A Triple Scoop of I Scream by Gabrielle Holly Read Free Book Online Page B

asked if you thought it had anything to do with me. He didn’t ask for all the smutty details!”
    Mike frowned as if considering her point. “Yeah, right. Um, well, yes, we think it does have something to do with Toni. See, we all have different energies—kind of like radio stations all have different signals, so when you turn the dial you can get country music or rock ‘n’ roll, classical or whatever.”
    Mike looked at Liam, presumably gauging his understanding. Liam leaned in. “And Toni’s ‘station’?”
    “Yeah, so, when you turn Toni’s dial, all you get is pure sex.”
    Toni planted her elbows on the table and covered her face with her hands. She heard Thomas spray his beer across the tablecloth on one side and Bridget’s stifled laughter on the other.
    Toni waited until Bridget’s laughter was under control before lifting her burning face from her hands.
    “Oh. My. God! What the hell are you talking about, Mike? ‘When you turn Toni’s dial all you get is pure sex’! What the hell is that all about?”
    Thomas moved to the chair next to Toni’s and laid his hand on her forearm.
    “Toni, it’s not something you can control. Like I told you back in Soldiers Orchard, you’re a medium. You’re a conduit for spirits. And, as far as we can tell, your energy—the energy they use to come through—is not only exceptionally strong, it’s almost exclusively sexual in nature.
    “We weren’t completely sure after the Buckman thing—since it was only that one time—but after seeing you and…him…upstairs, we’re all pretty convinced.”
    Toni looked over at Liam. She realised that everyone else at the table had been through this kind of thing at least once before—and Thomas and Bridget studied paranormal phenomena for a living. Liam was probably thinking he was stuck in a very real, very bizarre dream. She searched his handsome face for some sign of his state of mind. He finally let out a single-syllable laugh.
    “Wow. I’ve seen stuff here. Lots of people have seen stuff here. But this is… This is…”
    Mike took advantage of the pause. “Liam, what were you feeling when you were with Toni upstairs?”
    Liam answered with a look that screamed ‘You’re kidding, right?’ but finally said, “I felt overwhelmed with passion for her. I wanted her—no, I needed her. I craved her. I wanted to be a part of her. I was absolutely desperate to be with her. It was amazing. And it was terrifying.”
    Toni reached out and laid her hand on Liam’s arm. “I’m really sorry I brought this here, Liam. Until five minutes ago I didn’t even know that I had anything to do with it. I…”
    Liam covered her hand with his. “Don’t apologise, Toni. I’m not blaming you. It’s just a lot to digest.”
    Liam looked at each of the three ghost hunters in turn, then back at Toni. “You’re obviously here for a reason. Tell me what I can do to help figure out what it is.”

Chapter Eight
     
     
     
    Toni leaned against the candy counter at the back of the ice-cream parlour. She barely recognised the shop. While she’d been upstairs in her psychic stupor, the other four had taken turns cleaning downstairs. The paper had been pulled from the windows and the glass cleaned, letting in the sunlight. They’d managed to get the dishwasher working and had run through all of the serving dishes and the topping dispensers. Every surface had been scrubbed and the sour smell had been washed away. If not for the three ghost hunters milling about setting up paranormal investigation equipment, the place would look ready for business.
    Thomas sat down at a tiny bistro table and stared at his cellphone. He shook his head and slid the phone into his front pocket. He frowned at Bridget, who was sitting on one of the red vinyl counter stools. “Do you even know how to use that thing, O’Malley?”
    Bridget wrinkled her nose at him then turned back to the EMF meter in her hand. “Yes. Of course I know how to use it.