A Whispered Darkness by Vanessa Barger

behavior confused me. There was no hint that she’d even talked to me upstairs. Grant waited a total of two minutes after the front door closed to come downstairs.
    “You don’t need to make sure I get into bed. I’m old enough to manage on my own,” he grumbled.
    I pulled the lid off the hamburgers and flipped off the gas. “Good. Because I didn’t intend to chase you around like a two-year-old.”
     
    ***
     
    Grant and I tossed a coin for dinner clean up. It must have been fate, because as my side popped up, someone knocked on the front door.
    “Two out of three?” Grant begged.
    I shook my head. “No way. You lost.”
    I was still grinning when I opened the door to find a very somber Bryan standing on the porch.
    “Hey, Claire.”
    “Hi.” I stepped onto the porch, knowing Grant was already in a foul mood. Bringing Bryan inside would not improve it. “What’s up?”
    “I want to apologize for earlier. And I’ve got some news, but I don’t quite know what to do about it.”
    “Apology accepted.” Unease coiled into a tight knot in my gut. “What kind of news?”
    His expression was hard to read in the growing twilight. Shifting from one foot to the other, he couldn’t seem to find the words to start. Dread made my stomach turn. My pulse skyrocketed while my hands shook. I clenched my fingers into fists. “What’s wrong?”
    He stopped, his hands cupping my shoulders. “I know you probably think I’m a stalker.”
    I could feel my face flush. “That’s not true,” I stammered. “Just a little overzealous maybe.”
    His smile was lopsided. “Thanks, but you aren’t saying anything I haven’t heard before. I like you, and I’ve come on too strong. I am sorry, and I hope someday you will be able to look past that.”
    I felt lower than dirt. “Sure, Bryan. You’re just a little intense. I’m not used to it.”
    He paused again, letting go of my shoulders. “That’s not why I came over tonight, but I wanted to apologize first, so maybe you won’t blow me off now.” He took a deep breath. “You seem to be getting really interested in Haven. Have you found out about his special…talents?”
    “Talents?”
    “He’s psychic,” he said. “Sees the future. Freaky stuff.”
    I forced a smile. “Yeah, okay. Pull the other leg.”
    “I’m not kidding. He’s not safe, Claire.”
    I was offended for him. “This is a ridiculous conversation.”
    He shook his head. “Don’t blow me off. I have proof.”
    “Really? Because it sounds like you’re jealous. This is a crappy way to try and get my attention.” I wanted to cover my ears and run back inside.
    Bryan’s face alternated between sympathy and anger. “I actually believe in psychics and the supernatural. Intensely. I’m part of a paranormal research team around here. And for the record, I am jealous. But that’s not why I’m here.”
    He was a ghost hunter? I wasn’t sure if I should be more worried or amused. I raised an eyebrow. “Not the only reason?”
    “Not the only reason, anyway.” He shook his head. “Haven is different. But you aren’t going to listen to me.”
    “Bryan—”
    He held up one finger. “Haven is a social outcast, you know. With no chance of getting back into normal society. Being friends with him will only make you an outcast.”
    “Who I hang out with is my own business, Bryan. And you’re one to talk. You accuse him of all kinds of things, and then tell me you’re a ghost hunter. You really expect me to take you seriously after that? Being psychic is not a crime.”
    Bryan stepped forward. “Sometimes it is. The police investigated him five or six years ago, you know. After the new girl in school went missing and wound up dead.”
    Ice rushed through my blood stream. “What?”
    A smug smile curled over his face. “He didn’t mention it? He was seen at a party getting into an argument with her. She went missing the same night. First everyone blamed it on him, then on your house, then