by Alexie Aaron
~
“So you’re telling us that the place is haunted,” Mike said surprised.
The team was huddled inside the back of the truck. Mia had poured a large salt ring around it, large enough to deter any lurking spirits from overhearing their conversation.
“There is at least one woman, dressed in a flapper dress, and a man wearing a blood-stained suit and spats. I’m not sure if they are from the same era. Audrey, if you could look up when men wore spats and plaid suits, that would tell me more,” Mia asked.
Audrey made a note, nodding.
“I don’t get it. Why fake a haunt if they are haunting it?” Burt asked, scratching his head.
“They want to discredit the manager and anyone who works here,” Cid said. “They want the place to fail. Maybe so they can have it to themselves.”
“Perhaps,” Mia considered. “But I think that we are dealing with very smart ghosts here. They studied what a false haunt would look like, perhaps watching a few of the groups on reality TV. The woman even added static to her voice. It takes a lot of power to cut through the ether, let alone bring static with you.”
“The question is why?” Burt said. “What do they have to gain by doing this? Cliff told me that if he can’t pull the Rosemont out of the mire, it was going to be demolished. Is this their aim?”
“It’s kinda hard to ask them when we aren’t supposed to know they’re actually here,” Mike said.
“I could OOB. Take a look around, see what I can see,” Mia offered. “They may not see me if I move fast enough.”
“Last resort. Keep an eye on them for right now. They don’t know you can see them, which will give us an advantage over them. Ted, can you figure out how they are avoiding being picked up on film?” Burt asked.
“Working on it. Maybe they are just avoiding the cameras,” he suggested. “When a group has caught something on film, it looks like this,” Ted brought up on the big monitor a collage of pictures of what looked like people with sheets over their heads.
Mia started laughing. “The cheeky bastards.”
“Speaking of cheeky bastards, let’s see if we can coax Murphy away from the farm to see what he can suss out,” Burt said.
“He’s planting the seedlings you gave him,” Mia informed Burt. “Once that’s done, I think he’d love an outing.”
“Maybe we can help dig a few holes. It has to be exhausting,” Cid pointed out. “It’s clay up there on the north ridge, hard enough for flesh and bloods, exponentially harder for an entity who has to draw so much energy in order to even make contact with this plane of existence.”
“You can ask him, but he’s kind of a control freak when it comes to his woods,” Mia warned.
Cid looked at her and lifted an eyebrow.
“K. I’ll ask him,” Mia relented. “If I’m not in jail. I’ll take care of it right away.”
“Jail?” Burt asked. “What’s this about jail?”
Mia explained Tom’s imminent visit which brought out a lot of guesses about what it could be about.
They heard a car pull into the lot, and Cid stuck his head out the back and said, “I guess we’ll all find out. Here comes the copper.”
Mia took a moment to squeeze Ted’s hand in reassurance before exiting the truck and heading towards the county patrol car.
Chapter Three
Tom parked the car. He saw Mia jump off the back of the PEEPs command truck and walk towards him. He grabbed the folder and got out to greet her.
“Deputy Tom, what brings you to this neck of the woods?” she asked as she waved her arm, showing off the posh exterior of the hotel.
“Slumming, you?”
“Trying to figure out why the guests are being treated to all sorts of hijinks free of charge.”
“People need to pay for the extras in my opinion,” Tom said, feeling the stress ease from his shoulders. Mia wasn’t the enemy; she was a friend. “Could we intrude on the hospitality of the innkeeper for some privacy?” he asked, angling his head towards the hotel.
“Why not. As long as we stay out of the bedrooms, we’ll be fine.”
Tom blushed. “I realize you’re spoken for. Ma would like to meet your intended when it’s convenient.”
“I’d like that, Tom. I’ve missed talking to her. I guess I’ve let life get in the way lately. I apologize.”
“No problem, I thought you were avoiding us because of Whit.”
Mia stopped and shook her head. “I don’t think so. You see, I believe you’re my friend too, not just an extension of Whitney Martin. I seem to have been caught up in some ghostly situations that have kept me mighty busy.” Mia scrunched up her face briefly and asked, “Why are we talking like some polite strangers in an old western?”
Tom laughed and followed Mia inside the hotel. Cliff’s eyebrows raised when he saw Tom’s uniform, but he remained behind the counter. Mia led Tom to a quiet corner and sat down in one of the facing chairs.
Tom sat at the edge of the expensive overstuffed chair and opened the folder. He cleared his voice before he said, “Mia Cooper, it’s my duty to inform you that the restraining order the state of Illinois issued involving Amber Day has been lifted. She has been given full rights to travel anywhere in the state.”
“Anywhere?”
“Anywhere.”
“Including Cold Creek?” she asked worried.
“Not on private land that is posted with no trespassing signs. I assure you that the sheriff and I will post them as soon as possible.” Tom went on to explain why this had been done, that legally they were in the wrong, and he reminded her that she dropped charges against Amber, weakening their case.
“K.”
“Could you please sign here that all of this has been explained to you?”
Mia accepted the paper and the offered pen. She took a moment to read the document before she signed it. “Do you know why the attorney general got involved in this?”
“There was some political pressure put on. Big money tossed around and, presto chango, no more restraining order. Evidently, Amber wants to perform in a theater in Joliet of all places.”
“Joliet, what’s in Joliet that would interest Amber?” Mia asked, not expecting an answer.
“Casinos, two of them if memory serves me. They have renovated most of the downtown, and it’s become quite the destination spot for gamblers.”
“And how did you come by this information?”
“Ma. She googled it while I was driving over.”
“God bless the woman. How’s your Dad?”
“Fine.”
“Your uncle?”
“In a facility downstate. He’s still convinced that aliens have taken over northern Illinois. No amount of talking to him is going to convince him otherwise. He thinks his pals’ deaths were the government covering up.”
“It could be worse I guess,” Mia said, handing Tom back the document and pen.
“Whit’s fine by the way.”
“I didn’t ask.”
“You wanted to though.”
“Yes,” she confessed.
“He’s chasing down the weird and the unexplained for Uncle Sam now. He’s been on a few dates but nothing serious,” Tom reported.
“I wish him well, Tom. If he ever asks, I’m doing well and have reconnected with my parents.”
“How’s that going?”
“Dad’s fine, my mother’s still a cold bitch. You’re lucky to have your ma.”
“You don’t have to tell me that. Let’s plan something. Maybe a meal or drinks somewhere? Let’s not let our friendship lapse, Mia. It’s too easy to lose track of each other.”
Mia leaned forward and put her hand on his arm. “Let’s do that. Don’t worry, Tom, I have a long memory, and I never forget those that have been kind to me like you and your mother have.”
Tom smiled, gathered his things and stood up. “I’m on the clock; I better head back. I’ll call ma on the way home and see what she wants to do.
I’ll get back to you later in the week,” he promised.
“Good. I’d better let my fiancé know that he doesn’t have to sell his comic book collection to bail me out of jail.”
“You think he’d do that?”
“Not the good stuff, but I think he’d part with a few of them to get me out of the hoosegow.”
Tom laughed and repeated, “Hoosegow. Now that’s something I haven’t heard in a while.”
Mia walked him to the door and watched as he got in his car and drove off. She turned to the ever present Cliff Rosemont and explained, “Personal friend on public business. Thank you for the use of the lobby.”
“No problem. We here at the Rosemont live to serve.”
Mia wanted to counter, “But what about the dead? What are they here for?” but she held her tongue and turned to leave. The sound of a gasp stopped her. She looked back at Cliff, and he was gone.
Mia ran over to the counter, lunged over it and looked behind it. No Cliff. She pulled herself over instead of taking the time to walk around the long Mahogany piece of furniture. As she moved over, she took a few dozen paperclips, pens and papers with her. She would pick them up later. She remembered her com and touched it. “Ted, over.”
“Go ahead, my fellow parolee,” he said.
“Cliff has disappeared. One moment he was talking to me, the next he was gone. I’m going to check for hidden passages because, by all accounts, there isn’t anywhere for him to go so fast. Send in the troops and arm them,” she instructed.
“Cid’s on his way, and Burt and Audrey are suiting up. Don’t go anywhere until Cid gets there, over.”
“Lois Lane, signing off,” she said. Mia started knocking on the wall behind the reservation desk. It sounded solid to her, but Cid with his construction background would know for sure.
She heard the doors open and turned to see Cid running across the lobby. “Where was he standing when he vanished?”
“Here,” Mia said, moving to the spot. She felt an odd bounce in the wood flooring. Hand me that vase of flowers. No, take the flowers out first.”
Cid did as instructed and watched horrified as Mia poured the contents on the floor. “Shine a light here,” she ordered.
Cid directed the mega light at the floor, and the two of them watched as the water pooled for a brief moment before draining into the floor. “It’s a trapdoor. Mia, I suggest…”
Mia felt the floor give under her. She barely had time to throw herself sideways before there was nothing below her.
Cid caught her outstretched arm and pulled her to safety.
“Nice catch, Superman!” Mia said panting for air. She patted his arm to get him to release her. “I’m fine. I want to look inside that thing.”
Cid released her and watched as she inched forward on her belly. “Light,” she said, thrusting her hand in his direction as she peered over the edge.
Cid handed her the light but maintained a hold on the belt of her pants. If he lost her face first down this rabbit hole, the Mad Hatter would have his balls for breakfast. “Can you see anything?”
“The darkness just eats up this light. Cliff, Cliff Rosemont!” Mia called. “Cliff, can you hear me?”
Mia’s last word echoed through the bowels of the building. But there was no response from the manager.
“Here,” Cid said, handing Mia a fistful of coins from his pocket. “Drop one at a time and follow it with the light. Let’s see what we can hear and see.”
Mia dropped a nickel, and it wasn’t too long before they heard it hit and settle before it slid. She repeated the process with a quarter, and as it hit, it wobbled a bit and rolled before settling.
“It’s a slide, perhaps similar to the one in the Gruber mansion. If Cliff was standing, he may have hit his head on the way down,” suggested Cid.
“But why didn’t I hear it happen?” Mia questioned.
“Insulation. A lot of carpeting between where you were standing and this reservation area,” he surmised.
“Do we still have that climbing gear in the truck?” Mia asked.
“I don’t remember taking it out. Hang on,” Cid instructed and touched his ear com. “Ted, this is Cid. Do we still have the climbing gear?”
“Yes. I’ll send it in with the team. Let me guess, trapdoor?”
“You’re a smart dude,” Cid said. “Better have 911 on speed dial, we haven’t heard anything from Cliff yet.”
“Team’s leaving the truck. Mia, wait for them, over.”
“I got my hand on her belt; she’s not going anywhere, over.”
“Firm grip, she’s kind of wiggly.”
Mia touched her com. “You two do know I can hear you.”
“We do now,” Ted said pretending to be surprised. “Be careful, dear. Remember we are a Murphy short of a good time here.”
“Yes, I’m missing the tree hugger too, but I think we can handle a trapdoor to nowhere by our lonesome,” Mia said.
They heard the whoosh of the lobby doors opening. Cid pulled Mia up by her belt. She wanted to complain but thought better of it. When you were her size, people thought they could carry and haul you around like a sack of potatoes. She knew they were well intentioned, but she had grown weary of the manhandling.
Burt was carrying a full array of cameras. Audrey had the climbing gear in her hands. She handed the harness to Mia who donned it quickly while Cid attached the rope and secured it to the heavy desk. Burt handed Mia the lit headset.
“Do I have to wear the nerd light?” she asked looking at him.
“You want your hands free. Nerd light, or I go down there,” he bargained.
Mia looked at his serious expression and pulled the straps of the apparatus tight around her head. He handed her the micro camera, and she clipped it to the strap over her ear. She flexed her gloved hands a moment and said, “Cid, I’m ready if you are.”
“One minute,” he said as he put on the leather gloves Audrey handed him. He wrapped the rope around himself and eased a little slack out between his hands. “Ready. Go slow. Remember this building is old, and we don’t know what the intended use of this drop trap was for originally. It could only be weighted for cash and papers.”
“Gotcha,” Mia said as she sat at the edge of the opening, turned on her stomach and hung her legs in the air. She wiggled over the edge into the black space. Carefully, she maneuvered off the edge, still holding on until she had to let go of the solid flooring. “Cid, you’re going to get my full weight now,” she warned as she let go of the side of the trap and dangled as Cid lowered her with his hands.
“Mia, turn your head to the right,” Burt instructed. “I thought I saw something.”
She did as instructed. The light reflected a shiny surface. She reached out, but it was too far away. “I think it’s part of the spring mechanism.” She turned her head around, and her eyes opened wide as she came face to face with the business end of a Tommy gun. “Bloody hell!”
Burt looked through the viewer and saw the spider-web-covered weapons that seemed to be hanging in midair. He saw Mia reach for one. “Careful, Mia, it could be loaded,” he warned.
Mia carefully poked around and saw that the weapons were housed on some kind of mechanism. “I bet there is a button somewhere that moves this out so it can be retrieved from above when the door is opened. Wait until I’m on solid… something before testing out my theory, K.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll behave ourselves,” Burt said wryly.
“Lower me another few feet, Cid. I’m seeing the coins reflecting back at me,” Mia said looking down.
Cid lowered the harnessed investigator until he felt the tension on the rope quit.
“I’m on a slide. It seems to be a comfortable angle downwards. Permission to descend.”
“Permission granted,” Burt said. “Give her some slack, Cid.”
“Hey, guys, the slide is changing; it’s more cupped like a waterslide. I think it was an escape route. I’m going to need a lot more sla
ck. How much do I have?”
“I’ve got about thirty more feet of rope,” Cid told her.
“I may have to disconnect…”
“NO!” the five investigators said in unison.
“K, don’t all shout at once. I’m going to need a hearing aid after this, ouch,” she complained.
The height of the passage dropped in front of her. She sat down, and with one hand on the rope, she let herself slide. The harness caught on the metal rivets of the slide segments, slowing her progress down. She had gone twenty feet when she heard a moan. She touched the com and informed the team what she was hearing. It was still dark, and she descended until the length of the rope gave out. “Cliff! Cliff, can you hear me?” she called below her.
She was rewarded with a faint, “Waa,” followed by “Where am I?”
“Don’t move, Cliff. You’re on some kind of escape slide. I’m above you.”
“It’s dark. I think my head’s bleeding.”
“Can you give me anymore rope?” Mia asked Cid.
“Nope.”
“Note to Ted, buy some more fucking rope,” Mia said as she disconnected her harness and started sliding downwards. She braced her arms to the sides and managed to control her descent. Soon she was hearing Cliff as he breathed. “Watch out, I’m not sure of how this thing ends,” Mia warned Cliff as she felt the slide end, and she barely twisted in time to hold on to the end of the slide. She lowered herself a few feet before her feet hit something soft.
“Ouch, that’s my stomach.”
Mia felt her foot guided by Cliff’s hand, and she now stood on solid ground. From the little she could see, she found herself standing between the legs of the fallen manager. “Touchdown. The Mia capsule has landed. Watch your eyes. I’m going to light up this place,” she informed Ted and the other video watchers. Mia took out several of Ted’s light disks and suggested, “Cliff, cover your eyes a moment. These are mega strong, and it’s going to hurt after all this darkness.”
“My eyes are shut, go ahead.”
