Ghost Hunter by Jayne Castle Page A

the shade and patterns that he needed, he began the process of merging his ghost with the blue vortex that blocked the corridor.
    This was the most dangerous part of the process. The idea was to use his ghost to cancel out the energy patterns of the one on the floor. A mistake could easily result in an explosion that would send violent waves of psi power splashing outward, swamping his senses.
    There was so much flaring light in the passage now that it was difficult to see. He squinted against the glare. Should have brought along a pair of dark glasses, he thought. He’d have to remember that the next time he went out on a date with Elly. His new motto was be prepared.
    The two ghosts came together in a senses-jarring flare of light and energy.
    The flames winked out with a suddenness that was disorienting.
    â€œIt’s gone,” Elly whispered. “That was absolutely amazing.”
    â€œYou okay?” he asked.
    â€œYes. Rose and I are fine.” She moved quickly toward him. “What about you?”
    â€œI’m all right.” For a while, he thought. And then I’m going to be in real trouble. Got to get out of here before the burn-and-crash hits me.
    He did another quick frequency check. “According to this, we’re almost on top of your friend.”
    â€œBut she’s nowhere in sight. There’s only the sled.”
    â€œAt least we now know why its frequency didn’t resonate on the locator. The blue ghost fried it.” He lookedaround. “We’ve got fifteen minutes, no longer. After that, we have to start back toward our entry point.”
    Elly looked at him with sudden concern. “You melted amber to deal with that blue ghost?”
    â€œYes.”
    Tuned amber didn’t physically melt when you pushed an unusual amount of power through it, but if it was overworked, the stuff lost much of its ability to sustain an intense, highly concentrated psi focus.
    He went forward quickly, watching the readout on the locator. When he passed a narrow doorway he got a sharp ping.
    He stopped and looked into the room. Like all of the myriad rooms that branched off the endless corridors, the proportions felt a little off, not quite human. This particular chamber was too high and too narrow. The angles where the walls met didn’t look right.
    The motionless figure of a woman lay sprawled on the glowing floor. She was somewhat past middle age, dressed in a long-sleeved sweater, overalls, and sturdy boots. She had a stocking cap pulled down over her short, gray hair.
    â€œHere she is,” he said. He went into the room and crouched beside the still form to check for a pulse. “She’s alive.”
    â€œThank God.” Elly rushed across the room. “Bertha.” She went down on her knees. “She’s unconscious.”
    â€œNot surprising. Probably got brushed by that blue before she made it into this room. Lucky the burn didn’t kill her.”
    â€œShe didn’t get fried, or at least that wasn’t her only problem.” Elly gently touched the stocking cap that covered Bertha’s head. “Look. It’s wet with blood. She must have hit her head when she fell. We’ve got to get her out of here.”
    He checked his watch. Time was slipping away fast.
    â€œWe’ll use her sled,” he said. He paused at the doorway and met her eyes. “One more thing. Very important.”
    â€œWhat’s that?”
    â€œWhen she wakes up, she probably won’t have any clear memory of what happened just before she hit her head. And if she did get brushed by that ghost, it’s a sure bet she’ll have a case of amnesia that will wipe out the events of the past several hours.”
    â€œI know. So?”
    â€œSo we’re going to tell her that she had an encounter with a ghost. But we’re not going to tell her it was a blue. Let her think it was a routine UDEM.”
    Elly got slowly to her feet.