NOLA

by Alexie Aaron

  “You heard the lady,” Mike said, amused.

  Burt watched their progress from the command center. He was pleased with everyone’s improvement. Had the team gotten better, or was it the absence of the flitch that made this investigation a lot more fun? Everyone seemed to be smiling, and laughter was more commonplace than frustration. Burt was able to back off of Mia and see that she was being supportive of their efforts. She even listened to a few of his ideas, only rolling her eyes once at one of his more far-out concepts.

  Ted had matured with becoming a parent, but it didn’t stop the banter between him and Mia. The two were so obviously suited, he wondered why he hadn’t seen it sooner. His memories of his time with Mia no longer haunted him but became something private and very special to think about when he was alone. He did wonder what would have happened if the flitch never entered his mind. Would he be bouncing his and Mia’s child on his knee? Or would Whitney still have come back and taken Mia away from him? Funny that Ted, his tech, although smart as a whip and humorous, took Mia away from her childhood crush. If you stood the men side by side, Burt would probably take Whitney Martin instead of Theodore Martin himself. But Mia was sensitive in more ways than the paranormal. She had chosen someone that adored her over someone that needed to be adored.

  “Earth to Burt, earth to Burt,” Ted said, trying to get his attention.

  “What? Oh sorry, Ted, I was caught up in a daydream.”

  “It happens to the best of us. Audrey would like you to meet her and Cid in the conference room to go over a few things before Miss Hodges arrives.”

  “On my way,” he said and stopped and patted Ted on the back. “You’re doing a great job, Ted, thank you.”

  Ted beamed.

  Jake waited until Burt left the command center before hundreds of shiny red apples filled the screen and a chorus of audio clips from children’s movies played, “Teacher’s pet, Teachers pet.”

  “You sir, are just jealous,” Ted said, meaning every word.

  ~

  Mia asked Murphy to shadow Audrey. He agreed, remembering the comment the bully ghost had made concerning the bouncy redhead. She was presently moving through the stacks taking readings. He didn’t have time for books when he was alive. There was always something to do outside, and when evening came, the lack of good light made reading impossible. Winter was the only time for books. He liked the adventure books while Chastity liked the lurid romances. His mother read the bible over and over as if she could somehow crack the code and talk to God directly.

  Here, there were books on just about everything imaginable, plus a dozen different bibles. His mother would have been confused as she claimed her book was the only book. He slid out a book on trees, and Audrey turned around.

  “Hello, is anybody there?” she asked.

  Murphy tapped his axe.

  “Phew! I thought it was the Frisbee teens. What do you have there?” she asked, moving closer. “The Blossom on the Bough: A Book of Trees by Anne Ophelia Todd Dowden. Would you like me to borrow this one? I don’t think ghosts can get a library card,” Audrey informed him. “Or you could have Ted order you a copy?”

  Murphy weighed the decision and handed the book to Audrey. By the time they left the nonfiction area, he had added two more books to her pile.

  “You know Cid loves the library. Have him take you when you finish reading these,” Audrey suggested. “I’ll put a bug in his ear.”

  Murphy was horrified that Audrey would put a bug in Cid’s ear. It was then that the realization hit him that it was an idiomatic expression. He was learning all about them from Mia. Idioms were second nature to her.

  Audrey set the books on the checkout counter. Miss Hodges looked up from a stack of books she had taken from the outdoor return bin.

  “Is it too late to take these out?” Audrey asked.

  Miss Hodges looked over the books and cocked her head to the side. “These don’t seem to fit you, Miss McCarthy.”

  “They’re for a friend.”

  “I see. I take it this friend doesn’t have a library card?”

  “He doesn’t have the proper identification,” Audrey confessed.

  Murphy lightly tapped the counter.

  Miss Hodges sat up straight, her cheater glasses slid off her nose and lay dangling from the cord she attached the ends to.

  “Miss Hodges, this is Stephen Murphy. He exists on a different plane than we but can manipulate things. So, he can read, very similar to the man in the basement stacks,” Audrey explained. “He’s here to help us communicate with ghosts and protect us too. I don’t know what we would do without him.”

  Murphy was taken aback by Audrey’s comment.

  Miss Hodges took Audrey’s card and added the books to her account. “Mister Murphy, you are to return these in two weeks. If you need them longer, Miss McCarthy will have to renew them. Do you understand?”

  Murphy tapped his axe.

  “Alright, then I hope you enjoy them. I’d be interested to know what you think about the Dowden book.” She set the books on the counter and tried not to gasp when they slid off into midair and headed out the front door.

  “He’s probably putting them in the PEEPs truck. He lives… well, not lives, he haunts the Martin farm. Actually, it was his farm once upon a time. Am I making any sense?” Audrey babbled.

  “As much sense as can be made. What a fascinating world we live in,” Miss Hodges exclaimed.

  “Audrey, Burt is waiting in the conference room,” Ted said quietly in her ear.

  “Miss Hodges, we are almost ready for you. When you finish, meet us in the conference room, please.”

  “I’ll be there in ten minutes,” she promised.

  Audrey left and tried to walk ladylike even though she felt like skipping.

  ~

  Mia scooted her chair closer to the table. She and Mike flanked Ted. Each had a few feeds to monitor. Ted and Mike would have to depend on the fluctuations that the computer caught, unlike Mia who could see the paranormal events unfolding. The trio sat armed with their steaming hot cups of coffee, snack cakes and alert eyes.

  Ted brought up the meeting on the large center monitor.

  Audrey started off the meeting. “We’re here with Head Librarian Katherine Hodges. We’re approximately halfway through our investigation, and we’ve decided to go a little off book and discuss our findings with Katherine to get her take on what we’ve discovered so far,” Audrey explained to the camera.

  Cid brought up the footage of the reading room. “I’m going to ask you to listen more than view this. There is some movement, but the EVPs are more important for what we have to share with you.”

  “What are EVPs?” Katherine asked.

  “Electronic voice phenomenon,” Cid answered and then elaborated, “They are voices that are caught on electronic devices such as recorders and camcorders. Most times, we can’t hear them in person, but the electronic devices pick them up. This time, however, we heard them firsthand.”

  “I see.”

  “Ready?”

  “As I’ll ever be,” Katherine said, displaying honest nerves.

  Cid played the first sequence and stopped it after the first HAM was shouted.

  “Oh my! That’s exciting.”

  “It gets better,” Cid said and played the whole thing. “How many voices can you hear?”

  “Besides yours, two. Very young voices, pre K maybe,” Katherine guessed.

  Audrey waited for this to sink in and then brought up the experiment. “We decided to bring in an investigator who can communicate with the ghosts. You won’t be able to see him, he stands out of frame,” she explained, more for the viewing audience than the librarian who just met Murphy a few moments ago.

  Cid handed her a set of headphones, explaining, “We found that we could hear parts of the children’s conversation through this. You can see Audrey holding the recording device in the film.”

  Mia grabbed Ted’s arm. “Two little faces loo
king in the conference room. A boy and a girl,” she identified.

  Ted whispered in the mic, “PEEPs, you have two little observers outside the room, looking at you through the glass. The playback of the book reading must have attracted them, over.”

  Mike check out the other feeds. “The rest of the library looks quiet.”

  Katherine sat back in her chair stunned. “They’re waiting for their mother in the library?”

  “We’re almost positive that we are dealing with Alice Marie and Greggy Jones. They and their mother were in a car crash. The children perished. Their mother was in a coma for some time but eventually recovered. The children came here to wait for their mother instead of going into the light with their grandmother,” Audrey told her. “The children want to know if it is alright if they stay here.”

  “Why yes, is there anything I can do?” Katherine asked.

  “Perhaps rotate a few Dr. Seuss books into the reader’s schedule. The children don’t seem destructive, but you may have to remind them to pick up their toys every now and then,” Audrey advised.

  “Gladly. I’ll read to them before I leave in the evening. Would that be alright?”

  Mia watched as the two children nodded their heads. “Ted, tell Audrey the children are excited about her reading to them.”

  Ted relayed the information.

  “Katherine, Alice Marie and Greggy are looking forward to you reading to them,” Audrey said.

  “And cut,” Burt said. “We’ll take a break before we bring up the Frisbee boys.”

  “Now you have me intrigued. I take it you’ve caught the book tossers.”

  Ted giggled.

  Mia smiled.

  “Grow up,” Mike said.

  “But she said tossers,” Ted reminded them.

  The evening progressed with filming the librarian’s reactions to the ghost encounters. Katherine expressed a need to have the book tossing curtailed. Audrey told her of her hunt to track down information on Tim Trebuchet and Gary Smith.

  “We have a sensitive on staff who will talk to them if you wish?”

  “Yes, please. They are welcome to stay as long as they respect the books, otherwise they must move on,” she said firmly.

  The old gentleman in the stacks was received well.

  “It would be nice if he would venture upstairs. The stacks can’t hold too many more books. I may lose the war, and the books may be moved offsite to the warehouse.”

  “That’s a shame but understandable,” Audrey commiserated.

  “That’s all we have right now. Do you have any questions?” Cid asked.

  “Yes, more of a curiosity. You told the staff to stay out of the furnace room, and if not, to not go in there alone. Why?”

  Audrey nodded to Cid. He handed her a mugshot of Chester Vogel and a copy of the newspaper article about finding the frozen man.

  “We think that Mr. Vogel wasn’t homeless. He was a felon who escaped police custody while being transported from Joliet prison to the courthouse. Chester was a violent criminal. He was an enforcer for a local loan shark.”

  “Oh my! What is he doing here?”

  “We’re not exactly sure. We think he’s attached to the place because he died here,” Audrey said. “Tonight, we are going to question him. We have a sensitive along so that there won’t be any misunderstandings. He wasn’t happy we were here earlier, and I bet he’s not happy we’ve returned.”

  “I think you need to move this character along too. If he has no love of books, then he’s trespassing. The children and Ronald Whitmore can stay as long as they want. The teens, too, if they behave, but this one has to go,” she said firmly.

  “We’ll do our best,” Audrey said.

  “And cut,” Burt said and hefted the heavy camera off his shoulder. “Excellent interview. Katherine, I think we have some wonderful footage here. You’re quite photogenic.”

  Mia giggled. “Burt’s flirting.”

  “Hashtag, why he’s still single,” Mike said and yawned. “I think I’m going to walk around before we start on the basement. Anyone need anything from the corner store?”

  The Martins shook their heads. “We’re going to check in with Mrs. Braverman to see if she’s taught Brian any more curse words.”

  “You guys are a treat.”

  ~

  “Mia, there is book movement in Hobbies,” Ted notified.

  “Thanks, dear,” Mia responded. “I’m on my way.” Mia, not that familiar with this library, had to read the signage to find Hobbies. She saw the twisting tower of books before she saw the two boys responsible. “You guys must be bored.”

  Tim looked over at the short lady and sniffed. Gary decided to approach her to see if he could scare her.

  He moved really close to her face and said, “Boo.”

  “You’re really not good at this are you?” Mia said, pushing the ghost to the side. “You go behind the person, put an icy hand on their shoulder, and then you can say boo. But that’s so done.”

  Gary and Tim looked at each other.

  Mia pulled a book from the shelf holding house plans and thumbed through it as the ghosts tried to figure her out. “Wouldn’t you rather build something with real lumber?” She displayed an impressive treehouse. “I stayed in one of these on my honeymoon. I couldn’t believe the mind that could take nature and blend it into a functional vacation home thirty feet off the ground.”

  Gary wandered over and stood beside her as she flipped the pages. He tapped the book when it came to the log houses.

  Mia looked at him and asked, “You want to build one of these?”

  He nodded.

  “Why don’t you?”

  “Stuck, we’re stuck,” Tim answered. “Can’t get farther than the front doors.”

  “Are you sure?” Mia asked. “Your bodies are buried sixty miles from here. What happens when you try to leave?”

  “Big shining light bars the way,” Gary answered.

  “Ah the light… You know, it’s waiting for you. It’s kind of a transport vehicle that will take you to your kind of heaven.”

  “I’m not going to sit in church and sing hymns the rest of my days!” Tim said and Gary nodded.

  “That’s your idea of heaven? Hmmm, must be your mother’s or grandmother’s idea. Heaven, or the afterlife, is what you make of it. For example, my husband is convinced that he will travel the stars in the starship Enterprise when he dies.”

  The teens laughed a moment, and then Tim asked, “Will he?”

  “Probably. What I know of the hereafter, and honestly it’s not a lot, is this: it’s what you want it to be. If you expect to be punished, you will. If you’re counting on seeing a relative that passed, you will. The universe accommodates your wishes on your passing. If you want to build houses, you will,” Mia finished and waited.

  “I want to go wherever Gary goes,” Tim admitted.

  “I take that it’s fine that Tim goes with you, Gary?” Mia asked.

  “Yes! He’s my best friend. I met him in juvie. He’s so smart,” Gary said.

  “Well, let’s go over to the doors, and you take a peek into the light. If you don’t see anything that interests you, then step back,” Mia suggested.

  “This is a trick.”

  “It could be,” Mia said. “Or it could be the start of a wonderful eternity. It’s a gamble. But if you’re too chicken…”

  “I’m not!” Tim exclaimed.

  “Cool it, she’s just goading you,” Gary cautioned.

  Mia smiled. “Okay, I’ll leave you to your baby toys…”

  Gary and Tim looked at the pile of books and frowned. On one hand, they were being offered their hearts’ desire, and on the other hand, the woman could be pulling a major fast one. She didn’t deny it. But she didn’t seem the type to punk anyone.

  “Come on, let’s take a look,” Tim said.

  Gary smiled. “Look at it this way, if we hate it, I’m sure we can think of something that will get us kicked out
.”

  Mia waited for the two by the set of double doors. She watched their faces as the light came. They squinted their eyes from the power of the portal. Tim held on to the door and Gary’s arm. Gary inched his way in and came back out and said, “It’s the place for us.”

  Tim looked back at Mia and nodded his thanks. He let go of the door handle and walked into the light with Gary.

  Mia pulled away from the glass and put her back to the outside wall. She could hear pounding, and she caught a faint whiff of sawdust. Smiling, she said a little prayer of thanks and sent her best wishes with the boys. She started to walk away, but something made her look back. For a second, she saw the outline of a mighty winged person. True to Father Peter’s word, it wasn’t white, but it glowed with light giving it the appearance of purity. She didn’t want to but forced herself to look into the face of the being. “Thank you,” she said and closed her eyes, turned around and walked away.

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  Mia went in search of Murphy. She touched her earcom and asked, “Teddy Bear, do you have eyes on Murphy anywhere?”

  “I think he’s in the reading room with Audrey and the children.”

  “Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome. You sound out of breath. Did something happen?”

  “Crossed the teens over,” she said. Part of her wanted to elaborate, but she knew that was better kept for later when they were alone. The library was filled with too many cameras and recording devices. Their private conversation quite possibly could be picked up and come out on a future PEEPs episode. Mia could see the headlines on GEM. Sensitive Claims to See Angel!

  She made her way over to the reading room where Audrey had just finished reading If I had Duck Feet. Alice Marie and Greggy were happy and walked around as if they did have duck feet. Greggy walked up to Mia and pointed to his foot.

  “Where did you get that duck foot from?” she asked.

  “In there,” he said, pointing to the glass-enclosed room.