by Alexie Aaron
“Mia, I’ve got my hands full of dough. Could you get the door?” Becky called.
Mia, who was fresh from the shower, was wearing the dress Angelo had given her. Becky had painstakingly ironed it while she slept, otherwise Mia would have been happier with Yum-Yum’s castoffs. She opened the door, and there stood Ted. Not just Ted, but Va Va Voom Ted. He was dressed in an expensive, earth-toned linen suit that complimented his pale complexion and the rich auburn of his hair.
He looked down at Mia and smoldered. He hoped it was smoldering because Sissy, who insisted on riding down to New Orleans with him, made him practice this expression the whole way.
“Ted,” Mia barely got out before he picked her up into his arms and kissed her.
“That’s called chemistry,” Becky called to her as Ted carried Mia to the cab.
Sissy, who had been in the cab behind Ted’s, got out and waddled up to Yum-Yum and high-fived her. “Who needs cupid?”
“I’ve got cinnamon rolls in the oven, and in ten minutes, I get to find out if the doctor is really a doctor or really his twin brother, the matador!” Becky exclaimed.
Sissy couldn’t quite follow what Becky was talking about, but she was hungry for cinnamon rolls, so she would stay. She turned to see the first cab pull away with the couple in back entwined. She nodded, pleased with herself. What this Judge Roumain could pull asunder, Sissy Seeley and Yum-Yum, aka Becky, could put back together. “Amateur.”
“Did you say something, dear?” Becky asked.
“No, just talking to myself.”
“Cut it out. It makes you look old.”
“I am old!”
~
Ted looked down at Mia. Sweat pooled at her collarbones. She was coming down from wherever that last orgasm sent her.
“What am I doing here?” he asked.
She opened her eyes. If you don’t know, then I’m baffled. But do it again, Teddy Bear.”
Ted laughed and lay back. “Not and live. Whoa.”
Mia turned towards Ted. “I love you, Ted, with my whole heart.”
“I know. I’ve known for quite a while. It took you awhile to catch on, but I was sure you were in love with me that time in the hotel when you let the towel drop.”
“You scared me and I lost my grip,” Mia explained. She would have told Ted then about Roumain, but she couldn’t bring herself to make him feel as violated as she felt. She made up her mind not to tell him. It would be the first big secret she kept from Ted, and she prayed it would not harm their marriage. “How long do we have here?” she asked.
“Sissy Seeley insists that we stay until tomorrow after breakfast. Then we can go home.”
“Sissy was a surprise,” Mia said. “But no bigger than you standing there in the doorway. I asked for bus fare, not a delivery of Prince Charming. Whoa, those clothes are…”
“Borrowed, they’re Matt’s. We can thank Audrey for that.”
“I kind of miss your jeans, jersey and holey socks.”
“Me too, but those silky ones made me feel so naughty,” Ted confessed. “So no more Tony tattoo,” he said, running his hand on top of her flat stomach. “Your brand is fading too.”
“That went when my fiancé dumped me. Tossed me out of a tree.”
“Class act.”
“Nice for you to come and pick up the pieces,” Mia said.
“I think every husband needs to be around when their wife gets dumped by her demon fiancé,” Ted said pointedly.
“Sorry about that. Customs are so different here,” Mia said with a frown. “I suppose you want to know what happened to Angelo.”
“Not really. If you feel you have to tell me, fine, but I’m just going to have to tell Cid, and then it’s all over town so…”
Mia mimed zipping her lips and tossing away the key.
~
Burt walked into the PEEPs office, Brian squealed out a greeting. The place looked more like a daycare center than the office of a paranormal investigative team.
“What’s all this?” he asked as he put his grocery bag on the table, just outside the reach of Brian in his carrier.
Audrey, who was dressed in PEEPs wear, snug tee over cut-off sweatpants, looked up from her notes and answered him, “Ted and Mia had an unexpected trip. We’re holding the fort.”
“My god, Mia’s in no shape to travel,” Burt said.
“It’s because of her illness that travel was involved,” Cid said, rising from his computer station. “Audrey, since Burt’s here, why don’t we run a few things by him. Burt, do you have the time?” Cid asked him.
“I’m all yours.”
“I was given the job of assessing whether this abandoned shopping mall could be used as a future rehab facility for disabled veterans,” Audrey prefaced. “I asked Cid to join me because of the size of the project.” Audrey went on to fill in and answer any questions Burt had. “The woman that oversees these projects is very ghost hunter friendly. I think that’s why I got the job in the first place. I think we need to bring PEEPs in on this.”
“Can I look at the film you took?” Burt asked.
Cid sat back down and brought up the footage on the large monitor.
Burt watched, amazed by what the tiny GoPro had picked up. The ghosts before him had form. He had Cid rerun it several times. “There are only five kids. I thought seven went missing.”
“Two bodies were found hung from the center court’s double tree. They were recovered and buried,” Audrey informed him.
“Let’s get more background. I’ll have Mia talk to Father Alessandro when she returns. He’s sweet on her. Hopefully, she’ll be able to cut through his riddles and get viable, actionable information. I think, let’s talk to Mike, and if it’s alright with you, I’d like to bring Alan in early, so we can put together a solid contract. We’re dealing with the government here. I want to make sure our backs and butts are covered.”
“Ooooooooh,” Brian cooed.
“Murphy’s here,” Cid announced without looking around.
“Great,” Burt said. “Murphy, I’d like to extend my thanks for representing PEEPs so brilliantly with the Large Mammal Rescue group.”
Audrey and Cid started clapping. Jake played a dozen Marine Corps ooh rahs.
Murphy was not only surprised but touched. He tapped out a thank you. He looked around and was surprised not to see Ted in the office. He moved into the barn but didn’t find the inventor there either. He heard the door close behind him. Cid walked over. “Ted left for New Orleans early this morning.”
“Mia?”
“She’s fine but had a falling out with Angelo. She’s not going to the aerie. She found another way to solve her problem. Ted went down to bring her back. They’ll be here tomorrow.”
“Angelo?”
“I don’t know what happened, but we have to trust Mia. She’s been going through a lot of shit lately. She needs time to get it sorted. We need to step up and fill in the cracks until she’s ready to resume. I know it isn’t easy for you to talk to me, but I want you to know, if you need to talk, I’m no Mia, but I’m here for you, Murphy.”
“Thank you, Cid.”
“Burt wanted to know if you’d care to go with him to choose some trees. Jane asked Burt how her group could best express their thanks to PEEPs. He said to donate a tree. She personally donated ten.”
Murphy put his hat on the back of his head. He wasn’t just amazed at Jane’s generosity, but also by Burt’s insistence about the trees.
“Willows,” he said thoughtfully. “We need willows for the lowlands.”
Cid nodded. “Do you want me to go with you?”
“Burt can’t see or hear me,” Murphy pointed out. “But Audrey shouldn’t be left alone.”
“Don’t worry about that. Her boyfriend Matt is on his way here.”
“Yes, come. Burt makes me nervous.”
“Why?”
“I poached on him.”
“Do you mean Mia? That is water under t
he bridge, Murphy. I’m sure he no longer holds a grudge. What exactly did you do… No, don’t tell me. Come on, we have trees to get and to plant.”
Murphy took a moment to get himself together. He had a bad feeling that everything wasn’t alright. He had vouched for Angelo and something big must have happened for Mia to cut her ties with the birdman. How would this effect his relationship with her?
He heard the beep of Cid’s truck. He took one last look around before he joined the men.
Chapter Fourteen
Ted held Mia’s hand as they strolled through the graveyard. He had brought her favorite cargos with him. They were too hot for the summer heat, but she appreciated the security of having the items that were still stuffed in the pocket.
“So they call these things ovens?”
“This is quite an economical way of entombing remains,” Mia said. “The body slowly roasts until everything falls away. The caretakers drop the bones into the pit below, and voilà, it’s ready for the next generation.”
“It may make it a bit difficult to deal with a rogue ghost though,” Ted observed.
“I’m glad that’s not our problem.” Mia stopped walking and looked at the tomb that Honor’s family used. It was large and ornate. “This is used by the relatives of Murphy’s first love,” she said and explained the relationship between Honor and the young woman in the locket that they buried with Murphy. “I know where she’s buried, Ted.”
“You do?”
“Audrey helped me. Honor gave me some information, and our Nancy Drew followed the clues until we found Marie Sarah Lemont, except she wasn’t a Lemont any longer. She shares a grave with her husband.”
“That’s why you haven’t told Murphy, isn’t it?”
“How would that conversation go? Hey, Murph, I found your gal, but she promptly forgot you and married Earnest William Dupont the Third.”
“He still needs to know,” Ted counseled. “The truth is brutal at times, but in the long run, it’s important.”
The words brutal truth stung Mia like a thousand bees. “I had someone recently give me brutal truths that turned out to be clever lies.”
“Angelo.”
“I keep trying to give him the benefit of the doubt, but over and over, he proves not to be the honorable man he professes to be,” Mia said angrily.
“I think because he can be so useful, that we try to ignore that he has hidden agendas,” Ted said.
“Wise words.”
“Speaking of wise words, I get the idea that you and Roumain had a falling out too.”
Mia looked at Ted a moment. She couldn’t tell him what Angelo had told her. Angelo could be lying, but inside, she knew the truth. “Ted, Roumain is using us for his own amusement. Remember, he isn’t…”
“Isn’t what?” Roumain said.
Mia saw the New Orleans graveyard dissolve around them. Instead of the manicured cemetery, they now found themselves in the forgotten boneyard in Haiti. Mia moved instinctively in front of Ted. He put his hands on her shoulders.
Before them, the ground opened up, and with much grandeur, the judge walked out of the swirling mist. He had resumed his black evening clothes and placed his top hat on his head before sitting down on the large throne-like monument.
“Return us,” Ted demanded.
“Bold talk. Where’s your guard dog?” Roumain asked, referring to Cid. He moved his fingers, and Ted was pulled violently upwards, dangling in midair.
“Please don’t hurt him,” Mia pleaded. “Your argument is with me.”
“No one walks out of a meeting with me, Mia. How you push the limits of my patience. I don’t know why I…”
Roumain’s words died in his throat. Mia had pushed hard with her mind, directing all her energy at his Adams apple.
Ted, no longer under the control of Roumain’s magic, fell down, but luck was with him, and he landed on the soft mossy ground.
Mia didn’t wait for Roumain to recover. She pulled the Gris Gris bag from her pocket and said, “Lord in Heaven, Help this Poor Sinner.”
The air above the boneyard exploded in flames as the warrior’s wings fanned the sparks caused by his entry into this world. He dropped to the ground between Roumain and Mia.
Mia ran to Ted and helped him to his feet.
The angel stood ten feet tall. His massive wings were outstretched, creating a wall of protection for Mia and Ted.
“This is none of your business, Sariel,” Roumain said. “You can’t stand between me and my charges.”
“You only have dominion over the dead,” the angel reminded Roumain.
“They will be soon,” he said, examining a nail. “She attacked me.”
“Mia Cooper Martin, is this so?” Sariel asked.
“Only after he threatened my husband and myself,” Mia stated.
The wings were dropped. “Come forward, sister of the light.”
Mia was reluctant to leave Ted’s side, but Ted insisted, “I’ll be fine.”
Mia walked over to the angel, but she kept her eyes on Roumain. She turned and saw the angel’s face for the first time. It wasn’t how the artists through the years had envisioned angels. The angel had a weatherworn face not unlike Murphy’s. His eyes were large and the irises were sky blue with dilated, deep-blue pupils. His expression was stern with his lips stretched in a long thin line.
Mia swallowed hard. “I would like the opportunity to defend myself.”
“Then why call me?”
“I need someone to watch over my husband.”
The angel grinned. “But you have no weapon to defeat the entity Roumain.”
“Could I borrow, let’s say, your sword?” Mia asked, not expecting him to comply.
She heard Roumain’s deep intake of breath. She had asked for the sword simply to rattle the king of purgatory, and in doing so, she found his weakness. He could be killed by an angel’s sword.
“You would not be able to lift it. I shall fight for you.”
Mia turned and looked at Roumain. “But it wouldn’t be fair. After all, what kind of superior entity uses his position to interfere with lesser creatures?” She stopped talking out loud and sent a mental message to Roumain, “Possessing their bodies for his own twisted purpose.”
“In my defense, Mia, I was doing it for your own good,” Roumain told her.
Mia felt a hand on her back. The hand was large but not heavy. It spread comfort and strength throughout her. She turned, and Sariel handed her a small shield and a short sword. Mia took the sword which, in her hands, was massive, but she was able to not only lift it but maneuver it easily. Mia held it, judging the balance and weight. She bent her knees, holding the shield with one hand before she raised the sword into a striking position.
“Mia!” Roumain pleaded. “I will not fight you. I never meant this to go this far.”
Mia lowered the sword. “I trusted you, and you betrayed me.”
“I did help you when I could,” Roumain reminded her.
“I thought you were my friend, but you’re just like Angelo. I am not a pawn on your chessboard. I am not to be played with for your amusement. I will not play your games.” She swung the sword in the air, once more returning it to the attack posture.
Ted moved to the side so he could see unencumbered by the massive angel in front of him. Sariel had taken up a position behind Mia. Ted was startled to see Mia posed like a Greek hoplite in front of the angel. The look on her face he would never forget. It was one of fierce pride and determination. Ted knew that Mia was risking her life in order to save him.
Ted cleared his voice. “May I say something?”
“Come forward, Theodore Martin,” Sariel commanded. “Mia, lower your sword.”
Mia did so, but she didn’t remove her eyes from her enemy.
“Judge Roumain, you have in the past helped Mia. Why now have you decided otherwise?” Ted asked.
“I covet your wife, Ted. I can covet. I’m not exactly in line for the pearly gates,
so I can covet, covet, covet all I want.” He turned his gaze to the object of his desire. “Mia, you are mistaken. You are not a pawn, but a queen. But I would use you just the same.”
“Is there a way we can get you to promise not to interfere with our lives?” Ted asked.
The judge looked at Mia long and hard. He knew that even in death she would not bend to his will, unless all she had was taken from her. He smiled, remembering his long-range plans. He raised his hand and placed it over his heart. “I will promise on the sword of Sariel not to interfere in the lives of Mia, her husband…”
“My son, our future progeny and our friends,” Mia added.
Roumain repeated his promise, adding the rest.
Mia handed the sword and shield back to Sariel. “Thank you.”
He walked forward and commanded, “Kneel, Roumain.”
The judge, wary of the situation he was in, did so.
“Your promise is contained in my sword. If you break it, you will find there is no place on heaven, earth, purgatory, or hell you can hide to escape your fate. The sword will find you, and you will wander the blackness of the Dark World for eternity.”
“He’s escaped there before,” Mia mentioned.
The angel tilted his head. “Is that true? Then we’ll have to find a better place to house you.”
“You will have no need. I will comply with Mia and Ted’s wishes. Sariel, before I leave you, I will warn you that Mia is more than she seems. Do not underestimate her as I have just done.” With that, he got to his feet and walked into the mist.
“Sir,” Mia said, handing Sariel the charmed bag. “Take this. I release you from any hold this may have had upon you.”
Sariel looked at the Gris Gris bag. The corners of his eyes twitched. “Mia, do you think a bag of herbs, a piece of silver and some mumbo jumbo could hold, or even call, someone such as myself?”
“Yes.”
“Belief is a strong thing.” He humored Mia by taking the bag. “Let me take you back, and then we’ll say aloha.”
Before Mia could reply or Ted make a comment about the Hawaiian reference, they were back in the N’awlins graveyard. Sariel was no longer with them.