Given Enough Rope (Haunted Series Book 20)

by Alexie Aaron

  No one answered. The song, as well as Miss Bedford, were just in her mind. She heard footfalls behind her, and her first thought was Murphy, but he would still be in Chicago with his father. Maybe Burt? Ted? She turned and was surprised by Mason.

  “Is everything alright?” Mia asked.

  “I was going to ask you that, girly-girl.”

  “I’m just reminiscing.”

  “I take it those steps belonged to a house.”

  “They belonged to a prison,” Mia said, and the truth of her hastily said words hit her hard. She put her hand on her chest a moment to settle her feelings and explained, “First it imprisoned a young pregnant girl. I don’t know her first name. I called her Misty Bedford, because I could see through her. She was a victim of incest. Her father killed her, dismembered her remains, and hid them in the house, forever trapping her inside the walls of the brownstone. Next, was my mother. Trapped by a pregnancy she didn’t want, and then by a child, society required her to care for. She was forced to type out her papers while I was underfoot. The last, was my father who was only happy when he was on the site of an archeological dig somewhere. He too was trapped here. Funny thing, Mason. I was the only one not trapped. I was their jailer.”

  “So I burned down the house, freeing them all. I found most of the young girl’s bones, and Father Santos buried Miss Bedford for me. Ralph helped me become emancipated, so I didn’t have to be dragged from dig to dig with my parents. I lived with Bea White in her rooming house until I graduated, and then… Well, that’s a longer story. I first met Edwin Gifford when I was barely able to walk. I wandered over, and the ghost showed me where the best strawberries were. If it had not been for him, I think I would have starved. After the strawberries, it was raspberries and black berries. Then he taught me how to sneak into the farmers’ fields and uproot carrots and eat their string beans. He was my second ghost.”

  “All this time I though Murphy was your first.”

  “First love maybe,” Mia said.

  Mason was oddly touched by Mia’s admission.

  “I kissed Burt Hicks here,” Mia said. “He was the first person I confessed my crime to, and he wasn’t appalled. He was different in the beginning. I think he and I thought it was just a fling, and we wouldn’t be seeing each other again.” Mia looked at Mason and took a deep breath. “Thank you for listening to me blather on. What can I do for you?” she asked.

  “I just came to find you. I thought you might be missing Murphy, so I thought I’d pull your pigtails for a while.”

  Mia broke out in a wide grin. “You did, did you?”

  “Oh yes. I also wanted to tell you how fierce you are. Cid showed Ira and me the film of you taking that loser out on the bridge. You were calm as could be, and then you exploded in rage. You pulled him over the side.”

  “It was easy after I kneed him in the balls,” Mia said.

  “Where does all that might come from?” Mason asked.

  “The same place that kept you alive in that middle school.”

  Mia touched his chest. “Inside us is a well of strength. Some people draw from it every day to keep alive, to keep their head down in order to not be noticed, or hear the taunts of bullies and those who want them to do bad things. For them, it’s a slow siphon. I’ve seen people stand up and fight the fight for the good of humankind and lose, and then they get up, taking from the replenished well, and continue the fight again and again. I just took it all at once. It gave me the strength to fight my natural inclination for self-survival and act for the greater good. I forced myself off the fence and almost landed in the canal.”

  “I’ve never known anyone like you,” Mason said.

  “But you do, your brother Patrick.”

  Mason laughed. “My brother took every shortcut offered.”

  “But why?”

  “To take care of me,” Mason realized.

  “From what I know of the Callens,” Mia said. “Is that they are fighters, and they are prideful. Do you think if he could have avoided the shameful things he has done, he would have? I do. Since we first met, I’ve had a chance to see things from both sides of the balance. I’ve learned not to judge others so harshly. I yelled at your brother when I should have been more compassionate, and yes, patted him on the back. Sure, I would love to have those moments back, but I can’t. All I can do is let him know now how I feel.”

  “Maybe I should be joining you in that conversation, girly-girl.”

  “Why do you and Patrick call me girly-girl?”

  “It’s amusing. Like calling Rambo, Princess Toadstool.”

  “Mason, you’re a piece of work.”

  “All of us Callens are. Hey, if you would have married your first love, we’d be related.”

  “Whew! Dodged a bullet there,” Mia said and ruffled Mason’s hair. “So how’s it living with Burt? Dave hated it.”

  “Burt’s alright, a bit of a neat freak. I’m used to microwave meals, so there’s no problem with cuisine. I love what he’s doing with his graphic novel. I gave him some advice on his web series. He seems receptive. He’s worried about you,” Mason said. “Shite, did I just blurt that out?”

  “Yes you did. I won’t tell,” Mia said. “Did you meet Ed?”

  “Yes. I’m not sure what to make of him yet,” Mason said honestly. “He is so big, a bit out of touch with this world, but scary smart at the same time.”

  “Imagine yourself being dropped in 2116 and trying to fit in,” Mia said, accepting Mason’s hand up.

  “I never thought of it that way. I know not to tease him. His sense of humor seems to be lacking.”

  “Oh no, it’s there. Let me tell you about the time when we were fighting an elemental dragon. You see, I wanted to help but lacked a weapon. I pleaded with him, running alongside the battle. Ed didn’t want me in the fight, so he tossed me a long sword. I caught it, but it was so heavy, it pinned me to the ground. That’s Ed’s type of humor.”

  “You people are twisted,” Mason commented. “Well, let’s go and catch us a ghost-napper.”

  “Yes, lets.”

  The men had assembled around Bea’s dining room table when Mason and Mia walked into the house. Mia closed her eyes briefly and was disappointed to not sense Edwin. She followed Mason to the table. On it was a carved wooden box and five wax-paper-wrapped books.

  “Burt found these in the wall over there.” Bea pointed to the open panel. “Come sit. We’re going to open them up.”

  Mia took a chair where her back would be to the camera. Mason sat next to her. Ted had the portable monitor assembled on the sideboard. Jake had taken a different guise. He was now Poindexter, the inquisitive bespectacled genius boy with an IQ of 222, who aided his uncle in solving complicated puzzles, all just with a few words. Mia suspected he did this so as to not make Bea nervous as the giant eyeball would have. He didn’t know how tough Bea was, Mia thought.

  Burt nodded, and Cid started filming.

  “I’m Bea White, and these items were found in the wall of my dining room. The box appears to be very old. There is a discolored latch but no lock. I’m going to open this first.” Bea pulled the hasp up and the hinges screamed, as the corruption of time had gotten to them. The lid was flipped back, and there were six velvet bags inside. Bea took them out one by one and left them unopened. When she got to the bottom, she lifted the empty box to the camera. “I don’t know if you can see this, but there is an engraving. Three letters. R W and G. I’m going to guess that the G stands for Gifford.”

  She placed the box down and opened the first black velvet bag by unknotting the pull string. She looked inside, and her eyes got really wide. “Tom, could you get me a dishtowel from the kitchen please?”

  Tom got up and quickly did so. He spread the towel out on the table. Bea poured the contents out. A very fine Philadelphia style derringer pistol slid out along with a small box of .41 rimfire cartridges. Tom started to reach for it when Mia stopped him from touching it.

  “It�
�s loaded,” she said.

  “I can see that,” Tom said.

  “Do you want to know whose it was or who fired it last?” Mia asked him.

  Tom flushed. “I’m sorry. I just assumed it was Edwin’s mother’s.”

  Mia took off her gloves. The first thing she did was take the bullet out of the chamber. “It was set up this way so that if the carrier of the box was waylaid by bandits, she had one ready shot.” Mia picked up the derringer and pointed it at the ground. “Rachel Schmidt gave this to her young daughter Becky before she was taken away,” Mia said with a smile. “I’m feeling concern for her mother, laced with the importance of staying hidden.”

  Poindexter ran to the cartoon chalkboard and wrote Rachel Schmidt’s name. Under it, he wrote “married George Wall.” He turned and said, “The Walls were pirates in and around 1781 to 1789 when Rachel was caught trying to rob a Boston woman. She was tried and hung. She was the last woman hung in Boston.”

  “Who is Becky?” Bea pondered. Her eyes lit up. “Excuse me a moment.” Bea walked into the living room and opened a glass-fronted secretary bookshelf and took out a bible. She opened it up and pushed the book towards Mia.

  Mia read. “Rebecca Wall married Edwin Gifford Senior in 1801.”

  “Edwin’s grandparents were pirates,” Bea said and twittered. “I wonder if he knew that?”

  Bea opened the other five bags, and inside were four large pieces of jewelry and a bag full of gold half guinea coins dated 1787. The jewels were, for the most part, rubies, and the other gems seemed to be set in gold and silver roses.

  Bea sat down. Her face pale as a human could get. Mia got up and walked over to her friend. “Bea, what’s the matter?”

  “Oh a hundred thousand thoughts running through my mind. First, these belong to the Giffords, but perhaps not. How do I find who Rachel stole these from and return them - but of course they would be dead. What a headache!”

  “I can have Bernard help you. The museum would love to have these on display until the owners can be determined. If I were you, I’d ask Edwin first.”

  “He may not even know about them,” Bea said.

  “It’s possible,” Mia said. “I think that someone knows that Becky… Rebecca had these jewels and traced them to this house. This smells like the con-artist Edward Jones to me, but I thought he was in jail.”

  “According to Chicago PD, he was sent to prison. He fell ill and was taken to the hospital, where he escaped,” Tom said. “Since his crimes were fraud and theft, his escape wasn’t mentioned in the papers.”

  “Jake came up with a list of robberies of high-end jewels since Edward’s escape,” Cid said and pushed the paper over to Tom.

  “Wait. I still want to know how this Jones person knew about the jewels being here?” Bea asked.

  “Edward digs up the remains of criminals and uses them in his crimes. It’s quite possible that he ran across someone who knew about the Walls’ daughter and followed the trail here.”

  “It’s a lot of trouble, for what?” Bea asked, pointing to the necklaces and pins.

  “I’m no expert,” Mason said. “But if those gemstones are real, then you’re talking millions of dollars. Those red ones are rubies. Rubies are especially rare now. The fence could sell each stone for quite a lot of money.”

  “Tell this Jones fellow he can have them if he returns Edwin,” Bea said.

  The room went silent.

  Tom and Chambers looked at each other and Tom shook his head. “I’m sorry, but I can’t allow that. We don’t deal with kidnappers.”

  “It’s a ghost, Tom,” Ted reminded him. “If Bea wants her ghost back, then we need to abide by her wishes.”

  Mia looked over at her husband and smiled before suggesting a compromise, “How about this: We duplicate the hoard, place it back in the panel, and start some gossip that we’ve got a lead on a real prize. But we need Edwin for the last clue.”

  “He’s going to know you’re up to something, girly-girl, but if Patrick and I were to spread the word that we’re looking for a fence for, let’s say, old coins and jewels. I think this Jones or his thugs will come to us.”

  “How would you have gotten ahold of the hoard?” Cid asked.

  “I work for you. I found them while on the job,” Mason said. “I hid them where only I know where they are.”

  “Jones is dangerous; his ghosts are more so,” Burt said. “I don’t know how many he has employed.”

  “His brother Skinny escaped us. I think we have his switchblade somewhere?” Mia said. “We may be able to use it as leverage if Skinny is working with his brother. Please, Mason, do not underestimate Jones or the entities he has working for him. Skinny is a killer.”

  “The way I see it, is this,” Mason started and waited until he had everyone’s, including Jake’s, attention before he continued, “Bea White did Mia a solid when she was but a young woman. I consider Mia my family, and Callens support their own. I’ll do this, and Mia will no longer owe Bea. It’s the Callen way. We’ll get Edwin back, even if it means giving Jones what he wants.”

  Tom waited for anyone who had a better idea to speak up. “Ted, can you put something together that possibly weighs the same as these jewels?”

  “Sure. The coins may be a little more difficult.”

  “We’ll use the real coins,” Tom said. “This way, if Mason has to prove he’s got the jewels, he can hand Jones a real coin.”

  “What about the books?” Mia asked.

  “Mia, you take them home and read them,” Bea instructed. “I’m sure they contain things we need to know, but I would like to request that you stay out of this. You can’t put yourself in danger. Not in your present condition.”

  Mia knew better then to look around her for support. She nodded. “I’ll take these home to the aerie and read them. I can use Wyatt’s library if I need further information.”

  She gathered the books.

  “If I may,” Mark said. “I’d like to go with Mia.”

  “But you’ve been in on this from the beginning,” Mia pointed out.

  “I’m more of a research kind of guy,” Mark said. “Besides, without Murphy being at the farm, you’re going to need someone to watch your back.”

  Mia smiled. “Mind if I take the van?” Mia asked.

  Cid tossed her the keys. She caught them and made a hasty exit out of the house, not trusting her temper.

  Mark had to run to catch up with her. “Mia, wait,” he pleaded.

  Mia calmed herself and unlocked the vehicle.

  Mark opened up the van door and put the books inside. He hopped in the passenger seat.

  Mia started the car. “You better call your mother.”

  “As you wish,” Mark said, mimicking the farm boy in Princess Bride, and dialed. “Mom, I’m going to do some research with Mia at the farm. Yes, I’ll check in. No, I’m not making a pest of myself. Practice is at five. I’ll be home before then to pick up my gear. I love you too.”

  Mia smiled.

  “Mia, we had the same dream didn’t we?” Mark asked as they pulled out of the neighborhood and onto the main street of Big Bear Lake.

  “Yes. It was because of your dream that I took mine seriously, and we avoided a catastrophe.”

  “I remember you telling me on the porch of the cabin. ‘Things that you see are warnings or possibilities. They aren’t necessarily going to happen. But for the moment in time that you see them, they could.’”

  “Yes, those are my words and my beliefs.”

  “How come I can see them?” Mark asked. “There is no one in my family with these kinds of talents.”

  “Certain humans like us have been given gifts in order to help out mankind. Believe it or not, I was engineered to do something horrible, and you were to become an angel hunter. But the good in us was stronger than the evil. We had good friends that helped us along the way. You turned out to be a light, a light that may possibly guide your father out of his darkness. And I became a neg
otiator instead of an assassin.”

  “We sure fooled them,” Mark said. “I still see angels, Mia.”

  “I still fight demons, Mark.”

  “Are you mad they tossed you out of the Gifford house?”

  “They didn’t exactly toss me out, but I understand why. Bea White doesn’t want me to get hurt in her home. I’m still a valuable member of the team even if I ride the bench for a while.”

  “Me too! I see Dieter, who is becoming a star on our football team, and I’m just second string, at best. But I know if they needed me, I’d give it my all, and that’s fine with me.”

  “Whoa, I think you’re very evolved for a male,” Mia teased.

  “And you’re alright for an old lady.”

  “Ouch. How about we stop at the party store and load up on some junk food before we go back to the farm?”

  Mark laughed. “Not too much. I don’t want to puke while I’m running laps later.”

  “Okay, just a respectable amount of junk,” Mia agreed.

  Patrick listened to Mason until he was finished with his plan. He suggested a few things. One of them involved bringing back a van-full of Irish ghosts. “We need to stack the deck in our favor. If Mia says that this Skinny is dangerous, then I’m going to be prepared. I want Stephen and Kevin Murphy at my back, and I can see a use for the knife-wielding Fergus O’Connor too.”

  Mason put down the phone, looked at the others, and said, “The Callen brothers ride again.”

  Chapter Thirty-five

  Mia handed Mark a pair of gloves.

  “What’s this for?”

  “Old books may have dangerous residues on the pages and cover. Like lead and, depending on the ink, urine.”

  “They made printer’s ink with pee?” Mark asked disgusted.

  “Yes, think of how many times when you read a book that you lick your finger or thumb before turning a page.”

  “Gross.”

  “We had a case where poison was dusted on the pages to kill whomever read the journal.”

  Mark set the book down and raised his hands.