by Alexie Aaron
Kiki felt the gentle hands, and as the cool cloth was pressed against her forehead and the sides of her face, she focused in on her caregiver. She tried to speak, but her throat hurt as if she too had been dangling from the rope with that horrid man.
“Shhh, don’t try to say anything. I’ll run and get you a bottle of water.
“NNNNNNNNN!”
“Gotcha. I’ll stay. I heard you scream, but I didn’t know where you were. Your assistant pointed to this wing, and I found you.”
Kiki frowned. She had no assistant. But that wasn’t important now. “The man,” she hissed.
“No one’s there.”
Her face fell. “I saw a man hang himself from the chandelier,” she managed hoarsely.
“The chandelier was moving, but no one was hanging from it.”
“Check.”
Cid got up and walked out of the room.
Kiki had managed to get to a sitting position by the time he came back. She watched the strong, shirtless Adonis make his way into the room. His eyes studied her face a moment. He shook his head.
“There is nothing there but a chandelier that is slowly settling. I don’t doubt what you saw, but I assure you, nothing living hung himself from that chandelier today. You’re a victim of an active haunt.”
“I’m sorry,” she said and started to cry.
Cid moved quickly to her side. He dug into his pocket and produced a dusty-but-clean handkerchief. He handed it to her.
Kiki blew her nose. She sniffed, “I treated you very poorly. I’m just so frustrated with all the time and money we are spending appeasing that thing in the attic. I was trying to figure out how to hide the cost, and then you bring me the problem that we may have to drain the well and recover a body. I wish it would all go away.”
“If wishes would work, PEEPs would be out of business,” Cid said and chuckled. “Mia could raise her family in peace; Ted could concentrate on his inventions; and I could earn enough money to build my own house. But life, or rather death, doesn’t work that way. Sometimes, we have to pacify the past in order to move forward with our lives.”
“What was that thing?” she asked softly.
“Rather, who was that thing? It could have been our guy in the attic. Those hallucinations take a lot of energy.”
“He was dressed like the sanders. He was wearing a white jumpsuit and had that breathing mask on.”
“I can see how you could have mistaken him for a real person.”
“He didn’t know who Clark was, but he did know Cid,” Kiki said, hoping this would unravel the whole mystery.
Cid’s phone rang. He looked at it. “Jesse.” He got up and answered it.
“I’m looking for the boss. Have you seen her?”
“I was in talking with her about a half an hour ago. Maybe she’s out with the nursery guys.”
“I’ll look. If you see her, tell her the road guy called, and he’ll have his crew here a week from Monday.”
“I’ll give her the information if I see her,” Cid said, hung up, and turned to explain.
Kiki waved him off. “I heard. I better get back.”
“Give yourself time to recover. You’ve had a fright.”
“I need to go back in there now or I won’t ever go in there,” Kiki said, standing up.
Cid caught her as a wave of dizziness hit her.
“Well, maybe a few more minutes,” Kiki said.
“You’re in contact with Jake, aren’t you?” Cid asked.
“Yes.”
“You may want to run some of this stuff by him and have him do an extensive search on the place. Maybe he can turn something up we can use.”
“I’ve got some books on the place… I could share the information.”
“That’s up to you. Have your assistant work on some of the local research. You know, libraries, historical societies. I’ll continue to do my job as you hired me, but if you need my help, let me know. I have a few years of experience under my belt. You don’t have to bear this burden alone,” Cid said. He took his shirt and walked into the bathroom and wrung it out in the sink. He would have to get another shirt, but he didn’t want to take a dripping shirt through the wood-floored halls of the mansion to get to his truck.
Kiki got to her feet. “Cid,” she called.
He walked back.
“You keep talking about an assistant. Who are you talking about?”
“The very capable-looking young woman in your office. She’s cute, about five foot five, wearing a smart-looking suit. Her blonde hair is curled funny, but most girls’ hair is kind of freaky these days.”
“I don’t know who you’re talking about. I have no assistant.”
“She was in the office. I saw her, plain as day, tugging on a drawer.”
“What drawer?”
Cid closed his eyes and pictured the scene. “The left top drawer.”
“Oh dear.” Kiki walked swiftly to the door. “That’s where I put that expensive pin you found.”
She headed down the hall. Cid didn’t follow her but chose to go down to the first floor and walk out through the work areas. He didn’t want anyone to think anything untoward happened if he and Kiki walked out of the bedroom area together, him without a shirt and she disheveled from her ghost experience.
He got to the office right after she did. He had pulled on the wet shirt, and it hugged his skin, making him look good enough to eat. Kiki shook herself out of the naughty daydream that was threatening.
“Clark, the drawer was still locked, and the pin is still here,” she said very businesslike. “I’m going to ask around about this woman, but I have this feeling that she’s as real as the hanging man is,” Kiki said. “Let’s see if we can get back on schedule before we start poking around with the past. I need this job to be successful.”
“I understand.”
“Thanks for saving me, yet again. I think you have more than explained why the folks back home call you Superman. Now get out of here so I can get some work done,” she said, her eyes smiling.
“Yes, Boss,” Cid said and left.
Kiki sat down and fanned herself with an invoice. “Kiki, girl, you’ve got to get yourself laid!”
Chapter Ten
Cid put in the last rock and wiped the excess mortar off of the stone. Walrus suggested that he add a darker sand to the mix to give the wall a weathered look. Cid was worried it would be too dark, but he was reassured as the mortar started to dry lighter.
He looked at his watch and shook his head. “Where did the day go?” he asked himself.
“You humans are too concerned with time,” the house demon said from behind him.
Cid turned around. The size of the demon became very apparent in the small room. “I think this should fool the co-owners.”
“Thank you.”
“Sir, may I ask a question?” Cid asked.
“Go ahead. I hope I can answer it.”
“How much are you aware of, in relation to this house?”
“You mean, do I know all that goes on between its walls?”
“Yes.”
“My realm is the things that make up the house. I have no control over the entities or humans within. I can, and have, expressed my displeasure if the house is in danger, but I leave the living and the dead to sort out their own problems.”
“So you can’t comment on the hanging man in the east sitting room?”
“He’s a nasty creature. He hates noise of all kinds. I don’t remember when he came to be, but he’s been here a long time. This house has many ghosts. It’s up to you to see who goes and who stays.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Just call me Teeth.” The creature smiled widely, and his impeccable teeth glowed.
“It fits you, Teeth.”
“I have to leave here for a while. I trust that the house is safe in the young woman’s hands.”
“Yes, it is.”
Teeth walked halfway through the wall. He stuck i
ts head through the wall and then back again. “You did a top-notch job. May you have a fruitful and peaceful life, Cid Garrett.”
“You too, Teeth. You too,” Cid said and watched the demon move the rest of the way through the wall.
Cid pondered telling Walrus and Kiki that the demon was gone, but then again, it wasn’t his business. He was a carpenter, not a ghostbuster.
He arched his back and heard a few pops along his spine. Cid needed to return the excess rocks to the landscaper’s enclosure so they could be recycled. He estimated he had three or four wheelbarrows to fill with rock to get it out of the subbasement and then up and out of the house before he could leave. He picked up the mortar bucket and trowel, along with the two extra rocks he had, and left the room.
He walked through the other empty rooms and daydreamed about what he would keep there. Maybe he’d have one room for his canning jars. He’d really like to give it another try. He understood what he had done wrong to cause last year’s glass jars to explode, but Mia and Ted hadn’t agreed to let him continue canning. He was going to be gone all summer anyway, but he was thinking about the late fall’s harvested vegetables.
Cid stopped just outside the last doorway in the west wing and looked around. The area was free of rocks and wheelbarrows. He looked at the stairs, and the planks he had used for rolling the wheelbarrows down were gone too. He ran up the stairs and found the barrows full of rock waiting for him to take them the last story. He couldn’t prove it, but he thought that he had Teeth to thank for cutting his job in half.
He picked up the first barrow and started up the last set of stairs.
Jesse was looking at the whiteboard in the contractor’s room. He was scheduled to oversee the roofers. He rolled his eyes. He hated the crew Kiki used. It wasn’t because of the quality of their work. Actually, they were great workers and did a fantastic job. They were a former girl gang from LA. They traveled with their own converted buses and camped out where they worked. Two overly aggressive Latinas ran the crew. Dita and Belinda Espina were sisters who’d accrued fifteen years’ jail time between the two of them when they said enough. They apprenticed with a roofing specialist who worked miracles on prewar houses. The Espinas hired young women who’d had enough of the stereotypical shell they were thrust into. This roofing company was very respected in the renovation business. Jesse’s problem was that they called him garrocho.
Cid came in sweat-covered but happy. He looked at his next assignment. He had the newly-plastered areas to cut and install trim board. He heard Jesse sigh.
“What wrong?”
“Espinas are going to be here tomorrow.”
“Are we ready to roof?”
“We’re ready, but I’m not ready for the Espinas.”
Cid smiled. “Garrocho isn’t happy.”
“How could they call me skinny?” he asked, flexing his muscles and twisting around to check out his own behind.
“Garrocho just means beanpole. Think of it as a compliment. Lots of guys would love the attention.”
Jesse looked over at him. “You want the job?”
“I’ve got a job. Believe me, my job was spelled out for me today in no uncertain terms.”
“Care to explain?”
“No, not here anyway.”
“Beers and burgers at the bar on Route 40?”
“Sounds great. I’ll follow you over.”
Kiki stood in the doorway. She knew better than to invite herself to eat with the guys. There were times when her crew needed time to complain about her. She thought she was a tough but fair boss, but she was human, and humans made mistakes.
“Scrub, are you ready for the Espinas?” she asked.
“We’re ready, Boss.”
“Great. As soon as they’ve come and gone, the road crew is going to be here. I wanted to run something by you guys. Walrus promises me the air will be on in the east wing, perhaps the west wing too, by then. How would you feel about bunking up here for a few days?”
“Why?” Jesse asked.
“They’re going to tear up the entrance to this place. Now, I know I’m not going to get much work done, but I’d like to have mature guys I can count on to watch this place.”
“Mature as in…”
“Not half crazy like Holy Shit and What the Fuck.”
Jesse laughed.
“So we’d be trapped up here,” Cid clarified.
“Yes, you would be. So bring your suitcases, and I’ll bring the food.”
“You’re going to be trapped with us?” Jesse asked.
“I wouldn’t ask my crew to do something I’m not willing to do,” Kiki said.
“I’m in,” Cid said.
“I can’t leave the boy unattended, so you can count on me,” Jesse told her.
“What boy?” Cid asked as they walked out of the room.
“You.”
“Aren’t we the same age?”
“I think you’re older,” Jesse figured out.
“Why am I always the kid, the boy, the child?” Cid demanded.
“That, you have to figure out for yourself. Come on, let’s go and get those beers.”
~
Kiki had a note to come to the office for a package when she arrived at her room. She walked into the office and smiled as she recognized Mimi’s artwork on the large box behind the counter. Mimi had decorated the box with cartoon depictions of carpentry tools. She thanked the receptionist and lugged the heavy box back to her room.
She took time to shower and get into some fresh clothes before she opened the box. Inside were her favorite cookies, expensive shampoos and conditioners, and seven soft tees in variations of her favorite color of blue. Kiki opened the letter.
Kiki,
I was walking down the aisle at our favorite box store, and these items jumped in my basket. I can’t figure out what kind of paranormal event this would be classified. Use them, and see if anything magical happens.
Love,
Mimi
Kiki called her sister and got her voicemail. She would be out at this time. “Mimi, thank you so much! I will use them, wear them, and eat them as the case may be. So who’s buying you dinner tonight?” she asked and hung up.
Her watch pinged.
Jake: I have the evening off. Want to marathon the three Mummy movies?”
Kiki typed back: I’ll be available in a half hour. I want to run and pick up some takeout to eat while we watch.
Jake: Take your time, I’m not going anywhere. Jake out.
Walrus saw the boss walk to her car and leave the Highway Ranches. He turned to Gut and commented, “Did she just dance her way to the truck?”
“Skipped. I’d call that skipping,” Gut said and tossed the horseshoe.
The clank of his ringer produced everything from claps to groans depending on who was betting on whom.
Holy Shit walked up. “Wayne, I’ve got a problem with my crew.”
“The guys plaster… What possible problem can you have with them, Gary?”
“They won’t go into one of the rooms. They say it’s haunted. There are a few minor repairs to make. It shouldn’t take them more than a few hours, but they refuse.”
“You know we have a PEEP with us.”
“Of course we have peeps.”
“No a Paranormal Entity Exposure Partner.”
“Really? I watched that show, and I don’t see no Mike or that honey with the big boobs.”
“Cid runs the camera, does the tech work, and is an investigator. He’s been in a few of the shows,” Walrus told Gary and Carl. “How about if he goes into the room and pronounces it clean or something? Do you think that would be enough to settle your superstitious bunch?”
“That might do it. I’ll ask him.”
Cid didn’t just drink the beer, he absorbed it. After, he and Jesse sat and enjoyed a good grumble and ate two burgers apiece.
“I’m just used to sticking my nose into stuff and being received with a modicum of respect,�
� Cid said.
“Kiki normally is great to work for as long as you don’t second guess her in front of the locals. Doing so, gets you Espinas’ duty.”
“I’ll be careful not to make that mistake. Besides, I seem to be working solo, so if she wants to tell me what to do and how to do it, I’ll listen.”
“There you go being a goody two-shoes.”
Cid glared at his friend. “First, you tell me not to piss off the boss, and now, I’m a suck up.”
“Those aren’t my words. I said…”
“I know what you said.”
“Okay, back up. Tell me about this pin…”
“Broach,” Cid corrected.
“Pin,” Jesse insisted.
“I found it in the well. I stuffed it in my pocket and forgot about it until I was doing my laundry. I handed it over to Kiki, and she lit into me.”
“To you, you see a mystery. Kiki sees the cost of draining the well, bringing in a forensics team, and how this will spook the plasterers.”
“Spook the plasterers? I didn’t pick up a superstitious vibe from Feliks.”
“Feliks is a specialist. These are the guys that do the plastering of the walls. They won’t work with Feliks because he’s Polish.”
“If they are so much trouble, why hire them in the first place?” Cid asked.
“These guys are great at their work. They’re expensive and worth it. But they have one major flaw. These guys are mega superstitious. They will quit working if you walk under a ladder or a black cat walks by, and they don’t plaster on the 13th of the month.”
“That is a problem, especially working in old homes. I take it they aren’t fond of ghosts.”
“You can’t tell them someone died in a room, because they won’t work in there.”
“How do they know?”
“They all can feel it.”
“You’re joking.”
“They get a chill or a stomach ache. You can’t fool them either. The leader, Mansueto, goes to a palm reader before he takes a job.”