by Alexie Aaron
~
Gerald’s driver, Benito, waited in the car while his boss attempted to secure the release of Beverly from the Sheriff’s Department lockup. More and more he found himself driving Gerald to this town. His boss had an active interest in a paranormal investigative group that had moved near here and a rabid interest in one particular member, Mia Cooper, the niece of Gerald’s heart’s desire, Beverly. Personally, he didn’t like Beverly. He felt she used his boss, took advantage of their friendship, and wasn’t shy asking for things she couldn’t afford.
He didn’t know the history between the two, but he knew enough that if Beverly was on the phone, she made it through all the roadblocks the businessman normally had in place. When they were together in the car, the two of them argued, debated and laughed. Gerald was never happier than he was in her presence.
Tonight, Benito was woken from a sound sleep with a call from Gerald. He asked to be picked up from his penthouse immediately and ferried to Big Bear Lake to bail Beverly out of jail.
On the drive out, he listened to the calls Gerald made on the way to the town. From this side of the conversation, he pieced together that Gerald Shem was outraged that the sheriff’s deputies had taken Ms. Cooper into custody and put her in a cell. He overheard words like drunkenness, prostitution, drugs, theft, and assault. And to give Gerald credit, he didn’t dispute the validity of the reports. He just didn’t think that his lady love, his delicate flower, should spend the night in lockup. Especially this night. This, evidently, was the anniversary of the death of Beverly Cooper’s first love.
A call came in from Father Santos. Benito put it through to Gerald.
“Sheriff John Ryan’s your friend, he owes you. Call in the favor and get her released,” Gerald ordered the priest. “I don’t care if you think Bev is in the wrong here. She is one of us, and I’ll be damned if she’ll… yes, I understand. I tried to call Mia, her boyfriend… excuse me, fiancé, wouldn’t put through the call. Said he finally got her calmed down and didn’t want to wake her. He was firm. Who the hell does he think he is?” His boss seemed to listen to the priest for awhile and became calmer. “No, I understand. You’ll call Ryan? Thanks. I’ll be in town in…” He tapped on the screen. “How long until we are there?”
Benito informed his boss, ten minutes. Gerald nodded.
“I’ll be there in ten minutes. Thanks.”
Gerald had sat back and percolated for awhile before picking up the phone and making a few calls. He woke two bail bondsmen and a criminal attorney. The attorney would be available if there was an arraignment but would not be able to get to Big Bear Lake until the morning. Gerald wasn’t satisfied but had no other choice. Armed with some good information from the attorney, Gerald smiled. He made brief eye contact with the driver in the mirror and said, “I’ve got them where I want them.”
Gerald had only been gone a half hour when the driver received a text informing him to pull the car around, he and Ms. Cooper were on their way out.
Whether it was the starkness of the halogen lights or the ordeal Beverly had gone through, but it was a very different woman that Gerald escorted to the car than the driver was used to. She had dark circles under her eyes, and it looked as if she’d been crying. He never saw her cry before. She was wearing Gerald’s jacket over the overly tight sundress, of a style that was way too young for her. He guessed it was her niece’s. He helped her inside and caught a whiff of alcohol as she breathed. It wasn’t the sweet smell of wine she normally ingested, but the smell of strong spirits. Beverly had hit the bottle hard.
Drunkenness, check.
He waited until Gerald Shem had sat down before inquiring, “Where shall I drive you, sir?”
“I’ve got a suite at the Marriott by the highway. It’s down…”
“Route 72,” he finished. “I’ll have you there in fifteen minutes.” He shut the door, went around and got in the driver’s side just in time to hear Beverly say, “I don’t remember anything.”
Drugs, check.
Benito put the car into gear and drove off.
“How was I to know that they were going to rob me? The Trio of Delights came highly recommended.”
Prostitution, check.
“How can it be theft when it was my mother’s jewelry? And I didn’t hit anyone. Why the fuck did Mia call the cops?”
“It’s my understanding that a deputy arrived as Mia was fleeing…”
“The girl always was a prude.”
“One of your paramours hit the deputy over the head with a lamp and threw a punch at Mia, who kicked him soundly in the nuts. The female attacked the deputy when he was cuffing the man.”
The driver smiled. Assault, check.
“Well, I never said the girl was useless. So you’re telling me the deputy walks in on the party…”
“No, Mia walked in on the party,” he corrected. “The deputy came to check on Mia because of the state of her property. If you would have been a good guest and shut the effing gate, none of this would have happened. Although, I suspect worse would have happened, but you wouldn’t be facing a judge in the morning.”
“Shit. I suppose the girl’s traumatized.”
“I don’t know, I’ve only talked to Ted, who called me when you were arrested. He didn’t have to. I would have never known you were in trouble if it weren’t for him. You used your one phone call to cancel your hairdresser.”
“Colorist,” Bev corrected.
“How did you get yourself in such a fix? I thought you were in Italy.”
“I don’t want to talk about it. I have a headache.”
“I had to cash in a bunch of favors to get you out of jail, but you’re not out of the woods yet, my dear. Mia’s place is, from what Ted told me, a wreck. The young lady of the Trio of Delights is underage.”
“And how is that my problem?” Bev said with a bit too much bravado. “They must have put something in my drink. I would never have let them steal from Mia…”
“Yet they had her credit cards and blank checks, not to mention her grandmother’s…”
“My mother’s jewelry. She only has it because my mother thought I was dead... Shit! The IRS…”
“Oh, I’m sure they now know that you’re alive and kicking. I expect you’ll hear from them pretty soon. You messed up, Bev. You should have stayed in Italy. I thought you had an appointment with Angelo…”
“I did. That’s why I came back.”
“Care to share?”
“No,” Bev growled and turned to the window and stopped talking.
The driver pulled into the Marriott parking lot and up under the awning to discharge his passengers. He got out and opened the back door. Bev tried to leave, but Gerald grabbed her wrist. He looked at Benito and said, “I need you to be back here at eight, is that a problem?”
“No, sir. Do you want me to stop at Ms. Beverly’s apartment and bring her something to wear?”
“No, I don’t think she has anything appropriate. My secretary is loaning her a suit. I think they are the same size. She will be here at six to help Bev dress. The attorney will meet us at the courthouse. I think I have everything covered.”
The driver knew that his boss wasn’t informing him of his plans as much as sounding them out so he could check them off. It was something the two of them had in common.
He watched Gerald lead Beverly into the lobby. She walked slowly but willingly. She knew she was in good hands. Check and double check.
Chapter Ten
The conversation stopped when Mia entered the PEEPS office. She sighed. “Don’t let my arrival stop you guys from discussing me.” She walked over and kissed each of the PEEPs on the head before pouring herself a steaming cup of coffee. “I love you all, please, continue.”
Audrey spoke first, “They were just catching me and Mike up on what went on last night. I’d be happy to help you clean out the place. I’m sure you want to burn the sheets and your aunt while you’re at it.”
“Audrey, the
y stopped burning witches months ago,” Mike said, putting his feet up on the table.
“I was actually thinking of redecorating the place. Burt, give me your wish list, and I’ll do my best to follow it,” Mia said seriously.
“Actually, why don’t you just take out all the girly bits Ralph put in. I have my own furniture, except barstools, can I have those?”
Mia nodded. “Audrey, I asked Tom’s mother to ask the Ladies Aid at the Lutheran Church to clear out the place and donate every damn thing that I don’t have a dot on. If you have a moment, could you help me to dot stuff?”
“I’m an expert dotter,” Audrey said. “We’ll get it done in no time.”
“Mia, I think you’re overreacting,” Cid said.
“Leave the girl be,” Mike ordered. “Think about it.”
Mia raised her hand. “Allow me, Mike.”
“Go ahead,” he said and watched Mia get up from the table and walk over to where Cid was sitting.
She sat at the edge of the table. “Close your eyes a moment.”
“You’re not going to kiss me, because Ted’s my best friend.”
“No, I’m not going to kiss you. Close your eyes and envision this. You go home to visit your mother, but instead of finding your mother there, you find that a bordello full of dripping, oozing whores, male and female, have moved into the house. They’ve defiled everything from the sheets to the curtains. Nothing has been untouched by their professional hands. And you have to advise your mother of where to walk because there are bodily fluids everywhere. Tell me now, am I overreacting?”
Cid opened his eyes. He looked a little green. “I hear you, Mia, but what’s different between this and, let’s say, a motel room?”
“You didn’t get to see who stayed in your room before you rented it,” Ted said from the computer station in the corner.
“I never thought of it that way,” Cid confessed.
“Okay, now that we have that out of the way. Mia, Ted, are you ready with your report on The Jewel burlesque theatre? Burt asked.
Mia nodded. Ted dimmed the lights and directed their gaze to the big screen on the wall.
“Amber Day contacted Burt yesterday to ask for our help. For those that haven’t met Amber personally, she is a former PEEPs investigator. She has minor medium powers…”
“Bullshit!” Mike said pretending to sneeze.
“Give the girl a chance,” Ted countered.
“Actually, she is a natural medium but has no clue how to control it,” Mia informed them. “Moving on, Ted and I went down there…” Mia gave them her report, and Ted did the same. They showed the group the photo evidence they collected. Mia played them a recording she’d made of the music she heard.
“It sounds like a song we sang in camp,” Audrey said. “Billy Boy.”
“It has something to do with baking pies, cherry pies,” Cid said, agreeing with Audrey.
Mia’s face lit up. “That explains a lot of things. When I touched the door of the old star’s dressing room, I knew the woman that headlined there at one time was named Cherry O’Kelly and…”
“She did a raunchy version of the Billy Boy song,” Ted finished. “I found some old entertainment gossip on the web.”
“Hey, you’re treading on my territory,” Audrey warned the tech.
“Sorry, just curious.”
“Is she haunting the place?” Audrey asked.
“I don’t know, but there are many others that are. As it happens, the place is newly renovated, and what happens when you renovate?” Mia asked the group.
“You wake up the ghosts,” Mike said. “When will they learn?”
“What does Amber want?”
“Well Amber’s consulting on this job, but it’s actually Juan Carlos that is calling the shots,” Ted informed the group.
“Juan Carlos, not the head of the drug cartel?” Audrey asked.
“Gee, how do you know all of this?” Mia asked amazed. “Actually, this is Juan Carlos Junior.”
“Seems to me that drug running runs in the family,” Mike pointed out.
“According to Amber, her Juan wants to go legit, and the burlesque review is his vehicle out of crime and into showbiz,” Burt said. “Audrey, I’d like you to do a search and ask some questions, quietly, about Juan Carlos Junior. We don’t want to involve PEEPs in this if there is a chance we’re dealing with the cartel.”
“Amen to that,” Mike said.
“Alan’s got connections. You mind if I run this by him?” Audrey asked Burt.
“Go ahead. The sooner the better. This is an active haunt, and we want to get in there before it settles down,” Burt stressed. “Is there any other business before we break?”
“I’d like to inform the team that the Rosemont Hotel is going to join with the Field Museum and give a twenties-themed costume ball. The proceeds will be donated to the museum. They have asked PEEPs if we would attend, in costume of course.”
“When?”
“They have it on their autumn schedule. It will be good advertisement for the hotel and big money for the museum,” Mike informed them.
“I’m in. Teddy Bear, will you escort me?” Mia said.
“You in a flapper dress, me in gangster attire, that would be a yes,” Ted said.
The others nodded.
“I suggested to my mother that she may want to get her dress out of mothballs, and she promised to box my ears the first chance she got.”
Mia did the math. “Oh, Mike, she’s not old enough to be a flapper.”
“Well you could have fooled me,” he said.
~
Mia walked through the woods, noticing the work that Murphy had accomplished. Gone was the dead underbrush. In its stead were young, green berry bushes, some of them already heavy with summer fruit. “The birds are going to love those,” Mia told Murphy, sensing his presence. “It feels peaceful here, probably the first time in a century. You’ve done well, my farmer turned forester.”
Murphy smiled and encouraged Mia to climb up the hill so he could show her the new maples. They moved side-by-side in silence, Mia using her feet, Murphy slowing his pace to match hers. He’d almost forgotten the natural speed of walking. When the two of them were together, they were either being chased or Mia was OOBing, and she was the one having to slow down for him.
As if she could read his mind she said, “I don’t know when it was we too last walked together? It’s nice. I want to thank you for coming to my rescue last night. You and Ted always seem to be saving me. Maybe I should change my name to Nell or Pauline. I’m not going back there to live. Ted’s invited me to stay here. I’ll make the place ready for Burt or sell it if he doesn’t want to live there.”
“Why?”
“It’s not what happened last night, although it certainly helped my decision. The sanctuary represents a part of my life I’d like to leave behind. The scared Mia, who hid herself away from the spirit world and didn’t trust mankind anymore, isn’t who I am now. I’ve always loved your farm; I’d like permission to live here.”
Murphy stopped walking and turned to Mia. “This is your home too.”
Mia’s eyes misted. “You’ve always been here for me. I don’t think I’ve been as kind. I’m sorry for that.”
Murphy nodded and angled his head towards the ridge. “Come and see my trees.”
Mia started walking again and quickened her pace as she sensed her friend’s excitement. She moved out of the shelter of the forest into the beginnings of a glade of maples. Murphy had spaced the seedlings out in a grid. His plan was that when they took hold, it would give the trees enough distance to grow and mature without fighting the older trees for sunlight. She saw a series of small hoses that connected to a larger one.
“What’s this about?” she asked as she followed the large hose to a small pump house camouflaged so well that Mia didn’t see it immediately.
“Cid brought water,” Murphy said simply.
Mia expected to see a han
d crank, but Cid was of this century and a small solar powered electric pump sat in the enclosure. “Ted’s panels,” Murphy pointed out.
Mia inspected the workmanship and was impressed. “When did they have time for this?”
“Always tinkering,” Murphy said, pushing his hat to the back of his head.
“I see what they were thinking. When it’s sunny, the panels run the pump because when it’s sunny there isn’t any rain to nourish the young trees. They really are smart, I feel kind of dumb around those two.”
“No.”
Mia looked up at Murphy. She saw him struggling to say something. “Smart in other ways.”
“Thank you, Murph, I’ll consider that a compliment. You’re a pretty smart fella yourself.”
“I know.”
Mia nodded and looked away, determined for him not to see her smiling. Humility was in short supply with the PEEPs males, but Mia understood that in Cid’s and Ted’s case, it was born from being picked on by their peers growing up; Burt and Mike from building a business out of nothing; and Murphy from surviving in the veil between their two worlds.
“How are you going to keep the deer from devouring these come winter?” Mia asked, not wanting to add worry but concerned just the same.
“Deer don’t come here. Afraid of me.”
“Ah, if only you could bottle that ghostiness as a deer repellant, you’d make a fortune.”
“Murphy in a bottle.”
Mia snickered, “You’d be a genie then.”
Murphy looked at her oddly.
“Don’t tell me you never heard about genies in bottles?”
He shook his head.
“Gee, now here’s something I can teach you about…”Mia said and related all she could remember of the stories her father told her when she was young about genies. And later in life she read about djins.
He waved his hand to make her stop. “Djins too scary.”