by Gerald Lopez
“I’m Father Paul.”
He looked at Chip who turned his way, then quickly hid his face back against my shoulder.
“It’s alright, buddy,” I said.
“Nooo,” Chip said.
“Guess what we’re having later,” Father Paul said. “Pizza and cookies.”
“I don’t want any,” Chip said. “I wanna stay with my daddies.”
“That’s enough, Chip,” Forrest said, and reached for Chip, but Chip squeezed my neck and I held him tight.
“Forrest, you and Alex go on to the restaurant,” I said. “It’s close and an easy walk. I’ll stay with Chip a while before taking the golf cart to check on the guys at their posts. We’ll meet up again at the restaurant.”
I could see some reluctance in Forrest’s eyes, but I gave him a look back and saw him soften.
“We can do that,” Alex said. “Right, Forrest?”
“Yeah,” Forrest said, then handed me the golf cart key. “I can see who the softie in our family is, and it’s Daddy Layton. You behave, Chip, and don’t give Daddy Layton a hard time when he leaves. I told you earlier that this is work and you can’t be involved.”
“He’ll be good,” I said. “Chip’s a team player. I just need to tell him what his job is here.”
“Job?” Chip said.
“Oh yeah,” I said. “You have a job to do, just like us.”
“What?” Chip said.
“I’ll tell you when your other daddies have gone,” I said. “Give Chip a kiss on the cheek then get on outta here, guys.”
Alex gave Chip a kiss and hug then Forrest did the same before giving me a look.
“You’re pretty bossy, you know,” Forrest said.
“I know—surprise,” I said. When Forrest and Alex left, I turned to Father Paul. “What sort of escape plan do you have in place in case the chapel is attacked by ghosts?”
“Ghosts would never step foot in this holy and sanctified place,” Father Paul said.
“Not even the ghosts of former priests and nuns?” I said.
“No,” Father Paul said. “The chapel of Christ the Shepherd has been here since the town was founded, and no ghost has ever dared to come inside.”
“You’ve been here all that time,” I said, then chuckled. “You look very young for your age.”
Father Paul laughed. “There is a side door we can escape through if anything happens. Would you like to see it?”
“Chip my escape plan expert would,” I said. “Right, Chip?”
“Yes,” Chip said.
We followed Father Paul past a nook that held a large stone statue of Jesus the shepherd holding his staff in one hand and a lamb in the other.
“Interesting statue,” I said.
“There are two more like it,” Father Paul said then pointed to a matching nook and statue across on the other wall. “The one up front is slightly different.”
Near the altar was another statue but the Christ figure was reclining. His staff lay beside him and sculpted sheep surrounded him.
“They really wanted to stress the shepherd motif, didn’t they?” I said.
“Three’s a good number,” Father Paul said.
I winced when I heard ‘three’. “Where’s the side exit, Father?”
“Right this way,” Father Paul said, then walked past the altar to a narrow back hallway.
There was a dim light overhead, and I managed to spot a built-in metal ladder against the back wall of the hallway.
“Where does that ladder lead?” I said.
“The roof,” Father Paul said. “There’s an attached outdoor ladder leading back down from the roof. It’s a possible escape option if we can’t get out the back door.”
“Did you hear that, Chip?” I said.
“Yes, Sir,” Chip said.
We then followed Father Paul to the other section of the hall where the side door was located.
“This is where I make my exit,” I said and started to put Chip down, but he held on tight to me. “Remember, you’re not supposed to make a fuss when I leave.”
“But it’s still early,” Chip said.
“It sure is,” I said. “Father, Paul, I’m gonna take Chip for a ride, but we’ll be back soon and he won’t fuss about staying.”
“Alright, but don’t miss the pizza and cookies,” Father Paul said.
“He won’t,” I said. “And I’ll be sure to call his Daddy Forrest and keep him in the know.”
We headed out, and I put Chip on my shoulders until we got to the golf cart. I buckled him in the seat beside me then took out my phone and called his other daddy. Forrest wasn’t happy when I told him what I’d done, but he’d get over it. Alex would calm him down for me. Besides, what was the worst Forrest could do—spank me. That wasn’t such a bad thing. I chuckled out loud, and Chip giggled.
Our first stop was to the beachfront where Sister Vaughn, Sister Randy, Bella, and Bean were stationed. Chip and I both took off our flip-flops and walked barefoot to the beach. I stopped and looked at the tight growth of trees with wild branches growing every which way.
“Hmm,” I said while holding Chip’s hand.
“Hmm,” Chip said.
“The moons gonna be shining all through those branches,” I said. “There are so many of them.”
“Yeah,” Chip said. “But one must be special somehow.”
“That’s pretty clever of you to say, buddy,” I said. “But which one is special?”
Chip merely shrugged his shoulders. We kept walking toward where the boy nuns and others would be waiting. I heard a yell, let go of Chip’s hand, and rushed forward.
Sister Randy was in the air in front of a crowd before landing with a hard thud on the sand.
“Don’t kill ‘em before they can help with the treasure hunt,” Bean said to Bella.
“My sentiments exactly,” I said.
Sister Randy lay in the sand laughing. “Oh my God that was so awesome,” he said before being helped up by Sister Vaughn.
Chip ran to me and held my hand.
“Don’t worry there, little Chip,” Bella said. “I was just showing the boys my old wrestling moves.”
“Sometimes my daddy and I watch rest-il-ing on TV,” Chip said.
“Bella was, and still is one of the greats,” Sister Randy said.
The crowd cheered and Bella and Sister Randy bowed. I peered at the people in the area. Some folks sat in folding chairs, others on beach towels. A few wandered around using metal detectors. They were all ages, ranging from probable teenagers to retirees.
“I didn’t think this many people would be out so early,” I said to Sister Vaughn and Bean.
“Wait until later,” Bean said, “We’ll be lucky to have breathing room.” He looked at Chip. “I thought you were supposed to be at the chapel.”
“I’m helping Daddy first,” Chip said, then looked up at me.
“It’s my fault,” I said. “He’s too cute and adorable to say no to, so I brought him with me for a ride. His main man daddy isn’t too happy with me at present.”
“Then he should’ve kept the kid with him,” Bean said. “You’re allowed input as a family member.”
“Someone may get a spanking later,” I said, then chuckled.
“Not me,” Chip said.
“No, not you,” I said.
“Some spankings aren’t all that bad,” Bean said, then grinned my way.
I smiled and raised my eyebrows in response.
“Mr. Detective, marine man,” Sister Vaughn said. “I keep looking at these trees and have no clue about which branch or even tree is the right one. They’re growing in one big clump. Bean said they’re all the same age, too.”
I watched Bella and Sister Randy wrestling again while I spoke. “Sister Vaughn, I don’t even know what to tell you except to keep your eyes peeled.”
“We’ll know something when we know it, and not a second before, it’s that simple,” Bean said. “The boats on the wate
r have moved in closer—what a pain.”
On the water past the beach were several boats, and more than a few yachts. All the way to the left I could make out the pier in the distance.
“There’s the boat I was on with all the yummy ice cream,” Chip said, then pointed to a yacht on the water.”
“Are either of you hungry?” Bean said. “We brought plenty of snacks.”
“I’m good,” I said. “How about you, Chip?”
“No, thank you,” Chip said. “I’m not hungry yet.”
“Layton,” Sister Vaughn said, “are you sure being out on the water tonight is the best idea? Won’t it take you a while to get on land, I mean just look at the crowd here already?”
“I get what your saying,” I said. “I’m hoping that from the water I’ll be able to see the whole picture.” Bella flipped Sister Randy back onto the sand again, and the onlookers cheered. “Hopefully I’ll be able to see where the moonbeam initially hits its target and where it goes from there.”
“You’re thinking that you may be able to catch sight of all two or three points from the water,” Sister Vaughn said. “Clever, but do you have binoculars or something to use?”
“My friend Miss Lucy has a pair that’s she’s loaning to me when I see her at Poppy’s restaurant,” I said.
“Then you’ve got everything covered,” Sister Vaughn said.
“As well as can be, but there’s always the element of the unknown that you can’t prepare for,” I said. “That’s a given.”
“That’s called life,” Bean said. “Only we’re dealing with the undead—ghosts—and that makes this a whole new ball game, baby.”
Chapter 29
No Rest for the Wicked or the Good
CHIP AND I SAID our good-byes, then went back to the golf cart.
“Do you know how to rest-il, Daddy?” Chip said.
“Wrestling was never really my sport, buddy. You could probably pin me down real easy.”
We both chuckled.
“This is fun,” Chip said, when we were on the road again. “I like being with you and Daddy Alex… and Mommy Charity too.”
“And we all enjoy spending time with you.”
In just a matter of minutes we were at the second stop, where Sister Mack, Sister Joe, and Randall were stationed. Before we got near them, we spotted a line of people.
“Interesting,” I said.
“How come, Daddy?”
“I wonder why people are in line.”
“Look, they have water bottles and cans of drinks,” Chip said.
“They do,” I said.
I drove around the line until stopping in front of where Sister Joe was blessing the bottled waters, beers, sodas—you name it. There was a ladder with a poster on it behind him, and Sister Mack was urging people forward while collecting money in a bucket. The poster on the ladder had writing on it. The writing informed people that any donations for blessing the liquids would be used toward rebuilding The Fairy Dust Club. After parking, I helped Chip out of the golf cart, and we walked hand-in-hand to Randall.
“Father and son, how adorable,” Randall said.
“The Fairy Dust club,” I said. “I’m guessing that was the name of your club that was destroyed.”
“That was our club alright—where it rained glitter every night,” Randall said. “It’s sweet of the boy nuns to raise money for us.”
“Clever idea,” I said. “Asking for donations to bless water and beer. Almost blasphemous, if not for the fact it’s for a good cause.”
“And don’t forget it helps fend off ghosts and other spirits,” Randall said.
“I don’t have any blessed water to fight ghosts,” Chip said sadly.
“Don’t you worry about that,” Randall said. “I’ve got something special for you. Just stay put right there for a minute.”
He walked to a pile of things next to the ladder.
“How’s it going, guys?” I said to Sister Mack and Sister Joe.
“Keeping busy, boss,” Sister Joe said, then went back to blessing things.
“What’s the ladder for?” I said.
“Getting a higher up view when that moonbeam comes through,” Sister Mack said. “We climb the ladder, then use Randall’s binoculars.”
“Smart,” I said. “But be careful on the ladder.”
“Yes, Sir,” Sister Mack said. “I’ll send Sister Joe up and stand behind him in case of anything.”
“Layton,” Randall said, waving me his way while holding one hand behind his back.
I walked over to him with Chip by my side.
“This is for you, Chip,” Randall said, then revealed the small, blue water gun he’d been holding behind his back.
“Wowww,” Chip said, then looked at me.
“It’s OK, you can take it, buddy,” I said.
“Test her out,” Randall said.
Chip pulled the plastic trigger and a stream of water came out of the gun.
“If you see one of those ghosties, just aim and shoot,” Sister Joe, who’d walked up, said.
After giggling, Chip pulled the trigger again.
“Don’t waste the holy water,” I said.
“Did you forget he’s gonna be in a chapel surrounded by holy water?” Sister Joe said.
“What?” I said, and smiled. “Do you really think I’d forget that?”
“If you run out of water, kid, just flash your cross,” Randall said, then showed the cross he wore under his T-shirt.
“I don’t have a cross,” Chip said. “My chain broke so I left it home.”
“Downtown, in front of the candy store, the guitar playing blond stud’s sister is selling handmade crosses,” Sister Joe said, then handed me a ten dollar bill from his pocket. “This will get you two. And it’s not from the donation money—it’s mine.”
“Thanks,” I said.
“It’ll cost you a kiss,” Sister Joe said.
I walked to him and kissed his nose. We both chuckled.
“Don’t get lost in the crowd, you’ve got a job to do,” I said.
“I won’t forget,” Sister Joe said. “Randall, give him that extra case of bottled water that Pete brought over—we’ve got plenty more and the folks at the chapel may need it for backup in case the holy water fonts run out.”
Randall walked Chip and me back to the golf cart, while I carried the case of water.
“Randall, how do I find Calvary Hill Cemetery?”
After getting directions, we headed out.
“Daddy, did you really r-m-mber the holy water in the church?” Chip said as I drove.
After shaking my head ‘no’ I spoke. “Nope, not good, huh?”
“Nope.”
“Do you feel safer now with that cool water gun?”
“A lil,” Chip said. “But those ghosts that went to the boat were scary.”
“I’m sure they were,” I said. “But usually churches are pretty safe places. They’re holy ground.”
We were nearly to the top of a hill. Cars and golf carts were parked to the side of the road, along with bicycles and scooters.
“Here we are,” I said.
Chip gasped. “This place looks scary.”
A crumbling, rock and iron fence surrounded a large cemetery. There was an imposing gate with a metal gargoyle on top. Beyond it were a mass of graves, and a stone building with a tower. Unlike at the chapel, the area between the graves was grassy and there were many trees.
“You just hold my hand tight if you get scared, OK?” I said to Chip.
“OK,” Chip said.
I parked on the curb, then helped Chip out. He immediately grabbed my hand and held it tightly. The poor little guy had definitely been spooked by the ghosts from earlier. But why wouldn’t he be shaken up, he’s a little boy and the ghosts scared even adults. We walked along the sidewalk toward the entrance, passing people in lawn chairs with coolers by their side and holding binoculars. The minute we were inside I spotted Pete who waved t
o us.
“I was just dropping off some supplies to Julio and the kids,” Pete said. “They’ve found themselves a pretty good spot. Come on, I’ll take you to them.”
“Thanks,” I said.
We followed Pete down a cement path between tombstones. There really were a lot of trees in this cemetery.
“Here we are,” Pete said, stopping in front of the largest tree.
“Hi, there,” Antoinette said.
I looked around but didn’t see her until I looked up. Sitting in a simple, three-wall tree house with a rail were Antoinette, Bogie, and Julio.
“Good vantage point,” I said.
“Yeah,” Julio said, then held up the binoculars he wore around his neck. “With these I can see the guys at the second point.”
“Can you see as far as the beach?” I said.
“Nope,” Julio said, “sorry.”
“Are you guys and gal gonna stay up there all night?” I said.
“We’re gonna take turns using the public toilet on the grounds here, and stretching our legs,” Julio said. “The kids have candy, drinks, and their games to keep them busy till things start happening.”
“It sounds like you three have things under control,” I said. “How, are you doing Bogie?”
“Good,” Bogie said, then blew a bubblegum bubble my way. “You want some gum?”
“No thanks,” I said.
Pete headed out, but I walked around the cemetery a bit with Chip. We ended our tour by going up the tower, and looking out over the top of it.
“You saved Brandon from the top of a tower in Mt Ore, remember, Daddy?” Chip said.
“I remember,” I said. A woman smiled my way and I spoke to her. “Hello. I’m surprised there aren’t any people camped out up here.”
“A few tried, but the security guard periodically comes up here and chases them away,” the woman said. “The tower door will be padlocked shut before nightfall. They don’t want a repeat of what happened here all those years ago.”
“What happened?” Chip said.
“I don’t know if it’s a story fit for little boys to hear,” the woman said. “But, maybe big boys need to hear it.” She looked at me. “Are you up for a ghost story?”
