The Candle (Haunted Series Book 23)

by Alexie Aaron

  “You may want to come in so I can start the air conditioner. It’s going to be hard sleeping with the noise, let alone the house being too warm.”

  “I just want the spies to know where we are.”

  “Have you seen anyone we should be concerned with?”

  “A pair of Others stopped across the street and spent a lot of time looking at that window display.”

  “Which one?” Nordin asked.

  “The Goth jeweler. That reminds me, we should bring Mia back a souvenir to cheer her up.”

  “Don’t you have faith she’s going to be successful, Mr. Wayne?” Nordin asked.

  “I do, but if she doesn’t make it, we should have something to console her.”

  “If she doesn’t, you’d better adopt her.”

  “Why?”

  “Word on the street, the council is looking for Charles and Amanda to have another child.”

  “So that’s why this duo of Others are out there. They’re an extermination squad. The council must have decided to clear the slate so they can program another assassin. They wouldn’t want Mia’s blood on their hands when they can have mercenaries do it for them.”

  “So the powers of good will murder a little girl for being a good little girl.”

  “Yes, you see why I hate all this political posturing. When the good are the ones you have to be worried about, the world becomes a treacherous place,” Wyatt said.

  “Why do you think Abigor hasn’t already killed Mia?” Nordin asked.

  “I really don’t know. It’s not that he’s afraid of a little girl. Now would be the time. But according to the memories I managed to catch as I mind-read Mia, he’s alive in her time. And he gave her a very valuable gold chain.”

  “I think the chain is symbolic,” Nordin pointed out.

  “You mean she’s chained to him?” Wyatt asked.

  “No, I think it goes deeper than that. I think he’s known about Mia since birth. I think, somehow, he and she bonded. Neither of them may be aware of it. I hope you’re not thinking of pairing the two up when she’s grown. I just met the girl and already know she wouldn’t be happy in a harem.”

  “No, but if we adopt Mia, then I’ll have to choose a husband for her. Someone to protect her if something happens to me. There is a young demon who resides here in New Orleans who would be a good match. He won’t reach maturity for a few decades, but he’s got the makings of a hero,” Wyatt said. “We could arrange the marriage for when he is old enough. Until then, the promise bond should be enough to keep her safe.”

  “Here you are being maternal. It’s a new look for you, Mr. Wayne.”

  “From fallen to father, what an amazing ride it’s been,” Wyatt said. He got up and handed his empty glass to Nordin. “Let’s go out and see if we can make the acquaintance of Sticks after the rainstorm. I want to see for myself what kind of home he could provide for my future daughter.”

  ~

  Ted pulled into a self-serve gas station, and Mia went into the small convenience store to pay the attendant. She grabbed a few snacks she knew were a favorite of both Ted and Cid. The clerk was distracted by the soap opera that was playing on the small black and white TV, the original intent of which must have been to view the fueling aisles. Mia handed Cid the bag of Dr. Peppers and Red Vines. She sat in the back sipping on a cup of black coffee. Ted put the top down on the convertible, and they continued on their journey.

  The wind made it hard to talk, so Mia contented herself with looking at the scenery. It was pretty flat, but the farmhouses stood out against the sky. The two- and three-story structures spoke of a time when families had a lot of children and the older members were cared for in the home instead of in facilities. Spring flowers filled pots that hung from the gingerbread on the front porches.

  “Not many trees,” Murphy said close to Mia’s ear.

  She nodded.

  Cid tapped Ted’s shoulder and pointed out an approaching drive. He slowed and turned onto it.

  Mia recognized the farmhouse, but the land seemed different. When she had visited, Glenda was contemplating moving to a new house, so she had let the fields fall fallow. Mia didn’t realize how much she missed the Queen Anne’s lace and other wildflowers until now. The orderly rows of sprouting grain seemed too sterile to her.

  Ted pulled in beside an older white Buick Roadmaster station wagon.

  Mia, Murphy, and Cid got out of the convertible and waited for Ted to put up the soft top. Mia struggled for an idea on how to approach Glenda Dupree. She was a formidable woman and had a natural radar when it came to lies.

  The object of her concern came out of the house wiping her hands on the bottom of her apron. “Hello! Are you lost?” Glenda asked.

  Mia walked up to the porch and said, “I have a tricky answer to that simple question if you have time to listen.”

  “You, child, have me intrigued.”

  “I’m Mia Cooper. These are my friends Ted Martin and Cid Garrett. Also, depending on how you feel about ghosts, Stephen Murphy is standing next to me.”

  Glenda raised an eyebrow and challenged, “Prove it.”

  Murphy did, choosing to fade in slowly so as to not jump scare the older woman.

  Glenda reached out and waved her hand through Murphy’s middle. “How are you doing this?” she asked the kids.

  Ted, Cid, and Mia raised their hands.

  “You know, the house I grew up in is haunted, but I never saw anybody. Heard things, yes, but not seen anything. Is that why you’ve come, to show me a ghost?”

  “No,” Mia said. “I’m finding this more difficult to talk about than I thought.”

  “Mrs. Dupree,” Ted started. “We have some questions that maybe only you or your son Mike can answer. We aren’t selling anything and don’t really want anything from you.”

  “It’s sounding better and better. Why don’t you all come inside and have a piece of pie. Mike’s not home from school yet.”

  “Did you make your apple pie with the raisins and walnuts in it?” Mia asked.

  “Why yes, I didn’t know it was famous.”

  “You won prizes at the county fair for it every time you entered it. It’s a shame that your sister stole the recipe,” Mia said.

  “That bitch! I couldn’t enter it after that because everyone was putting raisins and walnuts in their pies.” Glenda studied Mia’s face. “But only I know that.”

  “You talked about it over Vodka cocktails one night.”

  “I don’t drink Vodka,” Glenda lied.

  “Then why do you have a least three bottles in the apple cooler?” Mia asked.

  “Now you’re spooking me, child. I do drink Vodka, but I’d never drink it with a child.”

  “Here’s the thing. As of a few days ago, we were all twenty years older. I’ve come to ask you why you think this may have happened?”

  “Lord in Heaven, I’ve never heard such a thing. Tell me more, but first, pie and milk.”

  “Can I have coffee instead?” Mia asked.

  “Yuck, how can you drink that stuff?” Ted said.

  Mia and Murphy looked at each other in shock.

  Mia let it go and said, “It’s a grown-up thing.”

  Glenda looked at the young girl. There wasn’t any guile in the child. She spoke like an older person, but still it was hard to convince Glenda that this white-haired, moss-green-eyed slip of a girl had the mind of a thirty-two-year-old. “Mia, tell me something, if you’re a thirty-two-year-old, why in God’s name would you chose to be a child again?”

  “I didn’t. Let me explain what happened.”

  “I’m all ears.”

  Mia spoke while Glenda served the pie. Ted and Cid noticed that the story Mia told Glenda didn’t differ from the one she told them.

  Murphy watched Mike Dupree enter the hall and stop just outside of the kitchen door. He stood there listening.

  When Mia finished her narration, she said, “It was suggested that I seek out everyone who was
at the party and ask them if they made a wish that would have caused this.”

  “So, there is a candle that can actually give you a wish?” Glenda asked, amazed.

  “A wish with a caveat,” Mia said.

  “Presently, there is an alternate timeline going on,” Ted said. “But according to the information Mia and Murphy have, if we can break the candle before the full moon, the future will not be altered.”

  “What’s the harm?” she asked.

  “The harm is that I’ll have to repeat exactly everything in order to end up married to the right guy so we can conceive our children in the right times and circumstances, or they will cease to be. It’s impossible.”

  “If I made the wish, would I know I made it?” Glenda asked.

  “Theoretically,” Mia said.

  “And the wish landed all of us twenty years in the past?” Glenda confirmed.

  “Yes, it’s the price to pay for using magic for personal gain,” Mia said.

  “I’m trying to think why I would want to be on this farm right now. I have a second mortgage in arrears, my gallbladder is acting up, and the pump I use to feed water through my irrigation system just failed. So, I’d say no. If I did have a wish, it would be to see Mike’s dad again, if just for a few minutes. But the candle would probably bring him back as a zombie, and I’d have to kill him, so I don’t think it was me. But I’ll check around and see if I see any candles I don’t remember having.”

  “Thank you, that’s more than generous,” Mia said.

  “You could have just wished to be twenty years younger, Ma,” Mike said from the doorway.

  The kids turned around to see what looked to be a movie star in the making. Mike was tall with farm-work muscles and handsome.

  “The magic caveat of the candle chose to, instead of making you younger, take you back into the past and take all of us back with you,” Mike reasoned.

  “Why not you?” Ted asked. “You’re in the prime of your life. Everything is going your way. You have girls falling at your feet. Your mother adores you, and aside from some money problems, there is nothing stopping you from achieving stardom.”

  Mike rolled his eyes. “That’s what’s on the surface. But my insides are fucked up.”

  “Michael!” Glenda scolded. “Watch your language! There are children here.”

  “Not one of them,” Mike said. “This one’s not a child if her lies are to be believed.” Mike put a firm hand on Mia’s shoulder. “If you’re really a sensitive, tell them why I’m such a fucked-up mess.”

  “Ever since you lived in Lund, when you sleep alone, you’re visited by a spirit that sits on your chest, puts a cold hand on your mouth, and says, “Don’t scream. Listen. The well, beware of the well.”

  Mike sunk to his knees. “Mom, she’s telling the truth. What is she?”

  “She’s a very brave woman,” Glenda said, kneeling. “I had no idea this was going on. I know you had trouble in Lund, but when we moved back here, things changed.”

  “It takes a while for the spirit to find him. Mike has what PEEPs will call a personal haunting. We solve it in the future.”

  “What’s PEEPs?” Mike asked.

  “It’s Paranormal Entity Exposure Partners. You and Burt Hicks form this paranormal investigative group in the future. I meet you when you come to Illinois to investigate my friend Murphy’s farmhouse.”

  Murphy manifested again and smiled wickedly down at Mike.

  Mike looked back at the ghost more annoyed than frightened. “Can you get rid of this thing now?” Mike asked.

  “Maybe. We would have to go to Lund, and we would have to have the original players, Beth Bouvier and Burt Hicks. We may be able to do this without Beth, but we need Burt.”

  “Mia, we don’t have the time,” Murphy warned her.

  “I know. But if we can’t fix this candle mess by the full moon, then we do have time, just as long as we find Burt,” she said, knowing that once the candle was broken, they would return to the correct time. She didn’t need for Mike to think, if he stopped the candle breaking, that his relief could happen sooner. She eyed Ted, and he nodded. He was on the same page.

  Glenda helped her son up. She pulled out a kitchen chair and sat him down. “You sit there a moment. This Burt Hicks, is he famous?”

  “No, I know he’s from Summerville, Kansas. Before I came here, we were researching all of you, but we couldn’t find Burt’s present location. I know he lives there, but he’s not there now.”

  “Burt Hicks…” Glenda said again. “Where do I know that name from?” She stopped talking and walked into the mudroom where she kept the old newspapers. She picked up the last two papers and leafed through them. She nodded as she folded back the paper and tapped it.

  Mia and the others grouped around Glenda as she read the headline, “Youth Disappears in Summerville. According to his parents, high school senior Burt Hicks did not arrive home after school as was his normal custom. Upon further investigation, the senior hadn’t arrived at school. He left the house at 6:30AM, according to his mother, driving his 1989 Dodge Shadow. The car was found abandoned alongside Route 283. If anyone has any information that would lead to the whereabouts of Burt Hicks, they are requested to call…” Glenda finished.

  Mia looked at the picture of a young Burt standing beside his pride and joy, a red-painted refurbished Dodge Shadow sports car. “That’s him. When was this disappearance?” she asked, looking at the paper.

  “Two days ago,” Glenda answered.

  “When was it reported?”

  “In yesterday’s paper,” Glenda confirmed.

  “I didn’t think they took a missing person’s report before the person has been gone twenty-four hours?” Mia questioned.

  “Not when it’s a child,” Glenda said. “Summerville is a small town. You probably could involve the police after a few hours.”

  “So, Burt was last seen not long after I woke up as a child,” Mia said.

  “It looks like he’s the guilty party,” Ted said.

  “But why?” Mia asked.

  Mike walked over and pulled out a dog-eared Kansas atlas. He looked in the back and found Summerville and turned to the page. He found route 283 and traced it up and down the map. He flipped to the big map of Kansas and frowned. “The road runs through most of the middle of the state. Did they say where they found the car?” he asked.

  “No, but I would assume it would be close to Summerville,” Glenda said. “What’s around there of interest?”

  “A lot of nothing, the Smoky Hill River Valley, the…”

  “Wait,” Mia said, closing her eyes. “The name Smoky Hill River comes to mind. Damn, it’s just out of my reach,” she said.

  The others watched as Mia’s hands searched for something in the air in front of her. “Is there an old hospital, maybe an asylum, or a private school there? I remember Burt and I were talking about odd names like Green Desert, Nevada and Royal Palm Beach because there was no beach in Royal Palm and the desert wasn’t green in Nevada. He muttered, Hill River, no, Smoky Hill River. I asked him if possibly the river ran up and down hills. He gave me the stink eye.”

  “Did he say anything else?” Mike prodded.

  “He mumbled something about a missed opportunity. Yes, it had to do with investigating a haunted building. I suggested PEEPs go and look into it, but he shook his head and mentioned something about a reservoir destroying the place.”

  “There is no reservoir in that area of the river,” Mike said, flipping through the map.

  Glenda got on the phone and shushed the room. “Hello, Marge, it’s Glenda, Glenda Dupree. Yes, I know it’s been ages.” Glenda listened for a while and responded, “I didn’t know she lost her husband. Poor soul, I’ll have to write her a letter. Oh yes, what I called about is rather silly, but it involves a game of Kansas Trivia I’m playing with Mike. Well, anyway, he’s in the bathroom, so I’ll make this quick. What tragedy happened in the Smoky Hill River area that was notable
? I figured you’d know since it’s your neighborhood. Uh huh… uh huh. Really? But how could they let that happen? Oh, that long ago. No! And… Why that’s horrible. Oh dear, I hear Mike flushing. I don’t want him to know I’m cheating. Yes, thanks. Friday? Sure, we’ll have a good catch up. Bye.” Glenda hung up the phone, jotted down a few things, and then looked at the group.

  “Well?” Mike asked.

  “In 1957, a doctor at the Smoky Hill Home for the Criminally Disturbed was found guilty of experimenting on the inmates. Evidently, several suspicious deaths were reported by a visiting nurse. The state investigated and found the doctor guilty. Before they could arrest him, he hanged himself. They shut the place down and moved the remaining inmates away. The building was a dare spot and attracted courting couples until one of the young ladies died of fright. The county supervisors went as far as tearing up the road and planting trees in the drive so no one could find the place who didn’t know it was already there. Marge’s father said that the last time he was in there, it chilled him to the bone, which is hard to do in August in Kansas.”

  “But…” Mia said, trying to figure why Burt would wish to go back there. “Why would he go back alone? Last time he investigated alone, we had to go in and save his butt.”

  Murphy was running his finger along the axe head. He stopped and looked over at Mia before he spoke, “Earlier, before Audrey had us choose candles, Burt was talking with Mike about how he wished he had this group of investigators when he was starting out. Maybe he was thinking about Smoky Hill when the candles were lit. Or simply thought, ‘Gee I wish it was twenty years ago and PEEPs could investigate.’”

  “It may not have been deliberate at all,” Cid said. “His timing was just bad.”

  “My question is, he would have woken up in 1998 with his memory intact, so why didn’t he seek us out to find out what had happened?” Ted asked.

  “Burt has a pretty extensive collection of books on magic,” Mia said. “A lot of them he said he had collected by the time he graduated high school. He could have done his own research, and maybe he came to the same conclusion as I did, that it was someone simply wishing to be younger.”