by Alexie Aaron
Alice saw the last two humans pack up their gear and leave. She pondered the event and was wondering what her mother was going to do about it, when she saw a few of the spirits that wandered the passageways moved outward to patrol the entrance of the hollow. She didn’t like these particular spirits. They had in their lifetime taken lives of the humans they lived with. They weren’t as powerful as her mother, but they could hurt someone. They, too, were dependent on the power of the demon in the caves.
She walked away from the attic window and settled back down in her chair. She had fresh pansies to catalogue and press into her memory book.
“I don’t know how they got in here, but your idea of luring the birdman was fruitless. Kidnapping those people only brought us the ghost hunters from the other side of the hill,” Mrs. Blackwell spat.
The demon turned a weary eye on the travesty he had tied himself to all those years ago. “It would have worked, but I didn’t take into account the meddlesome farmer and his pet human. All this time, he was content to haunt the woods. Why did he suddenly cast his eye once again on the hollow? We barely survived the last time the birdman and his people were here handling Steele.”
“Steele, that perverted bastard!” Mrs. Blackwell exclaimed. “He took everything from me!”
“Calm down, you still have your daughter,” the demon pointed out.
“Her? All she does is pick flowers. What good is she to me?”
“There would be no you if it weren’t for she. Come on, didn’t you enjoy killing her?”
Mrs. Blackwell smiled.
“Didn’t it feel good to choke the life out of her? All your disappointments. All her sharp remarks. All the wasted money trying to get her a husband…”
“Yes. But a mother’s not really supposed to kill her children is she?” Honor Blackwell questioned.
“You forget how powerful it made Medea, Agave…”
Honor nodded absently. If she had read the classics, she would have known that Agave was under enslavement when she killed her son. All she knew was these two women were thought to be gods at one time, something she desperately wanted to be. The demon knew his disciples’ weaknesses and used them to his benefit. If only the traitorous female didn’t take it upon herself to hide his heart from him, he would be free right now to enjoy dining on the flesh of humanity.
~
Ted’s phone rang. He looked at the caller ID which displayed, Time to get your shit together. He showed it to Mia first before answering it because he needed a witness to what had been happening to his phone for the last few months. “Hello?”
“Ted, this is Tom. We have some good news.”
“Bring it on, copper, we could use some good news.”
“Thaddeus Maynard the Third has regained consciousness and remembers nothing. Deputy Chambers found him on the side of the road. Evidently the soul-jumper that had been controlling him fled after he and a skunk had a little tête-à-tête.”
“Really? Good to know. We got Audrey and Father Santos out of the house, thanks to your little stunt outside the gates. How’s the driver?”
“Telling the tale to anyone that will pick up his cell phone. The dude’s only regret is that he didn’t have it on film for YouTube,” Tom scoffed.
“You’re just jealous that you had to be the baddie in the badge,” Ted teased. “I’ll let the other’s know, especially Miss Toh.”
“What do I need to know?” Tonia asked, walking over. “I feel like a hen. How do those ladies sit on those eggs is beyond me,” she complained, rubbing her backside.
Ted repeated his conversation with Tom.
“Skunk?” Tonia questioned and marveled at the same time. “All this time I’ve been wasting on conjures and chants, and I could just be waving a skunk at the thing, amazing.”
Mia liked the spirit hunter. Sure, she was bossy and demanding and… Mia realized she may be looking at a stretched out replica of herself. She mused, “Is this how others see me?”
“So we have a soul-jumper minus a host. The gates are down in Cold Creek Hollow. A deer-woman is on the way to deal with the skin-walker, and a birdman is itching to get him some demon. I’d say the white hats are looking pretty good,” Tonia all but crowed.
“Careful, my dear,” Alessandro warned. “There are battles yet to fight. Save your bravado for the finish.”
“Yes, Father,” she said contritely.
Mia put her hand on Ted’s arm and led him away from the others. She could feel the tension in his body. She knew that the mysterious comments appearing in the caller ID of his phone were bothering him. There had only been a few, but that they happened at all bothered the technician in him.
“You could just get a new phone,” Mia suggested.
“But then the phone will have won,” Ted said. “Whoever, whatever, is doing this is frankly pissing me off. I’ve spent countless hours researching the problem. I’d kind of like the reward of finding out what’s going on. I’m beginning to doubt my own press about being a certified genius.”
“Not to mention a humble man,” Mia added, hugging him. “Try not to let it bother you, and maybe it’s right. It’s time for all of us to get our shit together.”
“Your shit is together, Minnie Cooper. The rest of us, not so much,” he said, looking at Cid who was a bit too quiet. “Cid got a fright at the house.”
“The skin peeling stuntwoman?” Mia asked.
“That’d be her,” he confirmed.
“Leave this to me,” Mia said and walked over to Cid.
“Hello, Cid, time for you and me to have that little talk.”
“If you are going to tell me about the birds and the bees, Ted already tried, and I refuse to believe the first time you have to stand on your head,” Cid joked.
Mia laughed. “It explains our first time, hmmmm. Anyway, how about we sneak in the house and cook up some snacks and talk?”
“As long as there are no raw bacon strips or pea soup involved, I’m game.”
“I was thinking more of maggot-ridden hamburger with guacamole.”
“Gee, that helps,” he said, holding the door of the PEEPs office open for her. “Why don’t you just pull up crime scene photos on the computer for us to leaf through as we chat?”
They walked through the office and out into the darkening yard. The breeze brought down the odor of smoke from the previous fire. Mia refused to let this dampen her mood. Shit happens, and in her experience, it happened a lot.
They entered the silent house and headed for the kitchen. Mia waited until Cid had settled himself at the table before speaking. “There are a lot of horrible things in the world. People don’t necessarily die in peaceful ways. They carry the horror of it into their afterlives. Some never let it go. Some use it to scare others. Mrs. Blackwell, no doubt, has used that trick before. It seemed well practiced, and frankly, I’ve seen worse.”
“How do you stand it?”
“I’ve really no choice. As I child I screamed. It didn’t help my reputation, believe me. I tried as I aged to see it clinically. Perhaps it could give me insight into how the person died or the horrors that kept them tied to the earthly plane instead of moving on. After all these years, I may still jump and puke upon seeing such visages, but I recover quickly. Think of this as more a show of her might, no more, no less.”
Cid studied her earnest face and nodded. “I’ll try. I expect I’m going to have some nightmares though.”
“If you have a nightmare, come over. You can crawl in with me and Ted. I’ve always wanted a threesome…”
“Mia Cooper Martin!” Ted exclaimed from the doorway.
“You knew he was there,” Cid conspired.
“Oh, yes. It’s that floorboard in the hall, foils the eavesdropper every time.”
Ted pouted.
“Come on, smile, it could be worse. I could be talking to Mike,” Mia teased.
“You, madam wife, I’m not talking to. If I were, then I would tell you that the priests are ti
red. Mike’s going to drive them back to the city. Burt’s going to hang around, and Audrey would like you to look over a few things she’s discovered in the rosewood box.”
“The box! I almost forgot about it. Where?”
“Dining room. She asks that you bring a few beers with you. Evidently being a hostage has brought on a thirst.”
“Food, we need food, and who is watching the box?”
“Ton Toh,” Ted answered. “Burt’s watching her. Lorna and Angelo are still gone. I think that’s it. Man, if it’s this much trouble keeping track of PEEPs, how is our family of twelve going to be?”
“Ouch, my womb is in shock. Stay away from me, stud farm,” Mia said, crossing herself and squeezing by him on the way to the refrigerator. “Food…”
“Oh, I guess that’s up to me and Cid. Want to go into town for some pizza?”
Cid agreed. “As long as I drive. Last time it took forever. You drive like an old lady on valium.”
“I do not!”
Mia listened to them argue on their way out. She heard Maggie pad her way in and settle under the kitchen table. She reached in the cupboard and tossed a few dog biscuits to her. Maggie sniffed them, disappointed they weren’t bacon, but decided she’d eat them anyway.
Audrey sat back and watched Mia walking into the room. Her hair was all matted on one side, but she still looked beautiful. How was a girl going to compete with that, she thought. She stopped herself. She didn’t need to compete with Mia. Mia was a married woman in love with her husband. She spoke, “Why do women compete with each other when they should be supporting and exulting in the other’s accomplishments?”
“You’re going to have to give me a little more,” Mia said, handing the opened beer bottle to Audrey.
“Guys cheer for each other. Women get snarky at the successful ones of their group and try to bring them down.”
“Not all women,” Mia argued.
“Not all, but too many of them do.”
“It might be changing. Could be a jealousy thing. I imagine Alice May had a few women talking behind her back.”
“Oh no, you’d think that they’d envy her intelligence and freedom to roam the countryside instead of tending to babies and fixing supper, but no, it’s quite the opposite. Alice May was jealous of them,” Audrey enlightened Mia. She pulled out the journal and leafed through it. She stopped where a dried white daisy marked the page and handed it to her.
Mia picked up the daisy and immediately thought of her friend and smiled. She then sat down and read the caption:
Disgusting showy flower. Daisy pretending to be sweet and innocent while waiting for her Captain to come back from the war. Let’s see how Daisy Sprigs fares in Steele’s dungeon.
“I think I’m going to be ill,” Mia said. “This must be the bad thing that Alice has been alluding to. Daisy died after being interfered with by Steele, and it seems Alice either knew about it, or initiated it.”
“The complexities of being a spinster in the 1800’s,” Audrey commented and continued, “It must have been horrible being dependent on your family. Pitied by the married ladies, instead of being heralded as an independent woman.”
Mia looked at her friend. “I may be reading more into this than I should, but are you going through an Alice kind of a time?”
“I shouldn’t be. After all, at least I have an unsuccessful marriage under my belt,” she explained. “But I’m feeling a bit lonely. You’ve got your Teddy Bear, and I’d love to have one of my own. I thought that perhaps Burt, but that looks like it’s gone the way of dodo.”
“What about Alan? He’s gaga over you.”
“I don’t know. I guess I’m just feeling sorry for myself. A pity party for one, I believe it’s called.”
“Well, gee, why not change it and make it a fun evening soiree for two?” Mia asked, and she clicked her bottle with Audrey’s. “Two women supporting each other through thick and thin.”
“At least until the pizza comes. Then it’s every hungry beast for themselves,” Audrey teased.
“Now you’re talking,” Mia agreed.
Chapter Twenty-four
Angelo watched as the flap of the tent opened, and Lorna Grainger crawled out and stood facing north. She raised her hands and seemed to connect with something that he couldn’t see. She spread her arms wide, walked through a curtain and disappeared. Soon the curtain opened, and a tentative hoof eased out, followed by an unusual woman. She had deer hooves for feet and slender hided legs. A blanket with the pattern of the old ones was wound around her body. Slender arms extending from beautiful shoulders held the curtain of night open a moment before letting it fall. The neck of the creature was a bit longer than its human counterpart. Long black hair was caught up in the crown of antlers the beautiful creature wore on her head. She turned to face Angelo, her large black eyes taking him in. She smiled, and for a moment, white fangs were displayed before the lush full lips closed in a smile.
Lorna’s voice came out of the creature, “Well, Birdman, we have work to do.”
Angelo shed his clothes and unfurled his wings. He morphed into the smallest of the black-gowned birds and flew over and perched on the antler crown.
The two of them walked off into the night, unnoticed by all but a farmer nursing his overheated saplings.
~
Burt took a plate of pizza into the barn and handed it and a Coke to Tonia, who had previously declined the offered beer.
“Thank you, Mr. Hicks.”
“I thought we were at Burt and Tonia?” he asked.
“Sorry, I’m a boob when it comes to being around people. Lorna says, if I keep it formal, I can’t be misunderstood. Lorna lies.”
“You and Mia should do well together.”
“Well, I’ll consider that a compliment. She’s quite a find, isn’t she?”
Burt, not certain where the conversation was going, kept silent.
“I mean all that talent. You ghost hunters must be kissing your lucky stars that she’s decided to become one of you. After all, she could do it all on her own.”
“That’s where you and Mia are different. She loves being part of our dysfunctional family. She considers herself lucky to have found us,” he said smugly.
“Touché. What about you? Do you enjoy being part of this family?”
“Yes, I do.”
“How do you see yourself in this group of extraordinary people?”
“The fat kid with all the toys, at times. Other times a leader. I’m enriched and horrified by all my team does, but I love each member.”
“Even the redhead you recently spurned?”
“I think perhaps we’ll leave that out of the discussion,” he said.
“Do you do this because you’re a gentleman or a bastard? I assure you, she hasn’t left you out of her conversations.”
“Why are you baiting me this way?” Burt said, keeping his temper.
“I don’t know. I guess I’m curious. Turnabout is fair play; go on, ask me a few questions. Don’t waste your time tiptoeing, dig in and get to the meat of the subject,” she advised.
“Why bother? You’ll just lie to me,” Burt said dismissively.
“Ouch.” Tonia smarted from his revelation. “Well, here’s the meaty stuff, volunteered by yours-truly,” she said, ignoring Burt’s feigned indifference. “I’m a stubborn risk taker with no fear of dying. I’ve died four, no five, times before. What awaits me isn’t what keeps me from it. I keep getting sent back. Oh, I’m sure one time I’ll get the choice of staying, but the ladies have been firm with me. ‘Tonia,’ they say, ‘You have too much to do yet.’ You can only imagine what I’ve done already, so I tell you, if there is more to do, then I’m in for one hell of a rollercoaster ride.”
“Mia’s died before. Once was my fault.”
“Accidents do happen.” Tonia waved her Coke bottle in the air. “Hell, Lorna once got me gored by a Brahma bull.” Tonia lifted her shirt up, exposing a network of interconnecting s
cars across her lower back. “Still hurts on rainy days. Luckily for me, I don’t really need that many feet of intestines. She simply cut out the bad shit and sewed me back together. I do wish she’d practice her stitches though. I’m beginning to think that bikini season would benefit by this bod,” she said, patting her rock hard abs.
“Sorry, can’t identify with that,” Burt said, poking a finger into his extra tire.
“You’re pretty cute. Don’t go and show me anymore skin or I’ll forget I’m pretending to be a lady,” Tonia said and winked at him.
“I think we’ll just keep this professional, Miss Toh,” Burt said, getting up. “I’ll be heading back home soon. Cid will spell you, and I guess you can bunk in his room upstairs if you want.”
“Sounds great, but I’ll be in the trailer with the horses,” she said. “Thanks for the chat, Mr. Hicks.”
Burt walked into the office and adjusted himself. He hoped that Tonia didn’t see that she’d aroused him. He didn’t need any more complications in his life right now. He knew he shouldn’t have slept with Audrey that night after Mia’s and Ted’s wedding. He wasn’t thinking with the right brain at the time. Now he had to deal with her baleful looks and sharp angry answers, instead of the bubbly investigator he was used to.
“Well, Audrey, let me show you the guestroom,” Mia said, after determining that the investigator was under the spell of one too many beers. “We’ve not used it for a while. Normally, Mike crashes here, so let me change the sheets first. There’s no telling what that boy does when he has a sock on the door,” Mia teased.
“You’re too funny,” Audrey giggled. “But let’s change the sheets anyway.”
Mia smiled and led the way upstairs. Maggie was at their heels. “Maggie’s probably going to insist on being your bunkmate. You just have to tell her no, several times, but in the middle of the night, she’ll just climb in anyway,” Mia warned.
“I could shut the door,” Audrey said.