High Court (Cid Garrett P.I. Book 2)

by Alexie Aaron

  Cid opened the door and stepped down from the trailer. He looked around and liked what he saw. Gone was the scarred façade of the motel. Instead, a vibrant art community was taking form. Already a few artists had claimed studios. Calvin warned them they were going to be in a construction zone for a while, but they came anyway.

  Jesse had taken the Espina roofers out for drinks before they left. He had ironed out a few wrinkles between them and him. He came back with a better opinion of what Dita and Belinda had accomplished with their team.

  Wayne was Wayne. He worked hard and supported Kiki with the strength of a bull. He was the only one to get Thanksgiving off, something he still lorded over Jesse and Cid. “In life, you have to learn when to brown-nose and when to grovel. The rewards are having holidays off.”

  Sheriff Grady and Calvin Franks had given the Egglestons an exclusive on the arrests made. Macy wrote a stunning exposé on how the 1964 election was highjacked. She was offered a book deal but turned it down, citing that managing a profitable paper was enough for her. It wasn’t enough, as it turned out. Faye told Cid that Macy had marched down to Sam’s office and asked him out.

  Faye reported, “I’m not saying that I see wedding bells in their future, but right now, I see two very happy people.”

  Cid had asked her, “Are you lonely now that Miguel is gone?”

  “No. I have Mr. Baylor if I need someone to ghost-around with. Macy has given me a lot of homework to do. She has set up a research plan for me.”

  Cid drove to Stepner to deliver Faye’s broach to Macy. He found her on the fourth floor where she was supervising the cleaning of the ad room.

  “What’s going on here?” Cid asked.

  “The state university wants to rent out the space for part of a new satellite campus. I offered the old drafting tables to Calvin, and he took them. Evidently, he’s already talked to the town council on expanding the community center to offer free art classes.”

  “What are you going to do about the elevator situation?” Cid asked as he followed Macy down the stairs to continue their conversation in the privacy of her office.

  “Nothing. Mr. Baylor assures Sam that he will stay out of it during business hours. Most of the students will probably take the stairs anyway. And I hired an elevator operator who’s not afraid of ghosts.”

  “I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall during that interview,” Cid said.

  Cid noticed that the paper hummed with activity. He had heard that the Egglestons were contemplating taking the paper back to a daily paper instead of just twice weekly. It would be a costly mistake if it didn’t work out, so they weren’t rushing into it.

  Macy picked up a stack of phone messages from her secretary and walked into her office.

  Cid declined the offer of coffee and a seat. He reached into his coat and produced a small wooden box he had worked on in his spare time. He handed it to Macy. “Don’t worry, it’s not what you think. This is Faye’s anchor.”

  Macy opened the box up to see a beautiful, expensive emerald broach.

  “I think it was pinned on her dress when she was murdered. See, there is a small piece of fabric caught up in the hinge.”

  “I’ll put it in the safe,” Macy promised.

  “If Faye becomes too much, just FedEx the broach to this address,” Cid said, handing her a card.

  Macy looked at it. “I notice it’s not your address.”

  “Fancy that,” Cid said and left her office without another comment.

  Barry escorted Cid to Calvin’s inner sanctum. Calvin rose to greet him. “Cid, thank you so much for coming to see me.”

  “A little Kiki bird told me that you wanted to see me,” he confessed.

  “Ah, Kiki, she is an excellent manager. I see quite a future for that young woman.”

  “She’s doing what she loves.”

  “What about you? Are you doing what you love?” Calvin asked.

  “I guess so. I do love to work with wood, and working with PEEPs has been quite an adventure.”

  “How about investigating cold cases?” Calvin asked.

  “I’ll leave that to the professionals,” Cid said. “I think law enforcement is better trained to handle criminal cases.”

  “But they don’t have the budget or the time,” Calvin argued.

  “That’s true, but I’m not a gun guy. I normally depend on an axe-carrying ghost and a petite blonde to save me when things get rough. I think I’ll stick to ghost chasing and carpentry for the time being.”

  “If you change your mind, I have a few friends who are interested in funding a group to handle cold cases in North America. Someone with your connections and abilities would be perfect to head this group. You could hire whomever you want.”

  Cid was surprised by the offer. “Thank you for the offer, but I’m going to turn it down. I will, however, make myself available if your group runs into something where a paranormal investigator would be handy.”

  “I’ll let them know. But I’m not going to give up on you, Cid. Expect further calls from me,” Calvin warned.

  Cid smiled. “Right now, all I’m looking forward to is going back to Big Bear Lake, being second banana to my best friend, and working on building my own house.”

  “Speaking of your house, I commissioned something for your new home. The artist is big into comic lore. I thought you’d appreciate this,” Calvin said, lifting a multimedia hanging sculpture from behind his desk and setting it on an easel beside it.

  The artist wove wood veneers into what could easily be seen as Superman’s chest. The muscles were pronounced, causing the emblem that was stretched taut over it to pop out. Instead of the immortalized Kryptonian symbol for “hope,” a capital G was carved there.

  “I’m speechless,” Cid said. “This is too much.”

  “No, Cid, it’s just enough,” Calvin said and added, “For now…”

  ***

  Alexie Aaron

  After traveling the world, Alexie Aaron, a Midwestern native, returned to her roots where she’s been haunting for years. She now lives at the top of the mitt with her husband and family.

  Her popular Haunted Series was born from her memories of fleeting shapes rushing around doorways, an heirloom chair that rocked itself, cold feelings of mysterious dread, and warm feelings from the traces of loved ones long gone. From the series, another series was born. The Cid Garrett P.I. series, which takes the reader on a more conventual paranormal adventure.

  Alexie also writes the Cin Fin-Lathen Mysteries. These mysteries, set in England and south Florida, combine action and intrigue with a liberal dose of humor.

  Want more information? Visit www.alexieaaron.com for updates, blog posts, podcasts, and much, much more.