by Alexie Aaron
Kiki: Me?
Jake: Would you like us to send someone to help you?
Kiki: Alright, here’s the thing, Jake. Please keep this between us at the moment…
Kiki proceed to tell Jake the full story, including that Cid was one of her contractors.
Kiki: I don’t want him to think that I doubt his assessment of the problem.
Jake: It’s never a bad idea to get a second opinion. I will keep this confidential between you and I.
Kiki: Thank you. I notice you don’t have a picture on the site. Are you new?
A picture of Marvin the Martian in a red Star Trek uniform shirt preceded his answer.
Jake: I’m shy.
Kiki: That’s cool. How long do I have before I anger the demon?
Jake: He’s made first contact. You should act soon. You don’t want to appear rude. According to one of our investigators, the demon world is honorable, so treat him/her as a valued acquaintance.
Kiki: Excellent advice. I could show him the PowerPoint presentation.
Jake: May I see it first?
Kiki: I’d love to show you. Am I taking you away from other business?
Jake: It’s a slow night. Send it to my personal account: [email protected]
Kiki uploaded it and sent it on to Jake. He came back quickly with a few suggestions for changing the focus to the demon instead of Hal.
Kiki: Gotcha. It’s been nice talking to you.
Jake: Is there anything else I can do for you?
Kiki: Can you suggest a movie? I’m a little freaked out and want to get my mind off of demons.
Jake: What genre?
Kiki: Romantic Comedy. I have no boyfriend. I can’t flirt with my staff. I need a movie to get lost in.
Jake: You’ve got Mail.
Kiki: Too on the nose.
Jake: 50 First Dates. I could show you how we could watch it together if you’re lonely?
Kiki: Are you flirting with me?
Jake: Maybe.
Kiki: Good.
Chapter Four
The crews were in full swing when Kiki showed up for work. She was dressed in an expensive business suit, her hair pulled up in a French twist. The guys knew better than to whistle, but if there ever was a whistling catcall moment, this would have been it.
Kiki found Cid measuring the east sitting room for trim board. The central air system hit this room the hardest. The contractor for the system had decided to move most of the air through this room, reducing the impact on the rest of the rooms on the bottom floor. The room had been reduced by two feet by the time the soundproofing sheets were laid and the plaster redone. Kiki had hired a laborer from Poland, where he had been matching old plasterwork with new repairs for fifty years. Feliks had a booming voice and loved to sing Wagner operas as he worked.
Cid was being treated to Lohengrin as he worked. He had discussed with Feliks earlier his idea of duplicating the woodwork in the ladies’ library. It was simple but beautiful in the classic way it adorned the wall instead of drawing the eye to it.
“You want the mopboard to support and protect the wall, not draw the eye to where dust bunnies are sure to dance,” Feliks insisted.
Kiki cleared her voice as to not startle either worker. Feliks smiled and resumed his song. Cid obeyed the movement of her hand and walked with her out of the room.
“You look like you have a meeting this morning,” Cid remarked.
“A very important meeting. I would like you to take me to the attic where you and Walrus encountered the house demon.”
“As you wish,” Cid said and led the way. “May I carry your bag?”
“No.”
“Okay,” he said and continued up the stairs. When he had reached the fourth floor landing, he stopped and warned, “It may not be in there, and I have no idea what kind of reception you may get.”
“I got some good advice from your coworker Jake.”
Cid lifted an eyebrow. “And…”
“I’m going to put my PowerPoint presentation on a loop. I’ve edited it with the demon in mind.”
“Why?”
“Jake said that if the demon likes what we are going to do, it may leave us alone. Also, I’m going to leave a recorder running if it has any suggestions.”
Cid nodded his head. “Jake came up with this?”
“No, but he said that I should be respectful and treat the demon as an acquaintance.”
“I think that the two of you have come up with a very bright idea. Our experiences with demons have been varied, but Mia has stressed that they are an honorable race. But, Ms. Pickles, they are very dangerous. Do you mind if I stand by?”
“I was actually going to suggest it,” she said.
“Oh, don’t ask its name,” Cid warned. “It will think you’re going to exorcise it, and then all hell will break loose.”
“Gotcha.”
Cid and Kiki walked silently down the hall and up the stairs. Kiki knocked on the door before she entered.
“Excuse my intrusion,” she began, speaking to the empty attic. The dormer windows brought in the morning light. It was enough to navigate by. Kiki walked and stood in the center of the room. “I would first like to apologize for not consulting you sooner about the reconstruction of your home. Had I known you were here, I would have invited you to the meeting at which I showed your co-owner what we are going to be doing to this mansion to save it from crumbling and to bring it up to code. Code is what the government regulations of this county demand of all homes before they are allowed to be inhabited,” she explained. Kiki pulled out her laptop and projector. She positioned it on the inside wall. “Cid, if you could close the shutters on the dorm…”
The shutters closed by themselves.
Kiki nearly peed herself, but instead, she said, “I’m going to run the presentation and will wait for any questions. If you aren’t ready to comment, there is a device here. Once you start talking, it will record.” Kiki held the tape recorder. “I’ll turn it on when I leave,” she explained.
Kiki started the presentation and walked over and stood next to Cid.
Cid was curious about the overall project, so he focused on the wall.
“And Hidden Meadow should be able to exist for another century,” Kiki’s voice ended the presentation.
Kiki walked over, packed up her gear, and handed the bag to Cid.
The shutters snapped open.
Cid put a protective arm around the brave woman.
The familiar thump-drag came from the end of the attic. Cid turned Kiki slowly towards where the demon would emerge. He whispered, “Wait until he addresses you.”
The long-fingered, wide-smiling creature stood and contemplated the two humans for a moment before speaking. “The greenhouse extension needs to be moved. The original greenhouse didn’t have to fight the tall pines that have grown since it was built.”
“That’s a good point,” Kiki said. “Do you mind if I take notes?”
“No.”
Kiki pulled out a pen and pad and wrote down the demon’s remark. “Where do you suggest putting it, or do you think we could do without it? The co-owner is apathetic about it. I was the one who pushed for it,” Kiki explained.
“Leave it out. Instead, use the foundation stones to shore up the north yard.”
“How about a terraced garden?” Kiki suggested.
“Fine.”
“I apologize for all the noise and commotion.”
“Noise doesn’t bother me. I like chaos. But there are some who inhabit this house that have issue with the sound of the tile-cutting saws.”
“Me too. I’ll move that to the garage,” Kiki said, making a note.
“What is the co-owner like?” the demon asked.
“He’s a private person. He wanted a place large enough that he could get lost inside on a rainy day. Hal is always in his head. He’s kind of an inventor. He makes it easy for us to deal with the informational world.”
“Will he want me out?
”
“I can’t speak for him, but I feel, once he understands that he’s in a joint ownership, he will respect your privacy as he will want you to respect his.”
Cid was amazed how Kiki spoke with the demon as if it were another human. She had turned from a trembling child into the manager of the multimillion-dollar renovation.
“Thank you.”
“Is there anything else? The reason I ask is that I have to order materials and look for the right contractor.”
“There is a ley vortex in the subbasement of Kip’s side of the house that must be left undisturbed. Block it off. I can move through stone and brick.”
“I don’t know…”
“I know what it is,” Cid said. “I’ll explain it to her, sir,” Cid promised the demon. “I’ll block it off personally.”
“Thank you. I didn’t think you understood me last night, but I see you do. Good bye.”
Cid led Kiki out of the attic and closed the door after him. They didn’t speak until they closed the door to the attic stairs behind them.
“What was he talking about?” Kiki asked.
“I asked him what he wanted last night, and he answered, ‘What do any of us want?’ The answer is a home. Home is a place to hang your hat and put up your feet.”
Kiki nodded thoughtfully. “I’m going to save so much money. I have to call and cancel the glass for the greenhouse,” she said and walked quickly down the stairs to the hall, picking up her phone.
Cid reviewed what the demon had said as he walked down the stairs. He stopped suddenly, remembering, “There are those…” Those was plural, which meant the black mass wasn’t the only ghost in the house. Should he warn the others or wait until one became a problem? He would consult with Jesse and see what he thought. Today, Jesse was busy in the attic over the hall replacing the rotted wood. Cid would consult with him tonight. Right now, he had a sitting room to finish. He secured the tiny earplugs to keep Feliks’s singing from boring a hole into his brain.
~
Walrus looked at his crew’s work with pride. The large window brought in much-needed light. He could envision little potted herbs on the sill. He sat down and designed a faux sill. This one combined a teak grill with a dark, stain-resistant, stone trough to collect moisture from the inevitable spills from watering the plants. He would hand off the grill for Cid to make while he cut the stone. But first, he needed to run it by the boss.
He found her with her eyes closed in her makeshift office. She opened an eye and waved him in. “Sorry, late night.”
“I’ve got a great idea for the kitchen window.”
Kiki held out her hand, and he put the drawing in it.
She nodded. “You know, Walrus, you should work on a home improvement book. Get credit for these gems.”
“They’re just little custom ideas, I thought would work here. They would be too expensive for the masses.”
“How expensive?”
“Well, there is the custom stone sill and…”
“Substitute an enamel metal drawer with an attractive handle. Make it the size of a standard window. Use the metal screen we used on the radiators in the Candy Hill project.”
“Seems to me, we should work on this book together,” Walrus said.
Kiki laughed. “Why not.”
Walrus left the room feeling good about himself.
Kiki looked at her watch and looked for her boots. It was time to meet with the landscape designer. She wanted him to check the grading on the north side. If the demon was worried, then they needed to check out the problem. She laughed at herself. Here she was, contractor for the rich, taking cues from a house demon.
~
Jesse looked on as his team cleaned up the work area with pride. They had patched the roof immediately. The mansion was scheduled to get a complete new roof, but there were only a few places that they needed to be concerned with at present. Jesse backed out of the attic space and decided to do a complete survey of the center section of the house. These chambers were staging rooms for the household staff. A few of them still held furniture that a guest may request, like a crib for a child or a suitcase rack. Two large dumbwaiters came up from the kitchen, serving the third and fourth floors. The staff were expected to carry the food up the stairs to the first floor. Laundry chutes paired the dumbwaiters. Jesse wondered what the fate would have been of the overworked maid who had sent the master’s undies to the kitchen in the dumbwaiter by accident.
He opened each door and tested the mechanisms. The dumbwaiters’ chains needed oiling, but the laundry chutes reflected back Jesse’s light. He ran his hand up and down the chute, marveling that time hadn’t destroyed the galvanized steel.
Jesse paced off the room. He then looked at his iPad and found that in the old blueprints this room was larger by five feet. He tapped on the wall and it came back hollow.
He studied the blueprint. The area above should be a duplicate of this room. But below? There was a large area, five by five, blocked out with a large x.
“Huh, a space for an elevator?” he asked himself. He made a note to investigate this on his iPad and moved on to the rooms on either side of the hall.
Cid and Kiki passed each other, he to the garage to cut his trim board, and she to speak with the landscape architect.
Kiki used the well-trod path to avoid ruining her hose on the brambles and burrs. Virgil Atwood was conferring with his tree specialist Ray Conti when Kiki arrived. Both men wore bright orange vests over their work clothing. Their tough tan skin bore witness to the long hours outside, and the wrinkles at their eyes told of many shared laughs.
“I’ve got a few changes in regard to the greenhouse,” Kiki began.
“Go ahead,” Virgil said.
“No greenhouse.”
“Phew! I’m so glad to hear that. I hated to think of those beautiful pines being cut down,” Ray said.
“Feel free to use the foundation stones for your terracing.”
“About that. We’ve encountered a problem,” Virgil explained. “We may need to extend the first two terraces outwards because we’ve hit rock.”
“Will we still be able to move the water away from the drive?” Kiki asked.
“Yes. We’ll start closer to the house, and we’ll build a dry stream bed. When it rains, it will flow naturally down and move under the highway into the lake. In the dry season, you’ll be able to see the colorful river stones we’re bringing in from Kentucky. I think, by adding a few pedestrian bridges in the gardens and by changing the terracing, we’ll only need the one main bridge to handle motor vehicles. This one-bridge design could also add to the security of the place if needed.”
“What about the willow trees? Hal fell in love with them. Will we be able to keep some of them?”
Ray pulled out his iPad and brought up his plan. “I’m going to thin them out. If I can get an increase in budget, I could replant them in the back to help handle the swampy ground there.”
“I can let you have the greenhouse glass budget,” Kiki said.
“I’m very pleased to hear that,” Ray said. “Trying to get extra money out of Virgil is impossible.”
“That’s why I hired him. He stays on budget,” Kiki said. “When will we have the road guy in?”
“As soon as we relocate the plants and the terracing is completed. Until the road is finished, you may have some days where you’re either going to be trapped on top of the hill or have to take a few days off.”
“We’ll see where the crews are. If they’re falling behind, then trapping them up there is a great idea,” Kiki said, lifting an eyebrow.
“You’re a heartless woman, Boss,” Virgil teased.
“I’m hoping to get the out-of-state contractors settled in the east wing as soon as the air system is installed. I’ve got a semi full of furniture we saved from the last renovation. A lot of beds if memory serves me.”
Cid cut the last piece of maple trim. He took off his noise-suppressing headset and e
xamined the edges. He took out a file and cleaned up one edge and shook his head. The slice had bisected a knot. He would have to cut another piece to fit.
Kiki texted Hal’s secretary, arranging a Skype meeting for the following day with the busy man. She noticed she had a few messages from suppliers. Kiki stopped and started to return them.
Cid heard Kiki texting. He smiled hearing the rhythmic typing. He turned his head, hearing a low creaking underscoring the texts. He set the board down, walked outside, and spotted Kiki standing near the house, midway between the garage and the end of the east wing. She was moving from one foot to the other, pacing in place as she concentrated on the text. At one point, she stamped her foot.
Cid heard something snap. He turned around, but no one was in the garage. He turned back in time to see Kiki disappear into the ground! He grabbed his go bag with one hand and reported the accident with the radio.
Cid slowed his steps as he approached the hole in the ground. He got on his stomach and crawled, listening for any breaking boards or shifting dirt.
“What’s going on?” Jesse asked out of breath.
“Kiki fell in this hole. I think it’s an old well. Hand me that light.”
Jesse did so.
The light barely pierced the darkness of the deep hole.
“Kiki, can you hear me?” Cid called.
“Fucking hell, I’m treading water down here. It’s freezing,” Kiki called.
“Are you hurt?”
“Maybe a bit scraped up. There are roots that slowed my fall a bit. Hell of a day to wear a skirt. Toss me a rope, would yah?”
“It’s coming down. I attached a light on the end so you can see it coming. I don’t know how deep you are,” Cid said, lowering the rope.
“I see the light. Shit, it stopped about fifteen feet from me.”
“Hang on, Jesse’s running for a longer rope. You’re over fifty feet down there.”
“Fifteen and fifty equals a hell of a long drop. I managed to get my boots off. The water was pulling me down. My right shoulder is messed up, but I can still move my arm. I’m afraid, Cid. I’m not going to last too much longer down here…”
