by Alexie Aaron
“Is she his anchor?” Grady asked.
“Do you remember me telling you how Stephen Murphy used to be anchored by the location of his axe head?” Cid asked. “And my friend could relocate him by bringing the axe head along with her?”
“Yes. I believe you compared it to how a ghost will stay near their remains,” Grady said.
“I did. Sometimes a ghost will use a living human to transport them,” Cid explained.
“How?” Grady asked.
“It starts with an attachment of some kind,” Cid said, studying Macy’s face for confirmation.
“He literally scared the pee out of me when I was a child. We met in the first-floor ladies’ room of the Gazette. I had forgotten about it until recently when we met again.”
“Perhaps a child reaching out to another child,” Jesse said. “Did he stay with you?”
“No. Not to my knowledge. I didn’t run into him until I was investigating a noise in the archives area of the library. Gentlemen, I think he’s tied to the paper, feels safe there.”
“Most interesting,” Grady said. “Why the paper and not here?”
“That’s an excellent question,” Macy said. “I’ll be sure to ask him when I see him again. If I see him again. I had hopes that all would be resolved when you opened up the secret room.”
“Honestly, me too,” Cid said. “Luminosa Bautista may have similar thoughts. I worry what she’ll do now.”
Chapter Twenty-eight
Miguel was, for a moment, disoriented. The tree where he hid was gone. The forest had pushed inward, and the grassy lawn, he and his siblings played on, was choked with berry bushes and thistles. He moved to where he had warned his mother before launching himself over the low hedge and hiding until… He stamped his foot. He still could not remember who found him.
“Miguel!”
Miguel turned around to see what appeared to be a low-moving black cloud. His mother’s voice burbled out from the inside of it. “How is it you’re here? You should be with your father in the Elysian Fields.”
“Why aren’t you with him?” Miguel asked. “I hear horror stories of what you have done here. Mama, let it go. I’m here. I will find justice for our family.”
“You are but a little boy,” Luminosa said, forming a gentle hand reaching out to caress his face.
“I’m now the patriarch of this family,” Miguel argued.
“Such big words. I knew that paper would steal your childhood away,” Luminosa spat.
“No, my childhood was ended by a bullet. A bullet I courted with my investigation. I killed our family.”
Luminosa billowed and drew energy from the ground. She knew it was a risk. Once she connected with the energy, she would not be able to move from the spot.
Miguel, forewarned by Faye, moved away from his mother until she had settled.
The ghost became a woman wearing the uniform of her occupation, manager of the High Court motel. She held out her hands. “No, Miguel, someone else killed us. I will find out who, and rip their heart out, before I send the killer to hell.”
“That’s not honorable. You will not be allowed in the Fields,” Miguel warned. “Mama, listen to me. This is what I have found out.”
Luminosa moved towards her son.
Faye watched them from her perch on the tree branch. She heard a few things she didn’t know before, things that she doubted Cid knew. A few times, during the confidential conversation, Luminosa seemed to look her way. Faye was quick to blend into the bark, saving herself from the justice given to spies. Soon, the mother and son became animated with each other. Luminosa lost her form, and Miguel ran down the hill towards Stepner.
Luminosa tried to follow. The air grew crisp, and even though the autumn sun still shone, it felt like winter had settled in. Luminosa tried again to move beyond the confines of the motor court but was denied. She became angry, very angry.
Cid angled his head. “Jesse, are your roofers on a break?”
“I don’t know, maybe. Why?”
“Listen, do you hear any nail guns?”
“No, nor do I hear hammers,” Jesse said and started running towards the active worksite.
Cid followed with Macy running hard on his heels.
“Jesse, come in,” Jorge’s voice came over the radio.
“Go ahead,” Jesse said, still running.
“There’s a… there’s something dark in the parking lot. The roofers have fled.”
“I’m almost there,” he said and skidded to a halt.
Before him was what resembled a large twisted piece of ebony. As his eyes adjusted, it looked more like a horrible unfinished sculpture. From out of the twisted darkness a dozen women tried to pull themselves out of the center. Each moving in a different direction.
When Cid first saw it, he feared it was the Espina crew caught up in Luminosa’s wrath, but all the women looked the same. All the women were frozen shadows of Luminosa trying to escape.
“My god, it’s so cold!” Macy said, catching up to Cid. “What the hell is that?”
Faye appeared. “It’s Luminosa Bautista. She’s trying to leave High Court.”
“What happened to the workers?” Jesse asked, searching the rooftops for the women.
“The workers left the rooves when their tools would no longer work,” Faye reported. “Then the temperature dropped. Belinda saw a black mass forming and ordered them away from the motel. They all piled into the two RVs that would still start. The crew is holing up at the gallery while Dita and Belinda decide what they want to do.”
“Thank God, they got away. For a moment, I thought…” Jesse started.
“Luminosa had killed them,” Faye finished. “She would have if she knew she could take energy that way,” Faye said sagely. “It won’t be long before she consumes everything. I’m going after Miguel to bring him back. Maybe he can calm her down.”
“Be careful. It isn’t wise getting between a mother and her child,” Cid said.
“Watch,” Macy said, pointing. “Another woman is pushing out of the black mass.”
First came the hands, then Luminosa’s head. She pushed down with her hands and pulled her body out to the waist before this representation of herself also petrified.
“I have never seen anything like it,” Cid said. He took a few pictures and sent them to Ted who, he hoped, would send them on to Father Santos.
Within seconds, he received a call from Mia. “Cid, remember she’s still a ghost. How do we contain ghosts?”
“Salt, iron, and holy water!” he shouted, running for his truck.
Jesse, momentarily stunned by the image before him, wavered and started walking toward Luminosa, his hand held out to her, as if he could pull her out.
Macy intercepted him and hauled him backwards. She slapped his face a few times. “Come on, snap out of it!”
Wayne arrived on the scene with Deputy Leidecker. The latter raised his handgun.
“Wait!” Wayne shouted. “Unless you’ve got silver bullets in there, I would put it away.”
“Cid says, salt, iron, holy water,” Macy said.
Cid drove his truck up, screeching to a halt. He hurried out of his vehicle and popped open the back end. He grabbed for the large wooden box in the back and opened it. Cid pulled out an armful of kosher salt boxes and tossed two boxes to Wayne. “We need to circle her. Meet me on the other side,” he instructed.
Both men poured a healthy line of salt and, with only a minor adjustment, managed to enclose Luminosa with a single solid line of salt.
Still, she drew power from beneath her. Another set of hands emerged from the twisted mass.
“It’s so horrible to watch,” Macy said. “I’m dizzy from the waves of pain she’s emitting.”
The salt disrupted Luminosa’s hold on Jesse. He shook off the feeling of heavy sleep. He looked at the twisted, dark ghost a moment, before he ran over to the scrap pile. Jesse tossed scrap metal around until he found what he was looking for, an
old rusted piece of straightened rebar, about seven feet long. He picked it up, ran over to the parking lot, and launched the bar into the center of the mass like a spear. It pierced the ebony mass and seemed to float there a moment before it fell. Luminosa disappeared before the rod touched the ground.
Cid stepped over the salt line. He walked to where she had drawn power from and poured a measure of holy water out of his flask. It bubbled as if it was boiling before the water evaporated as steam. “Sorry, Luminosa. Nothing personal,” he said.
“Where’d you learn to do that?” Macy asked Jesse.
“I was All State in javelin, three years in a row.”
“Huh, bet you never thought you’d use that skill again.”
Jesse started to laugh, which eased the tension of the others.
Marty Newson, fresh from running full on from the Forest Preserve border, bent over with his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. “What was that thing? Jorge sent me this still,” he said, passing his phone to Leidecker.
“That, sir, was one mad mother…”
“Excuse me, there’s a lady here,” Macy warned. “Stop looking around; the lady would be me.”
Cid smiled. He really liked this newswoman.
Jesse’s phone vibrated. He pulled it out of his pocket and winced. He put the phone to his ear. “Slower, I can’t understand you. Dita, I swear I didn’t know it could do that. Sure, I think you can collect your gear now.” She must have hung up because Jesse pulled the phone away from his face. “Guys, we’re going to have to look for new roofers. Kiki is going to hit the ceiling…”
His phone started to vibrate again. He looked at the caller and put it to his ear once more. “Yes, Dita? He did? I’ll ask him? Hold on.” Jesse looked at Cid. “Calvin told Dita that ghosts have a downtime, and she should consider finishing as much as she can during this time. After all, he was paying for a completed roof.”
“Tell Dita that I’ll sit here and pour holy water on this spot until they’re finished,” Cid lied, not really intending on doing so.
“Did you hear that? Yes, Saint Cid. Okay.” Jesse put his phone away. “They’re just finishing the caviar and toast points Calvin’s assistant whipped up. Expect them in ten minutes.”
“How is my father?” Macy asked.
“Don’t know. Did you lose track of him?” Jesse asked.
Cid shook his head. To Cid, Macy was a beautiful woman who needed help. To Jesse, she was just another problem.
“I’m calling Calvin,” Cid said, punching in the numbers. He walked away from the others while it rang.
Calvin picked up and started talking, “Cid, Jorge says everything is under control there.”
“For the moment.”
“Is there any chance we can get your priest here any sooner?”
“I’m not sure. But from my experience, the amount of holy water Luminosa sucked up should keep her inert for quite a while, maybe, if we’re lucky, a day.”
“I hope so.”
“Is Maury with you? His daughter is looking for him. I understand he doesn’t carry a cell phone.”
“Yes, he’s been entertaining Belinda Espina with tales of his reporter days. She, in turn, is telling him about prison.”
“Sounds like a conversation worth listening to,” Cid said.
“Sorry, Cid, that will have to wait. I’m depending on you three to get this sorted. Sheriff Grady has the evidence, and it’s up to him to make a case. We’re just in the containment business.”
“Containment as in…”
“Luminosa,” he said and hung up.
Macy looked over.
“Your father is fine and having a delightful conversation with an ex-con.”
“Sounds like him. Thanks, I know I’m over protective, but someone has to keep track of him. My mother assumes, if he’s not underfoot, he’s working.”
Faye appeared. “I’m sorry, but Miguel won’t come back. He’s at the paper. Where did Luminosa go?” she asked, looking around.
Macy filled her in after pointing to the benign looking hole in the concrete.
Faye walked over to get a closer look and bounced off. “What the hay?”
“I’m sorry,” Macy said. “I forgot about the salt.”
Faye looked down frowning. “It’s okay. One doesn’t expect salt in the middle of a parking lot unless it’s winter.”
“What does it feel like?” Macy asked Faye.
“That’s a vague question,” Faye commented.
“What does it feel like to be a ghost?”
“Oh, confusing. They don’t exactly give you a rulebook at ghost school.”
Macy opened her eyes wide.
“It was a joke,” Faye said. “What does it feel like?” Faye asked aloud before answering, “I don’t feel temperature, although when I see ice and fire, I seem to imagine I can. I’m not hungry or in pain, unless I get salt tossed at me, and then, wowzah, it hurts.”
“How about an iron spear?” Jesse said, picking up the rebar off the pavement.
“Don’t try it, mister,” Faye said and disappeared.
“Damn it!” Macy said, irritated. “I was learning something important.”
“Oh, sorry. You know Faye lies, don’t you?”
“I didn’t think ghosts could lie?”
“Tell her, Cid.”
“They’re just like people. Some do, some don’t. I expect if they are liars in life, they will be liars for an eternity.”
“Do you think Faye lies?” Macy asked Cid.
“Actually, no. Not on purpose. Our Faye was quite a voracious reader when she was alive, and in her quest to find out who she was and who killed her, she has made a few errors, thinking the books’ plots were her memories.”
“Oh, the poor dear. I wonder if she would let me help her?” Macy asked.
“Yes!” Faye said, appearing at her side. “Any help you could give me would be appreciated. I, in turn, will give you leads you can run with.”
Macy was intrigued. “Leads?”
“Luminosa not only knew of the drug transactions, but took a cut. When Miguel found out, he stormed off. That whole horrorfest was mommy trying to get to her son to explain herself. But something here won’t let her leave the property. The more she tried, the more it locked her down.”
“It?” Jesse questioned.
“I’m not a scientist. You figure it out,” Faye said.
“Thanks, Faye. When I finish sorting through this mess, come to me and tell me all you remember. I’ll do my best to figure out who you are and what happened to you,” Macy promised.
“I appreciate it. These clowns haven’t been too helpful,” Faye said and disappeared.
“Well, she told us,” Jesse said, amused. “I do, however, resent being associated with clowns.”
Wayne leaned over and whispered to Macy, “The guy is petrified of them.”
“A lot of people are,” Macy said.
“How about dolls?” Wayne asked.
Macy noticed the go-to-hell look Jesse gave Wayne.”
She also caught the quick smile that crossed Cid’s face.
“I’m afraid of peeing in a public bathroom,” Macy offered before she thought the better of it.
“Why?” Jesse asked.
“It has something to do with that it’s the first place I met Miguel. He was peaking under the stall door.”
“The dog!” Jesse said.
“How old were you?” Wayne asked.
“A child, I don’t know, eight?” Macy said. “I had forgotten it until it happened again.”
Cid didn’t add to the conversation. He knew better than to admit he landed on his butt trying to save Macy in said washroom.
“Well, you have a reason. What does this Miguel look like?” Wayne asked. “I’ve only not seen him. What I mean is, he was invisible.”
“He’s a boy about so high,” Cid said, holding up his hand.
“Normally, standing in a pool of his own blood,�
�� Macy added.
“Gross but hardly scary. I’ve seen scary,” Jesse bragged.
“He was holding a clown doll,” Macy lied.
The color drained from Jesse’s face.
The other three waited until Jesse said, “Hey, you’re bullshitting me!”
“Welcome to the team,” Wayne said. “Cid, I think we’ll keep her.”
“I think her father may object,” Cid said, sweeping the salt into a pile over the hole in the concrete.
“I better drive over and take him home. My mother will wonder what we’ve been up to.”
“Macy, do you still live with your parents?” Jesse asked.
“No, they are too wild and would keep me up nights with their loud music,” she said over her shoulder as she walked away.
Chapter Twenty-nine
Cid walked the parking lot with the newly hospital-released Amy. She asked Cid, “Why are we walking this lot over and over again?”
“To make the Espinas feel more secure,” Cid said. Which brought on a myriad of questions from Amy, everything from what had happened to her personally to what had happened while she was gone.
“I don’t get it. She saved my ass, and you give her a major timeout,” Amy complained.
“I know it sounds unfair, but I think Luminosa got herself into such a state that she couldn’t control her actions. I think we should thank our lucky stars that whatever force she was drawing from kept her from escaping.”
“So, you’re saying that ghosts can’t always control what they do?”
“Let me explain it like it was explained to me. Let’s say you fell to your death and decided to come back to hang with Jorge and Marty. Odds are, neither of them are sensitives, and you get a bit fed up to talking to them because they can’t hear you. So, you decide to push through the veil and give Jorge a Gibbs.”
“Wait, what’s a Gibbs?”
“You mean you’ve never watched NCIS?”
“Oh, oh, you mean a slap upside the head, like Gibbs used to give DiNozzo?”
“Exactly. We call it a Gibbs. Anyway, there’s a lot of physics involved, but you’re a ghost and you don’t care about it, so you slap him and nothing. He feels nothing. So you slap harder and harder until you break through and send him head over heels.”