The House on Xenia

by Rita Moreau

  “Find her?” I said stupidly because I should have known better. I glanced over at Ernie, and I am sure he read my mind, “You set me up!” He placed another shooter in front of me and smiled.

  “Maybe you could help me with that MC?” There it was. Maggie didn’t waste time any more than the strong women who populated my world. You knew where you stood with these strong and independent women. I liked that.

  “Well, I don’t know,” I said doing my best to stall. I knew you also had to be careful with these clever women or before you know it they have you hook, line and sinker.

  “Ernie has told me you have a unique ability. You can see things. In the military, we called it remote viewing.” Yep, her military background must have been like Ernie’s, special ops. She’s also a spook. I’d put money on that.

  “Ah … yeah,” I said not doing well at the stall. I took a sip of my shooter to avoid her strong direct stare down. Yeah, she was a female Ernie. I looked down at Max who on cue looked up at me. His dark eyes melted my heart. They were also communicating. I sensed he was pleading with me to help find his sister Molly. I looked back up at Maggie, and, by the look on her face, it seemed that she knew I would help her find Molly. She now smiled back and reached down and gave Max a pat on his head. “Good boy,” she said. I gave Ernie the evil eye look. He had set me up all right. He went to get us a fresh round of drinks and returned with a big smile.

  “Yeah, I’m moving back to Fish Camp. I might be able to help you with that,” I said to Maggie and Max who held my eyes for a moment and then returned to a resting position. Mission accomplished. I knew how this would work from past experience. If I helped Ernie’s new friend, he would return the favor.

  “Thank you, MC. I will look forward to talking to you about Molly. There is thought that some dogs also have psychic ability.”

  “Interesting,” I said. Ernie was now talking to the bikers at the other end of the bar. He was giving Maggie and me time to chat.

  “That is why I think you can find Molly. There is a strong bond between an animal and its human. I am sure you have heard of dogs or cats traveling miles to get back to their loved one.”

  “I think I have read some of those stories,” I said.

  “In the 1960s, a military dog traveled back to his unit. The dog and his handler would travel deep into the jungles of Vietnam. If the handler was wounded, he would be taken to a hospital, but the dog was left behind. Things were different back then. Sometimes the dog would manage to return to his base hundreds of miles away. Dogs form a deep bond with their owners. They will do anything for them,” Maggie said. I watched as she reached down and gave Max a hug.

  I could picture her as a Marine taking command of the war dogs in the middle of battle. She was a natural born leader, I thought. She was leading the way and had concluded long before she met me that I would follow.

  “Why is it important to you to find Molly, Max’s sister?” I asked this formidable woman

  “I think it will help Max with his PTSD. I’ve learned to live with it, and I know he could,” Maggie said as she gently stroked Max’s head.

  “I also think your ability, MC, is a natural biological process.”

  “I agree,” I said. I felt comfortable talking to Maggie about my ability. As if I had known her for a long time. Something I had not been comfortable sharing in the past. It made me different. I did not like being different. I didn’t want to stand out. I figured that out, but now I know being different is being unique. Theo helped me understand that. I knew no matter what, Theo would protect me. He removed the fear. False evidence appearing real. So I was no longer afraid of entering that room in my brain. When the door opened, I now listened, and that door and all its windows were wide open, and the air was swirling around the room.

  “I fought it for a long time. I now think of it as a skill or a gene that runs in my family. Like athletic ability.”

  “As a military handler of dogs, I know that this is true of some breeds of dogs. I’ve seen it in action. Dogs have the same five senses as humans, but some are more developed. Like I said it’s a natural biological process.”

  “So, dogs might be psychic?”

  She gave me the same covert operative stare down I knew from all the years I had known Ernie. It was his if I told you, I’d have to shoot you look. I could tell she was thinking and then she let me in on it.

  “Yes, there are military minds that think dogs have psychic abilities.”

  “Interesting,” I said. “Is Max one of those dogs?”

  “No, but he possesses remarkable traits. His hearing is so fine he can hear movement from underground through his paws.”

  “Like an underground facility?” I asked as Wright-Patt popped into that room in my brain.

  “Yes,” she said with a smile.

  “I thought military dogs were German shepherds,” I said. “Max here is a Lab.”

  “Well that is what you see in movies, but many branches also use Labradors because they are trainable and loyal. Navy Seals use Belgian Malinois, looks like a German shepherd but smaller. Those dogs are quick and compact. Their build makes them ideal for parachuting and rappelling missions.”

  “I have heard dogs have a greater sense of smell than humans,” I said.

  “Military Work Dogs have a sense of smell forty times greater than humans.”

  I was looking at Max who was now looking at me along with Maggie.

  “Is there another reason you are looking for Molly?” I asked sensing something else.

  “These dogs are precious. A trained bomb detection dog can be worth over $150,000 in Europe. With terrorists targeting public transportation and tourist sites global demand for these dogs have surged. I think Molly has been sold to someone because she was trained like Max to not only find explosives but also drugs.”

  “So they sold her to law enforcement?”

  “No, I think it’s more like a criminal element, a Narco.”

  “A drug lord,” I said.

  “Yes,” Maggie said as Ernie slowly made his way back to our side of the bar chatting with his customers. “I think my ex-husband is involved. He was an Army Ranger and like me a dog handler. I think Molly is with him, but I don’t know where. When he retired, he went to work for a company that trains dogs for combat, counterterrorism, and catastrophes. I think it’s owned overseas but good luck trying to trace its ownership. It’s a maze. It’s big money. The US military can spend up to $300,000 to train a working military dog. Finding military dogs is easy. They all have microchips and serial numbers tattooed on their ears. Ernie has done a lot for me, but I don’t want to ask him for more favors. He may need those favors. He has done enough,” Maggie said.

  “MC, there is a thriving black market for these dogs.” Maggie reached down and lifted Max’s ear. I could see the numbers. “Each dog also has a deployment record. Max’s record shows me as his handler.”

  “What about Molly?”

  “Molly, too. I was there when both Molly and Max were brought to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. The Military Working Dog Breed program at Lackland provides working dogs to every service branch. It’s one of the largest military service dog breeding programs in the world. My work in the field was to test selected puppies from the time they were born until about 6 months of age. I tested them to determine if they had the skills for the jobs they would perform later in life. Max and his sister Molly were special dogs. It was obvious from the start they would both be exceptional as Military Working Dogs, but, Molly even more so. Molly was more comfortable taking commands from a man, and that is why my ex-husband became her handler.”

  “Why is that, you said Molly even more so?” I asked—and then I knew—Molly was a dog who had psychic ability. No wonder she wanted me to find Molly. We could communicate from afar.

  “Molly was fearless and smart, easy to train and very loyal. Like you, she had what appeared to be a unique ability. She can communicate telepathically. It’s the
universal language and the way animals speak to each other. It’s an ability we are born with, but as soon as we learn speech, we suppress that ability. Animal telepathy is a mind to mind communication. Molly had this ability at a high level. That is why I need you to find her.”

  Yep, I thought, there it was—the real reason she needed my help to find Molly. I still sensed it was more than just to help Max, but that information would not come until later.

  “You have that ability, and I believe you and Molly can communicate. That’s how you will find her location,” Maggie said as I listened transfixed by this woman and her zeal.

  “With Molly, she knew beforehand, with no commands, what she needed to do. My ex-husband told me about Molly’s ability. She saved his life. So, I know what I am telling you is true. She was a rare dog. Molly is one of the most valuable dogs in the world,” Maggie said. “Ernie thinks they sold her to a powerful Narco first for her ability to sniff for bombs and that my ex is with her. He was the only one she would take commands from, and it connected them—like I am to Max. I need to find her, not for her abilities but for Max. He doesn’t have much time. I want his last days to be peaceful. With his sister Molly nearby, he can find peace. Will you help me?”

  “Yes,” I said from my heart.

  “I’ll call you, and we’ll meet and talk more,” she said as Ernie was making his way back to us. I looked down at Max who lifted his head up and looked at me and then placed his head down at Maggie’s side, a silent sentry.

  ​xxx

  As Ernie pulled the whale up to the condo and parked in my aunt’s space, I got it out in the open.

  “Maggie is an interesting lady. Does she work with you?”

  “Let’s say that’s how we met—a long time ago. She is retired now, but her knowledge is not,” Ernie said. Well, I read between the lines and, in spook talk, that was a yes.

  “I learned a lot today about Military Working Dogs.”

  “War dogs,” Ernie said.

  “So Max can sense something underground. Like a military facility at a well-known air force base.”

  Ernie gave me his spook look.

  “Yes—and computer chips.”

  “Computer chips?” I said.

  “Some computer chips are equipped with tracking devices, like a GPS,” Ernie said.

  “But this one would be close to 50 years old.”

  “Some believe much of our current technology, transistors, fiber optics, night-vision goggles, computer chips, integrated circuits, laser, microprocessors, and Velcro came from reverse engineering. There was and is only one organization that can be sought after for expertise in reverse engineering of foreign technology. That would be Wright-Patt. Like I said earlier MC, Wright-Patt is like the basement of an old house. Never know what you will find in that basement. It sounds like from what you have told me, Josie’s mother, GiGi worked in that basement.”

  I was quiet. Moments like this I got the feeling Ernie was the one who was psychic. The way Ernie just mentioned Josie and her mother’s name told me he was telling me something. He left out the details, for now. In my prior life, I worked for the IRS. My job involved negotiation. Each party had to leave something on the table. I guess it was time to deal the cards.

  “Can you look into it, Ernie, for the family? Help me find that computer chip.” So we were on the same page I added what I will leave on the table for his help.

  “In return, I’ll help Maggie find Max’s sister, Molly.” I knew I’d help her either way, but I’d need Ernie’s help to find Molly and that chip, so we might as well offer it as a bundle.

  “Let me make some calls, and I’ll get back to you. We’ll talk then.”

  And then he added, “You might need to talk to your friend Boris to get a lead on Molly.”

  “My friend, Boris, mayor of Fish Camp?”

  “Yeah, that’s the one.”

  “Well, I have plans to drop by and see Jennifer and my goddaughter Penelope.”

  Ernie had had a monster schoolboy crush on Jennifer, but this time when I mentioned her name, he didn’t flinch. I guess he was over that crush. Boris was her father-in-law and someone I had helped in the past when his books and records or as he referred to them, “cookbooks,” were misplaced. Boris has a lot of contacts, as I have found to be the case in the past, Russian mobsters and their counterparts in Columbia or Mexico.

  With that, Ernie got out of the car and walked me to the building. He turned, and I saw a black SUV waiting for him. Spooks!

  As I headed up the elevator, I was hit with a strong feeling of foreboding and, for a second, I could see the house on Xenia. I had not seen the house in ages, but I knew it was the house. That was the way it worked with me and my psychic juices. I could see something in real time in another place. Along with the vision of the house came the feeling that something was not right, and I knew right then it would not get any better soon. It was as if the house was talking to me and warning me things would get worse.

  Then I heard someone say, “I’ve got your back.” I knew it was the house.

  Chapter 6

  Dayton Ohio

  Josie was watching the news as they repeated the same story. The body found in the house on Xenia Ave was that of Harvey Long; a civilian research scientist. Now the news reported that “some sources” say he consulted for the CIA and had worked at Wright-Patt in the foreign technology division. As Gabby had told her, the news reported that this was a division that was tasked with reverse engineering of foreign government technology. Today the news story went way out with bringing in the 1947 crash in Roswell and aliens and UFOs. They reported that Wright-Patt had been the hub of the government’s secret investigation of UFO sightings starting with the 1947 Roswell crash. They hinted it was still alive and well but now known as the National Air & Space Intelligence Center.

  The story was gaining traction and was now on all the cable news channels and evening news channels along with the president announcing his plans to beef up the space program.

  “Well, that would not fare well for his space plans if the media continues to dig up the old alien stories and Wright-Patt,” Josie said to Alexi as she turned off the news where they sat in the living room of her small ranch house in Kettering, a suburb of Dayton. Josie and her husband had bought the house as newlyweds. It was a good neighborhood to raise children. Little did she know at the time they bought the house and he carried her over the threshold she would raise their granddaughter—alone.

  “The government would want this story to go away,” Josie said to her sister. Alexi just smiled.

  “We need to talk to her no differently than we did before the stroke,” Josie had explained to Annie. “Not like a child.” And so, they did. But Josie felt like she was drifting away. Annie with the optimism of someone young did not. “Keep the faith, Gram.” Still, Josie feared the day she might disappear. “It’s possible, was all her doctors would say. She could be having a series of small strokes.”

  So far, the news had not reported on any connection Harvey Long might have had to whoever was living in the house at the time he disappeared, but they would before long. The military already had. Josie had stalled them long enough. A Colonel Storms from Wright-Patt was coming by today to talk to her. He had clarified he wanted to talk to both of them. Josie had no plans to allow that and had talked to Annie. She would take Alexi out for a few hours and Josie would text her when the coast was clear. He sprung the visit on her early this morning and said he was on his way over. Annie was already at work.

  Josie sat down next to Alexi. She had to make sure she understood a visitor was coming by to talk to them about the house and they needed to be careful. She and MC were playing phone tag, so instead, they were texting. She tried calling MC again and got her voice mail.

  “I hate phones,” she said to Alexi.

  “I do too,” she responded which brought a chuckle from Josie. Her sister Alexi loved phones. She was no different than their mother. Before her strok
e, she’d had a cell phone attached to her ear at all times. Always waiting for a call from her agent, or her next big break.

  “I need to talk to our cousin in Florida, MC. Do you remember her Alexi?”

  “I liked her. We danced at her wedding.”

  “That we did.”

  In fact, Alexi had everyone dancing until the middle of the night. Alexi loved to line dance and kept everyone entertained. She had always been the life of the party. Alexi remembered the past, but the memories came and went. Anything heard by Alexi could trigger a memory. It was unpredictable. That was what was giving her a major anxiety attack about the meeting with this Colonel Storms. Josie didn’t like him. He was a sneak.

  She texted MC who said she could call her in about an hour. She was at a doctor’s appointment with Aunt Sophia.

  Josie texted back that a high-ranking colonel from Wright-Patt was on his way out to talk to her and Alexi. He sprung the visit on her.

  “BE CAREFUL,” the text from MC shouted. “He’s from the GOVERNMENT. Trust me on this.”

  Josie tucked her cell phone in her pocket and then turned to talk to Alexi. She had to prepare her for this meeting with this guy from Wright-Patt. She had to ask her about the body. She had no choice.

  “Alexi, I need to ask you a question about the house we grew up in on Xenia.”

  Alexi was mentioning the body more and more, but nothing specific.

  “Okay, about the body?”

  “Yes.”

  Josie kept a calm demeanor. But anything could set Alexi off. Like a child, she would cry and throw a fit. She had studied dementia and Alzheimer’s. She understood she had to be calm, keep the questions short and to the point, and only one question at a time. She could feel the sweat in her armpits and when she looked down at the palms of her hands, they were also damp.

  “Alexi, what do you remember about the body in our old house?”

  “Mama?” Josie had to be careful and not change the subject but guide her back to the question.