Murmurs of assent percolated around the valiant little group.
    In an astonishing change of persona, Jazz said, “It frightens me. I’m not ashamed to admit it. The power – it’s awesome. The last time I felt this kind of power . . . .“ She shivered. “Remember San Francisco?”
    Murmurs of remembrance.
    “You got pretty scratched up,” Teddy said. “That was one mean presence, and it wasn’t going to go down quietly. Frankly I was surprised myself that we managed to handle it. May that poor, confused child remain at peace.”
    Murmurs of amen.
    Arm around Jazz, reassuring voice of the fatherly leader. “Don’t worry, Jazz. We’ve got your back.”
    Reassuring murmurs from the manly wall of protection .
    Focus ahead, past the eyes of the viewers: “You’re late, man.”
    A large, bear-shaped hominid ambled into the spotlight, scruffy, unkempt, and emanating sadness. A thinning mop of hippie hair had yielded to the wind, and though he was a tall man, his stooping posture only added to the impression of a lonely, mission-driven, harmless fellow who only wanted to be left alone in the lab.
    Wizard had arrived.
    Teddy embraced him as he broke into the huddle.
    “What have you got for us this time, Wiz?” Teddy asked, talking directly down into the grave of the lady ghost he was hoping to fool with whatever wind-up toy Wizard had come up with.
    “Well, I’ve made some adjustments,” Wizard said in a surprisingly mild voice for a man of his size. “As we discussed, electromagnetic fields can be merciless. Enough is too much, you might say. Layman’s terms. I managed to trick it out with a digital read-out for greater precision. What have you got for me here?” he said, looking down through the dirt, as it were, to the next subject.
    “Elizabeth Hull Cadbury,” Teddy said. “The lady of the manor.”
    “Ah, yes, I remember you, dear,” Wizard said gently and kindly. He managed to convey true affection, and I began to wonder how many of the crew had had acting classes. He was good. There was a tired authenticity about him, and in a cast of assorted hotties (and Pluto), I found he attracted me the most. You could curl up by a fire with him.
    And then he started the tech-talk again about his new gizmo, and I tuned him out.
    I was getting bored and thinking about taking Michael back up to the house for a glass of wine when Seth went off.
    He had turned his Botticelli profile to the camera and was gazing blankly