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to borrow some of that confidence again. But it was really<br />

unnecessary. Although something incredibly freaky had happened<br />

in the beginning, the remainder of the investigation was completely<br />

uneventful. Everyone had material to work with after the shove; they<br />

had specific questions to ask and they all wanted to get into the<br />

playroom. But there was no response, at least none that we could<br />

hear or see.<br />

I elected to head home instead of joining the group for their<br />

usual post-investigation diner rendezvous. Even though nothing else<br />

had happened, I felt thoroughly drained. Probably from focusing all<br />

my energy on making sure I was completely, totally, one hundred<br />

percent covered in my imaginary armor. My brain was fried from all<br />

the concentration. We didn’t talk too much on the way home — in<br />

spite of the scare factor of the evening, I was drifting in and out of<br />

consciousness as sleep grappled for a hold on me.<br />

When Tucker pulled into my driveway, I stumbled sleepily<br />

out the door onto the blacktop. To my surprise, he turned off the car<br />

and got out with me. “You coming in?” I asked.<br />

He laughed. “I’m just walking you to the door.”<br />

Hmm. So maybe things were a little bit different between us.<br />

I was getting some real lady treatment, apparently. He fell into step<br />

beside me as we made the short trek up the drive and to the front<br />

door. <strong>The</strong> outdoor light wasn’t on, which meant that my dad was<br />

home and had turned it off automatically when he went to bed.<br />

“Well,” I said, not sure exactly how to say goodnight to a<br />

new, sort-of, not-official boyfriend after a paranormal investigation.<br />

Needless to say, it wasn’t a situation I found myself in frequently.<br />

“Listen,” he interrupted my trying to think of what to say. “I<br />

wanted to let you know how impressed I was tonight. I probably<br />

wouldn’t have gone back in after that.”<br />

My eyebrows shot so far up that anyone leaning out a second<br />

floor window could have reached out and caught them. “Really?”<br />

Tucker seemed so fearless when it came to ghost hunting. “Even<br />

though that wasn’t a demonic case or anything?”<br />

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