Celeste Files: Unjust Read Online Free Page A

what’s wrong?” Maxine asked, her voice laced with panic. “I just listened to your message. You sounded terrified.”
    When she’d called Maxine, she had been terrified, but hadn’t wanted to leave the reason why in a voicemail. “We have a problem,” Celeste began, then told Maxine what had happened. Once she finished, she put the phone on speaker so John could hear what her mentor had to say.
    “I think you need to do as Celeste suggested, talk to Barney and find out more about this man,” Maxine said.
    “Do you really think he’ll follow Celeste if we rent another room?” John asked.
    “It’s hard to say. There are many who don’t believe spirits—human or inhuman—attach themselves to people. For example, I knew a woman who claimed a ghost was haunting her. She moved four times in less than two years trying to get away from it. But it kept following her. A paranormal investigator suggested she sell all of her furniture and buy everything new. Once she did that, the haunting had stopped. In other words, she wasn’t being haunted. Something she owned was—like a chair or desk. In my case, my ancestors are attached to the house, not me. But Celeste is sensitive to the dead. As we know, they love to turn to her for help. This spirit—good or bad—could need your help on something. If you could find out what it is, maybe then he’ll disappear.”
    “Maybe,” John echoed, and wiped a hand down his face. “What if he doesn’t? Will he follow us back to Chicago? Could he hurt Olivia?”
    “I can’t answer that, John,” Maxine said. “But, if I was in your situation, I’d do everything possible to rectify this before returning home.”
    “Because?”
    “Because I believe Olivia is sensitive, too. I wouldn’t want her exposed to anything that could connect to her, especially since she’s just a baby.”
    Celeste’s chest filled with both anger and fear. Whatever she’d brought home with her would not know her daughter. She looked to her husband, who had avoided her gaze the entire time they’d been speaking with Maxine, and tugged the front of his shirt.
    Without looking at her, he shook his head. “Do you think he’d follow me back to Chicago?”
    Her anger suddenly outweighed her fear. John had once threatened to take Olivia away if she chose to continue down her psychic path. While his threats had been made because he had been scared and worried over both hers and their daughter’s safety, there was no way in hell she’d allow him to alienate her from Olivia’s life.
    “Before you leave me in the Everglades, maybe we should go inside the condo and make sure what I saw wasn’t my imagination or anxiety screwing with my head.”
    With a potent combination of shock and hurt, John stared at her. “I wouldn’t leave you here.” He took her hand, and hauled her close to him. “You don’t belong to him. You belong with me and Olivia. Let’s go inside, tell him he isn’t welcome here, then get on with the rest of our vacation.”
    God, she loved him. If she wasn’t such a sweaty mess, she’d kiss him.
    “I wouldn’t do that,” Maxine suggested. “That might only anger the spirit.”
    “Other than calling Barney, what should we do?” Celeste asked.
    “Go about your normal business. If he makes his presence known, ask him what he wants, but be honest about your answer. If you can give him what he needs to move on and away from Celeste, he could go away on his own.”
    “What if he doesn’t?” John asked.
    “Let me make a few calls before I answer that.”
    After they ended the call with Maxine, Celeste pocketed her cell phone. “I’m so sorry. I never meant—”
    “I know you didn’t, and I would never leave you here because of this. You know that, right?”
    She nodded. In her heart she knew John loved her, but she questioned how much more he could handle. They dealt with what she assumed most normal couples went through—the stress of balancing marriage, children,