by Alexie Aaron
“Are you out of your mind? I enjoy doing you. Wait! That’s not what I meant.” Ted drew her close to him. “You are my everything, Mia. I can find a hundred other things to do with my talents, but I want you. I want to be with you. I love you so much that it hurts.”
Mia looked up into his eyes and ignored the tears that fell from hers. “I know. The pain is bearable though. It’s worth it. I want to spend my life with you. I know you were scared for me. Hell, I wasn’t too pleased with the situation. But we can make it work out. I will go and do whatever you need me to do.”
“Not me, we, us,” he clarified. “What do we want from PEEPs?”
“Solving the mysteries is fun. Helping the trapped is fulfilling. Frustrating Mike and Burt is great. We just need to set boundaries. They have to know what is permissible and what isn’t. Remember Burt and Mike are alpha males with different ideas of what PEEPs is. I don’t believe they…” Mia paused, thinking of Mike hinting she should touch the wall. “I don’t think Burt wanted to put me in danger. He just doesn’t want to lose face in front of the clients. This is why he and I would never work out. He was all about his image, and I was about the lost ones and their victims.”
They heard the van as it came down the drive. Burt stopped it at the exit and looked their way. He turned in their direction and pulled over as he neared them.
“Show time,” Ted said as Burt got out of the van and walked over towards them.
“How are you feeling?” he asked Mia.
“I’ve been better,” Mia said, clutching Ted’s hand. “There are so many things so horrible in that garden that I couldn’t fight all of them off. I couldn’t breathe. Thank you for getting me out of there.”
Burt’s face was puzzled by her friendly attitude. He thought for sure that it was she who engineered Ted’s tantrum earlier. Why did he automatically blame Mia? Were Beth’s poisoned comments still residing in his brain? He took a look at Ted and winced. He looked down and fidgeted with the zipper of his coat as he spoke, “Ted, I’m sorry. I don’t want you to leave PEEPs. You are very important to our group.”
Mia raised her eyebrows and looked up at Ted. Ted’s jaw was set, and he wasn’t talking.
“Mia, talk to him,” Burt pleaded. “Let him know that I’m an asshole. But I do care. All the things he asked for will happen. We will have Father Santos join us at his earliest opportunity. There is no timetable that needs to be met. We will take things slow and call in anyone who we need to safely and successfully handle this situation. It’s my pride that fuels the stupid things I say. I’m sorry.”
“What you and Mike have to understand,” Ted said evenly, “Is that Mia and I aren’t devices. We are people with gifts who are willing to share them with you. Mia and I will do everything possible to bring about a good conclusion as long as we are respected. Because frankly, Burt, without us, you’ve got nadda, nothing. Just dreams.”
Burt colored, and his face became stony. “That’s not exactly true, but I hear you and will take all of this into consideration. Can we call a truce and complete this investigation? After, we can determine in what direction, and with whom, PEEPs will continue. I understand that you have found someone that you love and want to protect. You’ve matured more in the last few months than I realized. Give me a chance to make this right, Ted.”
Ted reached out his hand, and Burt grasped it with both of his. “Let’s give it a go,” Ted said. “Today, I think Mia’s had enough. Can I take the van and get her home?”
“Yes, that’s why I brought it. I’ll walk back. It will do me good, too much fast food. Will I see you later at the house?”
“Maybe, depends on how Mia’s doing,” Ted said noncommittally.
Burt handed him the keys and turned and walked away. Ted and Mia walked to the van and got in. They waited until Burt turned to walk up the drive before they said anything.
“Whoa,” Mia said as she hopped in Ted’s lap.
“Double whoa,” as he kissed her long and hard. “Get off my lap. I can’t drive with my joystick all a twitter.”
Mia got up and got back into the passenger seat. “Hurry home, Teddy Bear, because I so want to…”
Mia’s words were lost in the squeal of the tires as Ted hit the gas.
Chapter Ten
Mike, Alan and Audrey were examining the still, winter garden. There were few evergreens, and the place was all old wood and rotting leaves. It would have to take a team to clear off the debris that time had deposited and make this a showplace again.
“I, like Alan, have seen pictures of this place in the late spring and summer, and it’s beautiful. But like this, it’s just…” Audrey stopped, searching for a word.
“Horrible,” Alan supplied. “It’s like an X-ray. You can see the bones but not the beauty.”
Mike nodded. He rubbed his arms as goose bumps rose. It was cold, but he was dressed for it. His stomach was queasy, something didn’t feel right. “The client doesn’t want this disturbed?” he asked.
“No.”
“I’d like to know his reasons. If it were me, I’d level it. Take down the walls, open up the view and build a G Damn garage.”
~
She watched them from the window as they moved through her garden. Trespassers! She would teach them to move about her house and touch her things and go where they were not wanted.
~
A small whirlwind moved slowly through the garden. It picked up leaves and dried grass as it moved along. The trio looked at it, mesmerized by its natural beauty.
“Alan, remember when you first brought me here? There was one of these at the front of the house. It was filled with bits of snow.”
Mike’s eyes snapped open wide. “Tell me about it.”
Alan nodded to Audrey, and she related the experience to Mike.
“The doorknob rattled before you saw it?”
“Yes,” Audrey confirmed. “I have the time in my notes. So you think that’s something we should be wary of?” she said, pointing to it.
“I think we have to pay attention to it. I wish Mia was here. She sees things we can’t. Not everything of course, but she’s very good. Pardon me a moment.” Mike walked across the garden and tapped his com. “Ted, over.”
“Ted’s not here, this is Cid, ah, over.”
“Do you think Mia’s up to returning to the garden? I have something for her to see.”
“Mia has left the building, over.”
“Patch me through to Burt, over.”
“I’ll try, hold on.”
“Burt here, over.”
“What’s the status on Mia?”
“She’s gone home, over.”
“Damn, there’s a whirlwind I want her to see.”
“Another time. Mike, Ted’s gone too.”
“I figured he’d be taking her home. Where are you? You sound out of breath.”
“Walking up the drive.”
“Want to tell me why?”
“Not now, and not on the com. Let’s just say that I handled things poorly, and we may lose Ted over it.”
“We can’t lose Ted. What’s Mia have to say?”
“Mia’s got Ted’s back. I think we have to think of them as one. If we lose Ted we lose Mia. If we lose Mia we lose Ted. You get the picture.”
“Are they blackmailing us?”
“No, I think Ted’s just trying to keep Mia safe, and she’s letting him.”
“Cupid has a lot to answer for. Listen, I think I’ll move this show inside so we can get a better handle on what we need to do here, over.”
“I’ll meet you at the command center, over.”
Mike waved to the clients and pasted on a smile. “Mia’s gone home to recharge. Let’s view the other floors of the house. I have a construction guy with me - you met him, Cid. Anyway, you wanted to see if we could get into the other part of the attic?” he asked Audrey.
“Yes, you’ll see what I’m talking about. If we hurry, you can see the maids come down
the stairs,” she said excitedly.
Mike and Alan followed an enthusiastic Audrey out of the garden. As they shut each set of doors behind them, Mike hoped that they wouldn’t encounter anything too dangerous in the tunnel or in the basement. It occurred to Mike, as they carefully worked their way past the mess, that Mia and Ted had found a way to get out of cleaning up.
~
Where was he? The house was filled with people, but he wasn’t here! Didn’t he know how much she depended upon him? Such rage built inside her. She pushed out of her confines and out into the hall. She screamed and thrashed. The paintings hit the floor, and the vase her mother so cherished fell off the table. She screamed again as she saw it break into a hundred pieces.
~
Burt had just closed the door when the wailing began. Cid backed up and looked up the staircase, backing against the wall as a shower of pottery fell into the foyer. Another scream pierced the air. Burt grabbed a minicam off the table and bounded up the stairs. By the time he reached the area of destruction, all was still. He still filmed it, maybe something would show up. He felt uneasy as he heard a movement coming from the library. He led with the camera, and for one brief moment, he was greeted with a raged-filled face and the words, “You will all die,” in the air.
Mike took the steps two at a time. They had heard the screams, and he was determined to see what was making them. He found Burt staring mutely into a room Mike assumed was the library. He put his hand on Burt’s arm and startled him.
“Shit, you scared me,” Burt accused.
“I wasn’t exactly sneaking around. What’s going on, big guy?”
“I think we pissed off a ghost. We’ve been threatened with death. All in all, this has been a ballbuster of a morning.”
“What are you thinking?”
“Pretty much what Mia thought about Lucky’s bar.”
“The words ‘blow the fucker up’ come to mind,” Mike said and started laughing.
His laugh was infectious, and soon Burt’s lips twitched and a smile formed. “This house is so full of entities, I don’t know where to start. It’s like a fun house, but I’m not having a good time.”
“I think we need to do more research…”
“Did I hear the word research?” Audrey rasped as she tried to catch her breath. “That’s my love, my forte, my living.” She looked at the state of the hall and asked, “Someone pitched a shit fit?”
“We think so. Didn’t get it on film, but we did get this,” Burt said, handing the small video camera to Audrey cued up. “Press play.”
Audrey watched with increasing alarm, rewound it and played it again. This time she handed it back to Burt. “That’s a young Eleanor Bonner before the Gruber. I don’t think she likes us much.”
Mike laughed. “That’s an understatement.”
Burt looked at Audrey. “This doesn’t seem to bother you.”
“Oh, no, it scares the shit out of me. But it also interests me. I’ve been in a few places where the previous occupants were hanging around. My job is to assess old buildings,” she explained. “I’ve seen some things, but this place takes the prize on activity I’d say.”
Alan joined them looking a little pale.
“I wouldn’t suggest showing him the video just yet,” Audrey whispered.
Burt nodded and turned the camera off.
“What the hell happened here?”
“Eleanor Bonner Gruber,” Audrey said. “Now let’s not waste time, I want to show the guys the maids!” She tugged at Alan’s arm, and he shook off his fatigue and followed her to the attic stair. “Turn on that camera and wait.”
Burt did, and Mike stood looking over his shoulder as Alan opened the door. Audrey stepped aside and peeked her head around the corner. She looked at her watch and smiled.
There was a blur at the top of the stairs, and plain as day, two women came down the stairs. Burt recorded their movements and conversation.
“Come on, you know how she is when we’re late.”
“Mary Mary’s always fussing. One of these days I’m going to get out of this here place and find me a better situation.”
“You do that and take me with you,” the older woman sighed.
When they had passed them and disappeared Audrey jumped up and down. “Did you get that on film?”
Burt ran the camera backwards and nodded.
“My secretary, Brenda, says she heard them chatting one morning. They were so noisy that she had to shut the door to concentrate.”
“That’s a residual haunt,” Mike pointed out. “It’s interesting that Brenda could hear them. She may be a little sensitive like Mia.”
“Speaking of Mia, what happened to her?” Audrey asked Burt.
“Something didn’t agree with her in the garden. She’s not exactly sure what, but she wasn’t well so I sent her home,” he lied. “Ted’s going to look after her until she’s feeling better.”
Mike took in his lie and approved. “Mia is highly sensitive. I myself felt queasy in the garden, I can only imagine what she went through. She’s a tough cookie,” he said absently, “It would have to be something very strong to sideline her.”
They climbed the stairs and looked around the maid’s quarters.
“Why don’t I relieve Cid of the command center and send him up here. He’s got a lot of home construction experience, maybe he can find the access to the other attic for us,” Burt said excusing himself.
He didn’t like lying to the clients, but he didn’t want Mia’s incident to distract them from the job at hand. She was going to have to learn not to flee situations when they became a little tough.
Cid looked up at him as he descended the main staircase. “I just heard from Ted.”
“How’s Mia?” he said, letting his annoyance with her show.
“I don’t know, why don’t you tell me? He texted me this picture.” Cid handed Burt his iPhone.
Burt looked at the caption, “What the Fuck!” and then at the picture. There was Mia standing looking mortified as Ted snapped a picture of her in her underwear. Burt recognized her body. But what he didn’t understand were the red welts circling her torso. Her neck looked like someone tried to strangle her. Her arms and legs had more circling red scratches. Her wrist and ankles looked like someone tied her up. “Dear Lord, what are we dealing with here?” Burt asked Cid.
“That’s your department, dude.”
“Call Ted, tell him to take her to the hospital. She may have bruised ribs,” Burt ordered.
“Will do, but I don’t think Mia’s interested in more hospital time.”
“Just ask him, and then go upstairs and see if you can find a way into the other attic for Audrey.”
Cid nodded. Burt took one last look at the picture and handed the phone back to Cid. “Mia, what an ass, I am,” he said quietly, regretting his earlier thoughts.
Cid nodded behind his back before dialing Ted.
Chapter Eleven
Ted put down the phone. He looked over at Mia who was curled up on the sofa, sipping on coffee and gazing out over the lake. She patted the sofa.
“Come sit down, Teddy Bear.”
“How are you feeling?”
“Aside from shocked that you sent a cheesecake photo of me to Cid, fine. It doesn’t hurt and…” she said as she pushed up her sleeves, “it appears to be fading.”
“Burt wants you to go to the hospital and get checked out.”
“No. Now if you want to play doctor and…”
Ted grinned. “My treatments may be a little unorthodox,” he said leering at her.
She snuggled against him and sighed. “I love this. I love you.”
“All that is missing is Murphy,” Ted teased.
“Murph, you’ve got to be kidding,” Mia said and looked at his face. “You bastard! Just pushing my buttons.”
Ted laughed. “But wouldn’t it be a good idea if we asked the old sod if he would like to come and play at the haunted mansion with us?”
Mia thought a moment. “You would have to explain the dangerous aspect of the place. I have a feeling it sucks up souls.”
“Me explain? Isn’t he your friend?”
“Ted, he is our friend. Who saved you from the falling stones?”
“Murphy.”
“He wouldn’t do that for just anybody. He wouldn’t show himself to Burt, Mike or Cid. He has to consider you a friend. And as his friends, we must also think of what could hurt him.”
“That’s why you won’t have sex with me on the picnic table.”
Mia hiccupped in surprise. “That and you live with two other corporal fellas.”
“Yes, here I go. I leave the sanctity of my parents’ basement and move in with two other guys. I’m not sure I’m headed in the right direction.”
“Speaking of parents, have you talked to yours lately?” Mia asked.
“Yes. Mom wants to meet you.”
“She’ll hate me.”
“She’ll love you. She collects oddities,” Ted said deadpan.
Mia’s eyebrows shot up, and she set down her coffee and proceeded to smack Ted with the sofa pillow. He fought back and soon the two of them were on the floor. “Time for your examination,” Ted said, lifting her shirt.
“I’ll just lie back and think of England,” Mia said with a posh accent.
Ted looked down at her and grinned. “I love you.”
She looked up at him and said, “I know.”
~
Cid tapped on the wall and pulled a small pry bar out of his tool belt. He forced it between two pieces of paneling and pulled. The nails eased as he worked his way up and down the panel. He did the same to the other side and exposed the space behind it. He produced one of Ted’s super light discs and cautioned Alan, Audrey and Mike not to look as he turned it on. He placed it on a beam and then said, “Take a look.”
They could see the rest of the attic. The light encouraged a shadow play amongst the boxes and furniture Audrey knew would be stored there. The space had hardwood slats fitted together in the middle with small areas of flooring where the furniture was stored. Cid tested out the floor before he’d let the others walk on it. He smiled as he saw something.
