15 Amityville Horrible Read Free

cheesy. But the charity angle helps. Also, I’m the only spiritualist, which means no ego clashes like we had in Brentwood. The other pros are parapsychologists. Then there are the extras. They’ll start casting those slots after the press release goes out tomorrow.”
    “So the extras will be actors?”
    “Mmm, not exactly. They’re supposed to be just regular folks who dare to spend a night in a haunted house. It’s an old routine. I’ll send you links to some YouTube clips. They’re good for a laugh. Basically, a bunch of people running around in the dark, hearing pipes creak and mice skitter, and scaring themselves silly.”
    “I see.”
    I lowered my feet. “It’s too cheesy, isn’t it.” I swore under my breath. “I should have—”
    “You should have done exactly what you wanted to do. Or, in this case, felt compelled to do. I was assimilating, not judging. You know that.”
    “I do. Sorry. Just…” I inhaled. “I know it’s not exactly a brilliant career move. It’s not a bad one, but for respectability, it’s two steps down from the Marilyn show, and that wasn’t exactly the highlight of my career.”
    “It didn’t damage it. In fact, it raised your profile, didn’t it? Boosted attendance at your shows?”
    As he spoke, something flickered to the side. I sat up.
    “Jaime?” he said when I went silent.
    “Just a sec. I may have a visitor.”
    Most people who know I’m a necromancer would keep talking. Asking questions. Is it my spirit guide, Eve? A ghost? Has a ghost been bothering me? Is Eve being a pain in the ass? Jeremy knew that the best response was silence while I puzzled it out.
    I looked around. The natural thing would be to call, “Who’s there?” but with ghosts, that’s like rolling out the welcome mat. It’s better to wait and let the ghosts make contact…then send them packing as quickly as possible.
    That sounds cruel. It is cruel. It’s also self-preservation. I help when I can, but if I opened myself up to every spirit who asked, I’d be plagued by them every moment of the day. Luckily, I have a very effective watchdog—my ghostly bodyguard, Eve Levine. Dark witch, half-demon and ascended angel. Yes, angel, which might be the scariest of the three. She has only to show up, Sword of Judgment in hand, and most spirits decide they really didn’t want to talk to me after all.
    Unfortunately, being an angel means there are times Eve isn’t around. Like now. She’s out of contact, and I’m on my own, relying on her reputation to protect me.
    When I looked around now, though, I saw no sign of a ghost. A trick of the light. That happens, even with necromancers.
    “False alarm.” I lay down on the bed and propped my feet up again. “You’re right about the show. I’m just…I feel like I was railroaded into this, and now I’m scrambling to convince myself it’s not as bad as it seems.”
    “It won’t be as bad as it seemed. Because you’re in it now.”
    I smiled. “Thanks.”
    “When does it film?”
    “In two months.”
    “Would you like company on set?”
    My smile widened. “I would.”
     
    …
     
    The show filmed in May. I would arrive early to do promotion. Jeremy wasn’t joining me until the filming began. Promotion is hell. While one could argue that having him there would make it easier, I’ve learned that it really doesn’t, because I’d much rather be with him, so I tend to arrive at interviews at the last possible moment, and if they cancel, I don’t rebook. I know that’s unprofessional, but like I said, when it comes to Jeremy, I turn into a sixteen-year-old girl, ignoring her assignments and bouncing around shrieking, “He’s here! He’s here!”
     
    So I arrived alone. The first week was spent in New York City—there aren’t many major media outlets in Amityville. I did morning shows. I did talk shows. I summoned spirit after spirit. A few of them were even real.
    Then, two days before filming started, it was time to go to