Prelude of Lies by Victoria Smith Read Free Book Online

get us to sell now?”
    “Maybe they’re only trying to make things difficult for you to delay your opening. Who’s Jace?”
    “Violet’s grandson. I’ve never met him, but he’s a major ass.” She never wanted to talk to him again.
    “Does he know we’re here?” Marshal scribbled in the margin of the page.
    “He has to. Why else would the cabin be trashed and a beer can left behind?” She tried to ignore the male influence on the cabin. A pair of orange boxer shorts hung on the bathroom doorknob. Why hadn’t she seen them before?
    “Maybe you should meet with him? Find out exactly what he and his grandmother are up to.”
    She turned toward Marshal, her back to the boxers. “I’ll break his teeth if I see his face.”
    Though, Sydney had to admit, she’d thought about calling a meeting with Jace. Maybe she could appeal to his logic and make him understand how important honoring Gramps was to her and Daisy.
    “Understood. I’m not telling you what to do, just a suggestion from a neutral party.” Marshal had a funny twist on his mouth, like maybe he thought he’d overstepped his boundary.
    “No problem. Do you need me for anything else?” She pushed her chair back and stood. Halting at the devilish grin he now wore. His eyes made her think of sex and so did the little quirk of his mouth.
    Marshal shook his head. “We’ll set the equipment up a few hours before dusk. I want to start with the pond and the bathhouse tonight. You do realize it’s going to take us a long time to cover the whole place?”
    “Yeah, Daisy explained how you operate. Why the pond first? I figured you’d start with this creepy as hell cabin.”
    “The tractor is gone now. The pond was disturbed. Sometimes renovations and that kind of stuff will draw the spirits out. We run equipment in here constantly. Take a nap and bring your open mind.” He stood and went with her to the door. His nearness made it difficult to remember what he’d said.
    Sydney thought about turning around and pushing him back into the cabin and locking the door behind them. She laughed at her stupid self. Like she’d ever have the guts.
    As she went toward her cabin, faint laughter met her ears. At first, she thought Daisy had finally lost the crappy mood she had earlier, until the eerie sound surrounded her along with a rush of cold air.

CHAPTER 4
    Daisy watched Graham do laps around the bathhouse. He seemed distracted and talked to himself.
    Curiosity getting the better of her, she stopped and leaned against the wall. Graham faltered as he approached, reaching his hand to his side and pulling out a tape recorder. Holding the device up, he stopped in front of her.
    “Brainstorming.”
    Daisy nodded. Her roommate in college was a writer. As she waited for him to turn off the machine, she tried to figure out why Graham made her sister so crazy. Was it because he was truly a jerk, or maybe her sister was far too attracted and used her anger as a shield?
    “You make my sister nuts. Why?” Why bother sidestepping what she wanted to know?
    “I don’t do it on purpose. Well, okay, maybe I do. She’s fun angry and I had to find out if she was willing to give Marshal a chance without interfering.” He leaned against the wall beside her.
    “Why? I thought you and Marshal were at odds?” Something else was going on here.
    “No. It’s a good way to get a better feel for how people will react to paranormal activity. I am a skeptic, but more like Marshal. I write ghost stories. Some based on real events. I’ve definitely seen some things that add to the old muse, but I’m not saying I believe in this stuff. I am really looking forward to this investigation, though. Did Marshal tell you about the cabin last night?”
    She shook her head, confused and interested. Why was she seeing a different side of him? Was he playing her? But why? The way his eyes lit up when he described the cold air and voices only confused her more. She wanted to hate him as much