by Alexie Aaron
“Nico’s a bad boy. He pinches. I told papa, and he got mad. He hit Nico.”
“Where is Nico now?”
“Downstairs, he works in the cellar. I stay upstairs. I hide if Nico comes.”
“You hide in the walls?”
“Yes, I saw you there.”
“You have a nice place there. Your buggy is stuck though,” Mia pointed out.
“Yes,” the little girl sighed. “Come and play,” she said and held out her hand.
Mia concentrated and was able to lightly hold the child’s hand. The little girl walked with Mia into the room next to the one Audrey found the doll in.
Audrey followed them in there. She watched as the child opened the closet and pushed at the back. A panel slid open and she and Mia stepped in. It closed.
Audrey touched her com. “Mia’s in the wall with the child ghost,” she reported.
Burt and Cid entered the room behind her. Burt motioned to Audrey to use the infrared camera she forgot she had hanging from her neck. She scanned the closet and could pick up Mia’s fading heat signature but nothing of the child.
The panel slid open and closed again, but nothing was there.
“I think Murphy’s in with them,” Burt said.
“Why would Murphy need to open the panel?” questioned Audrey.
“He wanted us to know he was in there with her,” Burt explained.
“Mia’s heart rate is strong, and her pulse is normal,” Ted reported. “My little cockroach appears to be fine, physically. Her penchant for wall walking will need to be addressed later.”
“Can you hear her?”
“Faintly. If I cut you all out, I will be able to hear more,” Ted informed them.
“Go ahead,” Burt said, giving his permission. He put his camera down and waited. Soon Ted was back on com.
“She’s playing dolls with the child. I have her on another circuit. I suggest you come down and give her room to work. Murphy’s there guarding the two of them.”
Burt nodded to Cid and Audrey. “Let’s go down and recharge.”
“Is she going to be alright?”
“Ted’s says she playing dolls with the girl. Spirits only can stay physical so long. She’ll be down soon,” he promised.
Audrey shook her head in amazement. Within minutes Mia had gone from a ghost-destroying hoyden to playing house with an apparition of a child.
Chapter Fourteen
“Who’s he?” Esta asked, her eyes as big as her tea set saucers.
Murphy slowly slid his axe down and held it behind him.
“He’s a friend of mine. He watches over me,” Mia explained.
“Is he an angel?”
Mia giggled. “Oh no, I assure you, Stephen is no angel.”
“Why haven’t the angels come for me? Was I bad?” Esta asked sadly. “I know I’m dead, Mia.”
Mia was taken aback. “I don’t know, but I’ll try to find out. Maybe you have a task, a chore to do first?” she suggested keeping her voice even.
“Mayhaps. Would you like a cup of tea, Stephen?”
Murphy nodded.
“Have you been roaming this house long?” Mia asked Esta, passing the tiny cup to Murphy.
“I think I’ve been here forever, but I just remember seeing people a couple of times. Mostly churchmen. They never saw me though, only you and that lady who stole my dolly.”
“She didn’t mean to take it, Esta. She thought it was forgotten and lonely. You wouldn’t want your dolly to be alone and unloved would you?”
“No, I guess not. My papa has two families,” Esta said matter-of-factly.
Mia almost dropped her tea cup in surprise. She looked up at Murphy and back at the child. “He must have to work hard to support all of you.”
“Papa loves his work. He made me this,” Esta said and reached into a hole in the wall and brought out a carved bird on a stand.
Mia recognized it from the vision the key gave her. “Does it work?”
“It used to, but I can’t find the key. I’ve looked everywhere. Papa used to wind it for me.”
“I may have a key that will work,” Mia said. She didn’t tell her Audrey, the dolly stealer, had it because she feared Esta would not understand.
Esta’s face brightened. “Really?”
“Yes. Would you let me borrow the bird for a while so I can see if it fits?”
Esta scrunched up her face. “You’ll bring it back?”
“On my honor, Esta, I will bring the bird back. I will even wind it for you.”
“Okay.” She handed the toy to Mia. “I’m getting sleepy now.” The child lay back. Mia took the receiving blanket Audrey had tucked around the doll and covered her up. Esta faded into nothingness. Mia nodded to Murphy, and he showed her the way out.
Mia waited until she had left the second story before communicating. “I’ve got the toy the key winds.”
“I heard. You’ll have to tell me all about your tea party in the wall with Murphy and the little girl,” Ted said. “The others are waiting for you out here. Burt found your shotgun; it’s going to need some TTLC.”
“TTLC?” Mia questioned.
“Ted tender loving care.”
“I could use a little of that too. Speaking of caring, how’s Cid?”
“I’m just fine and dandy,” Cid answered her in the comlink. “I wish I was wearing Burt’s vest at the time though. The monster passed him without even taking a punch.”
“So rock salt has little effect, but iron keeps him away. Good to know,” Mia said as she pushed out of the door. The aroma of cooking sausages greeted her. Luke was cooking up a second feast which distracted Mia from the job at hand.
Ted found her sitting down, one hand holding the mechanical bird the other a bratwurst in a bun. “There you are. I thought the earth swallowed you up.”
“Sorry, wall walking makes me hungry.”
“Not to mention ghost hunting.” Ted took the rest of her brat and popped it in his mouth. He then held out his hand, and Mia placed the bird in it. “A bird in the hand…”
“Means you can only hold one brat,” Mia finished.
“Come on. Audrey’s chewing her nails in there.”
“K.” Mia looked at Luke sorrowfully, and he handed her a brat for the road. “You are an angel. Funny thing, Esta asked if Murphy was an angel.”
Ted snickered and stopped as Murphy who was hanging next to the hibachi gave him the evil eye.
“He’s your angel, doll. Speaking of dolls, let’s get this figured out so you can return it before anything happens to it.”
Mia didn’t answer; she was chewing. She just nodded and followed him up and into the command center.
Ted placed the clockwork bird on the table. Audrey handed him the key. He carefully wound the bird. It didn’t move and made a horrible racket. Ted worked quickly with tweezers and oil, and soon the bird began to move. The songbird lifted his head and tweeted. Next it fluttered its wings before bending downward into the carved nest. It moved back upwards, and a tiny brass cylinder was in its beak. Ted snatched it out before the bird repeated the clockwork motion of tweeting, fluttering and returning to the nest. This time it came up empty.
Ted handed the cylinder to Audrey explaining, “This looks like the cylinder that creates the music. The steal pins are inserted, and resin is injected to hold them into place. The teeth… well, you get the idea. This one has no pins.”
Audrey tipped it sideways and peered inside. “Hand me those tweezers.” She took the tweezers and picked at something while explaining, “It has a wax seal of some kind.” Audrey worked carefully and was rewarded with a rolled piece of parchment paper as she withdrew the seal.
Ted encouraged her to sit down, and he adjusted the light so she could see better.
Audrey unrolled the paper and was disappointed to only find two words and three initials. “It says, newel post CCH.”
“Do you think something is hidden in the newel post of this house?�
�� she asked.
Burt, Ted and Mia looked at each other. Burt answered for them. “No. CCH probably stands for Cold Creek Hollow. I think Giuseppe hid something important in the newel post of the staircase in the white clapboard house in the hollow.”
“I’m surprised it wasn’t found when they were refinishing it,” Mia said, fighting the effects of remembering her first encounter with the stairway. Her stomach turned, but for Audrey’s sake she held it together.
“Workmen these days just sand and varnish; they don’t take the time to strip the pieces down,” Cid enlightened them from the command counsel where he was watching the feeds from the house. “But if they found whatever it was, would they know what they had? We don’t even know what he left.”
“I bet it ties into why he had an accident out there,” Mia offered.
“It’s a beautiful little toy,” Audrey admired. “We better get it back to the child.” She handed the toy and the key to Mia. “Tell her thank you.”
“I will,” Mia said and started to leave.
Ted picked up a couple of flashlights and an iron crowbar and followed her. “I’m coming too.” He held up the iron bar and said, “Just in case your angel has his hands full.”
Mia, Ted and Murphy moved through the silent house, up the stairs, past the shredded wallpaper and into the bedroom. Mia struggled with the panel for awhile. She stood aside and let Murphy open it.
“You’re losing your touch,” Ted teased.
“I guess so. I’m tired, not that it’s an excuse though,” Mia said as she passed by Murphy and into the wall. She carefully moved to where the blanket lay and wound the toy, setting the stop bar before setting it down. When she exited, both Murphy and Ted were gone. She closed the door and went in search of the guys who were supposed to have her back.
She found them in the back room where the mass had emerged. Ted turned around holding some rolls of wallpaper. “Murphy found these. Let’s check and see if they match the hall.”
The paper was a match, although the colors were more vibrant. Still, it was enough to repair Mia’s damage which would make Audrey happy.
“We’ll work on the repair tomorrow, which is now today,” he said, looking at his watch. “Speaking of, Burt said we could head over to Ralph’s with Cid and get some shuteye. Audrey, Luke and he will take the early morning shift.”
“I don’t think they should be left alone…”
She was interrupted by Murphy tapping his axe. She turned and asked, “Do you want to stay here and watch over things?”
He nodded.
“Gee, I thought you’d like to go with us to Ralph’s,” she teased, seeing the fright move over his face. “He will be so disappointed.”
Murphy shrugged and tapped the floor again.
“K, I’ll explain it to Ralph. You’re needed here.” Mia winked at Ted. “Well, let’s call a cab, grab Cid and get a move on, partner.”
“Let’s mosey,” Ted said.
“How exactly do we mosey?”
“You put your right foot in…”
“That’s the hokey-pokey,” Mia argued.
“Well then I’m stymied,” Ted said.
Murphy followed the two out of the house, shaking his head. Every fool knew that mosey meant to take your time.
~
Charles stumbled in the darkness. He was amazed by the speed in which the traveler moved along the uneven forest floor in the dark of the night. It was as if he could see in the darkness. Sure, there was a half-moon this night, but it did little to light their way underneath the thick canopy of trees. They walked in the darkness and slept during the day, the traveler securing Charles during that time. They steered away from the populace and slept hidden in old barns or in hollows deep in the forests. He ate whatever the traveler brought him. Charles feared that if they didn’t reach the traveler’s destination soon, he would fall into exhaustion and would be left to die or be killed.
The gray of a new dawn filtered through the trees. The traveler stopped. “We stay here today. Tomorrow we will be at the caves.”
“When we get there, what do you expect of me?”
“I expect answers.”
“To what?” Charles asked.
The traveler waved him off. “You stay here. I’ll hunt for food and bring you water. He reached his hand out, and Charles put the enamel cup he had carried in the massive hand of his captor. “You stay here without complaint, and Amada doesn’t wake to find me,” he reminded Charles before leaving.
Charles missed his wife, her impossible ways and her blithe ignorance that she was in any way demanding. He remembered the day he met her. It had been at the University of Chicago where he had just finished his doctoral thesis. She was standing, arguing with another student over something or another. He studied her lean frame for a brief moment. Everyone was thin in those days. If you were in college, you were a vegetarian or starving because there wasn’t much in the way of financial support, other than the odd jobs you could fit in between classes. Amanda had long, shiny dark hair, her eyes dark and her skin flawless. It was love at first sight for Charles.
He remembered their courtship and smiled as he remembered the day they tied the knot. They did so in the presence of the other students he hung around with. They were young and going places. Amanda had already been published in several journals. She liked writing, and she seemed to genuinely like him too. They argued points but came eventually to a mutual understanding as long as the science supported the result. He took care of her when she was writing; he brought her food and paid the bills. He wondered who was feeding her now. Would she even realize he was gone?
Chapter Fifteen
Mia wandered out into Ralph’s spring green kitchen yawning. Bernard nudged Ralph who jumped up and escorted the sleepy girl to the table.
“Coffee coming up,” he sang. “I’ve got those scones you love and bacon, yes, real bacon, oink oink! I’ve given up the turkey stuff after Bernard threatened to leave me.”
Mia opened her mouth to speak, but she lost her opportunity as Ralph was insisting she try the jam he got from the farmers market. Along with the jam came the story about how he found the jam, the conversation he had with the woman who made it, and how Mia should take up jam making.
Mia raised a sleepy eyebrow at Bernard who winked at her. She looked around for evidence of Ted passing through here this morning. Cid was still sleeping by the sound of the snoring coming from the other guestroom.
“Has anyone seen Ted?” she managed to ask after Ralph had finished telling her about the virtues of homemade jam.
“He’s taking a shower in our suite. He didn’t want to disturb you by using the bath next to your room. He said you’ve had a stressful week and needed your sleep. He really is a dear, isn’t he? I was telling Bernard that you don’t find men with his attitude too often. Speaking of men, that Cid sure is a looker.”
“I don’t know, I guess,” Mia said as she reached for her second scone. “He’s had Lasik surgery. He used to wear these coke bottle lenses like Clark Kent. We call him Superman behind his back.”
Ralph purred which Bernard found funny. Mia just concentrated on her food until the caffeine kicked in.
“Tell me about the theater,” she encouraged after her second cup of coffee.
“We saw Kinky Boots. It was fun,” Bernard told her.
“A bit campy if you ask me, but transvestites do love their flare,” Ralph added. “The set was scrumptious. Although, I would have…” he proceeded to tell Mia what he would have done differently.
Bernard, having heard Ralph’s view last evening, left the table and started on the dishes. He appreciated Mia’s patience with his partner. Ralph loved her like a daughter and was overjoyed when he could share parts of his life with the child. Mia had a hard time growing up with Charles and Amanda. Ralph filled in whenever he could, but Mia still bore the scars of their inattention with her awkwardness around people and lack of interest in most things girly.
Ralph turned. His mouth dropped open when the shirtless Adonis stretched. Bernard had to pinch him to bring him back into focus. “Sure.”
“Why don’t you put a shirt on before you give my godfathers a heart attack,” Mia suggested.
Cid blushed and said, “Sorry, be right back.”
Ralph glared at her. “You didn’t have to be so rude, missy.”
“He’s used to it,” Mia said, waving her fork. “If I didn’t bully the guy, he’d be out here in his boxers scratching himself.”
Ralph gripped the back of his chair a moment until his blood pressure dropped.
“Spending time at the farm with three men sure can be interesting at times,” Mia said offhandedly. “Burt’s the best of the bunch, Ted has no shame, and Cid was raised by wolves, although he cooks like a master chef.”
Bernard smiled to himself. Mia certainly had done a 180 since PEEPs entered her life. “So how are your cooking lessons going?”
“Let me answer that,” Cid said, reentering the kitchen. “She can now roast meat and doesn’t turn all fried meats into jerky. Her vegetables are free of peelings, and she only burns the odd egg.”
Ralph clapped his hands. “I’m so proud of you,” he said to Mia. He turned to Cid and said, “The poor dear, she didn’t have a role model in the kitchen. I don’t know how she learned to bake so well.”
“Grandma Fred,” Mia said with her mouth full. She swallowed and explained, “She had this old Betty Crocker cookbook. I made the things from the pages with stains on them. She loved cookies, my gran did.”
“She was your gran, but she absolutely terrified me,” Ralph admitted. “Have you met Beverly?”
Cid nodded.
“Times her by six and you would have the old lady.”
Cid looked at Mia expecting to hear a protest, but she just smiled in agreement.
“Shower’s free,” Ted announced, padding into the kitchen. “Guys, you have to tell me where you got that shampoo. It smells wonderful, and look at how it manages my hair.”