A Rose by Any Other Name (Haunted Series Book 18)

by Alexie Aaron

  The firelight was reflected in the glasses beside the chessboard.

  Mia smiled as she took Sariel’s rook with her queen. “Check.”

  Sariel was about to move, putting Mia in checkmate, when Stephen Murphy appeared before them.

  “It was a tree,” Murphy announced.

  Mia raised her glass. “Cheers, Murph.”

  Judy and Ed patted Murphy on the back.

  Sariel made his move. “Checkmate.”

  Mia looked at the chessboard. “What the fuzzy bunny?”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Mia arrived on the back porch of the mansion. She lightly tapped on the door after finding it locked.

  Ted, who had been warned of her imminent arrival by a text from Judy, opened the door.

  “Thanks for clearing the stoop, Teddy Bear,” Mia said, breezing in, dropping her bundle of outerwear on the counter before hugging her husband.

  “That was Cid, but I’ll take the hug. How did it go?”

  “It was most interesting. Judy will be flying Murphy to the island to have Komal test him. Until then, he is grounded to the farm.”

  “I’m sure he didn’t take that well.”

  “Sariel has a way of putting things so that even Murphy will listen,” Mia said, her face stiff.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “You and I need to talk about a few things away from the house. I hope Burt will let us leave after our shift.”

  “I hope the weather will let us leave,” Ted said. “We’re expecting a blizzard. Can you tell me things in hypotheticals in the meanwhile?”

  Mia smiled, looking at her feet. “I’m not worried about being arrested or sued. Maybe I’m being overcautious. Okay, this is what happened when Judy healed me. She determined that I needed a blood transfusion. Ed donated his blood, but…”

  “Wait. Let me figure this out. His blood threw a few switches on in the genetic department?”

  “Yes! Wow, how did you know?”

  “Mia, your boobs have increased in size, not that I’m complaining. You beat us men in arm-wrestling. Me, I can understand, but Cid? And your legs and ass have taken on a very nice roundness that you can only get from muscle development.”

  “Am I taller?” Mia asked excitedly, standing up next to Ted.

  “Nope. Superhuman genes may have made you taller if you were born with them.”

  “Our next children may be tall.”

  “Are we going to have more children?” Ted asked.

  “Judy says my eggs are healthy and so is my womb, but there’s a magical blockage in my tubes. The Council will have to remove the enchantment. I want more children, if you do?”

  Ted drew her into his arms. “I want more children. Why did Judy cut your arm? And I notice you’re sporting a new Ed bandage on your hand.”

  Mia explained about the whole blood exchange with Ed.

  “He’s your brother now.”

  “Oh yes. He’s taking it very seriously. Evidently, I am part of his bloodline now. Our next children will be treated by him as his children. He will protect them.”

  “In some ancient cultures, the uncle is also the father,” Ted said. “This we can live with. I doubt he will be more intrusive than Ralph.” Ted watched Mia’s face. He saw a sadness in her eyes. “I know you’re tired of this genetic jigsaw puzzle you were born with, pumpkin. Perhaps you’ll learn to… Mia, can you walk through time?” Ted asked, excited.

  “I don’t know. Maybe.”

  “Is that what you’re so concerned about?”

  “Ted, quite possibly, I’m going to have the lifespan of a superhuman. Unless I die in battle.”

  Ted moved his hand over his mouth, thinking. “You don’t want to outlive us, do you?”

  Mia shook her head and started crying. Ted held her to him.

  Cid looked over at the two from the door. He had heard everything. Mia had been given the life of Arwen in The Lord of the Rings. She was cursed with long life, and she would see her husband and possibly Brian die.

  “Mia, Susan Braverman sent a video of Brian at the Bear Cubs Bounce if you care to see it,” Cid mentioned.

  Mia looked over at Cid and nodded. She grabbed Ted’s hand and pulled him along. Ted mouthed a thank you to Cid as they passed him.

  Watching Brian having fun with the other children was a joy. Cub Bounce was in actually a get-together for grandparents and their grandchildren. Susan filmed Brian taking off his hat and saying hello to everyone he met. He was very popular amongst the over sixties set.

  “I think PEEPs has Mike’s replacement,” Cid said. “Mia, how would you feel about me taking him to reading hour at the Barnes and Noble?”

  “Are you going to be using my son as your wingman?” Mia asked.

  “Well, yes.”

  “It’s fine with me. Just don’t let the kid pick up anyone or drink too much.”

  Ted hugged Mia.

  “Cid, we now have a large hole in the basement,” Mia said.

  “How large?” Ted asked.

  “Murphy’s coffin size.”

  “I bet there is a story there,” Cid said.

  “Yes there is,” Mia replied. “Should I have Ed fill it in? Or should we put in a hot tub?” Mia asked, half serious.

  “Not quite the ambiance I was looking for,” Ted said. “Spiders, pump house, and an open well.”

  “Not to mention, Cid’s canning shelves. We could sit back and watch the stewed tomatoes burst,” Mia teased.

  “I don’t know what happened there,” Cid admitted. “I followed the instructions. Of course, I was translating them from German. Wait, that’s it. I can make homemade sauerkraut. They bury it in the ground…”

  “Have Ed fill it in,” Ted said. “Cid’s German translations will poison us one of these days.”

  “K. How are things here?” Mia asked.

  “Cid and I measured the hallways. We measured three times and have yet to get the same measurements twice.”

  “How far are they off? Quarter inches…”

  “Two feet in some cases.”

  “Any theories on what’s causing that?” Mia asked with interest.

  “Rose Red,” Cid named.

  “Any nonfiction theories?” Mia specified.

  “Sliding walls, faulty measuring tapes, we didn’t have enough coffee,” Ted listed.

  “Burt and I talked about the possibility that this mansion may have been built over the old Hellfire Club. It would explain why we have multiple haunts. They could have woken up a controlling entity.”

  “Jake is looking through any records he can find on the land the house sits on. If it turns out to be true, Glenda is going to pull out of the sale,” Ted told her.

  “Honestly, I couldn’t in good conscience okay this building for anything other than kindling,” Mia said. “Any more shadow men sightings?”

  “A few in the third floor hallway.”

  “Ted, has PEEPs ever walked away from an investigation?” Cid asked.

  “The phony casino haunt, Sentinel Woods…” Ted listed.

  “Sentinel Woods wasn’t a PEEPs investigation. We were just helping out,” Cid said.

  “Where are we with investigating the house?” Mia asked.

  “All but the basement according to Burt’s log,” Cid said.

  “Any reason why we haven’t been in the basement yet?” she asked.

  “Because we only have so many cameras, Burt thought we ought to first concentrate on the upper floors. Then you guys disappeared and our focus changed,” Ted explained.

  “That would do it. I think, when the others wake up, we should have a mini meeting before I pick up Brian from Susan’s.”

  “We’re not driving anywhere until the snow stops, pumpkin.”

  “I can do the birdman thingy,” Mia said, her eyes twinkling. “Why not use the powers?”

  “Susan may freak out,” Ted said.

  “Let me call her and check the roads there. I could fly to the farm and drive my
truck to the Bravermans.”

  “First I would check in with Ralph to see if they are still prepared to have us over,” Ted said.

  Mia wrinkled her face. “I hate details.”

  Ted grinned. “I know.”

  Mia pulled out her phone and walked into the kitchen to make her calls.

  ~

  Ralph waited for Mia. She had warned him that she was going to do an Angelo. He, at first,j thought she said do Angelo.

  “Mia, this kind of behavior is not how you keep a happy marriage.”

  Mia repeated herself.

  “Oh, OH! Is that safe?”

  “Perfectly,” she answered.

  “In this weather?”

  “Probably the only way to safely transport Brian,” she had told him.

  He received a text that she would be leaving shortly.

  He sat on the couch. First there was a brightness in the corner of the living room, and then a wing-wrapped being appeared. The wings opened, and inside was Mia with her arms wrapped around Brian. She turned Brian around.

  “Ralphy Gee!” Brian sang out. His hands reaching out.

  Ralph scooped up Brian. “My best buddy, Brian. Mia, what big wings you have,” he said appreciatively.

  “All the better to fly here to see Ralphy Gee,” she teased. She retracted her wings and demanded a hug from her godfather.

  “Bernard is stuck at the museum.”

  “Would you like me to go and pick him up?” Mia asked.

  “You don’t mean you can…”

  “Yes, I can.”

  “But Bernard is so tall.”

  “I can grow to accommodate him. Haven’t you ever seen Angelo do this?”

  “No, not really. Tell you what, if he can’t make it home by dinner, then yes, I’d like you to go and get him. In the meanwhile, it can be the three of us.”

  Mia smiled.

  “I thought we could - actually, you could - bake some cookies, and we can have hot chocolate while we watch Finding Nemo.”

  “You’re going to let me loose in your kitchen?” Mia asked suspiciously. “Last time I wanted to bake something, you developed a migraine.”

  “I’ve taken a pill,” Ralph admitted. “Besides, it will give me time to get Brian settled.”

  Mia obediently walked into the kitchen. She laughed as she saw the ingredients for her prize-winner cookies lined up on the counter, the oven preheated, and the cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. There was also a brand new, Mia-sized apron hanging over a kitchen chair. She picked up her phone and dialed Ted.

  “How was the turbulence?” Ted asked instead of saying hello.

  “With the exception that Brian’s developed a death grip things, it went fine.” Mia went on to tell him about the afternoon Ralph had planned. “Let me know when you want to come over…”

  “About that…”

  “Oh dear, I don’t like the sound of this.”

  “Mike asked me to switch with him. He needs to restock his pantry and refrigerator, aka buy wine, for his mother. I didn’t think you would mind.”

  “You’re a good soul, Teddy Bear. I’ll bring you a plate of Bernard’s lasagna when I return for my shift.”

  “Hug Brian for me. I’ll see him tomorrow after we wrap this investigation.”

  “Are we going to be finished?”

  “Doesn’t matter. Glenda is pulling out of the sale. The coroner’s office will be here next week. Burt says, after we film the basement, we will have enough film for a show.”

  “Feels odd,” Mia said. “Are we doing the right thing?”

  “Mia, I almost lost you. We are down an investigator, and we aren’t getting paid for this, so let’s spend the rest of the week with Ralph and Bernard. Maybe you’ll let me take Brian to the Field Museum.”

  Mia sighed. “I guess, I’ve been rather pigheaded about it.”

  “No, you had a hard time there when you were a child. You’re just looking out for Brian. How about we take it one exhibit at a time?”

  “You’re right. I don’t want him to be afraid, just cautious,” Mia said.

  “That’s my girl. Jake’s giving me the stink eye, so I better see what he wants. Enjoy your time alone with Ralph.”

  “I will,” Mia said and listened to the dead air before she put away her phone.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Murphy stood on the shore of a frozen island in the middle of Lake Michigan. It was shrouded by the quick moving weather systems, a bribed map maker, and magic.

  It would still be unknown to PEEPs if it hadn’t been for the abduction of Sabine, Mia’s cousin, by an evil collector who wanted to be called Sire. The billionaire, Sire, had paid to learn the art of OOBing from and then assassinated his teacher, Komal, trapping his spirit forever on the island. Except nothing is forever. Father Paolo Santos had, with Mia’s help, brought justice to the island. Slaves freed, Sire went the way of all maniacal rulers; he was killed by one of his prisoners. His bones rested in the sand, bleached and cleaned by sun, ice, and rain.

  The spirit, Komal, opted not to ascend. He, instead, placed himself in a self-designed purgatory. He remained in telepathic contact with Sabine and Mia. When He-who-walks-through time and Refugia needed a place to live so they could acclimate to this time, he welcomed them to the lone island. Komal also continued a friendship with the self-titled King of Purgatory, Judge Roumain. Many a night passed with the two of them locked in battle over a chessboard.

  When Murphy expressed that he needed to test his powers of resistance, Judy contacted Komal who agreed to have the ghost on the island. He would also notify the judge that Stephen Murphy would like to speak to him.

  Murphy moved slowly to the hidden castle. He chose to move through the walls of the maze instead of spending time figuring out the path to the center. Judy had advised him before she left that he would be tested, in more ways than one, to stay true to his ideals and his belief in the power of love and friendship.

  Mia described the castle as a low fortress. The building was spread out over several acres. The inner walls contained alcoves and niches for the collected artwork. Many of the stolen pieces had been returned, but a few were still stored there until their ownership could be determined. Judy and Ed had placed photos and mementos of times spent with their friends and the travels Ed had taken Judy on in the place of artwork that would have taken the breath away from a Sotheby’s auctioneer. Murphy moved along the halls until he came to a large, welcoming room.

  The fire was lit even though none of the beings present needed the heat to survive. It was the ambiance and the memories of past fires that the two men enjoyed. Murphy’s hand tightened around the handle of his axe when he saw Judge Roumain. This entity had used Mia and Ted to get his wife returned to him. He had initiated the breakup of the two. Mia, desperate to save their marriage, brought her family to Wolf’s Head Lake. There, she fought and freed the spirit of Vilone Roumain from the elemental hell she had been existing in. Why Roumain didn’t simply ask Mia was complicated. Ted assumed that when you traversed both sides of the fence like Roumain, you could never take a direct route, lest one side or the other becomes familiar with your plans.

  The judge was dressed in his Haitian finery, and Komal wore the flowing robes of his priesthood order. They turned and looked at Murphy. Komal waved his hand, encouraging the ghost out of the doorway and over to the chess table.

  “Stephen, I am Komal. Sabine and Mia have spoken kindly of you, and Ed considers you a man of high principles and a noble warrior. Judy has told me of your wish to be tested by me. I asked the judge to also try to control you. So far he hasn’t been able to do that.

  “Forgive me, but I don’t understand.” Murphy asked, “Control me?”

  “From the moment you set one foot on the island, we have been using our combined knowledge to take control of you,” Komal explained. “You are protected by the earth on which you now stand, the trees that shade, and the very air that surrounds you. There may be a few sup
erior beings that could, with much difficulty, try, but you would feel them knocking on, as Mia would say, ‘the door of your mind house.’”

  “The being you know as Mother Nature and her entourage could take control of you, but I doubt they would have any reason to. Afterall, she has given you this power. She has looked upon your existence after your death and has determined that you are worthy of her power,” Komal enlightened Murphy.

  The judge picked off a bit of lint from his sleeve. His dark eyes took in the farmer. “Be careful, my friend. With this kind of power comes temptation.”

  Murphy nodded.

  “Speaking of temptation, how is Mia?” the judge asked.

  “You would find her much changed. Not outwardly, but she has changed.”

  “Please tell me more?” the judge asked.

  Murphy looked to Komal for counsel, and the spirit nodded his approval.

  “Mia has exorcised the demon from inside of her, and her superhuman genes have been activated.”

  “I take it from your face that Mia isn’t happy with this,” the judge surmised. “Mia fights the changes that must happen,” he told Komal. “The poor child dreamed of a normal life. A husband, family, and a dog.”

  “All of which she has,” Murphy pointed out.

  “But she also has wings and the lifespan and abilities of He-who-walks-through-time,” Roumain reminded Murphy. “Stephen, I’m sorry for the pain I brought Mia. I knew her marriage would be tested, but I saw the love that was there. Theodore Martin needed to be woken up, the comic book taken from his grasp, and he needed to embrace this world. This world needs his talents. It’s time he stepped up and made the ultimate sacrifice.”

  “Sharing Mia with the angels,” Murphy realized. “Was this your plan?”

  “I’d like to take credit, but I was but a pawn in a larger game,” Roumain said. “You see, Stephen, even I fear being controlled by others. In this case, I believe all was for the greater good.”