by Alexie Aaron
“I told you so.”
“I believe I did.”
“To Murphy you did,” Ted pointed out.
“Did I?” she asked, still watching the progression of the dog. “Or was I talking to you?”
Ted winced and asked, “Are you mad at me?”
Mia tapped the screen and said, “Stay,” before she turned to her husband. “You voted on a PEEPs matter. Why would I be mad at you? In this case you were wrong, but you did prepare for this fuck up. I’m sure it wasn’t Jake on Curly’s controls. He appears to be still sniffing around, perhaps looking for more information on Gabor the Great. Unfortunately, unless there is a financial reason to input data on turn of the century mentalists, I fear he’s out of luck.”
Ted leaned over and gazed upon the dog sitting there facing Mia, happily thumping his tail with his tongue hanging out. “That reminds me, we have to attend to Maggie.”
“I’ll do it,” Mia said getting up. “I need a break. Maybe the drive will help me sort some things out. I’ll take Murphy back to the farm to recharge. Energon cubes are fine in a pinch, but the natural energy of those woods is what’s needed now.”
She slid out of her chair and kissed him on top of the head. Jake barked. She blew him a kiss. Ted watched as Mia eased her tired body down off the trailer. Ted sensed that she was a bit pissed at him and hoped it would pass. Otherwise, he wasn’t looking forward to their nightshift together.
Mike watched Mia drive away. He saw her hold the door open, he presumed for Murphy, and slam it hard before walking around the truck. There was no doubt in Mike’s mind that Mia was upset. Whether it was hormonal or justified, it didn’t matter. He didn’t like to see the sensitive frown. He took a moment to think of the situation from her perspective. It didn’t matter that she’d been right about the outcome of sending Murphy in as an emissary; it mattered that a member of PEEPs was put into needless danger. Mia may be going through some adjustments, but Mike was convinced that the woman’s instincts were still spot on.
“Mia left without reporting to me,” Burt grouched.
Mike turned and looked at him. “I’m sure she told Ted. Where were you anyway?”
“Using the bathroom over at the Burger King,” he said. “I waited until Murphy was pulled out before going.”
“Did you think to tell me that you were leaving?” Mike asked.
“Why should I tell you… Oh. You’re making a point. Clever man. I suppose I’m too hard on Mia.”
“You’ve always been harder on her than the others. But since we all know why, you don’t have to explain yourself.”
Burt looked over at his friend and started to say something but chose wisely to shut his mouth and let it drop.
“After this investigation, I’m going to need some time off,” Mike informed him.
Burt waited for the reason, but it became evident that Mike wasn’t going to enlighten him voluntarily. “We don’t have anything scheduled, but…”
“No buts, I need the time. I’m exhausted,” Mike explained. “We’ve been going full throttle on PEEPs, and I’m starting to fray around the edges. I think a vacation without interruption is just what the doctor ordered.”
“It has been a bit of a nonstop ride, hasn’t it?” Burt admitted.
“I’m thinking of someplace warm. I’ll ask Ma if she wants to come along.”
“Wait a minute,” Burt blurted out. “You’re going to go on vacation with your mother? You must be exhausted.”
“People go places with their parents,” Mike argued.
“You don’t. How are you going to score with Glenda on your arm?”
“I said I needed a rest. That includes women. All this dating is fruitless. Life’s passing me by. I need to get my priorities straight. A few weeks under…”
“A few weeks!”
“Yes, PEEPs will survive without me. Or you could give the whole crew a couple of weeks off. Give us all a chance to recharge,” Mike suggested.
“Nah, if we stop taking calls, some other group will move in and…”
“And what? Deal with an actual haunt? We aren’t the only game in town. We’ve been lucky and have a good reputation. There will still be interesting haunts to investigate if we take two bloody weeks off,” Mike argued.
“PEEPs needs the money. I need the money,” Burt confessed.
Mike looked at his partner and nodded. Burt probably did need the money. He was the only one on the team who didn’t have another money source. “I could talk to Ma about loaning you a few bucks. Her stocks have been going crazy. Ever since she started talking to Ted’s mother, she has more money than ideas of how to spend it.”
“No, thanks all the same. I don’t want to owe Glenda any money,” Burt said stubbornly. “I already owe Mia two month’s rent and…”
“You resent it,” Mike finished. “All this time, I’m thinking that you’ve been envying her and Ted for the baby, but you’re just embarrassed by owing a former lover money. She doesn’t seem put off by it, why should you? The Martins are generous people. I’m sure Cid hasn’t paid a cent of rent.”
“He works on the farm. He’s building them the extension,” Burt pointed out.
“Which Ted is paying him for,” Mike reminded him. “Burt, you need this vacation more than any of us. Take time to look at yourself. You’re not the guy who almost wet himself when that toy car rolled across the floor when we were filming all those years ago. Mia swears that Beth changed when that entity got ahold of her at Lucky’s. Perhaps you need to push out whatever demons you’re holding on to. You’re not our Burt. I’m the one who’s been casted as the asshole here. Mia’s the spirited heroine, Audrey is the girl next door, Ted’s the genius techie, Cid the pedantic nerd, and me, the narcissistic, arrogant, handsome leader of this group.”
Burt laughed at Mike’s confession. “Who am I supposed to be?”
“Originally the hero, but you decided that you’d rather be someone else.”
“Mia…”
“Mia nothing, leave the girl out of this. You have to take time to see what role you want to play in life. We’re not getting any younger. Me, I’m going to have my ma flirt with the beach bartenders while I lie in a hammock and contemplate my life.”
“You really are a momma’s boy.”
“Damn straight, and I love it.” Mike waved at Audrey who was trying to get his attention. “I’ve got a redhead waiting for me as I speak. Think it over and let me know,” Mike said.
Burt watched him as he walked over to consult with Audrey.
Cid passed him on the way to the command post. He stopped and looked back at Burt. “Is there something I can do for you?”
“No, I’m just thinking,” Burt said and did just that.
Chapter Fifteen
Gerald walked into the small lit room where Angelo was studying the handbill. “I just got off the phone with Audrey McCarthy. She’s the…”
“I’m well aware who Audrey is,” Angelo said, looking up.
“She and I’ve been sharing information on Gabor the Great. She seems to think that this portrait is of Cezar Gabor, Anatolie’s cousin. According to Audrey’s research, he was beheaded by the Ungurs after being thought to be in league with the House of Mazonn Dalca.”
Angelo nodded slowly. “The Dalcas and Ungurs have never been fond of each other. I will have to look this Cezar up. If he was truly a mystic, then he will be listed in the Great Book.” He got up and rolled the plastic-covered handbill and placed it in a carved wood cylinder, securing the lid. He walked with Gerald to the balcony of his office.
Gerald watched as the birdman began preparations to leave. Clothes were discarded, leaving the birdman free to transform.
Angelo slid the strap over the emerging wing, holding it tight to his back. He turned to Gerald before taking flight. “I’ll call you as soon as I have any information. Please do not let Mia enter the house. I feel very strongly that this mind reader is beyond her talents. I hate to have anything ha
ppen to her. She no longer listens to me. Perhaps you…”
“I will counsel her,” Gerald promised.
“Paulo…”
“I will bring Santos up-to-date. Now go, you’re letting the flies in,” Gerald said.
Angelo barely lifted off the ground before he was gone from sight.
Gerald walked into the office, picking up the birdman’s borrowed clothes as he came upon them. He lifted the shirt to check for soil when a fragrance wafted over. Gerald put the shirt to his face and inhaled. He smiled wickedly as he identified the scent. “Ode to a birdman in love with a mortal. Those Cooper women are bewitching, my friend. But they are also dangerous,” he reminded himself, setting the shirt on his desk for his assistant to see to.
His thoughts turned from Mia to Beverly, the woman who still ruled his heart. He picked up the phone and dialed her number.
“Beverly, Gerald. Yes, it’s been a long time. How would you feel about having dinner with me at Balena? Of course I can get us in, I know a guy…”
Bev set her phone down and smiled. Because of her last conflict with Gerald, she no longer had a dining partner, not one that could pick up a tab, anyway. She looked over at Sabine who was looking better. Tauni Cerise was in charge, and that meant that Sabine would not starve herself, she would get exercise, and she would thrive. Tauni would have it no other way. Not having a natural mothering instinct, Bev appreciated those who did.
“Tauni, would you be available to stay a little longer this evening? I’ve been offered a dinner at Balena.”
Tauni looked over at Beverly Cooper and wondered why it had taken so long for her and Gerald Shem to make up this time. Rumor had it that Sabine’s mother had sold Mia to Angelo Michaels. Surely this was just a silly misunderstanding. No one in this day and age would ever contemplate something so barbaric. “I have no plans this evening. How about I stay the night? This way, you will have the whole night to yourself,” she suggested.
Relief flooded the older woman’s face.
“Thank you, I will. Sabine, darling, do you mind?” Bev asked.
Sabine looked over at her mother and smiled. “Go ahead. Tauni and I have the girls to entertain us. You go, and tell Gerald I said hello.”
Tauni and Sabine looked at each other while Bev protested, “I’m not… Well, I am. He’s just buying me a meal,” she explained. “Do you think I have time for a manicure?” Bev asked, picking up her purse and walking out the door, not waiting or expecting an answer.
Sabine looked at Tauni and said, “I don’t know why he keeps taking her back.”
“Ah, this time, he called her,” Tauni pointed out. “He can’t help himself.”
“But he has to know that she just uses him,” Sabine said sadly.
“Does she? It seems to me, child, that he has the privilege of an evening in the company of such a vivacious woman. Mr. Shem is not an idiot. He is the smartest man I’ve come across, but he is flawed.”
“Blind. He is blind when it comes to my mother,” Sabine said, picking up Leta Ann. “Your grandmother is a witch.”
Leta looked at her beautiful mother and said, “Bum.”
This never ceased to bring a giggle out of Sabine. “Yes, she is a bum too.”
“How did that sweet little thing get such a mouth on her?” Tauni asked.
“Mia…”
“Say no more,” Tauni raised her hand. “That one’s got a mouth on her.”
~
It was dark when Mia arrived at the farm. She didn’t say a word to Murphy on the hour’s ride home. It was partly because she was mad at him and partly because she knew the energy it took for the farmer to converse. Instead, she put a Patsy Cline CD in the player and ignored him.
She stopped the truck in front of the house. “If you’re coming back with me, I’m leaving at eleven. That should get me to the Madisons’ about midnight, in time for my and Ted’s shift.”
Murphy looked over at her and saw that she was tired. She also was mad.
“Don’t be mad at Ted. He…”
Mia shot him a look that stopped him midsentence.
“I’m not mad at Ted. I’m frustrated with this investigation. I’m tired and not only do I have to dodge Burt’s jabs, but I feel as if I’m under a microscope. Can I be effective if I’m pregnant? Am I making the right calls? Turns out, bucko, I did make the right call, and you almost got yourself enslaved.”
Murphy didn’t answer her. Instead, he watched Mia let herself into the house. He heard her call for Maggie and the dog’s happy response. He moved slowly into the forest to find comfort amongst his trees.
Mia let Maggie wash her face with dog kisses. Pure adoration and happiness moved from Maggie to Mia. She poured out the dog food and added some broken up bacon as a treat. She watched as the dog wolfed down her food, knowing it was useless to tell her to slow down. “You eat faster than Ted does when we’re sharing a bowl of popcorn,” she commented.
When Maggie finished, Mia took the lead off the hook, attached it to the dog’s collar and walked her outside the front door instead of putting her in the fenced yard at the back of the house. She decided to walk her up to the top of the hill and let her loose to run there.
Mia had just unleashed Maggie when her phone rang. The familiar Batman theme echoed in the quiet night. She was tempted to ignore it, but then Ted would get all worried and rush back home to see what had befallen her.
“Hello,” she said.
“Whatcha doing?” Ted asked, knowing by the tone of her voice that Mia wasn’t in the mood to talk.
“Watching a crazy dog chase the last of the fireflies. You?”
“Banging my head against the console. I’m sorry, Mia.”
“Sorry for what?” Mia asked, distracted by a large owl flying low over the ground in search of field mice.
“I should have voted with you,” he said.
“The result would be the same. Murphy would have broken the tie. I’m not mad, just tired and worried.”
“We’ll sort this out. And as far as being tired, I think we all are. Mike’s lobbying Burt to give us all a couple of weeks off after this investigation.”
“Really, all of us?” Mia asked interested.
“He’s taking a vacation, no matter what Burt decides. He just thinks it would be good for the group if we had a break.”
“It would be nice not having to do all this driving. We could barricade ourselves in the farmhouse, eat junk food, and marathon a television series,” Mia said, brightening up.
“We could go to the beach,” Ted suggested.
“It’s too cold…”
“Fly someplace warm,” he suggested.
“I don’t want to fly or wear a swimsuit, Teddy Bear.”
“Phew! I had to ask. Mike’s going to some island, and I didn’t want to look cheap.”
Mia laughed.
“It’s good to hear you laugh, Minnie Mouse,” Ted admitted. “I was worried that I blew things when I sided with the others.”
“Did you vote your conscience?”
“Yes, I thought that Murphy, properly outfitted, could at least communicate with that thing in there,” Ted confided. “I had no idea it would play mind games and then drain all his energy.”
“It surprised me too,” Mia admitted. “Well, lesson learned.” She sighed. “I think I’m going to hang up, find Maggie and take a few hours nap before heading back. Call me if you don’t see me at midnight, just in case I slept through my alarm.”
“Do you think you could bring back some coffee and snacks?” Ted asked.
“Yes, of course, you must be starving. I know I’m hungry.”
“Mia, you’re always hungry,” Ted said and hung up.
~
Bev stood just inside the door to the restaurant. She kept smoothing the skirt of her red dress. What had possessed her to wear a hip hugging red dress at her age? She glanced at her reflection in the smoked glass. In the right light, she looked ten years younger, but still, she
needed to reevaluate her wardrobe. Problem was, she couldn’t afford a new wardrobe. The large sum she was paid for delivering the sought after information to the Seeley sisters had barely covered her expenses. Mia had released the original portion of what would have been her inheritance had her mother known she was still alive. It covered her overdue condo fees and back taxes. She wondered if asking Mia for the interest she earned on the money would be too pushy. At this rate, if Bev didn’t find a viable solution, she would have to go out and get a job.
“What has your brow so furrowed, Beverly?” Gerald’s soft voice asked beside her.
Bev snapped out of her thoughts and flashed him a brilliant smile. “Gerald, it’s so good to see you.”
“You look ravishing tonight,” he said appreciatively. “Red suits you well.”
“You are a dear,” she said, putting her hand on his arm. “Here I was, thinking I was mutton dressed as lamb, and you give me a compliment.”
“I only speak the truth, Beverly. I see Marco has our table ready. Shall we?” he said, holding out his arm.
Bev took it and proudly walked beside Gerald. She saw a few folks whom she knew and smiled at them as they passed. Normally she would stop and say a few words, but tonight she craved the conversation of her old friend and didn’t want to waste a minute networking.
Gerald noticed the change in her behavior but held his tongue. Normally they would argue, it was their way, but tonight Beverly seemed to lack confidence. He would have to get to the bottom of this and return the mighty blonde to her old irritating self, the woman who Gerald loved so much.
“I hope you don’t mind, I called ahead and had them decant a bottle of Sangiovese Grosso. I thought we could indulge in a glass, unless you want a cocktail first?”
“Wine would be nice,” she said as Marco seated her.
Gerald sat down and nodded.
The waiter appeared with the wine and a plate of spiced olives, duck liver bruschetta and two arugula salads.
“I hope you don’t mind. I thought you would be hungry.”