Edge of Shadows (Shadows #1) by Cege Smith Page A

McGinty had wrangled his way back into Linda’s affections. She turned.
    “Hello, Randall. I just got here but so far it seems great,” she said as she fixed a smile on her face.
    Randall McGinty was in his early sixties, but his tan complexion and trim build made him look ten years younger despite his full head of white hair. Ellie had no idea what kind of suit he was wearing, but it reeked of money. Randall seemed the type to always insist on the best. And like Linda, Randall had no aura to speak of. Ellie had often wondered about this and what it meant, but it was one of those things that didn’t seem to have an answer.
    She thought about how Randall had swept into their lives. One day Linda started going on and on about a new “friend” that she had met through a mutual acquaintance. Then Randall appeared every day that Linda worked to pick her up. Since he was always early he would sit with a cup of coffee in the corner and wait for her shift to end. He was always unfailingly polite, but something about him gave Ellie the creeps. She swore that at times she caught him watching her with a weird look on his face. Then a few weeks ago Randall had abruptly disappeared, and Linda wouldn’t say anything else about it. Ellie had been pleased that he was gone.
    Randall smiled down at her, and for once Ellie wished to be taller than her 5’3” frame. He stood easily over six feet, and his teeth were so white that they matched his hair.
    “That’s good to hear you are doing well, Ellie. Linda says you’ve been feeling a bit down lately and you know how she worries about you,” he said as he pulled a cigar from his pocket and cut off the end, obviously preparing to light it. Linda was at his side in an instant wagging her finger under his nose.
    “Randall…now you know how I feel about cigar smoke in the house,” she scolded.
    “I was just doing the prep work, my dear. I thought I’d step outside anyway, with it being such a lovely evening and all.” He pulled Linda a little closer and gave her a cool peck on the side of her cheek.
    Ellie thought the gesture was stiff, and something about it felt off, but Linda didn’t seem to notice. Her laugh tinkled above the din of the others.
    “Ellie! What are you doing over there? Are you too good to talk to all of us now that you look sexy as hell?” Melanie’s brash voice caught her attention.
    Ellie was mortified by Melanie’s comment, but relieved to have an excuse to move away from Randall and Linda, who were now whispering to each other with amused expressions on their faces.
    “I’m sorry. I was just talking to Randall,” she apologized as she moved to stand next to David.
    Melanie, Kevin, and Eric all rolled their eyes. Herbert looked dazed (as usual), and David appeared confused. The group aura had started to shift at the mention of Randall’s name. Deep orange streaks appeared. Randall made everyone anxious.
    “Am I missing something?” David asked.
    Melanie glanced around Ellie’s shoulder and lowered her voice. “We’ve all known Linda awhile now. She was widowed not too long ago. From what she said, she and Lloyd had one of those picture-perfect marriages. They were married a long time—something like thirty years.”
    Melanie checked around Ellie again before continuing. Her lowered voice was almost eerie compared to her usual over the top speaking volume. “She told me that she was crazy depressed after that happened. She said she lost her will to live. She told me things got better once she started working for Ellie; helped to give her some purpose again. Well, a couple of months ago, Linda starts showing up at work wearing new clothes. Like designer new and bright colors. Then she was taking long weekend trips and whistling to herself when she was working. She’d always been warm and friendly, but this was obviously a woman in love. I couldn’t help but notice, since it was such a drastic change.”
    Ellie suddenly felt awful. She hadn’t