by Alexie Aaron
“Yes.”
“Well, you may be interested that the McCartle family moved through your town and is reputed to have changed their name to McCarty, and there is a slim chance that an heir of theirs went on to New Mexico. You may know him as William H. Bonney.” Yvonne giggled. “Wouldn’t it be a lark if Billy the kid is connected to your present case?”
“It certainly will add color to my report,” Beth said.
“If you have time, see what you can find. I would be interested if my theory has any weight to it.”
“I’ll do that. Thank you again, Yvonne. I’ll be in touch.” Beth ended the call and called Burt.
~
The waves had calmed as the evening hours approached. Komal moved along the beach, exercising the freedom he had when Sire was in his corporal state. He had witnessed the man leaving the island an hour earlier. Komal was uneasy, knowing how angry this man could become. His rage bore sadistic fruit, and the servants bore the scars of previous tantrums.
“Komal.” He heard Sabine’s voice in the ether.
“I am listening, child,” he answered her.
She started speaking and asked if others could be let in. Komal agreed. Gerald’s voice joined hers just before he felt a strong male presence. Sabine spoke again, “This is Angelo, he has found your remains. He seeks to bond with you.”
Komal opened his mind and let Angelo in.
~
Mia, knee deep in soil, felt a pulling in the ether. She tilted her head and listened. “Ah, Angelo. He’s safe, Komal. You’re welcome.” She didn’t realize she spoke these words out loud.
Murphy looked at her oddly, and Ted just asked, “Who the hell are you talking to?”
Mia shook her body all over to wake up from the trance. “Komal, he is a… I’m not exactly sure… Anyway, he wanted the down low on Angelo.”
“The archangel,” Ted said with awe.
“He’s not,” Mia snapped and realizing she wasn’t sure asked, “Is he?”
“Beats me, babe, but the size of the man makes me think of something other than us.”
Mia liked being included in Ted’s world. “Perhaps you’re right, who knows. But us pondering the status of Angelo isn’t getting Murphy out of the ground. Have you hit wood yet?”
“Dudette, there are so many ways I could answer that, all of them inappropriate considering our solemn mission,” Ted said sternly and added, “FYI, my wood’s just fine.”
Mia blushed so red that Murphy moved in to see if she was okay. “Oh, Teddy Bear, I didn’t mean… Oh my!” Mia started laughing. She continued to dig until her spade hit something solid. “Woo Hoo! I think I’ve got wood!”
“Mia, stop teasing… Oh, cool,” Ted said as he walked over and planted his spade in the ground close to hers and heard a thunk. “Hollow, I think we have the icehouse.
The two of them dug in tandem, spreading out from the point of contact. Ted felt the wood give under his feet. He jumped out of the hole and exchanged his spade for an axe. He cautioned Mia to stand back, and he put his back into the swing. As the metal connected with the old rotted wood, he broke through the ceiling of Murphy’s grave.
The air that moved upward wasn’t exactly unpleasant to smell, but it was old and musty as any trapped air would be after a hundred or so years. Ted climbed out of the hole after chopping a human-sized hole in the roof. He needed to get away for a bit to let the bad air dissipate. He looked over and saw Mia lighting a few lanterns to combat the darkness that had moved in.
“Mia, would it be ungentlemanly of me to recommend you descend into the icehouse?”
“Well as a gentleman you would be in error, but as a team member you would not only be politically correct but smart.” Mia started to tie a length of rope into a loop and explained, “I am going to make a sling and put it around my upper body. You’re not only strong enough to lower me, but bring me up quickly if I freak out.”
“Explain freak out.”
Mia chuckled and pointed out, “Ted, you’ll know it when you hear it. I don’t plan on it. I’m sure Murphy will be around if I need comforting,” she said sarcastically as the farmer took off as soon as they hit the ceiling of his tomb.
Mia took time to put on some salt-encrusted gloves before walking over the mound of displaced soil and down into the hole.
Ted kept a steady pressure on the rope as she inched her way down. She sat on the edge of the hole. It felt cold below her, but that was natural being underground. It didn’t have the icy feel that other spirit-filled tombs gave off. “Okay, Ted, start lowering me.” She pushed off into the abyss with only a penlight held with her teeth to light her way. She took it out of her mouth and moved it around the small enclosure. There were the expected large insects one would find, but they scattered as she moved lower. She pointed the light down to gauge the distance to the floor and saw Murphy looking up at her. He was dressed as she had seen him in the forest. His hair slicked back with care, with his hat by his side. His eyes were closed with pennies placed on each lid. She saw a woman standing over him, consumed with tears. Mia watched as his axe was placed by his body. The handle tucked under one arm. “Stephen Murphy,” Mia said softly.
“Did you say something,” Ted called from above, breaking the spell.
The echo dissipated, and Mia saw bones barely covered with rotting fabric. Beside him was the rusted, cast iron axe head with the remnants of its now useless handle. “Lower, give me seven more feet,” she instructed.
As soon as her feet touched the ground, Mia carefully moved to the body. She lifted the axe head up and, as expected, the wood fell away. She took out a canvas bag and put the heavy blade into it. “I hope this works,” she began, saying in a voice a little above a whisper, “But if this is where we part, I want you to know that I love you Stephen Murphy.” She thought she heard his voice say softly, “I know,” from the corner of the tomb.
She yanked on the rope and yelled, “Okay, bring me up.” She looked around her as she waited for the slack to be taken up before Ted gently lifted her. She took in once again the rough construction of the icehouse, the bones below her, and the feeling of sorrow that Stephen’s mother left in there before she departed.
~
Burt and Mike sat side by side, tending to the command console. Burt marveled at just how hard it was for one person to handle. With Mike’s help they were able to make one Ted.
“Movement in the nursery,” Mike said, pointing to the nursery camera feed. “The freakin doll has opened his eyes.”
Burt glanced at the feed and nodded. “Keep an eye on it. Grandma is also awake and rocking.” He looked at the other camera feeds. The kitchen was quiet as was the hall outside of the nursery.
“When’s the team supposed to be back?” Mike asked as he stared at the screen. “I would really love to get some tape for the show.”
“Beth is picking up food on the way. She called a little while ago with information on our gun-toting ghosts. I don’t know exactly how it’s going to help, but she was really excited about telling Mia about it.”
“Speaking of Minnie Cooper, I expect you have heard from her or Ted.”
“Both. The axe head has been recovered. After they secure the gravesite they will be heading back.”
“With Murphy?”
“No sign of him after the grave desecration.” Burt tapped on the screen and pointed out. “Grandma’s reading the e-book. Must be some story. Imagine the energy it takes to lift that thing.”
Mike smiled to himself. The book was wonderful, filled with romance and adventure. He was addicted. He saw himself as the hero of the saga. He wondered if Grandma had gotten to the part where… His thoughts were interrupted by the doll.
“Doll has turned its head and is blinking its eyes.”
Burt looked over and spun his chair a moment to orientate himself with where the doll was looking. “Doll’s looking at the window.” Burt grabbed the infrared video camera and pointed it at the window. He looked in th
e tiny screen and saw a cold mass moving at the window.
“Doll’s going nuts. Eyes blinking and the head is shaking no,” Mike said. He looked briefly away, up at the window. “Burt, the window is raising, and… Oh shit… Duck!”
The men dropped off their chairs onto the floor. A shotgun blast broke the stillness of the night. Followed by the crack of a rifle shot.
Mike patted himself down and then shook Burt. “Hands off, man, I’m not your type,” Burt said with bravado. “Mia said that it takes a lot of energy for them to maneuver things in our world. But feckin hell they’re damn good shots.”
“I think the little guys were trying to warn us,” Mike said, sitting back in his chair. He looked at the screen and saw the doll had resumed a dormant state.
Burt got up and started checking the equipment. He found a blast hole in the canopy of the marquee. Looking at the window, he followed the path from it through the hole into the bushes behind him. He pushed through the greenery and found a rifle and a box of bullets. He reached for them and stopped. “Mike, toss me a pair of gloves.”
Mike walked them over. “Why? Oh my god, is that one of the missing rifles?”
“I’d say so. I don’t want to touch it and get fingerprints on it, just in case that blast woke up a neighbor and they called the cops.”
“Good thinking bro!” Mike smacked his partner on the back.
With gloved hands Burt transported the rifle and ammo back to the tent. They secured it in an empty equipment bin and locked it.
“Hey if this was left then…” Mike ran over to the area of the lawn under the window where he found the smoking shot gun. “Burt I found…” he started to say.
A bright light was shown on him, and he expected the next words to be from a policeman. Instead he heard, “Dudes, you playing cops and robbers?” A very dirty Ted walked over to Mike. “Wicked shotgun. Smells.”
“I don’t think this was cleaned or used for some time. Maybe the ammo was off.” The shell is probably up in the nursery,” Burt said, walking over. He picked up the weapon and walked it back to the command center and secured it with the rifle.
Ted sat down at the keyboard nonchalantly, his fingers flying over the keys bringing up the feeds.
“You’re not even curious about the guns?” Mike asked him aghast.
“Figured you dudes will spill your guts, when you’re ready. Oh Mia’s talking to the cops out front.”
“Shit,” Burt said and flipped off his gloves before running out front to see what kind of trouble they were in.
As he rounded the house the police turned off the patrol car’s flashing lights. He slowed his pace and approached slowly, listening.
“It was a sedan driving by. Backfired, scared the crap out of me. I thought I was being shot at!” Mia said excitedly.
“Honey, is everything alright?” Burt said as he approached the officers and Mia.
“Sir, the little lady was just scared by an old car backfiring,” one of the officers said, looking up from his clipboard. “One of the neighbors called 911. They’re jumpy because of the recent burglaries.”
“I heard about that. Guns, baby, someone been stealing guns,” Mia said with a shaky voice and wide eyes. “Maybe we should call off the reunion?”
“Oh, I was going to ask you about the trailer, Mrs…”
“Hofmann,” Mia supplied. “George and I are having family in from Kansas and…”
The policeman waved away the explanation saying, “We’ll let you folks get back to it. It appears your food has arrived.”
Beth walked up, balancing several foil catering pans. Burt rushed over to help her. “Cousin Liza, so good of you to come. Marjorie and I didn’t think you were going to make it.”
“Ah you know me, can’t resist a gathering,” Beth said playing along. “George, have you been causing trouble? I thought you took the pledge.” Beth angled her head at the officers.
“No, some idiot with a noisy car backfired causing a ruckus,” Burt explained.
The officers got back in their car. Mia waved at them and went to join Burt and Beth. “George, honey, take that food into the house. It’s getting cold,” she said for effect as the patrol car slowly drove away.
“Phew!” Burt said. “I thought we were going to get caught with the smoking gun.”
“What?” Beth said looking from one person to the other.
“Don’t look at me. I just arrived when I heard two gun shots, a shotgun followed by a rifle. I thought I better wait out here for the cops. I take it the lads were taking potshots at each other?”
“Yes. We were warned by the twins…”
“Whoa, how?” Mia asked.
“I’ll tell you all, but this food is heavy. Let’s get it into the backyard, and we will fill you in. I think it’s time for a PEEPs round table. Beth’s got info and Mia…”
“I’ve got Murphy,” she said, holding up a dirty canvas bag. “Or I hope I do.”
Chapter Twenty-nine
“The little dudes saved you,” Ted said in awe. “This means that they…” He stopped and looked to Mia for explanation.
She held up her hands. “Well we know that they’re active spirits. I didn’t think that they were aware of things outside their realm though. Did you check the nursery?”
“No time, the police arrived,” Mike answered.
“I’ll check when we’re finished here,” Mia said, holding up the baby back barbecue rib she had been chewing on.
“Let’s sum up what we know, adding in Beth’s information. Bravo by the way,” Burt said, raising his diet Pepsi in salute. “We have Andrew Wyatt and Sam Cobb believing that each was responsible for the other’s death. Simple misunderstanding that has been fueling a feud for several hundred years. Sam’s skill in firearms makes me believe he’s got the stash. Andrew is more an opportunity type of guy. Probably knows where Sam keeps his stuff and decided to fire back at the bastard. Unfortunately for us, they may kill someone in their gun play.”
“Mia, do you think you could talk to them now you have their names?” Beth asked.
“I could try. They don’t seem to see us as a threat though,” Mia said as she rubbed some sauce off of her chin. “I think we need to get possession of the pistols, the dueling pistols. I think we have to destroy them or bury them with the remains of the men. Problem is who was shot with which pistol?”
I may be speaking out of turn here,” Mike began, “but what the hell happened to bring all these spirits out of these items? We have an idea why they’re attached, but what happened in this house to bring about all of this? Are we dealing with the same kind of shit we had at the hollow?”
Mia looked at Mike and shook her head, “No. I don’t get any vibe of a powerful entity. I don’t know if human emotion could fuel these guys. Poltergeists seem to draw power from adolescents, particularly females. Maybe Marjorie’s anguish over the state of her marriage set off Grandma and…”
“Grandma sets off the twins,” Burt finished. “Sure I can see that, but I have a sick feeling the duelists came first. Maybe they set the others off.”
“I don’t think playing the blame game is getting us anywhere,” Beth said. “Mike’s right, maybe we need to look further to why all of this happened here. From the property records this was a cornfield before it was a subdivision. No record of moved graves or Indian burial sites. It seems sterile.”
“Beth, is there anything in this house that belonged to Klaus?” Mia said, grabbing for another biscuit.
“Max. Mister Hofmann said he gave a box of toys and books to Marjorie. Maybe, perhaps, I don’t know. I could ask, why?”
Mia finished chewing what was in her mouth before she spoke, “It would be an item like a shaving brush, a comb, or something else personal that he would have had until he died.”
“Why Klaus?” Burt asked Mia.
“Hate is a very strong emotion. It binds with evil. Klaus hated his brothers. He hated his Grandmother because she didn’t see
that the boys were broken. She loved all of them equally. But I sensed that Klaus was a narcissist, a very unhappy boy. Most narcissists feel that family is an extension of them. The autistic twins would have seemed mentally retarded to this boy. His friends, if he had any, would have laughed at him because of this. This anger he fed and nourished by torturing these boys as they couldn’t communicate with their mother and father or Granny for that matter. I think Klaus was in this house and pulled the others through. It was his anger…”
“We haven’t seen any sign of this Klaus,” Mike argued.
“That’s because he left. Hitched a ride in a fellow narcissist. I bet my collection of Battle Beasts that he possessed George Hofmann.”
This information stunned the group into silence.
Ted was the first to speak, “Dudes, Mia has Battle Beasts.”
~
Sabine sat across from Bev at her little kitchen table. She asked where her table cloth was, and Bev mumbled something about her lack of office supplies. Gerald had gone out promising to bring back a hearty supper when he returned. Bev’s stomach was growling. Sabine suppressed a chuckle at her mentor’s voracious appetite.
“I would like to see Brian tomorrow,” she started. “I would like to go alone.”
Bev looked her in the eyes and shrugged. “Sure, why not? Tauni gave you the all’s clear. Just be careful. No, OOBing,” she advised.
“I understood that. You don’t have to repeat it every hour on the hour, sheesh!”
Bev started laughing. “Where the hell did the sheesh come from?”
“Brian says it.”
“Oh,” she said in between chuckles, “I used to do the same thing.”
“What? I don’t understand.”
“Talk like the present boyfriend. Like what he likes. Take care to not lose yourself in this boy, Sabine. You are wonderful the way you are.”
