The House on Xenia

by Rita Moreau

  “Don’t forget to call Josie,” my Aunt Sophia reminded me on her way out the door.

  Now probably was a good time to call. We had missed several back-and-forth calls and were communicating by text. I texted her, and the next thing I knew my phone was ringing. It was Josie.

  “Josie, this is MC,” I said when I answered the call.

  “I need your help.” Like I said, the women in my family are direct.

  “I heard through the family hotline. What is this all about? A body under the old house and a Back to the Future computer chip?”

  “I need your help to find that chip, MC. Velma told me that you can see things from afar.”

  “Josie, what do you remember? I think we are a lot alike,” I said. I wondered if Josie had the same unique DNA but avoided it like I did in the beginning. I’d coax her into the water, but I would be there to catch her.

  “I remember nothing. I had to be close to five, but Alexi was older. She remembers something about that body every day. A Colonel Storms from Wright-Patt dropped by to talk to Alexi and me. I don’t trust him MC. His visit triggered another memory Alexi had about the body. He was in uniform and Alexi remembered a connection to that body and men in uniform. He tried to question Alexi when I slipped up and mentioned La La Land. I think he suspects she remembers something. He gave me orders not to talk to anyone but him, including the police who are calling and want to talk. Annie figured out he works in the same area my mother worked in at Wright-Patt.”

  I sat there for a minute taking this all in. As Josie talked, I closed my eyes. An uneasy feeling came over me when Josie mentioned this officer from Wright-Patt. I almost could see him sitting in her house talking to her and Alexi. That’s the way it worked with me, as if a memory popped into my brain, only it wasn’t a memory. I saw things remotely. I also knew his visit was intended to find out what Josie and Alexi knew. I felt it in my genes.

  “Will you help? Use your special talent?”

  “Of course,” I said. I had already crossed that bridge.

  “What do we do?” she asked. “I think this colonel is worried. When he gave me his card, I mentioned all the big news about the space program being ramped up, and he said Wright-Patt may play a big part and that he’s in charge. He was dead serious about that.”

  “He did,” I said and made a mental note to talk to Ernie about this colonel and the entire hullabaloo about the space program.

  “From what you are telling me we need to find that chip. Where do you think it is?”

  “I have no idea. I didn’t even know it existed until the other day when Gabby told me about it. My gut feeling tells me that Alexi knows or knew where it is. I am sure my mother told her. She was the oldest daughter.”

  “But why would she tell Gabby if she told Alexi?” My psychic twin asked.

  “My mother always had a Plan B. She drummed that into our brains when we were growing up. I think she told Gabby because Gabby was Plan B in case something happened to Alexi. Once she told her she was free to leave this earth. It’s a good thing she did now,” Josie said.

  “Well I’m not so sure Alexi can help us now,” I said. “It’s up to you Josie.”

  “Me, I can’t help. I need your help. You’re the psychic who can see things. Not me.”

  “No, you can help. Think Josie. I used to fight the hocus pocus that goes on in our family all the time. We share a bloodline. Close your eyes and take a deep breath and something will come to you.”

  “Now?”

  I could hear the fear in her voice. Jump in that pool I mentally messaged her. I’ll be there to catch you.

  “No better time,” I said.

  Josie was quiet. I could see her taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, and then she said, “I think it’s in the old house, Xenia. It would make sense that my mother would have hidden it with Xenia and told Alexi where it was hidden.”

  “I think you're right,” I said. I had felt that too but wanted to hear it from Josie. Two psychics are better than one. “I think that’s where we have to look. There is something significant on that chip. No one has looked at what’s on it for a long time. It must be crucial if it has a reach of fifty years. Something is on that chip, and whatever it is it’s tied to this Harvey Long, your mother’s boss.” Maybe by men in uniform, I thought but did not say out loud.

  “It’s in the house, and YaYa Xenia knows where it is,” Josie said. “I know it.”

  We were both quiet for a moment, and I knew we were thinking the same thing.

  “They killed Harvey Long and buried him under the house because of what is on that chip. Didn’t they MC?” Josie said. “That’s why Colonel Storms is worried. I need that chip for protection.”

  “I think so,” I said. “Relax, I will talk to my friend Ernie about the colonel.”

  “The spook,” Josie said.

  “Yes, the spook,” I said. When I got off the phone, I sat there for the longest time because I could see something, men in uniforms and a body.

  Chapter 8

  Fish Camp, FL

  After talking to Josie, I took a quick shower and got ready to head into the office. I texted Theo to say good morning and told him I’d call later to catch up.

  “I miss you,” Theo texted. “Have fun.” Theo was a positive force in my life. His motto was exactly that, have fun, and if it’s not fun, move on. As simple as that motto was it made sense, but I was more of a plotter. I need to know details, and I need to be in control. This brought on stress and worry. So, as simple as his motto was, for me it was not so easily done. That might be the difference between men and women.

  Since my aunts needed the whale, I took an Uber to the office. As it turned out, I knew the driver. It was an old friend by the name of Rosie who worked in the sheriff’s office as the dispatcher. To make extra money, she also drove for Uber. I decided to pick her brain about Molly. It would give the psychic side of my brain a break from the conversation I had earlier with Josie. Rosie knew all the cops and spooks in town. She had made friends in all branches of law enforcement and government. They looked out for her, partly because her baby brother is a Tier 1 Navy Seal. Like my Aunt Anna, she was also a gossip. Well—more than a bit.

  “It’s so good to have you back in town, MC,” Rosie said. “Have you met Ernie’s new girlfriend?” Well, this would be easier than I thought. “I met her. The other day at the Hotel Florida,” I said.

  “She is a dog whisperer,” Rosie said and gave me a look that said, “Pay attention. I’m letting you in on some secret stuff.”

  Since Rosie was jib-jabbing away, finding Molly might be easier than I thought. No hocus pocus involved, just plain, old-fashioned sleuthing and talking to the right people.

  “She mentioned her ex-husband was in the same line of work in the military. He had the same talent?”

  “That’s true. They made quite the couple. He was an Army Ranger, and she was a Marine. After he retired, he went to work for a large contractor who does work for the government training dogs for the military. Any government,” Rosie said and glanced over again with the look.

  “How’s that?” I asked.

  “Dogs can smell adrenaline. Some shy away from that, and some do not. Maggie’s military background was to find the right dog to train to become a service dog.”

  Is he still with that contractor?” I asked.

  Rosie had not changed. Her eyes lit up. She loved to gossip and stir up the pot.

  “He is, and he caught the eye of a powerful man.”

  “I heard about NARCO.”

  “How did you hear that?” Rosie asked. She also was a good listener.

  “I heard it the other day when I met Maggie. She knows her ex has Molly. She doesn’t know where.”

  “And she wants you to help find Molly.”

  “Yes,” I said. Rosie could do well as a PI instead of driving an Uber. She had shared a little while back she was working on getting that license.

  “Molly is with
the NARCO.” Bingo.

  “Really,” I said. “How do you know?”

  “If I told you I’d have to shoot you,” Rosie said and then chuckled.

  “Just kidding, let’s say it came up in conversation with a DEA agent who just returned from somewhere south of the border. Yep, this man is a powerful drug lord. He has a beautiful daughter who he protects fiercely. She is his only child and a wild child at that. Kidnapping is rampant in his country. He lost this wife to kidnappers. They paid dearly and painfully before their demise.”

  “I see. Do you know his name?”

  “I do and so does everyone in Columbia. His name is Pablo Munoz. He is known as the chief of the hit-men. His older brother was the president of Columbia, a powerful family; MC. Molly is guarding his wild child, Gabriella.”

  Hmm, well any idea of collecting Molly from this family just went out the window. Asking pretty please probably would not work. Good grief.

  “So you know all this from your friend the DEA agent?” I had to ask, nosy Greek genes.

  “I keep my ears open.”

  “How are you coming with the PI license?” I asked Rosie.

  “Almost there. I finished the course to become a PI and last month I took the test. I am waiting for the results. It’s not easy to study at my age. Once I retire from the Sherriff’s office, I plan to hang out my shingle.”

  “You will make a great PI, especially with all your contacts.”

  “I can’t wait, MC. I’m looking at a small space down the street from the tax office, near the Greek restaurant. We’ll be neighbors,” Rosie said with a huge smile.

  “Wonderful,” I said but not really excited about having Rosie in the neighborhood. She’d be in the office all the time, chit-chatting with Velma. I steered the conversation to the light side for the rest of the ride.

  “Call me if you need me,” Rosie said as she dropped me off in front of the tax office.

  Velma was sitting at her command station and on the phone when I entered. She promptly hung up and didn’t waste any time giving me my marching orders. Lucky me but like Rosie, Velma came with the many sides of Velma. You had to be prepared.

  “I’ve got several calls from some IRS agents you need to call back today. Sign these power of attorney forms, and I’ll get them faxed right away. You’ve also got some visitors by the way,” she said as she pointed to my old office. “Plus, Limo Louie will be bringing a client of his, Mabel, in to talk to you about an IRS audit. You’re fully back in business, MC.”

  Yes, I was, I thought, as I made my way into my office to find Sister Hildegard sitting at my desk and sitting across from her was her sidekick, Sister Matilda. Pretty much like the first time I met these two nuns, but unlike the first time we met, I wasn’t petrified. No today I was very happy to see these two. I gave them a hug, and Sister Hildegard relinquished my chair.

  “I was only sitting here as a joke. You do remember the first time we met don’t you dear?”

  “How could I forget,” I said.

  We chatted and caught up on the latest at the convent. Since I talk to them frequently, I was up to date on their lives, but it was great to see them again. I was relieved that they had only popped in to say hi and not to send me down a rabbit hole like the first time we met.

  “Well, we have a Greyhound bus to catch and by the looks of this office you need to get to work,” Sister Hildegard said and gave me a hug and headed up front where she stopped to talk to Velma.

  Sister Matilda got up and gave me a hug, but before she left, I needed to pick her brain. Sister Matilda was a lover of history and a walking encyclopedia. She saw the look in my eye and sat back down. “I’ll be right there Mother Superior,” she chirped.

  “What can you tell me about Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio and its secretive history?”

  “A lot but not in a few minutes so why don’t you drop by the convent and we’ll talk more over some herbal tea.” She said with a wink.

  The good sisters maintained a garden on the grounds of the convent which was tended to by an old hippie. The plants had a strong odor.

  “Okay,” I said thinking maybe I’d have to put off dropping into the public access TV station today. Aunt Anna won’t be happy.

  I’ll see you a little later.” With that, she got up and they both click-clacked their way out of the office to catch that Greyhound bus back to the convent.

  Chapter 9

  Dayton, Ohio

  “Look Alexi, its Audrey Hepburn.” Alexi smiled as they sat and settled in to watch an old movie. Josie watched her sister’s face light up as she watched. It didn’t matter if it was half over. Alexi just watched the action on the screen. There was a time when Alexi could dissect a movie scene by scene but not anymore. As of late, she made sure it was a light movie and not one with gunshots. Alexi recently reacted badly to a scene where a man was shot. It made Josie wonder what she knew about what happened to Harvey Long.

  The phone rang, and Josie could see it was the detective from the Dayton police calling again. She went ahead and answered his call. He had been calling persistently and leaving messages. He would just continue to call, and she could see her voicemail box was full.

  “This is Lt. Hill with the Dayton police department. I would like to speak with Josie Yanni.”

  “This is she,” Josie answered, now sorry she picked it up the phone.

  “Ma’am I’d like to come by and talk to you about your old house on Xenia. It’s my understanding you and your sister still own the house.”

  “Officer is this about the body they found?”

  “Yes, I’d like to speak to you and your sister.”

  “You can speak to us all you want but I was only five, and my sister was barely ten at the time and has since suffered a debilitating stroke. Most of her memory is gone. I doubt that either one of us could add anything to what you already know,” Josie said. “Maybe you should speak to that colonel from Wright-Patt. He has already been out here and told me to direct any inquiries to him.”

  “I have spoken to the colonel and reminded him that the Dayton police has jurisdiction. If it is all right, I’d like to come by today and speak to you. I will only take a few minutes of your time, and I will respect both you and your sister’s privacy.”

  “You would be wasting your time, officer.” Unlike the colonel, at least he sounded polite. Then she thought, might as well get this talk over with.

  “Will 1 p.m. work?”

  “Fine.”

  Annie walked into the house just as Josie hung up the phone. She gave Alexi a hug and left her in front of the TV. She then followed Josie into the kitchen.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “The police are coming by to talk to Alexi and me about the body.”

  “Well, you were expecting them.”

  “First Wright-Patt and now the Dayton police.”

  “Just tell them what you know—which is nothing. My goodness, you were little more than a kid, right?”

  “I’m not worried about me. I’m worried about Alexi. This thing has stirred up some of her memories, and that’s what is worrying me. She remembers something that happened, but it slips in and out of her mind. Annie, I am sure now she saw something.”

  “Well, when he comes by, just make sure Aunt Alexi is in her bedroom watching TV.”

  “I have a better idea. Would you take her out for a ride? Maybe some ice cream. I’ll call you after the police are gone. I’m just afraid she will blurt something out while this detective is here.”

  “But didn’t you say they want to talk to her?”

  “They can say that, but they can’t force her to talk. She had a stroke. I’ll put my foot down. Plus, I don’t want something happening like it did with Colonel Storms.”

  “Okay. I’ll go get her and take her out. She’ll enjoy that.”

  ​xxx

  “Ms. Yanni, I am Detective Dan Hill. Thank you so much for seeing me.”

  Josie led the d
etective into the living room where he took the same seat the colonel had. She sat across from him. After the offer of something to drink was declined, she waited.

  He was about her age and distinguished looking. He was probably ex-military from the way he carried himself. He was quiet for a moment and then looked around the room.

  “Your sister, Alexi, is she home?”

  “Officer, like I told you over the phone, my sister had a major stroke and has lost much of her memory. My granddaughter has taken her out to get some fresh air.”

  “I see,” he said, and then he stared at her for another moment. Josie did not blink. When it came to her sister, she would not back down. Her sister was now like a child, her child and she would protect her at all costs.

  “There is nothing my sister or I can tell you about the house we grew up in on Xenia. We lived there until about the time I went off to work, and my sister took off to Hollywood. She had big dreams to become an actress.”

  “How did she do?”

  “How did she do? She married four times and got parts in the movies and a couple of TV shows in the 1970s and 1980s. Some big and some small. Got mixed up in booze and drugs but landed on her feet and opened a bar and restaurant in the 1990s. She did well but was never satisfied that she never made it big in the movies. She sold the bars and was financially set but last year suffered a major, debilitating stroke. I moved her in with me, and I am doing my best to keep her out of a nursing home. So, what can you tell me about the body?” They weren’t here to chitchat.

  “Well, apparently it was a man who your mother worked with at Wright-Patt. I have spoken to a Colonel Storms, and he told me all he could, which wasn’t much. The man’s name was Harvey Long. His family has been notified. He had a son who is very much interested in what happened to his father. He just disappeared. He has spent years trying to find out what happened. It was an ancient cold case until his body was found. The original detectives have long since retired. His son claims it’s a military cover-up. You know Hangar 18 and the aliens all over again. He’s a journalist. Now that his father’s body has been found he is threatening to write a story. I am telling you this in the event he tries to contact you. Questions should be directed to the detective assigned to the case.”