Sand Trap (Haunted Series)

by Alexie Aaron

  Doc laughed. Actually, I brought it with me, because I wanted to show Ted the anomaly in the picture. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a black and white photo. He handed it to Mia. The edges of the photo were scalloped, and a white border had the date printed on it, March 67. Within the border was the picture of a woman, a man and a motorcycle. She sat on the seat of the Harley, and the man stood with pride behind her. Beside him was a faint image of the very man that was sitting on the bike presently.

  “You see, we always thought the image of Roger was from an earlier picture, a double exposure, but I wanted Ted to look at it.

  “Roger,” Mia said looking at the bike. The man took the cigarette out of his mouth and saluted her with it.

  Doc turned around again and stared at the bike. “I smell cigarette smoke when I ride the bike. I don’t smoke.”

  “It could be in the leather,” Mia suggested.

  “No, I had the seat replaced and recovered.”

  “Doc, it’s quite possible that you have Roger hanging around. He loved this hog and loves to come along when you ride it. I don’t see him as dangerous. He may even be company on the long empty road. Sometimes ghosts attach themselves to things they loved in life. I think Roger loved this bike.”

  “Does he want something from me?”

  Mia looked over at Roger. He got up and pointed to the spark plug area and raised and lowered his fingers.

  “He wants you to check the gap on the spark plugs is my best guess.”

  Roger pointed to the exhaust and opened and closed his hand quickly.

  “This may stop the small misfires you are having.”

  Doc looked at the bike and back to Mia a couple of times before babbling, “You couldn’t have known about the backfires. I got here before you.”

  “I don’t know anything about motorcycles, Doc. But Roger does,” Mia said. “Don’t let it freak you out. Go with it.” She smiled and left Doc to stare at his bike.

  She followed her nose to the grill. “What’s a girl got to do to get some grub around here?” she asked Homely who was in the midst of turning some beef patties.

  “I’d say ditch the talk drink of water you came here with and snuggle up to one of us old farts,” he teased.

  “Done and done. Tricky situation though, the guy’s a cop. Comes in handy at times.”

  “Ah, I see your point. Well, just this once, you can grab a plate from over there, a set of buns and bring it back here and I’ll set you up.”

  Mia did as instructed and found herself with a beefy heart attack on a plate. Homely sent her in the direction of the workbench in the back of the garage. There she found it topped with condiments, salads and baked beans. Mia heaped her plate full and found an empty spot on the back steps to sit on.

  Murphy was examining the twin maples Homely had in his side yard. Mia watched him as she ate.

  “Whatcha doing?” Whit asked, towering over her.

  “Minding the kiddies,” she replied with a mouth full.

  “Looks like you’re eating.”

  “Multi-tasking. I’m watching little Stevie play with his axe, and eating.”

  “You’re going to make a wonderful mommy.”

  Mia smiled and offered Whit a bite of burger which he took. “Sorry I left you with the shrink. I got caught up talking shop with a couple of stateys.”

  “Imagine you having something in common with other law enforcement professionals.”

  Whit laughed, took a draw on his beer before replying, “They had an interesting few days.”

  “That’s what I heard. Why are we here do you think?” Mia asked suspiciously.

  “I think Burt wants to be able to mine some more help with the bar. The stateys want to reopen Route 66. And the developers want the property back. So we are making connections. Sort of what Gerald does so well.”

  “Networking. Phew! I thought for a while I was here to read palms.”

  “No kidding, you can do that?” Whit spit on his hand wiped it on his jeans and thrust it in front of Mia’s face.

  “I see a man with broken fingers if you don’t let me finish my meal,” Mia warned sweetly.

  He laughed and excused himself to go get his own food. Ted approached her with an older man in tow.

  “Mia, this is Karl. Karl, Mia Cooper.”

  “Hello, Karl.” Mia transferred her burger to her other hand and shook his.

  “Karl’s your ride across the river tomorrow,” Ted informed her.

  “Cool beans. Are we rowing or…”

  “I have a nice bass boat. I’ll put it in the water just north of the Shrine and pick you up there.”

  “I think it will be just me and that tall fella over there.” Mia pointed at Whit with what was left of her hamburger.

  “Okay. Is ten alright?”

  “Perfect. Thank you, Karl. You’re a lifesaver.” Mia smiled and finished her last bite of burger.

  Karl left, and Ted sat down next to Mia. She offered him a pickle. He declined.

  “So, Teddy bear, what’s up?”

  “Scary stuff, little time to prepare. Normal crap, I guess.”

  “Do you find it hard being a cog again?”

  “Yeah, but that’s life. There are cogs and wheels, and big wheels.”

  “Guess so.”

  “You and Whit?”

  Mia laughed. She looked at Ted for a moment. “Taking it fast, slow, fast, just giving it a try.”

  “Sounds like a good idea. Well if you need an ear…”

  “I’ll find a cornfield,” Mia answered and shooed him away so she could concentrate on eating.

  Murphy took a swing at one of the maples, and Mia laughed as a few of the partygoers jumped. Mia deposited her plate in the trash, nodded to Whit and went over to collect her errant little farmer. “Come on, Murphy. Time to go home. You’ve had too much sugar.”

  Murphy looked over at her and took another whack at the tree and grinned.

  Burt looked over at her and gave her the evil eye. Mia shrugged and tried again. “Come on, Murph, you’re making me look bad.”

  Murphy put his axe on his shoulder and followed Mia to the car. She opened up the doors and leaned on the car and waited for the others to find their way to the vehicle. “You and I have a big day tomorrow,” she said to Murphy who was leaning next to her as she looked up the driveway. “We are going spelunking.” Murphy gave her a leer and looked her up and down. “I said spelunking, not fucking.” He looked outraged before smacking his leg and laughing. “Oh, so you knew it all along. I bet. Just because you watch PBS doesn’t mean you know everything.”

  Mia watched as the others made their way down the drive. Whit was sober enough, Burt too. Ted and Mike had a very drunk Beth between them. “Oh crap, I bet you a dollar she pukes before we hit the paved road.” Murphy mimed taking out a dollar and took her bet.

  Chapter Thirty-five

  After the short trip across the water, Whit and Mia found a shady spot and spread out a picnic blanket. Whit opened the lawn chairs, and Mia placed her pack under hers. She waited until Murphy caught up. He stood there and blew a kiss at Whit, causing Mia to laugh. Murphy started up the hill. Mia turned and kissed Whit. She schooled him on what to expect from her body during bilocation. “Just keep the ants off of me. Enjoy your book, and I should be back within twenty minutes your time.”

  “And if you’re not?”

  “Wait another twenty.”

  “And if you’re not back by then?”

  “Call my aunt Bev or Sabine,” Mia said as she dug her phone out of her pocket. “The code’s your birthday.”

  Whit looked at her softly. “You did that just for me?”

  “No, I’ve always used it. Helps me to remember it.”

  “Is it also your bank pin number?”

  Mia narrowed her eyes. “Don’t go there.”

  Whit laughed. “I’m going to dump your body in the river, beat feet out of here and empty your bank account, Mia.” His
eyes lit up. “That’s after I chuck Murphy in the middle of the river. I’d never make it otherwise.”

  “Seems you’ve thought this through.”

  “It’s part of my master plan. First I had to convince the Hell’s Angels up there to make some racket…”

  “I see I’ve underestimated you, Moriaty.”

  “Well there you go. I’m more than a well-formed tush in jeans.” Whit smacked his behind.

  This disturbed Karl who was anchored nearby fishing. He looked over briefly and saw that nothing was amiss before returning to the peaceful occupation of hook and line.

  Mia settled in the chair. Whit pulled her cap low over her head and said, “Hurry home, Hon.”

  “Don’t call me Hon,” Mia said before lifting out of her body. She looked around for Murphy, and he was halfway up the steep incline, waving her on. They moved quickly, looking for an opening to the caves along the way.

  Murphy was the first to find a weathered trail leading to the small waterfall. They followed it and were rewarded with the entrance the spelunkers had spoken about. Murphy insisted on going first as it may be dangerous, and Mia let him. She knew when dealing with the farmer, the unspoken rules on gentlemanly behavior were important to him. She also tried her best to curb her tongue, trading curses and swears for more ladylike gasps and Oh dears!

  Murphy pointed out the graffiti on the cave wall. There were some tags of local kids, plus a few hearts. Also, it seemed that someone named Debbie liked to take on the football team. And Lonnie had a small dick. Mia giggled and wondered if some of the cave paintings they discovered and treasured were more along these lines. She would have to run this by Bernard to get his take on the subject.

  The passage twisted and forked. Murphy followed the water and took the right fork. Mia felt the passage close in on her, but they still could move along upright. The passage ended in a rock fall. Water oozed out of the center of the fall. Murphy took his axe and probed the rocks. He turned and spoke to her for the first time since they started out, “It’s open on the other side. I’ll go first.”

  Mia watched as Murphy faded. For the brief moment she was alone in the dark cave, she panicked. She didn’t like the dark. They were far enough into the cave that natural light didn’t penetrate. Murphy generated a faint glow which was enough for Mia to fix on. She laughed when she realize that Murph had gone neon for her.

  Murphy reappeared and smiled. “It’s open on the other side, but it’s crowded.”

  “Crowded?” Mia asked.

  “Come see.” He grabbed her arm, and they moved through the rock together.

  Mia was surprised by the glow of the chamber they entered. It didn’t emanate from florescent rocks but from spirits. They were dressed like the cast of Guys and Dolls. Mia counted a baker’s dozen mingling spirits. Only a few seemed curious about Mia and Murphy. A buxom blonde wearing a skintight dress and kitten heels moved across the water towards them.

  “Name’s Shelley. What are you boys staring at? Haven’t you seen a lady before?”

  Mia realized that in her OOBed persona she would look like a boy to the tipsy blonde.

  “Not one as beautiful as you, doll,” Mia said lowering her voice. She looked at the woman waving her hand around. Something familiar flashed on her finger. It sparked a memory. “Nice rock you’ve got there.”

  “Oh, this old thing?” Shelley pushed it into Mia’s face so she could get a better look at it.

  Mia backed away nodded.

  “You boys aren’t from around here.”

  “Upstate,” Murphy said.

  “Chicago?”

  “Near abouts.”

  Shelley sighed. “I’m from Chicago. I should have stayed there instead of following Maurice to this backwater.”

  “Which one’s Maurice?” Mia asked, seeing one, maybe two, spirits that would fit the bill.

  “He’s long gone. When, when…” Shelley faltered. “Seems like yesterday, but I can’t quite remember. I thought we were being raided. There was an explosion, and the rat tat tat of machine guns. I headed out the back door and felt a burning in my shoulder. I kept going until I fell in the water, and here I am with these losers. Should have stayed in the city.”

  Murphy grabbed Mia’s arm and directed her to where the water pushed against the rock fall. He pointed down into the pool that had formed. There was a glint of light among a mass of bone. Mia got the feeling she was looking at what was left of Shelley.

  “Not my finest hour,” Shelley said. “I always knew I’d never make an old lady, not with my penchant for gin and bad boys, but I didn’t think I’d end up holed up in a cave staring at my bones.”

  “Where are the bones of the others?” Mia asked, relieved to not have to break it to Shelley that she was dead.

  “Just my bones. The others got carted away. There’s more of them in the speakeasy. They try to get out all the time. But can’t. And we can’t get in.”

  “We got in through there. Can’t you move on that way?” Mia questioned.

  “The water weighs us down. We can’t seem to move through the rocks. Me, I’m not leaving without my ring.” She nodded to the pool.

  Mia walked towards the other end of the cavern and found the door open. The wood was rotted and the hinges rusted. She could see a milling around of other ghosts and a faint glow in the ceiling by the stone stairs.

  She couldn’t move into the room. She looked down and felt the drain of the mortar in the stone threshold. Alarmed, she backed away. She found Murphy on the other side of the pool. “We have to leave soon.”

  “Looks like this wasn’t natural. Dynamite I think.” He pointed to spots where the rock pile of falling rocks met the wall. “I think whoever killed these people blew up their exit first. I suspect an inside job.”

  “Come on, Sherlock, we’ll talk more once we get clear of that wall,” Mia urged. “I feel the drain already.” Mia started to panic.

  Murphy took hold of her, and she felt stronger. He smiled. “Now we say our goodbyes and leave like we weren’t raised in a barn.”

  Mia followed him around the pool stepping over the stream and crossing back to the other side. She nodded to the people, following Murph’s example.

  Shelley walked them as far as the wall, “Now if you’re ever in town, stop by,” she said with irony.

  Murphy pulled Mia with him through the wall. They rushed out into the sunlight. Once outside, Mia stopped Murphy. “I may not get a chance after I OOB back,” she explained. “Thank you. You amaze me. You handled yourself so well in there. I didn’t know you had it in you.”

  “PBS,” was all he said. He nodded and pointed downward towards Whit. “Get back, you’re giving the man gray hair.”

  Mia moved swiftly downward and into her body. She opened her eyes and tilted her head at the man who watched her face so intently.

  “Morning, hon,” Whit said.

  “Don’t call me hon,” Mia said and tried to sit up.

  “Wanna tell me about it?” Whit massaged the life back into Mia’s legs. “Karl caught a dandy fish.”

  “Really. How long was I gone?”

  “Twenty two minutes, fourteen seconds.”

  “Sorry.”

  “Well, spill it.”

  “There’s no way in that way. It does lead to the bar, but there’s a fall of rock that only water can ooze out of,” Mia explained. “Lots of ghosties. Met a flashy blonde from Chicago. Very chatty. Her bones lay just the other side of the wall in the bottom of a clear pool of water. They must have missed her when they were recovering the dead.”

  “Learn anything else?”

  “Oh, Debbie screwed the football team, and Lonnie’s dick doesn’t measure up.”

  “Useful information.” Whit helped her up. He handed Mia her pack and gathered up all the picnic equipment. As they walked to the water’s edge he asked, “Did you get Debbie’s phone number by chance?”

  ~

  Mia’s discovery did not put a smile on B
urt’s face. Part of him knew it was a long sho, and given time and vast amounts of money they could tunnel through the fallen rock. But time was a major factor here. He set up a meeting with the developer, and invited Mia and Ted along. Mia had to borrow some business attire from Beth, who was all too glad to help. She hoped to make it up to Mia, but Mia had already forgotten why she was mad in the first place.

  Burt drove them into St. Louis, and only got turned around twice in its downtown before he found the office building. Mia, who had never been to this city, enjoyed the ride. Ted kept her entertained with miscellaneous facts he had gathered from the internet prior to the trip. Burt rehearsed his report in his head and grew more tense as he approached his destination.

  Mia from the backseat had a good view of the side of his face and noticed the set of his jaw. “You know, we’re not getting paid for this. Just present our findings, recommendations, and let the decision lie with the board of dicks,” she counseled him.

  Ted laughed at “dicks.”

  “It’s our reputation.”

  “I think you established PEEPs name with the last two investigations, Burt.”

  “Sure it would be gnarly to have the Route 66 hauntings on our show, but we need to consider the team. I’m not keen on bunking with Murphy too soon,” Ted said.

  Burt sighed and took their words to heart. He pulled into the parking garage. Mia and Ted acted like tots as he navigated the tight turns of the ramp. They took off their seatbelts and grabbed their knees and wobbled to the pull of the turns. Their “Wees!” and screams were infectious. He may have even increased his speed to accommodate them.

  They didn’t have long to wait in the lobby. The board of directors of the Roadside Development Corporation were waiting for them in the boardroom. Mia was surprised by the executives she saw seated there. There were a few lawyer types, suits and ties, but the majority of men and women looked like they were dressed for the tees instead of a meeting.

  “Thank you for seeing us on such short noticed,” Burt began. He laid out the problems with the investigation before the board. He also passed around a report issued by the Illinois State Police. Burt, lastly, put before them a copy of the email he received from the neighboring town’s chamber of commerce. “At this point, the property is dangerous and causing a loss of income for the town,” he closed his presentation.