by Alexie Aaron
“Because…” Pete prodded.
“The place is haunted. Not by delicate white ladies but by what has been reported to be rough and toughs who were most likely workers on the estate or craftsmen brought in from Europe along with the beautiful paneling, fireplaces and marble floors.”
“Did they kill them all when they finished?” Jesse asked. “If so, it’s understandable that the other twelve crews left before they were finished.”
“It’s none of our business,” Kiki warned. “We are to complete the job and leave this place without disturbing the dead.”
“How can the present owner live here with all the spirits?” Cid asked.
“You do,” Kiki accused. “We have Faye with us. Ghosts happen, people. It has been made very clear to me that we were hired because we’ve been able to renovate alongside the dead. This is why we’re all getting paid well above what the job is worth.”
“Are we getting laborers to help with the renovation?” Gary asked.
“No. It’s just us. You remember how to get your hands dirty, don’t you, Holy Shit?”
“Yes, Boss.”
“I want you to work in teams. No one works alone. Faye will fill in or escort anyone through the building who doesn’t have a partner. Depending on the job, your partner may change. For example, if Holy Shit is doing plaster relief repair and Cid is working on the sliding pocket doors in the library, then they will be a team. Check the whiteboard before heading for the house. No one is to work beyond six in the evening unless I’ve been notified. No one is to enter the home between the hours of six in the evening and six in the morning. No exceptions. Nothing you may possibly hear from the outside of those closed doors is worth investigating. Do I make myself clear, Clark and Scrub?”
Cid and Jesse bristled at being singled out but nodded their assent.
“Good. Sally, you will have to travel to the next town over to procure any supplies you may need.” Kiki turned to the contractors. “There will be no shopping or socializing in the town across the lake. No bar nights, no runs to the local hardware store. You are, for all purposes, invisible to the townsfolk of Pioneer Break.”
“Why?” Carl asked.
“It’s the way the homeowner wants it. It was a recent addition to the contract I signed. I think we can survive for a few weeks here. There is Wi-Fi in this building - it’s presently only accessible on the west side of the house - television and lots of work to keep us busy. If we bring this building in ahead of time, there is a very large bonus. And you know how I like my bonuses.”
“Yes, Boss,” the contractors said in unison.
Kiki smiled. “As you have seen, the bottom floor of this place has been outfitted as a giant workroom. Unfortunately, there is no clean room, so Cid and anyone else who has fine finishing work, such as varnishes and painting, will have to do them on-site. If you need help scheduling a clean space, come and see me.”
“Has there been any damage attributed to the ghosts?” Gary asked.
“Be more specific,” Kiki asked.
“Tiles moved or broken after they have been set. Woodwork scratched.”
Kiki flipped through her paperwork. “According to my information, any improvements to the home have not been disturbed. Many are left unfinished, but according to my information, if you fix it, it stays fixed.”
“So, the house is fine with the improvements but not with the workers,” Cid mused. “What kind of attacks?”
“Doesn’t say,” Kiki answered. “Carl, has Sally been told about Faye?”
“Yes, but Faye has yet to introduce herself. Concerning Sally, have there been any attacks here in the carriage house?”
“No.”
“On the grounds?” Cid asked.
“Not reported, why?” Kiki asked.
“PEEPs had an investigation where the ghosts were trapped inside a stone building where the mortar was infused with blessed dolomite. The ghosts were trapped. I could have a sample sent to be analyzed,” Cid offered.
“No. We aren’t contracted to touch the façade of this building. We work on the inside and the inside only. I repeat, you’re not here to investigate why it’s haunted. You’re here… you all are here to finish this renovation. Once we’re done, you’re to forget you’ve ever been here,” Kiki stressed.
Faye materialized beside Kiki. She was wearing a blue chambray shirt and blue jeans. Her blonde hair was secured away from her face with large silver clips. “I’ve been able to move in and out of the house.”
“So that’s not what’s stopping the ghosts,” Cid said frowning. “What have you found so far?”
“I went in during the witching hours. It’s a large building with many rooms. Each room is distinct. The molding, the floors, and the wall treatments are different from the room next door. I have seen faded images of craftsmen who look and speak Italian in the vicinity of the fireplaces. I don’t know if they are actively haunting, just that they may have carved the stone and have left their essence. The basement is horrible. There are so many men milling around that, even dead, I don’t feel safe. If you have to go down there, I suggest you have several escape plans in place.”
Kiki frowned.
“I wouldn’t be opposed if you brought Stephen Murphy here to help you,” Faye told Kiki.
“No,” Kiki said. “We aren’t here to investigate, we’re here to work. I believe with proper planning, we can get in and get out before we rile the ghosts.”
Cid locked eyes with Faye. She rolled hers slightly. This action eased the tension the contractor was feeling.
“May I remind you that when you’re going to be working in a space for a period of time, have Faye check out the space, and then salt yourself in,” Kiki said. “Faye will not be able to get to you but neither will the ghosts. Please remember to break the salt line before you leave, and clean it up when you’re finished with the project.”
Sally walked in with a coffee carafe. She stopped and stared at Faye a moment and then turned and asked. “Anyone need a refill?”
No one took her up on her offer. Sally retreated to the kitchen.
Pick up your assignments, and ghost deterrents. Be prepared to enter the building at eight, thank you,” Kiki said dismissing the men.
Cid caught up to Sally in the kitchen. He carried in as many errant mugs as he could find. He started to rinse them in the sink.
“Ahem,” Sally said.
“Sorry, I’m so used to this at home,” he confessed.
“I appreciate it, Cid, I really do. So that’s the infamous Faye.”
“She really is a good soul. Faye is unconventional as ghosts go. She isn’t locked into the clothing or hairstyle, for that matter, that she died in. She is, however, tied to an emerald pin that I found when I climbed out of the well after rescuing Kiki at Hidden Meadows. We think her bones are still down at the bottom of the well with three sisters who perished around the same time she did.”
“Serial killer?”
“Maybe, we don’t actually know. Faye doesn’t know how she died or who exactly she is. She took her name from a group photo of people who attended a party in the mansion when it was in its heyday.”
“How sad,” Sally said.
“Don’t you feel sorry for me!” Faye snapped as she appeared before Sally.
“I don’t, and I’d appreciate it if you materialized at least five feet away. You’re robbing me of my heat, and frankly, lady, I hate being cold.”
Cid admired how Sally held her ground. He could see how she survived being a soldier.
“Sorry,” Faye said. “I’m just embarrassed.”
“Don’t be. Some mornings I wake up and don’t know who I am either,” Sally admitted. “I have these dreams that I’m someone else, usually a ten-year-old boy. Is that crazy or what?”
“Ten-year-old boys have no problems, responsibilities, or social pressures,” Faye said.
“I beg your pardon. When was
the last time you were a ten-year-old boy?” Cid asked the ghost.
Faye looked at Cid kindly. “I forgot you had quite a rough time of it.”
Sally looked at the pair. She saw a regard that was tentative on both sides. Sally would later ponder if it was a battle of who was taking care of whom or something deeper.
“I had a dream once that was shared with two other people,” Cid said.
Both females looked his way.
“I’m not sure if it really happened. It would be impossible if it did,” he admitted.
“The older I get, the more I realize that nothing is impossible,” Sally said. “Would it be an invasion of privacy if I asked what the dream was about?”
Cid blushed.
“Oh, one of those dreams,” Sally teased.
Cid held up his hand. “I can give you the bones of it.”
“Please.”
“I was on an investigation with my best friend Ted. We were sleeping in the trailer in the back of the PEEPs truck. His wife Mia was sleeping at home. I dreamed that I heard a pounding on the truck trailer where we were monitoring the cameras from. Ted was already up and looking out the door of the trailer talking to someone. It turned out to be his wife. She mentioned that there was a block party down the street. I pushed Ted out of the trailer. I locked it. Yes, even in my dreams, I’m overly responsible. I joined them. We linked arms and walked down the street to where The Countess of Michigan Avenue – CoMA to her friends – was giving a block party. There was a band, games, beer, and lots of people. Mia wanted to dance, and since it’s a dream, I danced. Normally, I’m a bit shy. Anyway, the music changed to a tango. Mia conceded to dance with me because I told her I learned how to tango from a book I read.”
“Have you?” Sally asked.
“Yes.”
“Cid’s a genius,” Faye interjected. “He remembers just about everything he reads, and it isn’t unusual that he can perform tasks he only learned about in a book.”
“Cool. Please go on,” Sally encouraged.
Mia and I danced for a while, and we collided with Ted who was dancing with CoMA. We switched partners, and I’m now dancing with a woman wearing a top hat, tuxedo tails and something very filmy.”
“Ooh la la,” Faye comments.
“We’ll leave it at ooh la la,” Cid said. “The point is that Ted dreamed the same dream up to that point, and Mia, who was miles away, dreamed the same dream too.”
“So, no mass hypnosis,” Sally said.
“No.”
“I wonder if you all watched a movie or maybe a music video and didn’t realize how much you were taking in at the time,” Sally offered.
“It’s possible - not the music video part - but I do watch a lot of movies,” Cid admitted. “Lately, they’re with Stephen Murphy.”
“Ah, the man who Faye mentioned.”
“The ghost I mentioned,” Faye corrected.
Sally put her hand to her face and smiled. “What an interesting life you lead, Cid.”
Kiki walked into the kitchen. “Clark, you’re with Jesse this morning. I want a full recon on the inside structure from the attic down. Look at the place as if you’re buying it. Write me a report on what needs to be done. Take pictures, you know the drill.”
“Yes, Boss,” Cid said. He turned to go but stopped. “It was a pleasure to speak with you, Sally and Faye.”
Kiki watched him leave. She looked over at Sally, but she had turned back to the sink. Faye, however, was glaring at Kiki.
“What?” Kiki asked.
“Do you always have to be so bitchy?”
Kiki swallowed hard. “Bitchy? I believe that’s a new word for you.”
“Sorry, Boss. I blame the company I’ve been keeping for the last few months.”
“I’d like to think of myself as assertive not bitchy. I have to be very firm with the contractors because, regardless of their age and experience, some of them will ease up and I won’t get the best job out of them.”
“Have you ever had that problem with Cid?” Faye asked.
“Well, no. But if I show Cid preferential treatment, the others will mutiny.”
“So, Cid gets punished because of an irrational fear,” Faye concluded and disappeared.
Sally, who had watched the exchange, was amused. “She got her last word in.”
“You’ll get used to it. She has softened on me. She used to call me thief instead of boss.”
“There must be a story there.”
“I’ll save it for later. I had a card opened for you to use from my corporate account,” Kiki said, handing Sally the credit card. “If you have to use cash, let me know right away and I’ll reimburse you.”
Sally nodded.
“Also, Cid may ask you to pick some things up for him. He cooks to relax. I hope this won’t be an imposition.”
“So, you do favor Cid,” Sally said.
Kiki blushed. “I hope it balances when I’m too hard on him.”
“Time will tell, Ms. Pickles, time will tell.”
~
Cid followed Jesse up the tiny stairs. Jesse burst into the attic calling out, “Honey, I’m home!”
“What are you doing?” Cid asked.
“I expected a house demon. I thought I would score points for originality.”
“Well, I don’t see a house demon. And Faye didn’t mention one.”
“Damn,” Jesse said. “We may as well get to work then.”
Cid popped a GoPro camera on his chest and engaged his microphone for taking notes.
Jesse looked at him as he pulled out his flip notebook. “Gone are the days of simply jotting information down,” he said, digging for a pencil.
“Kiki questions everything,” Cid said. “I’m just going to refer her to the tape when she doesn’t believe me.”
“You’ve come a long way, Cid.”
“Working with various professionals teaches you something. Kiki is the hardest person to work for, and yes, I’ve said that on camera,” Cid said and pulled the camera off his chest and deleted the comment before they proceeded.
“This attic is extensive,” Jesse began. “It reaches the full width of the house. The two wings have to be reached separately. There may be a few places for repairmen to crawl through. The lumber looks good. I can see where they added a support for the chandelier. It was tied in nicely,” Jesse said, pulling the insulation away. “I’m surprised by all the new insulation. I wonder who sold this to the owner.”
“I imagine this place is a beast to heat,” Cid said.
“Foam would be better,” Jesse said.
“But not as pretty. Look at the way this job was done.”
Jesse pulled up part of the long run of insulation and examined underneath wherever he could. In the far corner he stopped. “Cid, would you mind looking at this?”
Cid walked over and saw a little carved wood box that seemed to be integrated with the join of where the large beams met. “It looks like a roof boss similar to something you would find in the ceilings of the old churches of Europe. But I can’t find any reason why it would be tucked here unless the ceiling was open at one time?” Cid and Jesse looked at the utility plainness of the construction and rejected an open ceiling.
Jesse walked to the far corner and found another one. “Cid, check the other two corners. While I get a bead on the direction this house faces.”
Cid did as he was told and found two other boxes. He could see that each had an iron lock installed. “A bit small to hide the family jewels,” he mused.
“The house doesn’t face true north or south, but these boxes do. The main building is askew so that the point of each corner faces north, south, east, and west,” Jesse observed.
Cid took a photo of one of them. “I’m going to send this to Audrey. She’s been in a few houses of this era, maybe she has seen it before. Maybe a blessing?”
“If it were a blessing, it may expl
ain why no house demon.”
“Jesse, not all big houses have demons. You could say very few do. Hidden Meadow was probably one in a thousand,” Cid said.
“Wayne still talks about the Hidden Meadow demon. He says he dreams frequently of him.”
“Huh, that doesn’t sound too good. Maybe I should speak with him.”
“You’ve seen a few demons in your day.”
“Goes with the ghost hunting,” Cid said. “Looking around, I think that this area is sound. Let’s move on to the floor below.”
Carl and Wayne had been paired up. Faye escorted them down into the cellars to inventory the work needed to complete the electrical and plumbing. They brought down large work lights and moved them every few feet along the stone floor.
Wayne stumbled again as he walked off the last carved stone step. He studied the stairway. “This riser is shorter than the others.”
“I imagine they made the mistake of putting in the floor after the stairs. They should have dug down but, instead, floored over the existing packed-earth floor,” Carl said. “Pete would be able to tell us more.”
“Look at the holes in the ceiling,” Wayne said. “At this point, maybe it’s better to take the whole thing down?”
Carl looked at where workmen had cut into the wood-slat ceiling to access the underside of the first floor for the utilities. New PVC pipes were dropped down. Carl measured the distance to the floor. “We do have the room to have Jesse install a drop ceiling. This way the pipes and wires aren’t exposed, and we don’t have to weaken the flooring by drilling holes to support the pipes and wires. Maybe insulate around them?”
“Do you really see this house having a pipe freezing problem?” Wayne asked.
“It gets cold here in the Midwest. This is a stone house with a stone foundation,” Carl reminded Wayne.
“Let’s run it by Kiki,” Wayne said.
“I’ll let you run it by Kiki. She’s a bit too… ah… assertive for my tender ego these days,” Carl admitted.
“I think it’s this project. I’ve actually seen a softening in her armor since she met Alan Jefferies.”