Free Where The Heart Is: A Bay City Paranormal Investigations story by Ally Blue

twice a month. But he hated hearing that knowledge in his friends’ voices. It made him feel hollow and strangely tarnished.
“No,” he said, keeping the sharpness out of his voice with an effort. “Sommer— that’s the guy I was telling you about—has a haunted house. I told him I’d do an informal investigation there. Ron and Kerry are going to help me, so I was wondering if you knew anyone local who had equipment I could rent.”
“Actually, yes, I do. The closest investigative group to you is in Raleigh, but I know a woman right there in Chapel Hill who sells most of the things you’d need. I’m sure she’ll be happy to let you rent, just tell her you work for me and are investigating a local haunting.” Bo hesitated a moment. “What sort of haunting is it?”
Dean bit back a laugh. Even after all the years he’d been in this business, Bo still got ridiculously excited about a new case. “I’m not entirely sure, but my gut says it’s an honest-to-God apparition and not a residual.”
“What makes you say so? Have you seen something?”
“Damn, Bo. And I thought Sam was the psychic one.”
Soft, almost childlike laughter bubbled up through the phone. “Come on, Dean, what did you see?”
Bending one leg, Dean planted his foot on the swing and contemplated the small tear in the side of his sneaker. “Sommer, Kerry, Ron and I were in Sommer’s kitchen earlier today, when a mist rose out of the floor and floated through the back door. Sommer and I followed it to a clearing in the woods behind his house, where it disappeared.” He left out the part where Sommer got him off right there within sight of the house, as well as the part where he’d fallen to his knees and sucked Sommer’s cock.
His prick stirred again, pressing against his zipper. Scowling, he adjusted himself and cursed his overactive libido.
“Hm. Well, it sure sounds like you might have an apparition there.” Bo’s excitement came through loud and clear. “Damn, I wish we could come up and do a full investigation.”
“It’s cool. I can manage, especially with Kerry, Ron and Sommer helping me out.” “How much time do you think you’ll need?”
“Well, I’m only here for like eleven more days, so it can’t very well take any longer than that.”
“Would you like to stay a little longer?”
Dean blinked, surprised. “Um, well, yeah, actually, but—”
“Would two extra weeks be enough?”
Dean’s mouth fell open. “What? Are you serious?”
“Yes. That would give you almost a month from today, is that long enough?”
“Yeah. Yeah, it is, but…” Dean chewed his bottom lip for a second. “Why?”
“You know as well as I do that real apparitions aren’t exactly common. If that’s really what your friend has, then it deserves more attention that you can give it in that short a time, especially since you’ll be working part-time, with untrained personnel and rented equipment.”
A slow smile spread over Dean’s face. “I’d sure love to stay longer, yeah. Thanks. You sure y’all can spare me?”
“I think so. Our caseload is light right now, thank God.”
“Good. Okay, well, I guess I’m staying, then.” Dean rubbed his thumb over the mouth of his beer bottle, grinning like a complete idiot. “I’ll ask Sommer if we can publish some of the pics and video clips and stuff on the BCPI website. Assuming we get any worth publishing, that is.”
“That would be wonderful.”
“All right, cool. Oh, let me get the name and number of the lady with the equipment.”
“Of course. Hang on a second, let me find it.” There was a shuffle and a clunk which Dean assumed was Bo setting the phone down. Dean jumped up and ran inside, reaching the kitchen just as Bo came back on the line. “All right, I have it. Are you ready?”
Ignoring the puzzled look Kerry shot him from her spot at the kitchen table with her cup of tea, Dean grabbed the pen hanging from a string on the refrigerator and clicked it on. “Yeah, I’m