The Middle House: Return to Cold Creek Hollow (Haunted Series)

by Alexie Aaron

  The sound of splashing water directed Burt’s gaze to his neighbor. He saw the man enjoying the fight as he landed a northern pike. Burt whistled and raised his cup in salute. Ryan looked over at Burt and smiled. He lifted his prize in the air to show the size of the fish before he disengaged the lure and set the fish free. Burt surmised there wouldn’t be any fish for supper at the Ryan residence today.

  “Why did he let the fish go?” a deep, accented voice asked behind Burt.

  Burt twisted around to see Angelo Michaels standing there, casting a long shadow from his massive frame. The tall, dark, handsome man was dressed in an expensive Italian-made custom suit.

  Burt waited a moment for his heart to settle down from the scare before speaking, “Sometimes people fish for the sport of it. The sheriff over there was enjoying the peaceful solitude of being one with the water. It’s probably his way of unwinding.”

  “I like to fly. Move up to the thermals and glide,” Angelo said, brushing the seat of the twin chair with his handkerchief before lowering his body into it.

  “Not all of us have wings, Angelo,” Burt reminded the birdman.

  “True.”

  They sat together and watched while Ryan continued to cast his line in the water with his back to the peninsula.

  Burt took a sip of his coffee and set it down embarrassed, “Where are my manners? Can I get you something to drink? Coffee, tea…”

  “No, sir, I’m fine. I should be the one to apologize, arriving here unannounced.”

  “I have to admit to being curious, but in the Midwest a lot of people just drop in. It’s custom.”

  “Same in Italia, especially around meal times. My mama, she always made extra. It’s considered rude not to offer food or dine when asked.”

  “Angelo, I have to confess that I never thought of you as having parents.”

  “You thought I was hatched?” Angelo feigned insult before bursting into laughter. “I’m sure there are many misconceptions regarding me.”

  “You are a man of mystery,” Burt said wryly. “Today’s Angelo mystery involves, how did you get here? No, don’t answer. I can tell by your impeccable suit of clothes that you didn’t fly. Otherwise you’d be donned in one of my company towels.”

  “I had my driver bring me. He is waiting outside. When he didn’t get an answer from the bell at your gate, I decided to have, as Mia says, a snoop, and I find you here.”

  “Did Father Santos send you?”

  “The good father didn’t ask me to come. He did consult me, but I was already aware of the stirrings. My people have never left the hollow completely. We watch.”

  “You heard about the death in the cemetery?”

  “I am aware the gauntlet has been thrown down,” Angelo said. His voice took on a tightness as he continued, “I don’t understand these creatures. Why do they not move on? Why take out their pain on the living? It makes no sense to me.”

  Burt found himself explaining human nature to the birdman from his point of view. “From my experience, which isn’t vast,” he prefaced, “people don’t change after they die. They’re still the evil bastards they were in life. Or they’re the generous beings they were. Take Murphy for example. His greatest joy during his tenure on earth was his trees. They still give him pleasure.”

  Angelo frowned at the mention of Murphy. “He has other pleasures, but he keeps them to himself.”

  Burt lifted an eyebrow. “If you are talking about his affection for Mia then yes, but remember they met after he died. He wouldn’t have given her the time of day had they met while he was tending his property. And Mia, can you see her as the dutiful farmer’s wife?”

  “You are very wise, Mr. Hicks. No, I can’t see Mia being dutiful as you put it. She’s not reasonable, compliant or…”

  It was Burt’s turn to laugh. “No, but I wouldn’t have her any other way. I’m just sorry I was too fucked up at the time to see it that way.”

  “You were the right man for her,” Angelo insisted.

  “So you said. But in retrospect, I wasn’t strong enough to hold on to her.”

  “Do you think this thin boy with the cap is?”

  “Ted hides his strength, but there is no one that loves her more than him. She knows this. She is obsessed with him.”

  “Cooper curse.”

  “I thought so. I think even Mia would agree with you. But I’m around them more than most, and I see the deep bond that has developed between the two that Murphy can’t even break. To Mia, Ted is everything. To Ted, Mia is the same.”

  “So they don’t argue…”

  “Oh they argue, fight, laugh, love. You name the emotions, the two experience them together. Fear… Fear I think is the tell. Mia fears for Ted because he can’t see what trouble he is walking into, and Ted worries about Mia when she is out of his sight or communication. He has to depend on Murphy to keep her safe. He has to allow that deep friendship to continue between the corporeal Mia and the spiritual Murphy.”

  “You seem to have thought about them a lot.”

  “More than is healthy,” Burt admitted.

  “How angry is she with me?” Angelo asked.

  Burt thought a moment. “You would have to ask Mia, but kidnapping her, forcing her into the calling, wasn’t cool, big man, nope, not at all.”

  “I acted rashly. She had so much potential. I didn’t want her to be killed when I could save her. A little training…”

  “Did you ever, just ask her?”

  “No,” Angelo said as if asking permission of a woman was a normal occurrence.

  “Yep, here we are, two fuckups sitting on the porch, lamenting about a woman,” Burt said.

  They sat silently, each deep in thought. Ryan caught another fish, and when he looked over at Burt, he saw the familiar tall man sitting next to him. What a contrast. The soft, disheveled ghost hunter and the solid Italian giant. Although, Ryan would bet on Burt Hicks as being the strongest of the two, probably much to the surprise of Hicks himself.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Audrey slowed down when a cruiser sped by her with lights flashing. She craned her neck, wondering if it was Tom Braverman in the car or perhaps the sheriff himself? Audrey had decided to head into Big Bear Lake to the library for some reference materials before heading over to the PEEPs office. The librarian eyed her suspiciously but allowed her to take out the books using her Chicago library card. Audrey knew that it was usually the other way around, the suburban researcher using their village’s card to take out materials from the city library system, but in this case, Big Bear Lake had the local history books that Audrey needed.

  She passed the small strip mall where there were several county cars in the front lot. She made note of the sign in order to tell the Martins that something was going on at Marley’s butcher shop.

  Tom walked into the storefront to find Chambers and Jones talking to a very chilled Jason Marley. Two of the department blankets served to warm the blue-lipped man who, according to Chambers, refused to go to the hospital.

  “They came in bold as brass and lifted me off my feet and dragged me into the cooler. They jammed the door. Even the emergency release was disabled. If it wasn’t for Manuel my apprentice, I’d still be in there,” Marley said through chattering teeth. “Fortunately the controls are inside. I brought the temperature up as far as I could. I didn’t want to spoil the meat, but after I figured out it was my meat that was going to get spoiled, I turned the cooler off. The meat kept the insides cold though. I should have done it sooner.”

  Manuel Ramos was busy taking inventory of the looted equipment room. Tom walked in and waited patiently for the young man to finish his job. “They took some equipment, butchery tools, meat hooks, knives, saws,” he listed before handing Tom the sheet of paper.

  “Money?” Tom asked, scanning the list.

  “No, the till hasn’t been opened, and the safe is still locked. You would have to ask Mr. Marley to open it, officer.”

  “Thank you
. How did you find the place when you arrived?”

  “When I come in, my first job is to feed Alexander the Great.”

  “Pardon?”

  “Mr. Marley’s prize hog is called Alexander the Great. I didn’t put him on the report because the deputies, they asked for things I thought were stolen. I don’t think anyone stole the pig because I heard at the donut shop that he was seen in the field by the elementary school this morning. I was going to go and fetch him as soon as Mr. Marley came in,” the apprentice explained. “I figured he probably got out on his own. It’s happened before.”

  “When did you find Mr. Marley?”

  “I found him right away. I opened up the back door and saw the metal prep table leaning against the door to the cooler. It didn’t look like any accident to me. I had some trouble opening the door after I got the counter moved. Someone had jammed a knife into the mechanism. I called 911 when I found Mr. Marley in there.”

  Chambers waved Tom over.

  “The men were dressed very similar to the guys I’ve seen walking guard at Cold Creek Hollow. Dressed in black, Kevlar vests, military boots,” he listed.

  “Did Marley see their faces?”

  “They didn’t try to hide them, no masks. We need to get him to come in and file a report before we go and fetch these guys for a lineup. Maybe get the staties involved.”

  “We better run it by Ryan first. He’s not too keen on letting the state police take over unless he’s up against the wall,” Tom explained.

  “First, the missing goats and now the butchery equipment,” Deputy Jones said, walking over to them. “I have this sick feeling we aren’t going to find those goats in one piece, are we?”

  “No wonder the pig took off,” Tom said, pulling out his phone. “Jones, see if you can convince Marley to come in and look at some pictures. Chambers, escort Mr. Ramos to the elementary school and see if he can’t round up that pig. I’ll call the sheriff and see how he wants us to proceed.”

  ~

  Audrey pulled her smart car around the black limo and found a place near the barn to park beside Mike’s expensive sports car. She smiled, thinking of how kind he had been to her in recent months. She wasn’t in any way enamored with the lead investigator, but she appreciated the attention, since it seemed Burt Hicks wasn’t going to give her any. She found Mia on her knees settling in some pansies in the half-barrel planters at the door to the PEEPs office.

  “Good afternoon!” Mia greeted her happily.

  “Those are pretty,” Audrey said, shifting the heavy books from one hip to the other.

  “Let me help you with those. Hell’s bells, Audrey,” Mia exclaimed as she juggled the heavy volumes. “We ought to call you Hercules.”

  Audrey shook her head, knowing the weight was nothing to Mia. She didn’t get her nickname Mighty Mouse for just being short.

  “You said you had a box that had hex signs, or was it, witch signs on it?”

  “Murphy said they were hex signs,” Mia explained while she opened the door. “He’s seen them before. We took pictures of the box before we encased it in Cid’s lead comic book vault.”

  “I thought he lost that one to the dueling pistols?”

  “He made another one,” Mia explained. “One can’t be too careful when it comes to first editions.”

  “Please, that’s all Burt talked about for weeks after the imps had their way over at Himmel. He and that comic book guy spend a lot of time together. Do you think he’s gay?”

  Mia coughed, surprised by Audrey’s question. “Burt? No. I don’t know? Why?”

  “Nothing, just trying to soothe my wounded ego. If the guy…” she stopped speaking, noticing the other people in the room.

  Fortunately for her, Burt wasn’t one of them. Mike looked at her amused. Ted put his finger to his lips and pointed towards the entrance to the workshop.

  Audrey dropped her books on the table, turned around and walked back out the door.

  “Give her a minute,” Mia said. “It takes us ladies longer to extract our feet from beneath our teeth.”

  “Heels get in the way?” Mike teased.

  “Something like that. So I should have warned her, huh?” Mia realized.

  “Probably,” Mike said. “I’m glad you didn’t though.”

  Audrey came back in, walked directly to the kitchenette and poured herself a cup of coffee. “Now where’s the pictures?” she asked in her best business tone.

  Mia admired the investigator’s pluck. She eyed Mike who was staring at Mia. If she could read minds, she supposed he was telling her that’s how you handle embarrassment. Her way of stomping off and breaking things wasn’t very professional, but it did make her feel better.

  Ted got up and handed Audrey the photos. “I do have more on the computer if you need all the angles.”

  “No, this is just fine for a start,” she said, opening one of the books she brought.

  “I’ll be outside,” Mia informed them. She didn’t really want to be in the building with Angelo around. She needed the comfort of the sunshine, a quick getaway and Murphy at her back when the large birdman was near. She acknowledged that PEEPs needed him in their present situation, and Burt seemed to have him well in hand. She assumed both priests had discussed the hollow with him. Saving humanity was his forte, even though he played fast and loose with the other people on his team. The only people Angelo wouldn’t use as pawns were children. The big Italian birdman had a soft spot for the young. He would protect them with his life.

  Mia watered her plantings, admiring how a few early spring flowers could lighten her mood considering the shadow that was forming in the hollow.

  “Mrs. Martin,” Angelo’s driver said, approaching her. “Would you mind if I made use of the hose and washed some of the grime off the car?”

  Mia, whose truck still had winter road salt clinging to the wheel wells, was amused by the need to wash the long black vehicle. To her it was clean. What were a few splashes of mud? It gave the vehicle character. “Go ahead, knock yourself out. I think we have some towels…”

  The driver popped the trunk and showed her he had everything needed.

  She walked towards the house and stopped in her tracks when something on the hillside caught her attention. A woman stood watching her. She was dressed in clothing Mia had seen Chastity Murphy wear in the tintypes she found in the farmhouse attic. Although, even at this distance, she could see the quality of the material far outdid anything Chastity could afford.

  Mia called out to Murphy with her mind, telling him what she was going to do. She walked to the path and began the long climb to the hilltop.

  She watched the young woman approach her. Her mode of dress was more geared for men, but she made allowances for the petite blonde. She had seen her many times standing in front of her house. Alice May regretted not approaching the sensitive sooner, inviting her in. Perhaps the two of them could have had an enlightening conversation. Was it too late for talk? Were the battle lines drawn?

  “Hello, I’m Mia Martin. I couldn’t help but notice you standing here.”

  “Alice May Blackwell,” the spirit said. “I was just admiring the colors of those pansies. In my day, we didn’t have the variety you have.”

  “These days, they engineer just about every color, but I like the old ones, myself. Nothing is more beautiful than a Queen Anne’s lace waving in the summer breeze,” Mia said. “Soon this hillside will be covered with them, along with black-eyed Susans.”

  Alice thought about the wild carrots and the unfortunately named Rudbeckia hira and agreed with their simple beauty. She nodded, holding her corrective tongue, wishing the sensitive would use the Latin names.

  “I read your journal,” Mia admitted. “I found your plant observations astounding.”

  “Not all correct, but I did my best,” Alice May actually seemed to be blushing. “I’d like to talk plants some other day, but I’ve been sent here with a request.”

  “Go ahead.”

/>   “Do not take the actions of a few against the rest of us?”

  “I don’t wish to engage with any of you. I acknowledge your right to exist on this plane. But there was a death, and with it brought a fear, and the wagons are doing more than circling, Alice,” Mia warned.

  “Tell me of this death.”

  Mia related the incident and also her suspicion that Alice’s mother, or someone resembling her, was involved.

  “No, it’s my mother. She fell in with a bad crowd after my father was consumed with the games Steele was playing. You see, she was a learned woman trapped in a household where women were disrespected. She craved power and sought out the black arts in order to satisfy her cravings. It all started with silly fortune telling games, then someone brought a witchboard into the house. She inadvertently summoned a dark spirit who whispered in her ear how to obtain the highest power on earth. She was seduced into thinking she would be stronger than my father, Steele, and the demon woman of the swamp.”

  “What happened?”

  “The fire happened. She had just tasted her first moments of power when the choking smoke came. I was already dead, but I saw her suffer,” Alice said, the corners of her mouth curling into a smile.

  “So her power didn’t save her?” Mia asked.

  “No, not her human body, but she is still here, still runs the house, still practices her unholy arts, and still listens to the whispers of the dark one.”

  “Why haven’t you moved on?”

  “Ask my mother. She bound me to her when she killed me in order become a skin-walker.”

  Mia’s mouth dropped open in surprise.

  Alice looked at her and snapped, “Is that all you have to offer me, an open mouth?” she asked outraged.

  “No, I thought my mother was bad but…” Mia moved forward and dared to grab hold of Alice’s lace-gloved hands. “I promise you that I will do everything in my power to release you from the hold your mother has over you.”

  Alice, who was quick to sense Mia’s earnestness, calmed down. “I too did something so horrible before I died, that I fear my fate once I am released,” she said regretfully. “Although, I would like my chance to decide my fate,” she said and became distracted by something out of Mia’s eyesight.