by Alexie Aaron
Burt liked the new Mia.
Mia was oblivious to her being different at all. Inside, she was counting to one hundred so she wouldn’t blow her temper. She hated that they were once again messing with the hollow. Just driving up there they took a chance that someone or something would be disturbed. She couldn’t wait until Gerald gave them the okay to tear the houses down. The three remaining houses were rife with lingering spirits. Not all of them left when they dealt with the hag and her minions. They weren’t dangerous if left alone, but once disturbed, Mia feared the outcome.
‘Truck and van are packed,” Ted said as he entered the barn. “Mia, if you need to stop at your house first, we better get moving.”
“Yes, I better stop. Murph, you might as well come with me. I don’t think you’ve ever been in the sanctuary before?”
He smiled and tipped his hat to Burt and disappeared.
“Murphy said he’ll see you in Chicago, Burt.”
Burt followed them out, locking the big doors before getting in the van. Cid pulled the big truck out, and Burt followed him out of the hollow.
Mia unlocked the gate and watched Ted drive in before sealing it behind her. She watched as Murphy got out and looked around.
“Be careful, I have salt and brick all over the place. Don’t get pinned into a corner. If you do, give me an SOS with the axe.”
Murph nodded and began to roam around the peninsula property. Mia’s place was in a beautiful setting. It was on the rocky end of Big Bear Lake. No one but the bravest of fishermen motored here to drop their anchor. The sheriff was building on the tree-filled lot next door. He was Mia’s only neighbor. Murphy moved around the shore and watched as a large pike swam in the shallows. He remembered pulling some big fish out of Cold Creek in his day, but this was a monster. He looked back at the house and admired the construction.
Mia caught sight of him as she jammed supplies in her duffle bag. The nice clothes she took to Kansas would do for any occasion that she needed to look feminine for. She was glad that Ted was more into her being comfortable than following fashion. He catered to tees and jeans and understood Mia’s need to wear the outdated cargos. She needed pockets. She loaded the pants with everything she thought she would need in the event they came across an uncooperative entity. She was PEEPs first line of defense against the evil ghosties. Murphy was the second. He had a limit to his power and needed to be used sparingly.
The twosome had each other’s backs. Where Mia investigated so did Murphy. Neither of them would have it any other way.
Mia stuck her nose in the refrigerator. She grabbed the expired milk and dumped it down the drain, running water after, cussing at the bad smell of the cheesy substance.
“Ah, I hear the sound of Mia cussing, all is well,” Ted commented as he entered the house. “I’m really surprised you kept it together when my great aunt confronted you at the door.”
“Barely, just barely. I didn’t want to shock the old broad,” Mia called over her shoulder as she went into the pantry. She came out with boxes of Pop Tarts, Little Debbie snack cakes and other goodies. “I thought we should bring some sugar along. I think Ralph’s on another health food kick.”
“I hope he’s not pushing tofu.”
“I told him you were allergic to soy.”
“You lied to your godfather, shame on you and thank you,” Ted said as he picked her up and swung her around.
Mia giggled. “Is this how we reinforce bad behavior?”
“Oh yes, let’s remember this as parents,” Ted suggested.
“Speaking of kids, Murphy seems to be enjoying the sanctuary,” Mia observed.
Ted turned to watch Murphy poking at something with his axe handle in the water. “I hope he doesn’t fall in. What happens to ghosts when they get wet?”
“They don’t.”
“Pardon.”
“They don’t get wet. They don’t get cold, hot, or affected by the weather. Lightning makes them more powerful, but aside from that, they don’t suffer like us corporals do,” Mia explained.
“I’ve seen Murphy in pain before.”
“Salt hurts. Holy water and iron can pack a wallop too. But that’s different.”
Ted nodded.
Murphy waded into the water and, after a little struggle, came out with a twelve inch pike. He held it up to the fading sunlight. The pike wiggled out of his grasp and landed with a splash. Mia and Ted laughed.
“Well, I better invite him in so he doesn’t pout all the way to Chicago,” Mia said as she opened up the door to the deck. “Murphy!” she called.
He was there in an instant. Ted watched as the ghost moved about the house. Sometimes Murphy moved too fast, and Ted lost sight of him. Mia ignored the farmer and continued with her packing.
“Ten minutes,” Ted announced. “I’m leaving in ten with or without you guys.” He picked up Mia’s duffle, the canvas bag full of snacks and headed out to the truck.
Mia salted the deck entrance and checked all the windows to make sure the lines of salt were not disturbed. This attention to detail meant she could return to a spirit free abode. Nothing’s worse than waking up to the face of a howling banshee in the middle of the night.
She found Murphy in her bedroom. She passed by him. He seemed locked in thought. Mia shrugged and went in to use the toilet before they left for the city. When she got out he was still there. “We better get moving, Murph.”
He turned and looked down at her. His eyes were sad for a moment and then brightened to his mischievous self. Mia couldn’t read his mind, but instinct told her she didn’t want to go there.
She walked out and called, “Three seconds and I’ll be salting you in…”
Murphy passed by her and was out the door and headed to the truck in two seconds.
Mia set the alarm, poured the line of salt and locked the door. She ran to the truck as Ted was already backing it out of the driveway. She closed the gate and opened the door. Murphy got out, she climbed in and he after her. She didn’t need to squeeze over to make room for the ghost, but she did anyway. They left the sanctuary, and any thoughts Murphy had that evening, behind.
Chapter Twelve
Ted pulled the truck over the curb and across the lawn. Cid directed him using hand gestures, and soon the truck was parked between the PEEPs command truck and the van. Mia got out and watched as Cid secured the gate with a length of chain and an enormous padlock.
“We’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto,” she said to Ted.
“Safety first. Although it does make a quick escape damn near impossible,” he observed.
Murphy slid his axe along the paved lot in agreement.
Mia turned around and reached out one hand to Murphy and the other to Ted. “Let’s get this over with and back to the woods where we belong.”
Ted laughed and Murphy nodded.
“A little help here,” Cid called over. They turned to see him trying to carry way too many rolls of cable at one time.
“Excuse me, I better help Superman,” Ted said sarcastically. “As Batman, I have the smarts to know my limits.”
“Come on, Murphy, let’s find Audrey and Burt.”
They found them just inside the backdoor entrance to the home. To their right was a large empty room. At their left was the kitchen. Mia watched as Murphy moved through the walls, already checking out the building.
“Hello, fancy meeting you here,” Mia said announcing herself.
Audrey looked over at Mia and relief flowed through her. She rushed over and grabbed Mia’s hands. “I’m so glad to see you! Did you have a good time? Silly question, you were with Ted so of course you had a good time. I’m running off at the mouth, aren’t I?”
“No,” Mia lied. “I understand you had a bad time yesterday.”
“Understatement but yes.”
“I know you told Burt everything, but would you mind taking me through your day again? Take me around the house and describe everything leading up to the attack,” Mia
requested.
Audrey looked at Burt and he nodded. “Go ahead. I’ll help the guys set up. We’ll get this place wired in no time.”
Audrey let go of one of Mia’s hands, and they walked through the kitchen into the hall and to the front study. Mia felt that the place was waking up and feared more than the two ghosts were afoot in the old parish house.
“I was packing up. I had just placed the doll I found…”
“Where is the doll?” Mia interrupted.
“In my briefcase. I didn’t want to leave her in the car,” Audrey explained. She walked over and opened the case and drew out a bundle. She unrolled the old receiving blanket she used to play with when she was a girl and inside was the doll.
Mia looked at it a moment before putting on her leather gloves. She picked up the doll and closed her eyes. The gloves acted as a buffer, but she could still hear the echoes of a small child upon receiving such a gift. “It’s a little girl’s doll, perhaps the one you saw in the window. Where did you find it?”
“Upstairs, stuck behind a drawer under a built-in closet.”
“Let’s take her back up there, shall we?”
“It’s worth a fortune,” Audrey said.
“It’s not yours to have,” Mia said bluntly. “You can ask to have it, but until then, the spirit attached to it thinks you’re a thief.”
“Oh my!” Audrey put her hand on her chest. “I didn’t think. I assumed that some visiting child left it here years and years ago. This was a home for priests for the last seventy years. Before then I’m not sure.”
“Forgive me, Audrey, I’m just being frank. I of course don’t think you’re a thief, but removing the doll has awoken the spirit of a child. Let’s see if we can ease the tortured spirit with the return of her doll.”
Audrey nodded, and the two women left the study. As soon as Mia saw the staircase she knew she was in deeper than she wanted to be. It was the twin to the one in the white clapboard house, the one where Gustav Lewis lived until he was killed. The same birds that decorated the cornice of the bedroom where she found Sherry were nesting amongst the ivy. The box which held the Hollow’s documents was also of this design. She hesitated telling Audrey all of this until she was sure it was necessary to. It only brought up bad feelings. She was surprised that Burt could stand to be in this house, but his torment didn’t occur in the Lewis house, did it? Mia remembered and sighed.
“Did you say something?” Audrey asked.
“No, I sighed,” Mia confessed. “Burt told you about the other staircase?”
“Just that it was in one of the houses in the hollow.”
“This design is all over the houses in the hollow. Each house of the three houses has a bit of the artist in it. A staircase in one, cornice boards in another, and it escapes me what the third house has. Oh, a Dutch dresser in the kitchen. In this case, I guess it would be an Italian dresser…” Mia’s voice trailed off.
Audrey sensed her friend’s unease. She started up the stairs and noticed Mia didn’t put her hands on the rail and not because she was holding the doll in one of them. Mia had also walked to the far side of the landing to avoid contact with the newel post.
They entered the bedroom, and Audrey was surprised to see that the drawer she knew she replaced had been removed.
“I don’t understand. I closed the drawer after I pulled the doll out.”
Mia handed Audrey the doll, pulled out a tiny mag light, got on her stomach and peered into the space. “It looks like there is more space to the left of the drawer. Time or a critter must have moved the doll behind the drawer. I think I can fit. Pull me out if I get stuck,” she instructed Audrey and wiggled herself into the drawer space. Mia moved slowly and soon found herself in between the closet and the wall to the hallway. She directed the light in either direction. The darkness ate away the light. “I found a passage. It goes into the next room. There are some tiny little china cups placed along the inside wall. I think it was a hidey-hole for a child at one time. Fucking hell!”
“Mia, are you alright?” Audrey asked.
“I jammed my knee into… hang on… It’s a baby carriage. It’s jammed in here. I can’t go any further, I’m coming back. Do me a favor and slide the doll to me. I’ll put it in the carriage. That should calm the fears of the little miss that plays in here.”
Audrey did as she was told, first wrapping it in her receiving blanket. Soon the doll and the carriage were reunited. As Mia crawled out of the drawer, she thought she heard a faint giggle of a happy child.
Mia stood up, and Audrey helped to beat some of the dust off of Mia’s clothing.
“Why is the little girl still here?” Audrey asked.
“That’s a good question. It may be because she died here. Childhood disease, died in an accident or was killed. Considering the use of this house, I would assume the child had a Christian burial, so I’m perplexed as to why she is still here. Unless…”
“Jesus, Mary, Joseph, please don’t let there be a body buried here,” Audrey prayed.
Mia looked at her and angled her head, studying her, not understanding her reaction.
“If we find a body then… Well, you know the drill. It took years to get permission to develop this property. I’m afraid the Church is going to shut it down.”
“I guess you don’t have to mention it. But the little soul deserves to be rested. Maybe Father Santos can intervene if we find her. Do we have any idea who she is?”
“I don’t have a complete history of the house yet. I just have the last occupants who were here for seventy years.”
“You would think that was enough,” Mia said with sympathy. “Tell me, did any of the occupants or visitors experience any paranormal events?”
“Not to my knowledge. I could check on that. I believe the last housekeeper is still living,” Audrey informed her.
“Okay, that will be for tomorrow. The little girl seems happy at the moment so we won’t disturb her further until we are prepared to follow through.” Mia stretched and cracked her knuckles. “Take me to where you came in contact with the larger entity.”
Audrey showed her the room and described how she was thrown around and finally tossed over the balustrade. “I was able to hang on and move to the stairs where my father rescued me.”
Mia got on her hands and knees and pulled at the edges of the carpet. She shook her head and moved along the wall until she saw the square of dark carpet. “What was here?”
“The Basso grandfather clock,” Audrey answered. It has the same carving as the stairs. The removal team found an envelope tacked under it.”
“This is the envelope that held the murder accusation?”
“Yes and this key.” Audrey drew out a chain from her shirt where she had secured the tiny key. She pulled it over her head and handed it to Mia.
“It’s oddly shaped. What’s it for?”
“I think it winds a clock. It has the same shape as the one used to wind the grandfather clock. Before you ask, I looked at my insurance photos of the grandfather clock and could find no place where that key would fit.”
“Did you sense anything amiss before the clock was removed?”
“No, and I’ve spent four days here at all hours.”
Mia sat back and withdrew her glove. “I’m going to see if the key has any memory. You’ve had it around your neck so I may see a bit of you. I will keep it to myself.”
“Are you sure you want to do this? I noticed you didn’t want to touch the railing, not even gloved.”
“So many people have used that rail, it would overwhelm me,” Mia said in her defense.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t think of that. Here.” Audrey took the key off the chain and placed it gently in Mia’s outstretched hand. She sat down across from Mia and studied her face as the sensitive closed her eyes.
Mia closed her hand and opened her mind.
Mia saw Audrey slide the key on the chain. She worked backwards from that. Strong calloused hands he
ld this key. Large fingers seemingly too big to grip the metal gracefully maneuvered the key into the wood base of a toy. As he turned it, he hummed a tune. Once the box was wound, he removed the key and set the ornament down. The top of the box held a figure of a bird, and as it turned slowly, the wings opened and closed as if in flight. “Papa, it’s beautiful,” a small girl’s voice said. Mia could not see the child, only the hand that held the key. “This should keep you company while I work. Uncle Pietro will check on you...”
The memory faded. Mia opened her eyes. “This is a key to a windup toy. It’s a mechanical bird carved out of wood, but it has watchmaker gears. Who was the clock maker Giuseppe carved for?” Mia handed the key back to Audrey.
“I don’t know,” she confessed as she strung it on the chain and put it around her neck again, carefully tucking it into her neckline for safekeeping.
“I’m not sure why this was important enough to leave in the murder note, but the toy was a present for Giuseppe’s daughter. I found her very young for a man of his age.”
“There was only one daughter mentioned in the family bible, Eloisa.”
“How was that spelled?”
“I didn’t see it,” Audrey admitted and explained, “Drago Basso read it to me.”
“Ah, that explains it.”
“Explains what?”
“I got the impression that this child was alone, hidden, perhaps a child of a mistress not a wife.”
“Not a child to be recorded in a family’s bible.”
“But still very loved. She was known to Pietro.”
“You got all this from the key?”
“Surprising what the little things can tell you. I think you have quite a mystery on your hands. First, was there a murder or an accident? Second, what happened to Giuseppe’s bastard? Is she the child roaming this house? Maybe yes maybe no. The answer we may never know. I also think that this entity was disturbed when you read the letter. So I fear murder seems likely or perhaps some misguided fool that sees the revelation of the illegitimate child of a Basso being too scandalous to bear.”
