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  Abby crossed the room to give Ned a quick kiss—anything more and they’d have to adjourn to another room. She was startled when Kevin’s expression changed quickly.

  “Wow, did you see that?” he said.

  Abby looked at Ned, then back at Kevin. “See what?”

  “Sparks. Like, visible ones. When you kissed him.”

  Ned was looking at his friend with an odd expression. “You actually saw sparks? That’s not just an expression?”

  “No way. Sparkles, man. This is gonna be interesting.”

  Ned looked at Abby. “Welcome to a new chapter.”

  Chapter 9

  Abby deferred any further discussion, claiming that she had to work on putting dinner together. As she turned on the oven and slid the casserole in, and happily accepted a glass of pinot grigio from Ned, she wondered what Kevin’s comment really meant. As she had told Sarah, Ned had never mentioned that Kevin had any extra-normal powers, except that he was smart and technologically creative. Yet Ned had recruited him for their investigation of the phenomena. Had he sensed something in Kevin? Or had he been unaware of it? Men could be so unobservant sometimes.

  “Can I help with anything?” Sarah offered, coming up beside her.

  Abby handed her a head of loose-leaf red lettuce. “Here, wash this. The spinner is on the shelf over there.” She pointed.

  Sarah retrieved it, then started running water at the sink, to wash the lettuce. In a low voice she asked, “Was he kidding?”

  “Kevin?” Abby replied in the same tone. “Did he actually see something? I don’t know, but he seemed serious about it.”

  Sarah shook her head. “This just keeps getting more complicated, doesn’t it?”

  “Sure does,” Abby agreed. Ned and Kevin were engrossed in a conversation, sitting at the table, but Abby could sense Kevin’s frequent glances in her direction. What was he thinking?

  After the better part of an hour, with a couple glasses of wine or a couple of bottles of beer, and an unspoken agreement not to talk about the elephant in the room—sparks? really?—they sat down at the dining room table, and Abby dished up. She had even managed to remember to slide the apple crisp into the already-heated oven. For a moment she struggled to find a neutral topic for conversation—and gave up. “Kevin, how much has Ned told you about why he invited you to dinner?”

  “You mean, it wasn’t just to meet the latest girl in his life?” He held up his hand quickly. “Kidding! There haven’t been many, or else he’s been hiding them from me. We don’t see each other very often these days—he’s so effing busy. Sorry, Mrs. Mom.”

  “Not a problem,” Sarah said. “How long have you two been friends?”

  “Uh, since right after college, if I remember right. We started out in the same graduate program for about fifteen minutes, but I got bored and went off to do my own thing, and he stuck it out. Then he started up Newhall Testing Company, and I think he got in touch with me about choosing some equipment. But, uh, social engagements have been few and far between.”

  “Ned told me you invented some things?” Abby said, feeling dumb because she couldn’t begin to imagine what kind of things they might be.

  “Yup, and got them patented. I can see you’re clueless. You’re familiar with electronic scans? MRIs? CAT scans? That kind of thing?”

  “In general terms, although I don’t recall ever having had either. Why don’t you explain them to me?”

  Kevin glanced around the table to be sure of his audience’s attention. “Okay, then I’ll try to keep it short. Both MRIs and CATs were more or less invented in the 1970s. MRI means magnetic resonance imaging, which uses magnetic fields to essentially take pictures of what’s going on in the physical aspects of your head. It’s used to diagnose things you can see.”

  He took a sip of his beer. “The CT Scan, on the other hand, is also called X-ray computed tomography, and a CAT scan is computerized axial tomography. The scanner is guided by a computer and assembles images of a cross-section or slice of your brain, or some other part of your body. MRI technology is preferable because it doesn’t expose you to radiation, but it’s not always available. Again, they both look at the physical side of your brain, in case there’s something there that shouldn’t be, like a tumor.”

  “Okay,” Abby said cautiously. “Is that it?”

  Kevin grinned. “Heck, no. I’m just getting warmed up. There’s the EEG, the electroencephalograph—that’s been around for a while—that records electrical signals coming from your brain. The docs attach electrodes to your scalp, and they pick up electric signals, and you end up with squiggles on a graph. They show the ‘what’ but not the ‘where.’ It’s looking at brain activity, but the localization is kind of inexact. Then there are PET scans—positron emission tomography, which lets you see blood flow or metabolism in different parts of your brain. It’s as old at the MRI and the CAT scans, but it’s very popular now. And finally—drum roll, please—there’s the MEG. Magnetoencephalography. That’s a mouthful, isn’t it? It’s new, and it measures magnetic fields coming from your head due to brain activity. It’s very sensitive, and very accurate. It’s also very, very expensive, like in the millions of dollars, and it weighs about eight tons, so there aren’t a lot of them around. Any questions?” Kevin sat back in his chair and beamed at them.

  “And where do you fit into all this amazing technology?” Sarah asked. “You aren’t old enough to have been around at the beginning for all these scans.”

  “You’re right,” Kevin told her. “I came in a couple of decades later and showed the scientists how to do things better.”

  Abby realized they had reached some kind of critical point. Kevin clearly had a handle on the available technology, but did he know why they wanted to talk to him? “Ned? What are we asking him for?”

  “Yeah, Ned,” Kevin said. “Why did you invite me here and ply me with your liquor?”

  Ned took a deep breath and was about to speak when Abby interrupted him. “I think this is a good time to dish up dessert.” She needed the break, even though she couldn’t remember eating her meal, although her plate was bare.

  “Need some help?” Sarah asked, standing before Abby could answer.

  “Sure. Stay here, guys—we can handle it.”

  Abby hoped Ned would start filling Kevin in on the details while they were busy. She and Sarah grabbed up the plates they’d used and took them to the kitchen. Abby turned on the hot pot for coffee, then pulled the bubbling apple crisp out of the oven. Sarah assembled bowls and mugs. “Wow,” she said. “Some of that I knew, but not the more recent stuff about being able to observe how the brain works.”

  “You know, the Victorians believed you could take pictures of spirits. I wonder if that’s the next step—images of brain waves emanating from your head. It’s amazing how far these machines have come,” Abby said. “Is Kevin going to think we’re all crazy?”

  “I kind of doubt it. He’s already comfortable with things you can’t see, or at least, not directly. This psychic thing is just a different aspect.”

  “Do you think he really did see some physical manifestation of energy between Ned and me?”

  “He’s the one who brought it up. Maybe. Or maybe like us, he has the talents but hasn’t admitted it to anyone. We’ll just have to see where this goes. You have a tray somewhere?”

  “That bottom cabinet.” Abby pointed. The kettle came to a boil, and Abby poured water over the coffee grounds she had spooned into the French press. “Better get two. I’ll take the dessert in and you can carry the coffee.”

  Dessert and coffee assembled, Abby and Sarah returned to the table and handed out bowls and cups, then both sat down again. Abby looked anxiously at Ned and Kevin; they both looked kind of subdued. “Okay, guys, were you talking about us?” she asked.

  “Not exactly. Sorry I started without you, but I went ahead and gave Kevin the outlines of our idea. And I told him Sarah shares it with us.”

  “I don’t m
ind,” Abby said. “You have a much clearer idea of where Kevin can fit in the picture.” She turned to Kevin. “What do you think?”

  Kevin poked his dessert with a fork without looking at her for a few moments. Then he raised his head. “I think I can help, at least with the technical side of things. Or maybe I mean the electrical. Ned’s the expert on the biological side. But we’d make a good team.” He hesitated. “Can you do something for me? Just touch Ned?”

  Abby glanced at Ned, and reached out a hand. Ned took it. Abby looked toward Kevin and saw him staring intently at their joined hands.

  “So I didn’t imagine it,” he said, almost to himself. “There’s something else going on here, gang. It looks electrical to me. We all know that brain impulses are electrical, and that electricity can travel through a human body, although the human doesn’t always survive. Let me ask you: do you control this? The sparks, I mean?”

  “We didn’t even know we were doing it,” Abby began. “Sending sparks, I mean. We’ve known almost from the beginning, when we met, that something happens when we touch each other, but I think we assumed it was mental, not physical. Certainly not electromagnetic.”

  Ned interrupted her. “I think the bigger question at the moment is, why and how do you see it? Nobody else has ever noticed.”

  Kevin stood up abruptly. “I need a drink. Is there more wine?”

  “In the fridge,” Ned said, starting to rise.

  “I’ll find it,” Kevin told him firmly, and stalked to the kitchen.

  “What’s going on, Ned?” Abby asked softly.

  “You don’t recognize it? He’s just figured out that there’s something about himself that he doesn’t understand, and that he’s probably never acknowledged. Like me.”

  “Is that a problem?” Sarah asked.

  “I think once he’s gotten over the initial shock, he’ll be intrigued by the science side.”

  “Did you have any inkling, Ned? That we actually produce sparks, that someone can see?” Abby asked.

  “No. Not at all. He sees what flows between us in a physical form, but whose side is generating what he sees? His or ours?”

  “You mean, you’re wondering if he has some genetic link to you and me that enables him to see it?” When Ned nodded, Abby went on, “But neither one of us has seen sparks. I mean, we know what we feel—what it feels like—but we don’t see it. So how does he?”

  “I can’t answer that.”

  Abby turned to Sarah. “Did you see anything?”

  “No. I saw him react to something, before he said anything. I don’t think he was faking that—his surprise reaction was involuntary.”

  Abby slumped in her chair. “I wish we could nail down at least a few facts before we trip over another one to explain. So far we can point to genetic links between me and Ned, and the two of us with Ellie. Between you and Ned, obviously, and between you and me, right? And that’s all based on our genealogy.” She turned quickly to Ned. “Oh, I haven’t had time to tell you, but I made a physical connection with one of the mediums at the fair today. She’s coming over tomorrow afternoon. So there’s another example to look at.”

  “Odds are there will be a lot more, as we go along,” Ned told her. “You’d better get used to it.”

  “And we’d better start figuring out what to do about it. If we ignore this kind of connection, we’ll probably lose people who can give us more data, more insights. But we can’t just spring it on them—‘Hey, has anyone ever told you you’re psychic?’—or kidnap them and bring them back here. We need a strategy.”

  Kevin emerged from the kitchen with a full glass of wine and what appeared to be a full bottle. “Sorry for the meltdown, folks. I just needed to get my head together. You people have obviously had time to get used to this, but you said you hadn’t seen this particular, uh, manifestation? So I’ve got to catch up with you with processing this. But if you’re still willing, count me in. I want to understand this thing, and I think I can help.”

  “Welcome aboard, Kevin,” Abby said, raising her half-full glass.

  Chapter 10

  An hour later Sarah was the first to leave. “I’m sorry to break this up, folks, but it’s been a long day. Thanks for inviting me, to the fair and to dinner.” Everyone had stood up when Sarah said she was leaving, but she said quickly, “Ned can see me out. The two of you, stay where you are. Kevin, it was good to meet you, and I hope we’ll be seeing you again.”

  Kevin smiled at her. “Well, you all have certainly got my attention, and I can already see I have a lot more to learn. It was a pleasure, ma’am. I’d shake your hand, but I’m afraid of what I’ll find out next.”

  Sarah laughed. “Don’t worry about it. You do get used to it after a while. And please call me Sarah—‘ma’am’ makes me feel old.”

  “Good to know, Sarah.”

  Sarah turned to her son. “Ned, walk me out?”

  Mother and son headed for the front door, leaving Abby and Kevin alone with the dirty dishes and half-empty glasses. “Not what you expected, Kevin?” Abby asked.

  “Uh, well, no, not exactly. How long have you known about your—whatever you call it?”

  “That’s one problem right there—we don’t know what terms to use. It’s a paranormal phenomenon, or maybe a cluster of them. What Ned and I seem to share is called an apparitional experience, which really doesn’t describe much of anything. If we go with the old vocabulary, the titles come with a lot of historical garbage attached, which kind of belittles what we think is going on. But the short answer is, I’ve been dealing with this for almost a year. And it came out of nowhere. I went for a house tour in Waltham and wham, there was a bunch of my ancestors, arguing in the dining room. Except I didn’t know who they were then. I hate to sound like a frail female, but I literally passed out. It was Ned who offered tea and sympathy—he was the docent for the tour.”

  “And you never noticed anything before that?” Kevin asked.

  “Nope. I figured it was being around so many of my ancestors in this part of Massachusetts that kind of broke through—that and stress, which I guess made me more susceptible. What about you? Did you ever feel anything that you couldn’t explain?”

  Kevin gave her question a long moment’s thought. “I’m not sure I can answer that yet. I’m going to have to go back and reexamine a lot of my life.”

  “Are your parents still living?”

  “Yeah, but they live in Wisconsin. I don’t see them much.”

  “Did you ever define either of them as ‘intuitive,’ for want of a better word?”

  “Hey, I was a guy, and I was into computers and stuff. I spent very little time thinking about my parents and their characters.”

  “What about siblings?”

  “Ah. Well, yeah, I have a sister. Are you gonna want to drag her into this, once we get started?”

  “Well, we won’t force anybody, but as a scientist you must know we need a bigger sample than just us. What does she do?”

  “She’s an artist, and she teaches art to disabled kids.”

  So she might have the whatever-this-is too, Abby thought. “Well, we can worry about that later. Do you mind helping us out?”

  Kevin shook his head. “Ned’s helped me through some crazy times, so I owe him. Plus this is really interesting, and I think I see lots of ways to explore this thing. And finally, if I’ve got this thing, I’d better find out about it. Think I’ll be able to read minds? That’d be a really big help if I’m negotiating with buyers.”

  Abby laughed. “I have no idea. I haven’t been able to read minds, but we keep finding new stuff all the time. Like your sparkles. So I won’t say no.”

  Ned came back in the room, and seemed bewildered to find Abby and Kevin laughing. “Did I miss something?”

  “No. Kevin just suggested a business application for a paranormal ability.”

  “Hey, it has great potential, if we can find the right people!” Kevin protested. He stood up. “I should hea
d home and leave you two to make sparks.”

  “Will you be okay to drive?” Abby asked anxiously. He’d had a lot to drink. “You’re welcome to the couch. We haven’t gotten around to furnishing the other bedrooms, since this place is a work in progress.”

  “I’ll be fine, but thanks for worrying. Give me a few days to think things through, and then maybe Ned and I can sit down and plan. Deal?”

  “Works for me,” Ned told him. “I’m going to start taking more time off from work, but I haven’t mapped out what I want to explore, and how to explain what I’m doing to my staff. I’ve been pretty hands-on at the company up until now, so they’d notice if I wasn’t around. It might be good if you and I put our heads together early in the game.”

  “I’ll give you a call next week sometime, then. Hey, can you do that thing one more time?”

  “What, touch?” Abby asked, smiling. “Sure.” She moved closer to Ned, and he put his arm around her shoulders.

  Kevin stared. “Whoa, way cool. I can’t wait to figure out how you guys make that happen. Stay there—I’ll see myself out.” He left quickly, his gait steady. “Night, all!” he called out, and Abby heard the front door open and shut.

  Abby laid her head against Ned’s chest. “Well, that was interesting. I wonder what our sparks look like? Maybe they’re related to the ‘aura’ the spiritualists claim they can see? Think we’ll ever get pictures?”

  “Who knows?” Ned said. “You want to clean up the kitchen now, or fill up your glass and go sit in our tastefully appointed parlor and review what we’ve learned today?”

  “I vote for the second one—the dishes will still be there in the morning. And I’d like to tell you about Christine.”

  “Christine the medium from the fair? Okay.” Ned grabbed the wine bottle and their glasses, and escorted Abby into the parlor, where they had only a Victorian settee and a floor lamp from nobody could remember where. In a way she was glad Kevin hadn’t accepted their impromptu invitation to spend the night, or what was left of it. The lumpy horsehair-stuffed settee was not an option for sleeping, unless you were a cat. Yes, they had a bed upstairs, but it was probably as old as she was. Ellie hadn’t noticed the sag in the middle of it, but she was young. Furnishing a real guest room was on her to-do list, for Ellie’s sake and for anyone else who might stay over someday.