Old Bones (Haunted Series)

by Alexie Aaron

  “One can only hope.”

  “Did you have a good talk with Father Santos?”

  “He didn’t have any answers for me, but I feel better.”

  “I guess that’s something. Mia, I’ve been holding out on you, and, like Murphy, I thought I was doing the right thing so please listen to what I have to say first.”

  Mia moved towards him and said, “Go on, I’m listening.”

  “You’ve been talking in your sleep.”

  Thoughts of what she could have uttered filled her mind and caused her to panic. “And?”

  “It wasn’t your voice. And it was in a language my computers couldn’t translate.”

  “You taped me?”

  “Well yes.”

  “What else have you been taping? We don’t have a sex tape out there do we?”

  Ted flushed. “I never thought of that. You mean…”

  “No. Get back to me talking in tongues.”

  “I sent a file to one of Bernard’s friends whose specialty is ancient languages. Hopefully, he’ll have an answer soon.”

  “Does he know it’s me?”

  “He thinks it’s from an investigation,” Ted answered. “You have every right to be mad at me. I just didn’t want to bring it up until I knew what we were dealing with.”

  Mia thought a moment. “You were afraid I’d get all bummed out again.”

  “Well yes.”

  She reached up, pulled him down to her and kissed him on the lips. “Now this is negative reinforcement,” she explained. “I understand your motives, but next time tell me. If I had known, I could have consulted Santos while he was still here.”

  Ted picked her up and whirled her around. “You’re the best, Mia, the absolute best.” He set her down, and she looked over at Murphy.

  “Your turn.”

  Murphy puckered his lips, and Mia shook her finger at him.

  “No kisses for you, bud. You get a lecture.”

  Murphy feigned disappointment, but the twinkle in his eyes gave him away.

  “Next time you go destroying property, get permission first. Bend my ear or Ted’s. Pinch Mike or Burt. Let us know your intentions. I’m not saying what you did was wrong. I would have done the same. But we gave Audrey a heart attack and could have caused a lot of trouble for PEEPs.”

  Murphy raised an imaginary shotgun and cocked an eyebrow.

  “Yes, I’ve done some damage myself, but it was in the heat of battle. When human or ghostly life is at stake, yes, chop first and ask questions later.” Mia walked over and put her hand on his chest. “I know your intentions are good. I rely upon your counsel and depend on you having my back. I just think what you and I need to realize is if we want to be part of a team, we have to act like a member of the team.”

  Stephen smiled down and her. He looked over at Ted standing there watching them and nodded.

  Mia turned to go, stopped and asked, “You want to go wall walking with me later? Burt gave his okay.”

  Murphy nodded and saluted before disappearing into the night.

  “Did you just ask him for a date, right in front of your fiancé?”

  “Yes, want to make something of it?” Mia challenged.

  “Yes, but here’s not the place. You need to be spanked.”

  “You and whose army?”

  Ted burst into giggles as he held out his hand. Mia took it, and they giggled and whispered naughty things all the way back to the truck.

  ~

  Audrey watched as Doctor Nam’s team’s vehicles pulled away from the house. She was well aware that the neighbors witnessed the extraction of the bodies, and soon the grapevine would produce a brave soul that would demand to know what was going on. She was prepared with a set of non-committal answers for when that happened. A cab pulled up, and an elderly man with a briefcase got out and paid the driver. He held up a hand in greeting as he strode up the walk towards the house.

  “Are you Audrey McCarthy?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m Father Alessandro. Father Santos sent me to interpret a document for you.”

  “Father, it’s the middle of the night. This could have waited until morning.”

  He reached the steps and climbed them slowly. “I was up anyway, why wait.”

  “I think the phone call woke you up,” Audrey accused.

  “Yes, it did. Now, child, find me a place to sit and a cup of coffee.”

  Audrey escorted the priest into the house. He stopped a moment, looked upon the staircase and frowned.

  “What is it?”

  “A bit showy for me. I prefer a minimalist décor.”

  “I’m beginning to think along your lines too. This object of art is more trouble than you can imagine. Come, forgive the mess. But we’ve had a problem with the wall,” Audrey hedged.

  As they entered the study, Burt turned around from where he had been working. He saw Mike’s mouth drop open as he recognized the man. Mike rushed to clear off the desk and chair. “Father Alessandro, it’s an honor.”

  “The Father is here to translate Giuseppe’s notebook for us,” Audrey explained.

  Burt looked at the man again and realized that Father Santos had sent a world renowned exorcist to translate the notebook.

  “If I could borrow the use of a laptop, I understand from Santos you would have that at my disposal. And some coffee,” he added as he sat down.

  Mike touched his ear. “Father Alessandro is here to translate. Can you bring him a laptop and a cup of coffee… Sir, what would you like in it?”

  “A little milk, please.”

  “Milk. Yes, yes, that would be great.” Mike directed his gaze back to the priest. “Ted will be around shortly.”

  Audrey was confused. How did Mike know the priest, and why was there so much excitement?

  Ted appeared as if by magic. The flush of his face was the only indication he ran all the way. “Mia is fixing a tray,” he explained as he set the laptop down and reconnected it to the PEEPs network. “It’s an honor, sir.”

  The priest smiled and asked for the notebook.

  Audrey handed it to him explaining, “It’s been stored in a newel post for a century and a half. The pages are a bit fragile, and the pencil is fading in spots.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ve handled documents twice this old.”

  Mia arrived with a tray. She set down a mug of coffee and mixed milk into it. She placed an array of sweet treats on the desk. She looked around at the others and said, “Clear out. Give the man room to work.” When the room was empty except for she and the priest, she said, “I’ll be in the hall. My name is Mia if you need anything.” She pulled a chair after her.

  As she walked away, he reached out with his mind and connected with hers. She felt him ask for entrance, and she allowed it. He moved quickly along the passages and then left. He thanked her and proceeded with the task at hand.

  Mia sat down with a thump. The exchange exhausted her. She smiled as she knew he was part of Father Santos’s promise. He was there for her as much as the translation.

  ~

  The shrill ring of the landline woke Drago from his slumber. He rolled and focused on the clock. “Three in the morning, who dares to call me at this time?” He picked up the handset and barked, “This had better be an emergency!”

  “Mr. Basso, this Derrick Crumb, the private investigator you hired.”

  “Yes, sorry, I’m not a good waker.”

  “You asked me to contact you immediately if there was activity at the Adler Street Parish House.”

  “Yes,” Drago said, feeling his stomach turn. “What do you have for me?”

  “About nine this evening, the Cook County Coroner’s van pulled up. Several minutes later, several other vehicles associated with that office pulled up. At midnight, forensic technicians carried six small body bags out of the house on stretchers.”

  “Was there any police involvement?”

  “Not that I could tell. I called an associate, and t
he bodies never reached the main office. He’s not sure, but he guessed that if the bodies weren’t victims of recent crimes, they would have gone to another facility Doctor Nam uses for exhumations.”

  “Anything else?”

  “No. Just some old fellow arriving by taxi, carrying a briefcase. A dishy redhead met him on the porch.”

  Drago frowned. “Thank you. Keep me apprised if there is any police involvement.”

  “Yes, sir,” the investigator said and hung up.

  Drago lay back on his pillow, but sleep would not come. He feared that the scandal his ancestor worked so hard to cover up was coming to light. He would visit the house in the morning and see for himself what he could do to repair the damage that started one hundred and fifty years ago.

  ~

  Audrey’s footsteps sounded on the hall floor, waking Mia from her uncomfortable slumber in the chair.

  Mia looked at her friend and asked, “What’s up?”

  “Drago Basso just called me. He wants to see the staircase this morning.”

  “I think he heard about the activity last night,” Mia said as she stretched. She got up and looked in on Father Alessandro.

  He looked up from the book and encouraged her to come in and bring Audrey with her. “I have finished reading the notes and have learned a lot about building staircases and carving birds. I have translated the last few pages for you. From what I have read, I think that Drago Basso deserves to hear what his great uncle has written. Allow him to come. Shall we say eleven?”

  Mia nodded at Audrey who left the room to return his call.

  “Father, can I get you something?”

  “Breakfast would be nice. I know of a place not far from here. I suggest you and I go there together. There is much to discuss, Mia, that I think should remain between me and you.”

  “I’ll just need a moment to clean up and tell my fiancé where I am going.”

  “You are pledged to marry?”

  “Yes.”

  “Is he here?”

  “Yes, Father, there are no secrets between us.”

  “Then you better bring him. He should hear what I have to say too.”

  ~

  Ted waited until Mia had settled herself before sliding in beside her in the booth. They sat across from Father Alessandro. Mia grabbed Ted’s hand under the table. He winced at her vicelike grip but bore the pain silently.

  They waited until the waitress, who seemed very familiar with the priest, took their order, filled their cups with coffee and left before talking.

  “Mia, forgive me and Father Santos for discussing you behind your back. He has been concerned about you for some time. You have been through many experiences that seem like bad movie scripts. Your falling ill, being abducted, waking in a strange place of healing, and being returned well but far from whole,” he listed. “Angelo Michaels belongs to an ancient order of beings that predates the Church. Although I assure you he fights on the side of good, he is not, shall we say, a defender of mankind. His soft spot is for children, and he has saved many innocents. He, however, finds no problem with sacrificing others to further the dominance of good in this world.”

  The waitress arrived with their juice order. Father Alessandro drank deeply of the orange juice before continuing, “In your mind there are many rooms. They are guarded by you now, thanks to the training of your aunt. But while you were vulnerable, something entered you and is hidden from me by a door that won’t open from, let us say, the outside. Your symptoms tell me what is there but not who. The way your body heals itself, the wings that are, and are not, these are signs that a gray lady has taken up residence in your mind. She can’t be forced out. She will come out when she is ready, but you’ll have to be patient and bear the burden.”

  “She talks while Mia sleeps,” Ted said, digging in his pocket and pulling out a digital recorder. He attached a set of earbuds to it and handed it to the priest.

  He put the buds in and started the recording. Alessandro smiled, and as he did, his face lit up. An illumination set in, and Mia and Ted witnessed the man in his youth for a brief moment. He finished listening and handed the device back to Ted.

  “She prays for mankind while you sleep, Mia. This is not a bad soul. She will do you no harm.”

  “You know the language?”

  “Yes, it’s an old one, but easy to learn.”

  Their food arrived and conversation was suspended while the three of them ate. Mia found her appetite and released Ted’s hand so he could eat right-handed. He flexed his fingers to get the feeling back and picked up his fork. Father Alessandro noticed this small sacrifice and smiled.

  “Am I possessed?” Mia asked after the priest put his fork down, and the waitress quickly removed his plate.

  “No, she does not control you, although she may act with you at times.”

  “That explains the ground opening up,” Ted said.

  “What ground? Please explain,” the priest asked concerned.

  Mia told him about their final battle with Deville and how she stamped her foot and the ground opened up and swallowed him. “I’ve witnessed Angelo open the earth to fly bad spirits to hell, I assume, and thought…”

  “Please, for a moment open your mind and let me see these things.”

  Mia connected her eyes with the soft brown eyes of the priest and opened the windows.

  Ted watched them locked in a trance for a moment, and a chill moved up and down his arms. He picked up his cup and drank the hot brew to warm his bones. The priest closed his eyes, and the connection was broken.

  “I don’t know if this is the gray lady, or you, Mia. The crow could be one of the brotherhood though. They could do this for you. Here I thought I had all the answers, and you have presented me with more questions. Don’t worry child, all will be revealed soon. Did you enjoy your meal?”

  “Yes. But I have to admit to being in eye contact with some delicious pastries under the dome on the counter.”

  “Let’s order some to take with us. I’m sure your PEEPs would enjoy a treat before we meet with Drago Basso.”

  “Any hints on what you’ll be telling us and him?”

  “It would spoil it for you.” He waved the waitress over. He spoke to her in Italian. Her eyes enlarged as he described how many pastries he wanted. She looked over at the cook, who was listening from behind the counter, and he nodded.

  Ted got out his wallet, but the priest put his hand on top of his and said, “My treat. Next time you pay, and I think it will be at a steak house, so save your dollars, my son.”

  “I will, Father, thank you,” Ted said, putting his arm around Mia. “You have done so much for us.”

  “Tell me, Mia, do you think I will be able to meet this Stephen Murphy who cuts holes in walls and fells trees?”

  “He’s very wary of men of the cloth. He doesn’t want to… well… leave.”

  “What if I promise to leave my tricky priest ways behind?”

  “All I can do is ask him. I assure you he is on our side, Father,” Mia told him.

  “I am too, that is why I’d like to meet him.”

  “Can you see ghosts, Father?” Ted asked.

  “Yes, I can. Can you?”

  “Aside from behind a camera lens and Murphy, no.”

  “Too bad, but I assure you that while seeing spirits may come in handy in my line of work, still it is a hardship more than a gift.”

  “That’s what I’ve learned from Mia,” Ted said.

  The waitress brought back two sizable bags and took the money from the priest. A cab waited for them outside. Mia sensed that the waitress had taken care of this also.

  They squeezed in together and headed back to the parish house. During the short drive, no one spoke. It was a silence loud with individual thoughts. The priest was preparing himself for giving them the explanation they sought. Ted’s mind was filled with worry for Mia. Mia was thinking about what the bags contained. She was still hungry.

  Chapter Tw
enty-one

  Soon after Cid placed the last folding chair into place, Drago arrived with his daughter Maria Basso-Minnelli. They walked into the house with Maria holding onto her father’s arm. The Bassos stopped and stared at the staircase first before they noticed the rows of chairs arranged in the hall in front of the work of art.

  Audrey rushed over and greeted them.

  “Forgive us, I did not know you were having a function,” Drago said. “We will leave and…”

  “Please stay. Let me explain. We have discovered a notebook written by your great uncle, Giuseppe Basso. I think it’s important for you both to hear what Giuseppe has to say.”

  Drago shook his head, and the couple started for the door.

  Father Alessandro walked out of the study carrying a stack of papers Ted had printed out for him. He walked up to the retreating Drago and introduced himself, “I am Father Alessandro, and I have translated Giuseppe Basso’s words. I think you as head of the Basso family should be here when I read them.”

  “Father, I appreciate your concern, but my daughter…”

  “Your daughter is a strong woman, she will bear the words. She needs to hear them as much as you. You have been living under a cloud. Let me lift it for you.”

  Mia came into the foyer and set out trays of pastries and a pot of coffee next to several mismatched but clean cups. The various PEEPs logos were mixed in with Star Trek and Marvel Comic mugs.

  “Sir, madam, can I offer you a refreshment?” Mia asked.

  “No child, I have no stomach this morning,” Drago replied.

  “Thank you, I will have a black coffee, please,” Maria told her. “And if those are Argo Bello’s, I will have a pastry.”

  Mia looked at the priest and he nodded. She poured the coffee and selected the best roll for her guest.

  “You have the most unusual face,” Maria said as she took the plate and mug from Mia.

  “Thank you, it’s homemade,” Mia said and winked at the woman.