Mind Fray

by Alexie Aaron

  “Can you refrain from illegal hacks if we give you more responsibility?” Burt asked the ghost in the machine.

  The doll’s head nodded.

  “I’ll take that as a yes. If you break this rule, I’ll have you ripped so fast from your interface that you’ll be bleeding bits all over the place,” he threatened.

  The doll paled, and its mouth dropped open in an O before it nodded.

  “Good, then we have an accord. Audrey, you and Jake work on the research while Mike and Mia visit the Madisons’ house. They left the keys with the neighbor, a Mrs. Mullens. Her house is on the left side of the empty lot beside the Madisons.”

  “You said an empty lot, was it always empty?” Mia asked.

  “There was a house there according to Max, but it was torn down before they moved in.”

  “Audrey, put that house on the list for investigation, please,” Mia requested. “I have a bad feeling about that place.”

  “And the Bella Lugosi award for this meeting goes to Mia Martin. The queen of goose pimple remarks,” Mike said, rubbing his arm, showing Audrey the raised bumps.

  Ted got up and presented his wife with a small statuette that he had put together in his leisure of the famed actor dressed in his Dracula costume.

  “Thank you,” she said, clapping her hands excitedly.

  Burt glared at his team. “Can we get back to work here?”

  Mia sat down, placing the statue before her on the table. She folded her hands in her lap and waited for Burt to continue.

  “Meeting adjourned,” he said.

  ~

  “So who’s Marta?” Ted asked Cid as soon as the room cleared of the other investigators.

  “She’s the inspector they sent to look over the electric wiring.”

  “Did we pass?” Ted asked.

  “Yes.”

  “And…” Ted said, sensing something else was afoot.

  “What?” Cid asked annoyed.

  “Did you ask her out?”

  “He kissed her,” Murphy said from behind them.

  Cid twisted around in his chair. “That reminds me, stay out of my love life!”

  Murphy didn’t react to Cid’s anger; he just calmly ran his hand over the sharp end of the axe.

  Ted asked, “You kissed her? Is that how we passed inspection?”

  “No, I mean yes, and then no,” Cid tried to explain. “There she was, inches from my face, and I kissed her.”

  “Whoa,” Ted said impressed. “If I did that to Mia the first time I laid eyes on her, I would still be searching for my testicles.”

  Cid laughed. “Mia’s different. She’s intense. Marta is very open. She reminds me of Katherine Hepburn.”

  “Old and shaky?”

  “No, young Katherine, direct and beautiful. She’s as tall, if not an inch taller, than I am. Brown hair, blue eyes, nice body, smart and funny.”

  “Sensitive,” Murphy added.

  “I don’t understand. Sensitive like Mia?” Ted asked.

  Murphy raised a hand and moved his fingers close but not touching. “A wee bit. Knew I was there, but couldn’t see me.”

  “Cool beans. Cid, marry her,” Ted ordered and got up.

  “Don’t you think we ought to date first?” Cid asked dryly.

  “Nah, you’ll just fuck it up. Get a ring on her finger before she wakes up and sees the true you,” Ted said, patting his friend on the back.

  “Thanks a lot. You’ve boosted my confidence exponentially.”

  “No problem, that’s what I’m here for. So, when are you seeing her again?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t have her phone number.”

  The computer beeped. They looked over at the center monitor. Displayed in three inch digits was a phone number.

  “Quick, copy it down,” Ted said. “Before Burt sees it.”

  “Maybe Jake looked it up in the phone book.”

  Ted looked at Cid and shook his head slowly. “My money’s on that he’s in the Big Bear Lake Code Enforcement database right now.”

  “Call her,” Murphy said and moved quickly out of the room. He saw Mia and Audrey having a quiet conversation at Audrey’s car. He moved slowly towards them in Mia’s blind spot, listening.

  “Sabine’s in-laws want to inter him in the family’s vault. Brian wanted to be cremated so he wouldn’t be tempted to return to Sabine,” Mia said.

  “They could cremate him and have his ashes kept in the vault. It would be a compromise,” Audrey suggested.

  “I’ll send it along. I sense, however, that Sabine doesn’t want Brian cremated. Holly, his sister, was put in charge of his estate so it’s a foregone conclusion, but she doesn’t want to hurt Sabine,” Mia explained.

  Murphy never met Brian. He knew of his acts of heroism from Mia, but he never had the opportunity to meet the young man. Sabine he remembered as a frail creature, although, a very powerful sensitive, capable of trapping a spirit in her mind and controlling it until she wished to release it. She was the daughter of Beverly Cooper and Gerald Shem’s late brother-in-law Guillaume, a very powerful magician. Genetically, Sabine could possibly be more talented than Mia and Beverly combined, but Sabine wasn’t interested in furthering her gifts. She just wanted to be helpful. Power didn’t interest her. She believed that the power of the mind was minuscule next to the things love could accomplish.

  “I’m worried about her,” Mia admitted. “I’ve suggested that Gerald bring in Tauni Cerise to act as a helper with the triplets. This way, she can keep an eye on Sabine and alert us if she feels that Sabine is failing.”

  “Who is Tauni Cerise?” Audrey asked.

  “She’s a healer from Long Island, New York. She’s experienced in… well… dealing with sensitive situations. Magic is as normal to her as butter on toast. It would take an invasion force from Planet Z to disturb that woman. She kept me, Bev and Sabine alive during a very long bilocation.”

  “It sounds like a story I’d like to hear more of,” Audrey confessed.

  “You will. Ask me again when we don’t have an investigation going. To understand Tauni Cerise, you will have to meet her. And, Audrey, I promise you that you will,” Mia said. “She helped me come to terms with my gifts. I had just started OOBing and was feeling more like a freak than usual.” Mia stopped and thought a moment. A slow smile spread across her face. She took off her left glove and touched Audrey’s forehead and asked, “Do you trust me?”

  “With my life,” she answered.

  “Okay, I’m going to let you in my head; it will help you understand what I’m talking about if I show you what advice Tauni Cerise gave me.”

  Mia pushed her memories gently into Audrey’s mind.

  Audrey saw a young Mia and a beautiful black woman conversing. She got the feeling that she was standing both in and out of Mia while the conversation was going on.

  “It’s not that I’m not grateful for what I can, and am learning to, do…” Mia stopped talking and seemed to be gathering her thoughts. She swallowed hard and continued, “It’s just that the cost of it sometimes is very hard to bear.”

  Tauni motioned for her to come closer. “I’ll tell you a secret, child. You know that saying about how God will never give you more than you can handle?”

  Mia rolled her eyes and nodded.

  “It’s shite.”

  Those words coming out of Tauni’s mouth surprised Mia and Audrey.

  The woman smiled before continuing, “He will give you more than you can bear, but you have to rise up to the challenge. He’s not thinking, let’s see what Tauni or Mia can handle. He just gives us a world in which to live. In your case, he’s given you the job to bridge the living and the dead. The dead don’t improve their outlook on life just because they’ve passed on. They remain the same stubborn fools they were in life. I don’t envy you, but neither will I let you indulge in a pity parade. You are surrounded with love.”

  “She’s right,” Audrey said as Mia lifted her hand from Audrey’s tem
ple. “You are surrounded with love.”

  Mia reached over and hugged her friend. “You may not have my gifts, but you have so much more. Sabine believes in the power of love. You, my friend, have the biggest, most forgiving heart I have ever felt.”

  Audrey didn’t speak. She didn’t trust her voice from cracking. Instead, she just hugged Mia a little tighter.

  “Get a room!” Mike called over, breaking the spell.

  Mia flipped him the bird, and Audrey sighed.

  Murphy looked over at Mike Dupree and decided that the next trick he pulled on the handsome front man for PEEPs would be a doozie.

  Mike laughed at his own joke. He knew that the girls were commiserating over something private. He felt excluded, and the thirteen-year-old boy inside him lashed out. He decided he’d better steer clear of Mia for a while, so he walked over to where Burt was looking at the new addition.

  “Remember when you fell in the well?” Burt asked as Mike approached.

  “Never forget it. Taught me to listen to you, old man.”

  “How am I the old man when I’m a year younger than you?” Burt asked.

  “Shush, don’t let that get out. My resume says I’m five years younger than my birth certificate does.”

  Burt shook his head. “It’s going to catch up with you.”

  “Just a little white lie,” Mike said.

  “No, age. It sneaks up when you least expect it,” Burt said with a hand on his tricky knee. “Just yesterday I was running after specters.”

  “You never ran after anything,” Mike pointed out.

  “Well, jogged…”

  “Ahem.”

  “Trotted after ghosts. I did raise a sweat,” he insisted.

  “Okay, Burt, I’ll give you trotted.”

  “To continue with my good advice, don’t waste your life looking in the mirror. There’s a lot to see that isn’t Mike Dupree.”

  “I hear you,” Mike said. “It’s just that I’m so damn pretty.”

  Burt burst into laughter.

  “What’s so funny?” Cid asked, joining the men.

  “Mike thinks he’s pretty,” Burt said, wiping his eyes.

  “He is, in an egotistical, narcissistic way,” observed Cid.

  “Ouch, you sir, do not play fair,” Mike complained. “Nice work on the addition,” he said, changing the subject. “Do you think you’re going to finish before the snow falls?”

  “I hope so. The only problem I’m running into now is getting the glass manufacturer to ship the custom windows in time. If not, I’ll have to board up the solarium to finish the insides.”

  “Speaking of the insides, where did you guys put the stairs to the cellar?”

  “Come on in and see for yourself. Murphy had a hand in the design.”

  Mike stopped and patted Burt on the back. “In that case, Burt, why don’t you go down first?”

  The two of them laughed again.

  Cid, not privy to their private joke, just dismissed the two as lunatics. He opened up the new access door and turned on the lights. “Mia wanted the stairs to have a landing half way down. She didn’t want a young one to have a straight tumble all the way to the hard cellar floor,” he explained.

  “It’s hard to see Mia as a mother,” Mike mused. “The old Mia would have got on the railing and slid down.”

  Burt put his hand on the railing. He stopped to point out to Mike the second lower railing under it. “For little Martins, I believe.”

  “Murphy’s design,” Cid explained.

  “It’s kind of creepy to think of a child being in this cellar. I mean, Murphy doesn’t even spend time down here,” Mike said.

  “Oh, you mean because his wife was buried in the wall,” Cid realized. “He’s been down here a lot recently. I think he’s moved on from Chastity.”

  “Attached himself to Mia you mean,” Mike said.

  “Now to be fair, Mike, I think we’re all attached to Mia in some way,” Burt said sagely. “She’d be embarrassed to know how much she is thought of.”

  Cid didn’t disagree, but he was wary of where the conversation was going. To him, Mia was a sister, a friend, the wife of his best friend. He didn’t have the romantic past Burt had or the lecherous bearing of Mike.

  “Ted’s a lucky bastard,” Mike said simply.

  Burt stopped at the foot of the stairs and looked up at the others. “I think Ted’s got a lot on his hands. It’s not just us humans who have an interest in his wife, but with Angelo, Roumain and the Circle of Women’s eyes on her, Murphy is the least of his problems.”

  “Mia would never stray from Ted,” Cid said firmly. “She’s not that kind of woman.”

  “Don’t misunderstand me, Cid,” Burt said, laying a hand on his shoulder. “Mia would never betray Ted, or any of us for that matter. But face facts. Her talents come in handy when good needs a warrior. Powerful beings see us humans as chess pieces. Some are pawns to be sacrificed and some are queens to be sought after. Mia’s their queen.”

  Cid tried to speak, but words failed him.

  Mike patted him on the back. “Don’t worry, Cid. Ted’s got us to help him. Even Murphy wouldn’t hurt Ted. He’ll make sure she’s protected.”

  “You seem to revere Murphy,” Cid said surprised.

  “Don’t let the old goat find out though. I like things just the way they are,” Mike confessed.

  The old goat removed his outstretched leg from the stair tread. If Mike had continued down the stairs and tripped over Murphy’s leg, he would have landed in the well. Somehow, Murphy didn’t have the heart to drench the peacock today.

  Chapter Six

  Mike opened the door and walked in. Aside from the odor of the cat box needing attention, nothing seemed amiss. He motioned for Mia to follow him. They had chosen early morning for their first visit to the house. Not wanting to call undue attention to the house with their PEEPs vehicles, Mike had picked Mia up in his red sports car. Mia enjoyed the plushness of the ride. She appreciated luxury more and more as the baby developed. She was a healthy woman, but the adjustments carrying the child were making to her body were uncomfortable at times. Mike gave her free reign on the audio system, and she chose a comedy channel.

  Mike loved to see her laugh. Even when the subject matter ran rather blue, Mia guffawed and giggled like a naughty school girl. He had to admit that she was good medicine for a bachelor who was becoming jaded on his lifestyle. Most of the previous seat covers had insisted that the music was too loud, the air from the vents was destroying their hair, or asked how much money he made to afford such a vehicle. Mia just sat there and enjoyed the ride.

  “I’m not seeing anything,” Mia said, following his footsteps. “Are you feeling anything?”

  Mike’s sensitive stomach had sometimes trumped Mia’s gifts in identifying the presence of ghosts. Today he felt fine. “I’m okay, but we are hardly in the door,” he admitted.

  “It’s a nice little ranch house,” Mia said, running her gloved hand over the breakfast counter. “Looks like it’s been renovated in the last ten years or so. The cabinets are pure nineteen sixties but in great condition. The countertops are granite which tells me the kitchen was updated eight to ten years ago.”

  “You sound like Cid,” Mike said.

  “He’s been teaching me. He’s a storehouse of knowledge when it comes to renovating houses.”

  “How’s it working out with him living with you and Ted?”

  “He’s family. Remember, I arrived after Cid. I think you should ask him that question.”

  “You’re Ted’s wife. You have more power in the situation.”

  Mia, who was opening up the cupboards one by one, turned and looked at him. “Power? Sounds like you see the Martin Farm as a country instead of a home.”

  “The Martin Farm is a compound. Perhaps we should call it the Murphy Farm. Who are we kidding?”

  Mia laughed. “Murphy Compound, home to the Paranormal Entity Exposure Partners. That would be some s
ignage to paint.”

  Mike smiled at the image she conjured.

  “Okay, here’s the deal, boyo,” Mia started. “I’m just fine living with Ted, Cid and Murphy. The trio of testosterone gives me the security I had to work hard to manufacture on my peninsula. I’m never lonely, and somehow, I think, perhaps, I help them too. With this little boy on his way, I’ll be outnumbered by males, but it’s not a bad thing from my point of view. I doubt that I’ll be the one on the ladder cleaning out the gutters.”

  Mike nodded. “I envy you, Mia. You’ve found your place. Me, I’m still searching.”

  “You’re welcome to bunk with us after the addition is finished. Perhaps a week of Martin chaos will have you longing for the peace and quiet of your condo.”

  “You’d do that wouldn’t you?” Mike said. “You’d invite me in with open arms and put up with my leering and offensive dialogue.”

  “I don’t find you offensive, just an example of the axis of dick, to quote Veep,” Mia said. She walked up to him and tapped his chest. “You have the biggest heart hidden in there. Take it out and see if you attract a soul mate. Or not. It only matters that you be your authentic self. Take me for example, my authentic self scares most people. Speaking of, let’s examine the hall. Max said it appeared to grow in length.”

  Mike swallowed hard. He’d taken her advice to heart. Would it be so tough to let the vulnerable side show from time to time?

  Mia had stopped midway down the hall. She crouched down and put a bare hand on the carpeted floor. She raised her hand for Mike to stop. She put the glove on again and got up.

  “Did you see anything?” Mike asked.

  “No, but I felt something. Max’s fear is still in the fibers. He said that the hall appeared to grow, and he barely was able to move, and when he did, he launched himself into that closet,” Mia said, pointing to the damaged linen cupboard doors. “But in actuality, he wasn’t moving at all. He only thought he was running, so when his adrenalin peaked, he, really, ran at high speed, not knowing he was only twenty feet away.”

  “That must have hurt,” Mike commented as he walked around Mia and over to the linen cupboard. He turned and looked into the master bedroom and blew out the air he didn’t know he was holding. The room was a wreck. The bedclothes looked like they were ripped from the bed. The nightstand on the far side was toppled, and the contents of it were scattered on the floor. The other stand was orderly displaying an array of paperback books and a swing-arm light.