by Alexie Aaron
Whit grabbed his phone and scanned it. He was disappointed to see Mia hadn’t called yet. Tom left a message reminding him of what he said to her in case he was too drunk to remember this morning. He did remember everything. He called her a bitch. Shit. She was happy about Murphy. Good. But why the fuck did he act so insecure? Burt was out of the picture as far as he knew. There was that beanpole hanging around, but he was more of a colleague, he hoped. Fuck! He forgot about the message he left in the pocket of the loaned jeans for Burt.
“Oh my god,” he moaned. “What possessed me?” He lay back down in bed and put the pillow over his face. Maybe he would suffocate and die. He could hang with Murphy, learn the axe trade. Maybe then Mia would talk to him again. Since he didn’t have to be at work until late, having pulled another nightshift, he let himself fall back asleep.
~
Beth received the news from Burt that Mia and Ted were shacked up in a posh hotel in downtown Chicago poorly. She lost her perspective and left Mia a scathing phone message. “You whore! You couldn’t wait to get him alone. You’re a cheap piece of trash, and I hope you rot in hell for betraying me this way. You cow! You’re just doing this because I took the research job away from you. You couldn’t research your way out of a paper bag. You fucking tramp! Who’s next Mike? Are you going to fuck every one you work with? Is Ted the flavor of the investigation? I can’t believe your nerve. Piece of gypsy shit.” She hung up and immediately regretted what she had done. If it were Amber, the previous slag that was on the team, then the tirade would be deserved. But Mia?
Beth put her hands in her head. “What have I done?”
~
Mia dreamed she was pregnant. She was big as a house, wearing a dress that gave her the look of a giant bell. She waddled around her home holding on to her belly. She kept passing photos in elaborate frames set on counters and tables. She picked one up, and it was a wedding picture of Whit and Sherry. She set it down and moved on. Burt was the focal point of the next pic. He was wearing a PEEPs tee and smiling into the camera. She hugged the frame and ripped his picture out. She tore it in a million pieces and scattered it around the floor. Next was the picture of her and Murphy on the mantelpiece. She picked up the frame and turned it around to face the wall. Mia felt her child kick in her belly. She put her hand on it and patted her child. “Soon, you will be with me soon,” she cooed.
The doorbell rang and she went to answer it, but before she could reach the door a labor pain tore through her body. She sank down and squatted like she saw the women did in ancient times. She balanced herself between two tables. On one table there was a photo of Ted. He was smiling. The other was of Whit who had his back to her. In the distance Sherry stood painting. Another pain tore through her body and her water broke. It ran in torrents along the wood floor under her. She felt her child drop down. She raised her skirt to see the child emerge. Another pain, and she didn’t see the child’s head but an object pushed first from her womb followed by the small hand of the baby.
She stared dumbfounded at the axe. A scream built in her throat as the baby became a child and stood on its feet. She looked at her son and saw the familiar face before her. The child frowned and picked up the axe and swung it at Mia who could not move. She screamed again.
“Mia, wake up, Mia,” Ted said, gathering her up in his arms.
She started crying and buried her face into his chest. The tears turned quickly into sobs.
Ted, who had awakened earlier with a need to pee, heard her first scream as he passed her room. He pushed open the door to see her open mouthed in a silent scream, her hands before her, trying to defend herself. He moved quickly to her and tried to wake her up.
As her sobs abated to hiccups and sniffles, Ted released his hold on her. “Minnie mouse, tell Teddy bear what’s the matter.”
Mia raised her face, and when Ted smiled, she broke out crying again.
“I need a shrink.”
Ted started laughing. “You do need a shrink. I’ve seen you naked three times, and so far no sex is on the menu,” he said.
Mia thought for a moment. One, the motel when she dropped the towel. Two, he helped her change her clothes after the glass burst. Three? Her eyes snapped open wide. She blushed deep red. She remembered there weren’t any pajamas in the bag of clothes Bernard purchased, so she went to bed naked. Fuck me and give me a rose, I’m in bed with Ted naked!
Another woman would have given into her desire and had sex with the willing techie, after all it was just sex. But she wasn’t another woman. She was Mia, the woman who just dreamed she gave birth to Murphy’s axe-wielding child. She excused herself and ran into the bathroom. She turned on the shower and let it run cold. She didn’t feel the icy water as it splashed down her body. She only felt the heat of embarrassment combined with the desire of wanting to be made love to. But if her befuddled mind could not tell the difference between Ted, Whit, Burt or Murphy then she had no business opening her legs to anyone.
Chapter Twenty-one
They worked all morning and well into the afternoon. The PEEPs command post was starting to look more like a professional vehicle. Burt and Homely were joined by a few folk from the local motorcycle club. They traded their craft for Burt’s stories. Gone were the scratches and dents. The chicks regained their heads, and the new windows were installed. The windshield had to set for a while so Burt wasn’t going anywhere soon. Homely fired up the grill, and as the working professionals of the club heard of the activity at Homely’s, they arrived with supplies. Soon a full gathering of the Mississippi River Rovers was in full swing.
The drive was filled with Harleys and Hondas. There were choppers and bikes with sidecars. Burt took a beer and walked the line of bikes.
“There are quite a few clubs that are just for Hogs or Gold Wings. We don’t go into that much here,” Homely explained. “It’s the opportunity to ride with others out there on the open road that brings us together.”
“Do you ever run into gangs or is that history?”
“There are some, not sure why they still exist, but we give them a wide birth. Canada has a problem with a couple. It’s drugs and hate that draws them together. Much like your situation over at the bar.”
“The outlaw mentality,” another voice joined them. Burt looked around, and a business-suited man nodded a greeting to him before continuing, “A person that has a tendency towards violence will find others and join with them. It makes him or her feel normal, accepted, strong.”
“This is Doc. Careful, he’ll have you on the couch and crying about your childhood before your second beer if you’re not wary,” Homely teased.
“Burt Hicks,” he said holding out his hand. The man grasped it firmly. “So I bet you want to know what a grown man is doing playing ghost hunter?”
“Curious, but I don’t think you need some couch time. Not for your profession…”
Homely burst out laughing. “Careful, Burt, Doc’s on the scent. Do not tell him about your love life,” he warned.
Burt took the ribbing in good humor.
“I understand you have some interest in getting ahold of some of that crushed yellow stone over from the old monastery?” Doc questioned.
“Yes, my colleagues in Chicago have asked me to bring a large sample with me tomorrow.” Burt didn’t need to mention they said to send it by a courier. But he was damned if he was going to miss out on the fun and the opportunity to film a lady in glass.
“Why is this so important?”
Burt explained Mia’s theory, leaving her and Murphy, out of his explanation. He also mentioned that once they understood the reasons it worked as a trap, they would be able to release the entities to cross over, or hit the road with the ghosts that were accumulating at the site. He still wasn’t sure if the property would ever be free of disturbances, but the pressure would be lessened and maybe the anger would leave.
Doc considered the explanation and the man before him before offering, “I’ve got a mound of it in
my backyard.”
Homely and Burt almost dropped their beers.
“Are you sure it’s the same stuff?” Homely questioned.
“Half of my house is built just like the bar, river rock and that mixture of stuff. They must have been mixing the mortar in the back and left the remaining stuff there when they finished. They left a pile of river rock too. The previous owners of the property just left it. I didn’t know about it until my wife started to use the rocks as edging for her flower beds. Under the rock we found this yellow sand,” he explained.
“Do you think I could have some of it? I would be happy to pay you,” Burt asked.
“It’s yours, as much as you want. So it’s blessed?”
“Seems so, or that’s the theory.” Burt smiled. “I hope it’s more than that. I really don’t know how else to explain it.”
One of the minders of the grill called over that the steaks were done. The three men walked back to the garage and made plans to excavate the sand after they had full bellies.
~
Mia’s stomach growled, giving her away. Ted sat at the window of the suite of rooms, staring at the buildings across the river. He turned, smiled and pulled over a chair and patted it. Mia sat down. Ted asked her if she saw the Transformer’s movie. Mia smiled and nodded. She didn’t add that she had seen it on video with Burt.
Ted pointed out the landmarks and proceeded to show where the director blended the real with the CG. She got caught up in his explanation and laughed as he got a little bit of vertigo and had to move away from the window and sit down.
“Should we talk about the elephant in the room before we head over to the museum?” Ted asked.
“You mean the elephant that bespeaks of sexual tension, or the one that is worrying if we can move past this and continue to be friends.”
“Ah, the two headed elephant,” Ted said sagely. “Yep that’s him.”
“It’s not that you aren’t sexy as fuck…”
“That’s a given,” Ted said, sitting straighter.
“It’s the others. Like Beth for instance.”
“What’s she got to do with this, with our elephant?”
“Listen.” Mia took out her phone and put it on speaker before playing back Beth’s message.
Ted paled and reddened. He was horrified and gratified at the same time. “Flavor of the investigation?”
“I’m sensing a pattern in my behavior.”
“I think you and she are being hysterical. First off, Bethy is feeling guilty because she did a tail run around you and stole your contact. She’s a bit jealous of your abilities. Burt must not have been too clear that we have two rooms.”
“You were supposed to pick her up at the hospital. You were supposed to drive her back to Kansas. Instead, you’re with me.”
“Ah, there’s that.”
Mia smiled. “We have this easy way of being with each other. Probably because we are both social misfits…”
“Sexy as fuck, social misfits,” Ted interjected.
“Yes. May I continue?”
“Who’s stopping you?”
“K. Anyway, Beth has been trying to be one of the guys and the girl for some time now. It’s hard to balance her need to be ogled and need to be respected at the same time. It would drive me nuts. Or more nuts.”
“But she isn’t the only girl. You’re part of the team.”
“Not exactly. I’m a consultant as far as she and Mike are concerned. Burt wants me out. I’m just the gifted girl to be used from time to time. I get it. I have talents and Murphy. I’m bossy and bitchy.”
“I don’t think of you as an outsider - bossy and bitchy, yes,” Ted pointed out.
Mia smiled. “Thank you, Ted.”
“You’re welcome. So where are we?”
“I say in the middle of two investigations. I apologize for parading myself naked in front of you.”
“Don’t apologize for that,” Ted said aghast.
Mia starting laughing. “So the elephant can leave the room?”
“Minnie Cooper, it already left and we should too. Bernard’s probably priming his shotgun for our wedding.”
“You picked up on that did you?”
“Oh I know the look of someone fitting me up for a funeral suit.”
“You mean wedding tux.”
“Isn’t that what I just said? Hey, do you want to tell me about your nightmare?”
“Not in a million years.”
“I’m just going to make it up, and my imagination is larger than that two headed elephant.”
“Still not talking.”
“Okay, be that way. Do we need to check out?”
“I think we have the room for another night, or day, or something,” Mia said without confidence. “Why?”
“Well I don’t want to leave my stuff here if we’re leaving.”
Mia looked at Ted in his new finery and at the pile of loaned clothes from Whit, trying to figure out what was his stuff. She shook her head as she was in the same boat. “Leave it. By the way, you look very fetching.”
Ted got up and gave a model pose. “Expensive stuff. My underwear has a guy’s name on it. My socks are slippery.”
“I think that’s silk or bamboo or something.”
“You look butch,” Ted observed.
Mia laughed. She was wearing her normal style of clothes. Cargo pants and tee with a very expensive jacket thrown over. Bernard got her size right. She wasn’t going to mention the matching bra and panties to Ted. They would lose their resolve, and she would be heading for hell courtesy of Beth.
“Come on, let’s go.”
Ted took one last look at the view and grabbed his camera.
“You should take a few shots of that.”
“I already have. I better download them, as the camera is full.”
“It’s hard not having your computers at hand, huh?” Mia said as they left the room and headed for the elevator.
“I’m making do. How about you? You miss your sanctuary?”
“Funny thing is, I really hadn’t thought much about it. I’ve just rolled with the punches and left my whining ways behind me.”
“Oh, I like that. Mind if I send it to Nashville?”
Mia punched Ted in the arm. He smiled and felt the tension drain out of him. Things were back to normal or, in their case, paranormal.
~
She saw him standing there staring, keeping his vigil in front of the diamond case. Courtney had been moving through the glass trying to find a way out when she entered this place of sparkling gems. She tried to push off the glass and into the topaz, but it repelled her. Its facets scrambled her and sent her in pieces back to the safety of the glass. The rubies weren’t too accommodating either. Probably jealous, she thought. While she gained energy draining the bulbs that lit the moonstones, she watched the gent garbed in a fetching suit, fedora hat and long trench coat. His hair was slicked back under the hat. If she could smell - and he had an odor - she imagined it would be Aqua Velva and Vitalis.
He was aware of the smoky film that moved from one glass case to the other. As long as it didn’t obstruct his view of the yellow diamond, he would leave it alone. Twice he saw a shrewd eye form, once with a knitted brow. It looked female to him. It reminded him of Shelley. She too looked at him that way. Not trusting and with a hint of a glare. But he loved Shelley, and she had confessed her love of yellow diamonds. He thought if he gave his doll the rock, she would then transfer her love to him. Bill wasn’t too smart. He walked over to where the smoke was forming and tapped the glass.
Courtney looked up in alarm. The gangster was addressing her. She did her best to form a face and part of her neck. She pursed her lips and stared fully at the man.
“You there, stay away from my diamond or you’ll be wishing you were dead.”
“You’ve got to be kidding,” she thought. “I am dead, you imbecile.”
He pointed at her in a warning and walked back to his post by his p
rize. Courtney vowed that when she got out, the yellow diamond was the first thing she would take.
~
Whit looked at his phone in disbelief. Mia still hadn’t called. He thought about calling her, but she said that she would call him. Would she be mad if he called again? She would if he was drunk, but he was stone cold sober. What about a text? Was texting breaking the rules? He thought about what he could text that wouldn’t sound pathetic and needy. But he also didn’t want to sound too casual. What was happening to him? Mia was a friend and this shouldn’t be too hard.
He smiled and rolled his eyes. He typed into the phone and pressed send.
Chapter Twenty-two
Mia’s phone vibrated, and she dug it out of her pocket. She and Ted were in the elevator headed for Bernard’s office.
She read, “Whatcha doing?” It was from Whit.
She smiled and texted back, “Riding in an elevator.” And added, “Going up.”
“Up’s good.”
“Beats down,” she responded. The doors opened and she followed Ted.
“Time to talk?”
“Give me five. I’ll call you,” she sent and put the phone back in her pocket.
Bernard was in the outer office with Mary. They were discussing museum business, but he broke it off to address Ted and Mia, “You two look refreshed.”
“Feel pretty good too,” Mia volunteered. “Anything happen while we were gone?”
“A cleaner or two spotted some smoky film moving through the glass in Grainger Hall.”