by Alexie Aaron
“We lose control of the investigation. But what if we inform the police in our own time, let’s say, after we have finished?”
“I have more to show you. Here is a video of me chasing a whirlwind. The video is shaky,” he warned.
Mia watched closely and stopped it a few times. She heard Cid’s breathing but something else too. “It’s the same poem. My opinion is that the entity you and I tried to talk to manifests in this manner. It wants you to go either through the wall into the garden or into the wall. We now know those walls are hollow. Look at how there is no vegetation such as ivy on the exterior of the wall. I assure you from my odd job profession, I’ve seen ivy grow through mortar or under walls and end up on both sides.”
“The library is the only vantage point that has a clear picture of the garden. The other windows only have partial views,” Burt informed her. “I had a chance to ramble around the property after you and Ted left.”
“About that…”
“I know it wasn’t your idea. Ted was - as he always has been in the past – looking out for a team member. He is the only one of us knuckle-draggers with his empathy dial set on normal. I do know that you’re doing your best not to let your personal life invade the investigation. Ted’s new at this. He’ll find his way.”
“Wow, look at you, all grown up and businesslike,” Mia commented.
“Give me a chance, Mia, you may even find an adult under all this ego.”
Mia nodded and asked, “Anything else?”
“Here’s one of the house that Mike took from the garden.”
The sun caused a little distortion on the window surfaces, but Mia could clearly make out the image of something or someone hanging in the window. She tapped the iPad forgetting that it wasn’t paper. The picture enlarged. “Oops.” She looked at Burt, and he made a squeezing motion. She copied him, and it returned to normal. “Thanks, I’m barely holding on to PCs let alone laptops, now you have this. What I was thinking was, why would a ghost choose to spend eternity swinging by its neck?”
“Better view?” Burt offered.
“Nah, even the demon was looking to be more comfortable in Hagan’s body. I think, and it’s just a guess, but I suspect Eleanor may be trapped there with the others. I get the overwhelming sense of male involvement in that house.”
“I don’t have a handle on it yet. The dungeon or, as Alan calls it, subbasement, scares the crap out of me. Cid says he hears things moving in the walls. Mike is still ill. The only one thrilled about this investigation is Audrey McCarthy.”
“She’s new. She still thinks that we can yell, ‘Cut!’ and everything horrible will stop,” Mia observed. “Her enthusiasm may get her hurt,” she warned Burt. “She reminds me of PEEPs out at the hollow.”
Burt winced but let the comment go. “We are due at the mansion at five. The techs are going earlier to wire the common areas during the daylight.”
“What time do you want me there?”
“Five is good. Are you going to be able to drive yourself?”
“Yes. I guess so. It would be nice to have another vehicle there just in case.”
“How about Murphy?”
“I’ll extend the invitation. I suspect he would hitch a ride in a vehicle from here. I have to stop at home and put together some extra clothes. I have a feeling that we haven’t felt real cold until we are in that house at night.”
Burt stood up and on impulse helped Mia on with her coat.
Mia stopped herself from saying that Cid’s manners were rubbing off on the PEEPs men. She just thanked him kindly and walked out of Ted’s house.
Burt watched through the window as Mia stopped at the command truck and gave Ted a quick goodbye kiss before she walked into the woods in search of Stephen Murphy. Moments later, she came out, kicked off some mud and looked in Burt’s direction and gave him a thumbs up. He was startled that he was still standing there, and that she could see him. He felt like a gossipy old person keeping eye on the neighborhood. He turned away from the window and went in search of warmer gear to put on. He usually played the macho tough guy, but if Mia sensed it was going to be cold, he was going to be prepared.
Chapter Seventeen
Mia pulled up to the mansion fatigued from the drive. She was aghast over the amount of drivers on the road. Yes, she was aware that it was the start of rush hour. But rush hour in Big Bear Lake was a line at the Taco Bell, not this steady stream of distracted cell phone users coming at her as she drove against the traffic heading in towards Chicago. It made her appreciate where she chose to live. Sure, it was inconvenient at times but well worth not having to navigate the highways and byways of commuters.
She pulled her truck around and parked it heading out along the drive. The shoulder of the drive seemed solid even though the great thaw had begun. Rain would soon come, turning most of the unplanted landscape into mud. Fortunately no rain was in the forecast for the next few days. Wind would be a factor, but it was always windy, especially this close to Chicago.
She was greeted by a small whirlwind as she made her way to the front door of the house. Mia stopped and said, “Hello.” She waited a moment and the whirlwind moved off. She didn’t follow it, abiding by the PEEPs number one rule: no one investigates alone. It moved back towards her and she stopped in her tracks. “I know you want to tell me something. I will do my best to find you once I have a partner.” As if she was understood, the phenomenon dissipated.
The door opened, and Ted stood there waiting. “Come on, Nanook, it’s freezing out.”
Mia trotted over to Ted who grabbed her duffle bag and entered the house. The warmth of central heating invited her to shed her layers of clothing. The foyer was bright with light. Cid waved at her from the console.
“Are you wired already?”
“Yes, I’ve had my coffee,” Ted teased.
“That’s not what I meant. Speaking of, what’s the craft service for this shoot?”
“Burt brought Mr. Coffee, and Mike had a platter of sandwiches made.”
“I’ve got some cookies in my duffle,” Mia offered.
Ted stopped in his tracks, unzipped the bag and dug his hand in, scattering Mia’s extra clothes on the floor. “Red Vines! Pop-Tarts! And cookies!” he called out.
Mia picked up her clothes and jammed them back in the duffle. “Now that you’ve announce it to the world, you have to share them.”
“Na ah, I told Cid you’re my girlfriend, and I don’t have to share you.”
Mia blushed.
“He has a point there,” Cid commented dryly. “Although, if you want to share Mia then…”
“Back off, Romeo, get your own, and that goes for Mia too.”
Mia hit Ted on the arm. “Honestly.” She looked around. “Where’s the clients?”
“In the library. You can see them on the monitor if you don’t want to climb all those stairs,” Cid offered.
Mia looked over Cid’s shoulder. She saw Audrey and Alan. She was surprised to see Brenda Wells there too. “I didn’t know Brenda was coming?”
“She’s only staying a few minutes,” Ted explained. “Something about an inventory.”
“Huh, if Brenda is here then Abigail Jones may be here too.” Mia studied the display and saw a glimpse of a white-gloved hand. “Yes, she’s here. I’m going up to see if I can have a chat with her before Brenda leaves,” Mia explained. She turned to leave.
“What, no hello kiss?” Ted asked.
“Oh, sorry.” Mia kissed a surprised Cid on top of his head, ran past Ted and up the stairs.
“You better run, you hussy,” Ted called after her.
Mia was out of breath as she hit the landing. She took a moment to calm herself before continuing. She studied the hall of the second floor. It was a well-lit corridor carpeted in a time-muted rose pattern. The walls were painted a soft green. There were several doors to bedrooms and bathrooms. They were all open, inviting her in. She was tempted but steeled herself for the task at hand: the library and Abiga
il. Mia followed the voices and soon was standing in the doorway of the sought after room. She knocked lightly.
The trio looked up from the desk.
“Sorry to disturb you.”
“Come in,” Alan invited. “Brenda was just showing Audrey the inventory.”
“Hello, nice to see you again. Brenda, could I borrow your assistant a moment?”
Brenda’s eyebrows raised. “Sure.”
Audrey and Alan looked confused.
“I’ll explain later,” Mia promised. “Abigail, could I have a word with you in the hall?”
Abigail, who was teetering on top of the small library steps, smiled and with the grace of a well-bred lady climbed down and walked over to Mia.
Mia encouraged her to walk a few feet away from the curious trio. “It’s so nice to see you again,” Mia started. “Could I ask you a few questions?”
“I suppose it would be alright,” Abigail answered.
“I’m curious about what you said about the man in the bookshelf.”
“He stands and stares at Brenda, calls her low country names.”
“Not a nice man, then.”
“I’d say he was well-bred but ill-mannered and not a Christian.”
“Is he there now?”
“No. But I can show you where he stands.”
“Thank you that would be most helpful. Before we go in there, is there anything else besides the hanging lady and the bookshelf man in that room?”
“Something dark that tries to suck me in. Tells me things. Offers me things. I just ignore him.”
“Good.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Yes.”
“Why are all of you here? It’s not a good house. Sure the bricks and stones are sound, but it’s corrupted inside. Too many deaths. Too many atrocities.”
“There’s a man who is fighting a battle to keep something bad from this world. His success depends on us being able to cleanse this house of horrors. I am aware that we are on the losing side, but we must prevail.”
Abigail nodded sagely. “If you’re that determined, I’d start with that bookcase. I think you’ll find it isn’t all it seems on the outside.”
“Thank you, I will. How are your studies with Brenda going?”
“Oh, I went to court with her and watched Mr. Jefferies argue for a client. There was a judge there, and she was a colored woman.”
Mia winced and suggested, “Abigail, you need to stay up with the times. She’s a black woman.”
“Oh, black woman. Anyway, she was in charge.”
“Do you think you may want to shadow her for a while?”
“Yes, I would. After I learn all I can from Miss Wells.”
“I’m glad to know you’re continuing your education. If you ever change your mind and want to go on to your reward, you let me know.”
“I will, although I can’t see anything better than being in the courtroom and fighting for justice.”
Mia smiled. “Take care of yourself.”
“You too. I’m going to go back in there and see if I can be of any help.”
Mia nodded and watched her go. Mia walked back to the stairway and started to descend. She heard Ted’s and Cid’s voices waft up the stairwell. Ted was giving instructions in tech speak. Mia wondered where Burt and Mike were. She assumed they were investigating another part of the house, perhaps the basement. “Better them than me,” she thought.
Burt and Mike were taking readings of the basement area. The central air furnace was only a few years old, and most of the ductwork overhead had been replaced. The fuse boxes, new and old, stood side by side. They gave off high EMF readings, but that was understandable as some of the electrical work wasn’t done professionally. The attic and the basement were still on the old fuse system, while the second and first floor had been modernized, probably around the same time as the furnace installation.
“Someone spent a few dollars,” Mike commented as he looked around at the new hot water heaters. “Two of them, rapid recovery.”
“I think Eleanor liked her bathes to be hot,” Burt guessed. “Money, from my understanding, wasn’t a problem. The housekeeper and cook were well paid. They even had retirement benefits.”
“Paid for their loyalty perhaps?”
“Silence,” Burt added. He looked at his watch and touched his ear com. “Ted, over.”
“Go ahead, Sir Oliver, over.”
It took Burt a moment to flash on the Journey to the Center of the Earth movie reference. He grinned. Ted had a way of lightening up the sometimes dour mood of an investigation with his humor. “Has everyone arrived yet?”
“If you mean Mia, yes, over. She’s not on com yet. She’s having a chat with someone named Abigail Jones.”
“See if you can gather our flock into the formal dining room for a meeting in, let’s say, fifteen minutes, over.”
“Will do, over.”
Burt turned to Mike and asked, “Who is Abigail Jones?”
“Brenda Wells has a ghost of a young black woman attached to her. Her name is Abigail Jones. She’s from Cleveland, apparently. She shadows Brenda. I bet Mia is picking her mind about what she knows about this building. Ghosts see more than Mia does,” Mike reminded him.
“Nice to see our girl networking,” Burt commented.
“Don’t let Mia or any other female hear you call her ‘our girl,’” Mike admonished.
“Lord help me, I’ll never get the hang of the PC world.”
“I have a little more exposure to the female side of things,” Mike admitted.
“Yes, I know all about you exposing yourself to females,” Burt said gruffly.
“Somehow that sounds wrong,” Mike mused before he started laughing. “But maybe it’s accurate. Let’s finish this area and head upstairs. I don’t want to be here when that sun sets.”
Burt nodded, looking over his shoulder at the east side of the basement.
Chapter Eighteen
Mike looked up from his notes and began the meeting. Burt stood at the far end of the room filming. “This is our first night in the Gruber mansion. We welcome Audrey and Alan, and we’ll do our best to accommodate your needs during the evening. PEEPs runs by a set of rules structured with safety in mind. No one goes anywhere alone. If you visit the facilities, you need someone outside the door. Our experience has been that teams of two or more work well in investigating at night. Everyone will be issued a communication device. We wear ear coms. Ted or Cid will demonstrate how to use them. Ted or Cid will be listening in at all times. This is a safety measure. If you need privacy, request to go off com. This helps us to keep track of personnel. Any questions so far?”
“Why the cameras? We haven’t agreed to be on television,” Alan pointed out.
“The cameras help us to take in what the human eye can’t see. We will abide by our contract, and the data collected will just be used as reference materials. Tonight we will investigate the main and upper floors. I think we can all agree that for safety’s sake we will leave the basement, subbasement and garden for the daylight hours. Cid is working on a way to either disable the bars in the basement or remove them entirely. Mia has contracted the use of a ground penetrating radar system and has received permission to dig up the garden from your client.”
Alan looked through his papers and was about to say something when Audrey spoke up, “We have a verbal request.”
“I’m not sure.”
“I have it on video and audio,” Mia said softly.
Audrey wrinkled her face in confusion. She then touched her face and mimed glasses. She beamed a smile as she figured out how Mia filmed Hagan Fowler.
“I’d like to see the footage before you start on the garden,” Alan requested.
Mia nodded.
“Mia,” Mike continued, “you haven’t had the tour of the house as of yet so I think you should partner with Alan and myself. Audrey and Burt will go first. We will alternate teams during the evening. Everyo
ne will be issued a flashlight. These old houses tend to get temperamental and lose their lights at the most inopportune moments.”
“What happens if we see a ghost?” Audrey asked.
“Point it out to the investigator with you. He or she will determine if contact should be made.”
“How dangerous is this?” Alan asked.
“It depends on the nature of the entity we encounter. Most times we don’t even know they’re there until we view the footage and listen to the tapes.”
“Very dangerous,” Mia blurted out.
Mike glared at her.
Mia ignored him. “In this house there is something that does not have our best interest at heart. If you are concerned, there is no shame in leaving.”
“I appreciate your honesty,” Alan said to Mia.
Mia did not make eye contact with Mike. She assumed that he did not.
“If there are no more questions, let’s get started.”
The group got up. Mia walked into the kitchen in search of food. Mike was hot on her heels.
“Are we going to have trouble tonight?”
She looked up at him and said nothing. Her eyes moved to right over Mike’s head where a black mass was forming. She grabbed his arm and pulled him towards her. “There,” she said pointing.
He looked up and swallowed hard. Mia touched her earpiece. “Ted, we have a black mass forming in the kitchen. It’s between me and the refrigerator.”
“I pity the entity. Burt’s on his way in with a minicam. We can’t see it from this angle, over.”
The mass drew energy from the overhead lights, and soon Mike and Mia were plunged into darkness. They could still hear the hum of the refrigerator, and the lights from the other appliances were showing.
Burt slid into the kitchen and started filming.
“My name is Mike, and this is Mia. We’ve come to help you. Can you speak to us?”
The room dropped in temperature before a faint voice warned, “Get out. You’re not wanted here.”
Mia heard a scratching sound, and she pulled Mike down on the floor just as a platter flew past and hit the wall behind them. Pieces of crockery rained down on the two of them. The lights came back up.
