"You're doing that," I accused.

"No, I'm not." Spider kept his voice level and quiet. Kelly shot me a dirty look, but I was so used to them by now that I could care less.

Spider went on, "Spirit, are you trapped in this house?"

The house was dead quiet, the candle was flickering, and I was very, very glad to have Joe sitting next to me on the couch.

The circling of the pendulum became erratic, and within a few moments it was swinging back and forth, back and forth.

"No," Kelly said, sounding surprised.

Spider started to ask another question, but Kelly interrupted him. "Peaches, is that you?"

The pendulum swung no.

She frowned, concentrating. "Bijou? Is it Bijou?"

A continued slow, steady swing indicated no.

Kelly leaned back and shot me a look that was hard to read. Then she asked, "Is your name Sammy?" and the world went still.

Icy fingers trailed their way down my spine. "Sammy? You know Sammy?"

Kelly didn't answer.

I'd never said a word to Kelly about Sammy.

"It's changing," Spider whispered, enthralled. The pendulum slowed, then started swinging in a different direction. Within seconds it was circling again, indicating a yes.

"What are you doing, Kelly?" I grabbed her shoulder over Spider's lean back, forcing her to look at me.

"He needs our help," she whispered, keeping an eye on the pendulum. "I knew you wouldn't understand."

"He doesn't need our help," I said. "What've you gotten yourself into?"

"Do you need our help, Sammy?" Kelly was talking directly to the pendulum now, defiantly asking it to confirm what she'd said.

It clearly circled yes.

"Is what you want in this room?"

The circling seemed to speed up.

"Stop it!" I stood up, ready to snatch the pendulum from Spider's hand.

Joe rose, too, placing a calming hand on my back. "Nicki? What's going on?"

I couldn't hold still. Before I could lose my nerve, I plunged into the darkness outside the feeble circle of candlelight and fumbled for the light switch. Relief flooded me when it came on, and I leaned against the wall, aware I was trembling.

"How do you know Sammy?" I directed my question to Kelly, knowing Joe and Spider were wondering what was going on, but letting them wait for an explanation right along with me.

Kelly sighed. She looked at Spider, then at Joe, then sighed again. Reluctantly, she said, "He came to me in the mirror. He asked me not to tell you I was helping him because you'd try and make me stop."

I let my head fall back to hit the wall, mind working furiously. Brilliant. Simply brilliant.

"Are you talking about the guy you thought you saw in the mirror Halloween night?" Joe asked. "You think he's here? Now?"

"Cool," Spider said, sounding very impressed.

"Not cool," I snapped. "He's not who he pretends to be, Kelly."

She shot me a resentful glance. "He said you'd say that."

I wanted to strangle her.

But not in front of witnesses.

"Hey, what's this?" Spider moved his bottle of beer and picked something up from the coffee table. "I didn't see it here before."

A tarot card.

"Wow," he said, looking closer. "Look at that."

I couldn't help it-I had to see, so I came over to the couch and looked at the colorful card in his hand.

A horned demon sat on a throne, two chained figures at its feet.

"What is it?" Joe didn't seem any more pleased at the image than I was.

I read aloud from the bottom of the card, unable to stop myself.

"The Devil.'"

CHAPTER 13.

"That's it, Spider man," Joe said. "You're outta here." He stood up, looming over Spider, who was still sitting on the couch. "Grab your stuff and get out."

"Hey, man," Spider shot to his feet. "I had nothing to do with this."

"Right." Joe wasn't buying it. "You just happened to stop by, you just happened to carry a 'pendulum' in your pocket, and you just happened to find that tarot card. Scare the girls and make them cry. Probably works great with the tourists. Great way to meet chicks, huh?"

"Who's crying?" I snapped, nerves jangling. "Nobody's crying." I turned a fierce glare on Spider. "Did you put that card there?"

Spider kept his cool. "I didn't. I swear I didn't. It was just there." He glared at Joe.

"That's right." Kelly pulled her feet up onto the couch, hugging her knees. "This isn't his fault."

Joe's frustration showed in the way he ran a hand through his hair. "Whose fault is it, then?"

As if in answer to his question, a series of thumps and bumps came from the ceiling above our heads. I flinched at one particularly loud crash, then there was nothing but silence.

"Oh, man," Spider groaned, "I think that was the camera."

"The camera?"

"The one we set up in the Delft Room," Kelly said. She met my eye, unapologetic. "Spider was hoping to catch something on infrared."

I opened my mouth to tell her what she and Spider could do with their infrared, but there was a loud pop, and the lights went out.

"Shit," I muttered. Darkness enveloped the house like a cloak, thick with tension and heavy with silence. Now I was actually glad for the candle, though I didn't like the way it cast shadows high on the wall.

"Sounded like a blown fuse," Joe said calmly. "We need to find the fuse box." He held out his hand, and I took it, letting him guide me back to the couch. I sat down again, while he remained standing, but I felt a lot safer knowing he was so close.

Kelly was still sitting at the other end of the couch, but I was so pissed I couldn't even bring myself to look at her. How long had she been talking to Sammy? What lies had he told her?

He's a liar. Don't listen to anything he says. Peaches in the backseat of my car, warning me about the "liar" who was coming. I'd stupidly assumed she was talking about a real, live person. He'll strike where you're weakest... he'll go after Kelly first.

Oh, shit. She'd been warning me about Sammy.

Spider hesitated briefly, then moved toward the front door. "We'll need a flashlight to find the fuse box. I have one in the trunk of my car."

Joe gave a grunt, then sank back down on the couch, right between Kelly and me. "You do that," he said. Surprisingly, he put an arm around each of us and pulled us closer. "We'll wait right here."

I couldn't help but notice that Kelly didn't seem to mind being handled like Joe's personal possession. I, for one, didn't care to be treated as part of a threesome, but I was too spooked to pull away. I snuggled closer to Joe, laying a hand on his thigh for good measure.

Spider glanced at Kelly, scowling as he turned away. He went out, leaving the front door wide open.

"You two okay?" Joe glanced back and forth between Kelly and me.

"Yes," Kelly said, while I said, "No."

Figures.

"Everything's fine." Joe gave us both a squeeze, but I wasn't sure I liked him squeezing Kelly. "The camera just fell over or something. That guy doesn't look like the brightest bulb in the pack."

And just like that, the lights came back on.

"Wow," I said, blinking at the sudden assault on my pupils. "Talk about the power of suggestion."

"He's actually very smart, Joe." Kelly seemed more concerned about Joe's assessment of her new friend than she did about the lights. "I don't think you're giving him a chance."

I sat up straight, easing from beneath his arm, and waited for Kelly to do the same.

Was it my imagination, or was she taking her time over it?

"Oh, really?" Was it my imagination, or was there a hint of jealousy in Joe's voice? "The guy walks around carrying a pendulum. And what kind of guy expects people to call him Spider man?"

Kelly gave Joe a sideways glance as she started to rise from the couch. "Spider. His name is Spider."

Another heavy thump came from upstairs, and all three of us glanced up at the ceiling.

"I guess we should go see what's making that noise," Kelly murmured.

"I guess we should," Joe said, but nobody moved.

Spider came in the front door, holding a flashlight. "Did you guys find a breaker?"

"No," Kelly said. "I thought maybe you did."

He shrugged. "No, but whatever. Let's go check out the camera."

"Uh... you go," I said. "The three of us will wait."

Kelly got up. "I'll go with you. I want to see what's going on up there."

To my surprise, Joe also got up. "Yeah, me, too."

I looked back and forth between Joe and Kelly, not liking the ugly thoughts I was having. Joe had never been particularly eager to confront any spirits-was he worried about Kelly's safety, or her obvious attraction to another guy?

"I'm staying here." I had no desire to go looking for trouble.

Joe frowned down at me. "Come with us, Nicki. I don't like leaving you alone."

"Don't go, then," I said lightly. "Stay with me."

Spider was already moving toward the stairs, Kelly following in his wake.

"Don't you want to see what was making those noises?" Joe glanced toward the stairs.

"Not particularly." Stay with me, Joe.

"Okay." He bent, patting my knee as he turned away. "I'll be right back."

In hurt silence, I watched as the three of them disappeared up the stairs.

Get a grip, Styx. Jealousy doesn't become you.

"Knock, knock."

I didn't move, didn't blink. I'd heard that slightly mocking, extremely sexy voice all too often in my dreams lately not to know who it was.

"You're supposed to say, 'Who's there,'" Sammy murmured, his breath warm in my ear. I shot up, twisting to find him standing behind me, leaning one arm casually on the back of the couch.