by Alexie Aaron
He pushed back his hat in puzzlement as the little woman winked at him and walked away.
Murphy looked back at the building and moved as close as he could get to the window. He tested the gap of the space the builder left for the window and it felt solid to him. Whatever held the stones together all these years created a barrier that only the corporal could move through.
Chapter Seven
Ralph opened his eyes to the face of an angel. The more he focused, the angel needed a shave.
“Whatcha doing?” Whit asked the older man.
Ralph was stuck for words. What was he doing? Where was he? The morning’s events came flooding back to him. “I was attacked by…” He stopped. Again he was lost for words. What had attacked him? Why did he smell like Obsession by Calvin Klein?
“Let’s get you out of here. Can you sit up?” Whit knelt and examined Ralph’s head, feeling for bumps.
“I think so, I’m just so confused,” he admitted to the deputy. He sat up, noting as he did that Mia needed to wash her baseboards. Whit’s hands were strong, and Ralph pushed down the small thrill reminding himself that A, he was in a committed relationship and B, this young man was interested in Mia. Ralph shakily got to his feet, and Whit guided him through the door into the guestroom and over to the bed.
“I think you better lie down until we assess the situation.”
Ralph took in we and situation. We, meant that he and Whit were not alone, maybe Mia? Oh lord if it is Mia then he was in a world of trouble. Situation was an understatement. He grabbed Whit’s hand and asked, “What situation?”
Whit looked at Mia’s friend and pseudo godfather and smiled. “You have some explaining to do, but first, Tom and I have to secure the house.”
“Ghosts or demons?” Ralph asked.
“Vermin,” Whit answered wryly. “Procyon lotor, commonly known as a raccoon.”
“What?”
“You let in a raccoon. Good thing Tom caught a glimpse of it entering the laundry room.”
“How?”
“Did you open the long window over the washer?”
“Yes, it stank in there. Just letting in some air,” Ralph explained.
“Did you notice there wasn’t a screen in the window?”
“It didn’t occur to me to look. Why wouldn’t there be a screen?”
“Mia never opens it, as it is too hard to secure. I don’t think it’s been opened since she built the place,” Whit said rubbing his jaw. “Poor kid’s got issues with, well, you know.”
“Ghosts, demons, and, well, thanks to me, raccoons.” Ralph sat up. “Well, I’ve made a mess of things.” He swung his feet over the end of the bed.
“Whoa, sir, I need you to sit still. You took a dive in the bath and came this close,” Whit held up his thumb and forefinger an inch wide, “from cracking your head on the toilet.”
There was a crash from the other room followed by a stream of obscenities.
Whit pointed to the pillow and to Ralph. “Put your head on that pillow. Leave the vermin extraction to us law enforcement professionals.”
Ralph lay back and tried to remain calm. Mia was going to kill him. Bernard was going to kill him. He would be cast out of their lives. Die a lonely man. All because of a raccoon. Tears formed in his eyes. Another crash from the living room punctuated by Whit’s voice, “God, I hope that wasn’t expensive.”
Another male voice chimed in, “It was butt ugly. She won’t miss it.”
“Tom, I think we need to stop trying to catch it, and just get it out the door,” Whit suggested.
The sound of another crash had Ralph out of bed and into the living room where Whit and another deputy armed with a broom were trying to corral a large black eyed bandit that was padding along the kitchen floor, growling at the men if they got too close.
“You’re being too meek. Hand that broom over,” demanded Ralph.
The man acquiesced, and Ralph challenged the raccoon with vigorous sweeping towards him. The raccoon turned tail and moved quickly away from the swish, swish of the broom.
“Door, gentlemen,” Ralph called out as the raccoon neared the front entry.
The yet to be introduced deputy swiftly opened the door and blocked off any escape route by toppling Mia’s telephone table over on its side.
The noise of the fall caused the critter to run to the exit, and the moment he left the porch, the door was slammed shut by Ralph.
Whit, who had been in the laundry closing the window, walked out smiling. “Mission completed.” He gazed at Ralph and Tom and remembered his manners. “Ralph, this is Tom, a good friend of Mia’s and mine. Tom this is Ralph, Mia’s…”
“She thinks of me as her godfather.” Ralph set the broom aside and reached over and shook Tom’s offered hand.
The younger deputy, still blessed with the smooth skin of youth, smiled at Ralph through eyes that had seen too much of the tragic side of life. Tom had been initiated to the horrors up at Cold Creek Hollow along with Whit and Mia’s crew. He fought beside Whit and the PEEPs team, bravely, to restore order to his hometown. He saw things that shouldn’t be, accepted them, and moved on. His inner strength was as amazing as was his grip.
Ralph let go of his hand and wiped his brow. “I’m sure glad the two of you showed up when you did. Although you frightened the crap out of me. Let me make you a cup of coffee.”
Tom nodded, his brown eyes taking in the man in front of him. “That would be nice, and you can tell us what you are doing here.”
Ralph colored a bit and lifted his eyebrows. “I thought since Mia was away I would set her place to order. Poor thing doesn’t really have a handle on housekeeping. I don’t fault her. No siree. It was those parents of hers. She’s had to learn all this domestic stuff on her own,” Ralph chatted as he measured out the coffee.
Tom and Whit exchanged amused looks. Whit righted two bar stools and offered one to his partner. The other he left for Ralph. Whit preferred to lean against the wall.
“So tell me, what prompted you to douse cologne on the raccoon. It didn’t help the smell, and it made him mad,” Whit asked Ralph.
“I didn’t know it was cologne. I thought it was holy water,” Ralph said distractedly as he tried to find three coffee mugs that matched.
“Holy water?” Tom questioned. “Why would you soak a raccoon with holy water?”
Ralph blushed a deeper shade of red. “Okay, sit down, and I’ll tell you what prompted me to, well, make a jackass of myself.”
He explained about hearing the sounds and the shadows.
“The shadows may have been Tom and I as we skirted the outside deck checking out the place. We saw an unfamiliar car in the drive, and I knew that Mia was out of town, so I thought we should check things out.”
“It’s not often Mia has company,” Tom said and continued, “Just thought we’d be on the safe side and make sure you weren’t up to no good.”
Ralph looked at the two of them and lifted an eyebrow.
“Okay, we were curious. Nosey as my mother calls it,” Tom admitted.
“Did I leave the gate open?” Ralph asked.
“Er, no. But Whit knows the codes, which he used after he scaled the fence and let me in. We had just completed a perimeter search of the house when I saw the open window and the raccoon. I tried to get there before it went in but was too slow.”
“Or you scared it, so it went in. It was just dining on the fruit from the crabapple tree beside the house,” Whit pointed out as he accepted the cup of coffee Ralph handed him. “Black’s fine.”
Tom rolled his eyes and put some milk in his coffee, took a sip and continued, “Well, maybe I did. So anyway, this kind of vermin doesn’t normally come out in the day, and now it was in the house. So we entered, all stealthy.”
“Crashes and cusses. You will have to work on stealthy young man,” Ralph said after spooning in the last of the three sugars into his coffee. “You two scared me to death!”
“Is that why
I found you on the floor of the bath covered in cologne holding a toilet brush?” Whit asked.
“Yes, and like I said, when I saw the shadows I thought they were, you know, shadows,” Ralph drew out the last word to change the previous meaning. “Ghosts or demons. Not you two idiots looking in the windows.”
“That’s professional idiot officers of the law to you,” Whit winked.
Ralph giggled before continuing. So, I grabbed the saltshaker and went in search of holy water…”
“How did you know to do this,” Whit interrupted.
“Listening. Father Santos and his cronies are always talking about holy water, salt and other stuff.”
“Go on,” Whit encouraged and took another sip of coffee.
“So, when I see these bottles on a shelf in the guestroom by some books wrapped in prayer beads, I assumed I had found the holy water. I grabbed a bottle and decide that since I, in my neglect of Mia’s protocols, let in a ghost, I would get rid of it.”
“Yes, that is the responsible thing to do,” Tom commented. “Like me and the raccoon.”
“You and I are in accord,” Ralph said. “The difficulty was finding the thing. I checked under the bed and the closet in the guestroom. Nothing but coats and paintings. The bath was next, and it was clean.” Ralph took them through the rest of the story until he fainted. “It’s all fuzzy after that.”
“Tom scared the raccoon into the bath from the guestroom, while I came at it from the hall. You dumped the cologne on the critter, it got mad and ran off,” Whit filled in. “And the rest is history.”
Tom put his cup down, got up and started to right the furniture that was toppled in the fray. “I’m thinking about taking some vacation time and heading for Canada. I suggest the two of you doing the same. Mia is going to…”
“Not know anything about what happened,” Ralph said calmly. “I’m going to redo her entire place and all will be well.”
Whit walked over to the older man and suggested, “Better get an exterminator in here first.”
“I thought you said there was only the one raccoon?” Ralph questioned.
Whit flicked his finger at something in the middle of Ralph’s white polo and said, “Fleas, the raccoon brought in fleas.”
Ralph jumped back and slapped at his shirt before running to a mirror to inspect his hair. Tears filled his eyes. “It’s all Bernard’s fault!”
“Bernard?” Whit asked surprised, “Why?”
“He told me not to do this. He jinxed me!”
Whit started laughing and patted Ralph on the back before he agreed to look through his hair for more fleas. Whit winced as he found another one.
Tom called his mother. She suggested a good shampoo and exterminator. She instructed her son to plan on helping the man, as it was he that broke most of Mia’s things. Tom agreed. The only thing scarier that Mia on the rampage was disappointing his mother.
~
Mia sat beside Beth in the county hospital emergency room. The physician on duty determined that she had a concussion and would have to be watched for a few days. Her wrists and ankles bore the bruises of the binding, and she would be having a few shoulder issues until the swelling went down. Beth had come to on the way to the hospital. Ted who was at her side was overjoyed and relayed her condition to the others via his cell phone.
She had been examined and given something for pain and promptly fell asleep.
“Lightweight,” Ted commented.
Mia looked at the sleeping Beth, wondering exactly what she would say to the girl when she awoke. Would Beth remember anything about what happened to her? Would the trauma be too much for the young researcher?
Mia practiced answers in her head while Beth slept peacefully. The doctor came in and roused her to make sure she wasn’t in more jeopardy. Beth looked over at Mia and tried to smile.
“My lips are numb.”
“Demerol,” Mia explained. “It’s also why the room is spinning.”
“Oh.” Beth looked around before asking, “Where’s Ted?”
“I think he took my truck and Murphy back to Lucky’s. Murph was causing a wee bit of havoc here with the machines. Our Murphy can’t seem to keep from pushing buttons,” Mia teased.
Beth wiggled her fingers and toes. She stretched the best a person could when attached to an IV. “When can I get out of here?”
“I think they are going to put you in a room overnight.”
“Damn.”
“You have to let them have time enough to make sure you are alright,” Mia counseled. “Are you alright?”
“I don’t remember too much right now, so I’m peachy. Ted promised to tell me all about it when I’m better. Last thing I remember is looking over your shoulder and then the ambulance ride here. There seems to be a gap.”
“A big gap. I’m not sure why you were targeted.”
“Did you get a chance to get a read on the entity you and Burt encountered?”
“He wasn’t too talkative, but I may have a few things to share with you and the group,” Mia said fidgeting.
“You can go ahead without me,” Beth offered.
Mia shook her head no. “It can wait as long as PEEPs stays out of Lucky’s. We have need of your research skills before we go any further.” Mia sat back and smiled at the other woman.
“I’m sure you can do whatever is needed,” Beth said quietly. “You don’t have to pretend that whatever I do can’t be done by someone else - you, Ted, Mike,” she listed.
“I’m saying exactly that. I have no interpersonal skills, same for Ted. Mike, well is Mike, and Burt - I don’t even want to go there. I’m not going into that building again until I know what I’m up against.”
“You’re serious, not just placating me,” Beth observed.
“Don’t even know the meaning of that word,” Mia snorted. “Rest up. I’m going to need an ally when the next vote comes up.”
Beth smiled and admitted, “I’m glad they’re still having votes. It can become quite a boys club at times.”
“I think you manage very well considering the overage of testosterone in your fellow investigators.”
“Ted sees things from a technical angle, and as long as there is logic in my argument, he will usually vote with me. Mike’s an ass but a smart ass, plus I can always put in a call to his mom and…”
Mia’s face lit up. “I never pegged him for a momma’s boy.”
“I think it’s more respect born out of fear of being kicked out of the nest than a need to be close to mommy,” Beth shared. “Burt,” Beth paused gathering her thoughts before speaking, “He’s changed. Don’t get me wrong, it was coming on before you came in and out of his life. He’s like two people sometimes. He’s the boss and the friend. The boss is a pain in the ass, driven and doesn’t listen to others. The friend is the fun loving big brother.”
“I enjoyed our time together,” Mia said wistfully. “I got the lover and the friend. I guess I never thought of him as my boss so that’s why we clashed to the point of breaking up. My aunt Bev says I shouldn’t bother with men until I know who I am.”
“Good advice, I’m thinking,” Beth said thoughtfully.
“It would be if it came from anyone else but Bev. She is an escapist when it comes to any kind of relationship.”
“I thought she and Gerald were an item.”
“He thinks so, she doesn’t.”
Mia and Beth gossiped about the notorious antics of Beverly Cooper until they moved Beth to her room. Mia waited to see her settled before leaving her to rest.
Walking down the corridors of the small hospital, Mia avoided a few beings that hadn’t moved on. Entering the small lobby she was greeted by a flower-toting Ted and a candy-holding Mike.
“You guys must be carrying some serious guilt.”
Ted blushed, and Mike just nodded and answered, “I should have been in there. What the hell was I thinking?”
“You wanted to save your nose,” Ted accused.
&n
bsp; “True, I’m not looking forward to having this punched anytime soon.”
“Might add character,” Mia said mischievously. She knew at the first opportunity to gaze in a mirror that Mike would be assessing the character of his face. “Ted, do I have transportation?”
“Oh, here,” he said digging in his pocket. He produced Mia’s keys. “It’s parked around the corner. Mike drove the SUV over so I have a way back.”
Mia accepted the keys and walked out in search of her truck. She found it in the small lot. Murphy was loitering nearby, checking out an old oak tree that was shading the lot.
Mia pulled out her Bluetooth earpiece and placed it in her ear before she spoke to Murphy. To the passersby she would look like she was talking to someone on the cell phone. “Hello Stephen, so nice to see you.”
Murphy looked at her oddly at the use of his first name. He pushed his hat back on his head and wiped his brow.
“I agree it’s pretty hot out considering the month. I better find a place to lay my head before we have any more adventures.”
Murphy nodded and tried to open the door for her. Mia watched as his hand slid through the handle.
“Allow me, I believe Ted locked it.” Mia took out the key and unlocked the door and opened it. She took a step back and waved her hand saying, “Age before beauty.”
Murphy entered the truck, and Mia climbed in after him.
“This is a tough one,” Mia said more for her benefit than Murphy’s. She turned on the truck and pulled out of the parking space. “Two important pieces of this puzzle are missing, corner pieces. What is keeping the entities in?” She navigated to the busy road and waited for a space in traffic.
A small convoy of motorcyclists was making their way down the street. “They look tired and thirsty,” Mia commented. “Probably been riding the open road.” Murphy mimed the lead guy riding the chopper. He leaned back and moved his hands, revving his engine. “I wonder where their watering hole is.” She waited until they passed and decided to follow them at a discrete distance.
Chapter Eight