NOLA

by Alexie Aaron

  “I think I’m going to get me a pair,” Mia said. “My boots aren’t any good when I’m swimming.”

  Greggy laughed and ran back to the room and hid behind his sister who took up a protective stance.

  Mia held up her hands. “I’m not here to hurt you. I came to see Mr. Murphy the farmer.”

  The children and Mia looked around.

  “He’s not here,” Alice said. “He had a book. Maybe he’s reading in the big chair room.”

  Mia had no idea. She cleared her voice to get Audrey’s attention. “Is there a big chair room here?”

  “There is the adult reading area. It’s beyond reference… The encyclopedias and dictionaries,” she clarified, looking at Mia’s blank face.

  “Oh, alright. Thank you. The ghosts have duck feet now. What have you done?” Mia tossed over her shoulder as she left.

  “Duck feet?” Audrey pondered. She could swear she heard a chorus of giggles. “How will I get their shoes back on?” she fretted. This brought about much stamping of feet and more laughter.

  Mia found Murphy leafing through a tome dedicated to the study of trees in northern climates.

  “Hello, do you mind if I disturb you?”

  Murphy put down his book and smiled.

  “It’s about N’awlins and the winged creature. If Father Peter’s description is correct, I think I just saw either the one that helped us or another one.”

  “You saw an angel?”

  Mia nodded.

  “Guardian angel?”

  “Aren’t we too old for one?” Mia asked. “And you’re dead; you don’t need one.”

  “I need one because I’m dead,” Murphy argued.

  “Excellent answer,” Mia said impressed. “How are you doing on energy?”

  “Waning, not bad, but not N’awlins.”

  Mia smiled at his use of the Louisiana native pronunciation. “Would you like to go back there?”

  “Maybe someday. I feel powerful there. It’s like how I feel when I’m on top of the hill by the second clearing.”

  “That’s where One Feather used to ride,” Mia said.

  “Yes.”

  “Perhaps it’s a natural energy path. We should take readings of the area.”

  “You sound like Ted.”

  “I guess it rubs off.”

  A piercing scream echoed through the building.

  Mia tapped her earcom. “Ted, we’re hearing screaming. Anything on camera?”

  “Upstairs clear. Downstairs… Mia, get down there. A black mass has Miss Hodges pinned in the corner.”

  Mia was about to relay the information to Murphy, but he had already gone. Mia took the time to grab her gear bag before heading for the basement stairs.

  She met Burt and Mike on the stairs.

  “Cid’s already down there. He and Katherine were headed to the stacks,” Burt explained.

  Mia tried to push by the men, but Burt caught hold of her. “No. Murphy’s got this.”

  Mia twisted out of his arms. “Murphy and I are a team. He’s got no one to speak for him, and his energy is low. I’ve got cubes inside here,” Mia said.

  “You’re a wife and a mother; I can’t risk having you…”

  “I am a paranormal investigator and a sensitive who has faced a lot more than a cranky, mean old ghost. Please, step out of my way,” Mia insisted.

  “She’s right,” Mike said.

  Burt put his hand through his hair. “I’m sorry. Go.”

  Mia flew down the stairs with Mike at her heels.

  “Score one for women’s lib,” Ted said in Burt’s ear.

  “I wasn’t trying to…” Burt stammered.

  “I know, dude, but Mia’s got to do what she has to do. She’s our best weapon against the unknown, unless you want to put Father Santos on the payroll, that is.”

  “No, Ted, I just want to keep everyone safe,” Burt realized.

  “Welcome back, Burt Hicks,” Ted said. “We all know the risks. Now get down there. You’re missing a hell of a fight. I would suggest you put that camera on infrared.”

  Burt smiled and started down the steps.

  “You had to put your nose into things, you withered old bitch,” Chester spat. “Couldn’t leave things alone.” He put his foul-smelling face up close.

  Katherine screamed again, trying to summon help. Cid lay on the floor unconscious. The ghost had caught him with the business end of an old coal shovel when they had gone together to find a replacement bulb for a flickering light in the old books room.

  “Either you shut up or I’ll backhand you.”

  “That’s no way to speak to a lady,” Murphy said, walking down the hall towards them.

  Chester turned around and picked up the coal shovel. “I told you to get the hell out of my building!” He charged Murphy.

  The closeness of the corridor and the low ceiling overhead made maneuvering with his axe harder. Murphy had to swing through several feet of flooring and ceiling tiles before he came down on the shoulder of the man.

  Vogel turned quickly and only received a glancing blow from the axe. He jabbed at Murphy, sending the steel-clad, cast-iron shovel into Murphy’s midsection.

  “Oof!” Murphy bent over and faded.

  A small hand pulled the injured farmer back. “Active cube in the stairwell,” Mia hissed.

  Vogel crowed, “Get your dusty ass out of my building or I’ll…” he stopped as the farmer disappeared, and a little young woman stood staring at him in his place. “Now what do we have here?”

  “I’d like you to leave this library voluntarily,” Mia said in an even voice. She pulled out a round package of salt and rolled it past the ghost towards Cid who had just woken up.

  “You get out. I was here first!” Vogel demanded.

  “This building is for the community of Little Goodwin. You, sir, are from Peoria, and I doubt you have a library card.”

  Vogel narrowed his eyes.

  Behind him, Cid had moved Katherine down to the end of the hall and poured a circle of salt around her. “Stay in the circle, no matter what you see,” he instructed.

  “What about you?”

  “I’ll be alright, the cavalry has arrived,” he said.

  Katherine didn’t like the look of the bump on the back of the investigator’s head but said nothing. She didn’t want to distract the young man. She watched as he moved into the furnace room. He came back out with two tin garbage can lids.

  “When you see Mia raise that shotgun, put this in front of you. Her gun fires salt pellets. Ghosts hate salt, holy water and iron,” he explained quickly.

  Mia continued, “If you leave voluntarily and promise to never return, then you can go on with haunting this plane of existence.”

  “What if I don’t?”

  “I’ll have to send you to hell. Purgatory is full, sorry,” Mia said, reaching behind her.

  “I’ll kill you first!” Vogel said, picking up the shovel, being careful to touch the wood and not the iron.

  Mia pulled out the gun, cocked it twice, sending two rounds into place and fired.

  Cid and Katherine heard the excess salt bounce off the lids that shielded them. They also heard the ghost squeal in pain.

  Mia drew out two more cartridges and chambered them, but Vogel was too quick. Even in immense pain, the ghost finished the swing of the shovel. It stopped two inches from Mia’s head. It was stopped by a book, a very large heavy book. It was Sarum by Edward Rutherfurd, who was known for writing large historical tomes. It not only blocked the blow from the shovel, but it held it there. The wielder of the book was none other than Ronald Whitmore.

  “I can stand a bully, but not a beater of women!” Ronald said, drawing Mia behind him.

  “You weak little man, how dare you leave your precious books. I’ll burn them and you!” Vogel swore.

  Mia could see that Ronald had reached the end of his power. She dropped to her knees and took out a large piece of green chalk from her pocket. Mia dre
w a large rectangle and stood up. With one hand, she encouraged her rescuer to move around the chalk drawing as he backed up.

  “I will ask you one last time to leave this building,” Mia said as she prepared herself to open the portal.

  Cid, sensing she needed time, clanged his trashcan lid. “Come here and fight me, you bully. Or would you rather pick on girls and old men?”

  Mike arrived on the bottom step in time to see Murphy limp over with barely enough energy to lift his axe. Mike saw the energon cube Mia had left. He grabbed it and brought the energy to the axe. The moment he connected with the axe, he was blown backwards by the power transfer. Instead of hitting the stairs, he was stopped and pulled into something soft. He turned to see Burt had ahold of him with both hands.

  “I was the best shortstop Kansas City had ever seen in my day. Snagging line drives was my specialty,” he said, setting Mike on his feet.

  “Whoa,” was all Mike could say.

  Murphy, fully energized, decided to move through the committee rooms to get around Vogel and come up from behind.

  Mia had to ignore the fight in front of her and concentrate on the memorized Latin words she learned from Father Peter. The memorized invocation was for demons, but Vogel was so evil that Mia prayed that he fit into that category. All Mia needed was a little more time…

  Cid knew he couldn’t withstand too many hits with the shovel, tin shield or no tin shield. He ripped off the top of the salt, and as Vogel charged him, he tossed the remaining salt into the ghost’s eyes.

  Again, Vogel screamed and took a moment to scratch away the burning bits. He rubbed away the last of the salt and opened his eyes to see, not the tall human, but the farmer pushing at him with his axe.

  Mia felt the ground shake before she saw the tile disappear. It was replaced with a deep, foul-smelling portal to what she assumed was hell. She used her telekinesis to pull Vogel towards the portal.

  Murphy reached forward and pulled the shovel out of Vogel’s grasp. He saw the bully was sliding backwards. Murphy looked around the ghost to see a rectangular hole had opened up in the floor of the hall. Mia’s yellow eyes glowed as she pulled Vogel towards her and it with her mind. Murphy knew she couldn’t manage this ghost alone. He chose to push Vogel with the business end of his axe until he was feeling the pull of the portal himself.

  Strong arms wrapped around Murphy to stabilize him and give him earthly bulk. With Cid’s added weight, Murphy felt confident enough to continue to push Vogel towards the portal.

  Burt ran down the hall, quickly assessing the situation. He saw that Mia was sliding towards the hole in the floor. He reached out and grabbed the back of her clothing, shouting, “I’ve got you, Mia.”

  Vogel smelled the sulfur and turned around, horrified at what he was seeing.

  The green, glowing portal had been open long enough for the green, snaking arms of the guardians to move out of it looking for a demon. They caressed Mia’s leg, assessing whether or not she was the demon. Burt pulled her upwards, and the tentacles wound around his legs instead, then rejected him, and moved back around.

  “No no! I will not go!” Vogel bellowed as the tentacles snaked towards him.

  “Will you leave this place?” Mia asked.

  “Hell no!”

  Mia chanted one last command. The arms shot out and grasped the ghost and pulled him into the void.

  “Put me down,” Mia ordered. She reached the floor and rubbed with her gloved hand until she broke the green chalk line. As the portal closed and the floor reappeared, Mia prayed to God that she had made the right decision.

  “What the hell did you do?” Burt asked, helping her to her feet.

  “Oh, something I learned down south,” she said. “Thank you. We must add to the PEEPs rule book not to open a portal to hell on a slippery floor in an enclosed hallway.”

  “Done and done,” Burt said good-naturedly.

  “Location check,” Ted said, trying to not sound worried.

  “Audrey in the reading room with the Jones children, over.”

  “Mike in the stairwell, over.”

  “Cid, Murphy and Katherine, at the end of the hall by the furnace room, over,” Cid said distracted, as he was focusing on trying to figure out how he actually got ahold of Murphy’s body.

  “Mia, Ronald and Burt heading for the stairway, over,” Burt said.

  “Ted and Jake in the command center, changing our wet pants, over and out.”

  ~

  Katherine drew out a bottle of whisky from her desk drawer. She poured a large shot into a glass and downed it. She offered some to the resting PEEPs, and all but Mike declined. Mike wasn’t visibly injured, but he had taken in a lot of electricity. He was a bit shaky.

  “So, no more Chester Vogel,” Katherine said.

  “That’s right, unless hell rejects him,” Mia said. “If he comes back, we’ll send Father Santos over to deal with him properly.”

  “You seemed to have a fairly good knowledge of old Latin, young woman,” Katherine observed.

  “Not really,” Mia admitted. “I don’t know what I said. It was something I saw Father Peter do down in New Orleans.”

  “But it worked,” Cid pointed out. “How did you remember it all so perfectly?”

  “It rhymed,” Mia explained. “Just like a Dr. Seuss book.”

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  “Welcome to the first ever preseason PEEPs barbecue!” Mia said to Sabine who arrived with the girls and Tauni Cerise in tow.

  Fifty degrees and sunny, the weather was too cold to spend too much time outdoors, so Ted and Mia had opened the big doors of the converted barn and decorated the insides. Burt walked over and scooped up two of the little girls. Leta Ann and Nura Louise squealed with delight. Tauni Cerise followed them into the barn.

  Sabine smiled. “Thank you for including me, Mia.”

  “You’re an honorary PEEP. You belong here,” Mia said, hugging her cousin.

  “I like that. That computer dog says I have to wear a red shirt. I don’t understand?”

  Mia put her arm around her cousin and promised, “I’ll explain everything later. Today is for kicking up our heels a little.”

  “Where’s Brian?”

  “Susan is dressing him, again. Ted dressed himself and Brian in father and son Kansas City Chiefs outfits. She took one look at them and took Brian into the house.”

  “I sense she is an avid Bears fan,” Sabine observed.

  “Avid or rabid?” Ted asked behind them.

  Sabine turned around and accepted the brotherly kiss on her cheek.

  “There’s a few folks you haven’t met. Mia will take care of Maisha Violet. Why don’t you let me introduce you,” he said gallantly.

  Sabine squatted down and asked Maisha, “Would you like to go with Aunt Mia?”

  The little girl nodded shyly and took Mia’s hand.

  “The best thing about being short is, I can hold hands with my favorite niece,” Mia said, walking Maisha towards the barn. “Uncle Cid has rented a bouncy house. I’m dying to try it,” Mia exclaimed. “I’ve been waiting for you.”

  The little girl clapped her hands together in joy.

  Sabine watched them leave and confided, “I’m worried about Maisha Violet. You see, Ted, she hasn’t any power. She can’t see ghosts, read minds or OOB.”

  Ted cleared his voice and asked nervously, “You mean your other two girls can do all of that already?”

  “Why yes. Brian’s going to be right behind them. You’ll have quite a time with him. You need to set up boundaries right away. I had a dickens of a time when Leta went to the zoo by herself.”

  Ted paled.

  Sabine laughed. “Gotcha.”

  It took him a moment to figure out he’d been taken in. “You are a horrible person, Sabine.”

  “Thank you, Ted, you’re horrible too.”

  Tom watched as Ted introduced Sabine to Mike’s and Cid’s girlfriends. Sabine was a bit awkward in the exchange
of small talk, but she was hanging in there.

  “You should rescue her from Ted. He’ll have her talked out,” Mia said from behind him.

  He turned around to see Mia and one of Sabine’s daughters. Both had red licorice hanging out of their mouths.

  “Maisha Violet, this is Deputy Tom Braverman. He’s an officer of the law and my good friend. We went to school together.”

  Tom watched as the child took all of this in calmly. She put her hand out, and Tom shook it. “Nice to meet you, Maisha,” Tom said.

  The child smiled.

  “Mia, she has old eyes,” Tom observed.

  “I know. I don’t think Sabine or Tauni can see them. They are too close. Maisha,” Mia said, squatting down, “You are hiding your light under a bushel, aren’t you?”

  The little girl nodded and put her finger to her lips and said, “Shhhhh.”

  Ralph was pleased to see the willow painting hanging up over the fireplace. Bernard and he had been showing Tom’s dad around the farmhouse. He seemed particularly impressed with the two-story addition.

  “I think Cid’s got a lot of talent,” Ralph said.

  “Someone call my name?” Cid asked, carrying a few bags of ice.

  “Ralph was just telling me that you designed and built the addition to the farmhouse,” Tom’s father explained.

  “I had help,” Cid said. “If you’ll excuse me, I want to get this to the coolers before the beer gets cold.”

  “We wouldn’t want that!” Bernard said, taking one of the bags and walking with the young man.

  “I hear you had quite a time of it on your last investigation,” Bernard commented.

  “Mia tell you?”

  “Oh no, Ted.”

  “He does like to talk,” Cid said. “Yes, I took quite a whack on the back of the head with a coal shovel.”

  “Did you get it checked out?” Bernard asked.

  “I had a CAT scan.”

  “What did they find?”

  Cid thought of Mia’s story about Father Peter when he replied, “It’s what they didn’t find that puzzles me.”