by Alexie Aaron
“Yes, I wouldn’t want to run into any of those.”
“Are they real?”
“I don’t think so, but it seems for every tale, there’s some truth to it. Like vampires!”
Murphy crossed himself.
“What have you been watching lately? I think I’m going have to put a child lock on the television.”
CRACK! Murphy dropped his axe into a rotted stump.
“Okay, okay, I know you’re not a kid. Geeze, I was just teasing, don’t get your pants in a twist. Boxers or briefs, Murphy, which is it?”
Murphy was horrified. He blushed. “Bad Mia.”
Mia giggled and said, “Let’s play hide and seek like the old days, and no cheating.”
“Cheated in the old days,” Murphy said.
“Oh, yeah? So you were just messing with me back then.”
“Lousy hider.”
The tones of a bell drifted up the hill. “What’s that?”
“Time to go home.”
“When did they get a bell?” Mia asked as she ran to catch up with the ghost.
Cid pulled the chord again, and as the bell tilted, the clapper came in contact and the alto bong reverberated. He liked the sound. It was a hard to find a bell with a tone his sensitive ears would like. Most bells clanged. It all depended on what the bell was made of. This one had copper infused with the brass. It was more melodic. He had paid for it himself. Cid was tired of yelling for Murphy and frankly felt a bit silly doing so, hence the bell.
Mia ran out of the woods smiling. “Cool bell, Friar Tuck.”
“I like it. Saves on the lungs.”
“You could have rung me?” Mia said, patting her pocket.
“I wanted to make sure Murphy came also. Burt’s resuming the meeting and wants all of us there. Audrey’s come through with info.”
“Cool beans. I’d like to grab something to eat…”
“One ahead of you, Mike’s made sandwiches.”
Mia wrinkled her face. “Mike?”
“Don’t let him see you do that. He’s under the impression that he makes the best peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in Kansas.”
“We ain’t in Kansas.”
“Exactly, be kind, Mia, he’s trying,” Cid pleaded.
“K.”
“If you’re good, I’ll make lasagna this weekend.”
Mia stuck out her hand, “Deal!”
Cid shook it and pulled her in for a hug, then he noogied her head.
“Ouch,” she said and pushed him away.
Murphy just looked at the pair with disdain, “Children.”
They looked at him and laughed.
“Come on, the crew is waiting,” Ted called from the door of the barn. “And stop giving my gal noogies; her hair is falling out.”
Mia’s hands went to her head and felt around as they walked over to the barn.
Audrey pulled out her notes as soon as the team settled down. Murphy leaned against the wall away from the computers. His magnetic personality tended to fry circuit boards.
“Juan Carlos was indeed one the heads of the Columbian drug cartel. He’s since retired and is living somewhere in the Cayman Islands. His son, adopted by the way, by him and his third wife, Juan Carlos Junior seems legit. True, there is a fog around where he initially got his stake, but he has made money the Vegas way with casinos, bars and show girls. He has a MBA from Northwestern and has invested wisely and made it through the crash even. He purchased The Jewel and several adjoining properties, planning on developing them as interest and the economy picks up in the area.”
“In Alan’s opinion, will we soil PEEPs rep by working for him?” Mike asked.
“Doing this investigation, no, but he cautions any of you in investing in the burlesque review as it seems ripe with the possibility of failure. Gossip amongst the old boys clubs in Chicago is that it all hinges on whether Amber Day, a relative unknown, can come through with the show-stopper number.”
“Gee, no wonder she’s a nervous wreck,” Mia said. “So what’s the verdict? Do we go in and make life easier for them and collect a tidy sum too or do we pass?”
“I guess this is the time to vote, unless someone has something else to add,” Burt said. He looked around the room and pointedly at Mia who looked at Murphy.
“He’s ready to vote,” Mia said.
“Okay, hands up if we do this investigation.”
Everyone raised their hands, and Murphy tapped his axe handle on the floor in agreement.
“That’s settled. Mike, you call Carlos’s lawyer and iron out a contract. Meanwhile, we’ll load up the trucks. Audrey, you’ve got the research requests from Mia to look into. Ted, see if there are rooms available locally, and not in the casino, too much temptation. We need permission to use the alley for our vehicles Mia, see if you can make a few calls. Start with Carlos’s security head. See if he has any pull with the police there. The neighborhood is coming back, but it’s not a great place to linger late at night.” Burt stopped and looked around. “Cid and Murphy, see if you two can work out a tapping signal. Mia says the place is flush with spirits. Murphy, we are going to need your eyes and ears. Mia can’t be everywhere.”
“There, now that you all have jobs to do, I can take a nap,” he said and laughed at his own joke. He was rewarded with raspberries from his adoring teammates.
Chapter Eleven
“What do you mean probation? The fine is bad enough, but rehab? I’m not a drunk. They drugged me,” Bev argued as they left the courthouse and waited for Benito to bring the sedan around.
“Rehab for sexual addiction,” Gerald corrected.
“What!” Bev felt dizzy, she was so mad. “I’m not a sex addict!”
“The attorney made a deal. Instead of getting a charge for hiring prostitutes…”
“That’s just a fine and…”
“No! Damn it, listen to me. You hired three prostitutes, and one of them was underage. Had you been charged, you would have been put on a watch list. Do you want to be the pedophile in your condominium complex?”
“No.”
“Instead, you have to go to meetings and see a counselor. No ducking out on this one. Beverly, you have to get your life in order.”
“Mia did this to me, the ungrateful brat,” Bev spat.
“No. Mia didn’t press any charges for the theft and damages. She didn’t want you to get charged as an accessory, so she dropped the charges for the four of you. However, the two that attacked the deputy are going to be seeing some jail time. No wiggle room there.”
“If she didn’t cause such a…”
“What is with you? You’re not the victim here. She is. But she’s taking the high road. I suggest you sit back and thank your lucky stars that for some reason she still feels a kinship for you.”
The town car pulled up, and the driver came around and opened the door.
“Ms. Cooper, Mr. Shem,” Benito greeted them formally. “I trust everything went well.”
“As good as it could have. Take us by the Cold Creek farmhouse. We need to get Mia’s keys and code to retrieve Beverly’s suitcases.”
“Yes, sir,” he said, waited until Gerald got in and shut the door.
~
Mia was carrying the large thermoses of coffee out to the PEEPs command vehicle when Gerald’s town car pulled into the drive of the farmhouse. She handed off the coffee to Ted and approached the vehicle.
The driver stopped the car. He got out of the car and opened the door. Gerald Shem got out and instructed Benito to close the door after him.
“Well, if it isn’t the man who knows a man who…” Mia said. “What’s the matter, Bev too chicken shit to get out of the car? Oh, no, let me guess, this is all my fault.”
“I just think it’s in your best interest to leave her to her pity-party of one,” he said.
Mia noticed the shine seemed to have gone off his affection for her aunt.
“Yesterday was the anniversary of the death of Guillau
me, her first and looks like only love. You Coopers, once struck by lightning, never let go, not even in death.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know. I wouldn’t have left her alone. But in my defense, I was only gone four hours,” Mia said sadly.
“I didn’t even know she was in the country. When I left her in Italy she seemed fine. Each year you would think it would get better, but no, it gets worse.” Gerald drew her aside. “I know this is asking a lot. Could I get into your house and retrieve her belongings? I promise not to take anything that does not belong to Bev and that includes your grandmother’s jewelry.”
“Let her have the stuff. I have the memories of Grandma Fred’s last days. Let Bev have the family jewels. I don’t need them. However, the bank account is mine. She’ll just spend it all on shoes and booze.”
“Ouch, that’s rather cutting, Mia, not like you. But I will tell her about the jewels. She has no need of money. I will continue to take care of her.”
“That is why she has no respect for you,” Mia observed. She dug in her pocket and produced a ring with two keys on it. “Here’s the keys. Leave them in the house when you leave. There’s an alarm on the gate and the house,” she warned him. “The company code is 3663. It will let you in the gate and the house. I don’t think she has anything in the garage.” Mia looked him in the eyes. “I don’t mean to be this bitchy, but I can only take so many hits from my family. I had to deal with my mother recently and haven’t healed from that yet,” she explained. “I’m determined not to have, as you cleverly put it, a pity-party. Is that all?”
“Yes. I wish I could make it up to you, Mia.”
“Not necessary, Gerald. You’ve always been there for PEEPs, and I appreciate it. Good luck. I’ve got to get moving. We have an investigation in Joliet to get to before nightfall.”
“Be safe, Mia. May fortune smile upon you.”
Mia lifted her hand as she walked away.
Gerald heard the door open behind him. Benito stood there stone-faced holding the door. “Do you know the way to Mia Cooper’s house?”
“Yes, sir. I’ve been there a few times with you.”
“I wonder what you think of us, Benito?” he mused as he got in.
“Not my job to judge, sir, just drive.”
Ted put his arm around Mia as they watched the car drive off. “You handled that well.”
“Do you think so? I thought I was a bit hard. And when Murphy walked over to the car and began to make throat cutting motions to Beverly, I thought I’d start laughing or pee myself. Where is he?”
“I saw him walk down to the end of the drive.”
“I guess he’s not done with Bev yet.”
“Fucking hell, he’s at it again. Gerald, can’t you do something?”
“I’m sorry, Bev, what are you talking about?”
“That farmer of Mia’s. He’s been gesturing threats to me since we got here, and now he’s at my window keeping pace with the car.”
Gerald almost started to laugh. “Ignore him. He’s just messing with you. Benito will soon reach the highway, and he’ll return to Mia.”
Bev closed her eyes and put her hands over her face. She still saw Stephen Murphy pointing to his eyes and then at her. She knew what he was indicating. He would be a problem in the future. She had better stay clear of him and that sharpened piece of cast iron he called an axe.
Murphy appeared beside Mia. He looked at her with an innocent expression on his face.
“Where have you been? Ted’s almost ready. We’re traveling in the truck with him. Burt, Mike, Audrey and Cid have the van. I hope you packed your extra pair of socks, we’re staying overnight. We have the first shift.”
Murphy nodded, ignored the comment about the socks and smiled at the thought of investigating again with the PEEPs team.
~
Bev winced as she walked into Mia’s house. Mia always kept it so nice and tidy. True, there was never anything in the refrigerator, but the glasses were clean and the coffee pot on. Now it looked and smelled like a bar. Gerald kept tsk-tsking behind her.
“Just stay here, I’ll pack my stuff,” she insisted.
Gerald didn’t need to have access to Bev’s mind to know what went on here in the four hours Mia was gone. A flash of light on the lake caught his eye, and he was drawn out onto the outside deck. Once out there, he turned sharply and looked down at the two colorful wooden chairs. He saw Bev sitting there with a drink and… Angelo? What was he doing here? He turned sharply and saw Bev looking at him from the open door. He scanned her mind, but she blocked him. “What was Angelo doing here?” he asked.
“He was concerned about me.”
“If he was concerned, why didn’t he stay and keep you out of the mess you were headed in?”
“He left before I decided to have some fun,” Bev said. “Come on, I’m packed. Let’s leave. This place gives me the creeps.”
“Mia said you could have the jewels.”
“Funny little thing, she calls the paltry gold wedding rings and a string of unmatched pearls the family jewels.”
“They were her grandmother’s. To her they are valuable.”
“Imagine that.”
“Why did you take them if they had no value to you?”
“I didn’t. It was what’s his name…”
“Liar,” he accused. “The prostitute would not have taken them, as they were hidden and had no value. You must have found them first.”
“What if I did? What business is it of yours, Shem?”
“I’m just trying to understand this,” he said as he stepped through the door and waved his hand indicating the ruined room. The beautiful fabrics were stained. The expensive table had a crude word carved into the top. The wood floor was sticky. He didn’t want to venture into the master bedroom suite. He didn’t want to cry thinking of the orgy Bev may or may have not been involved in. Little Mia’s paradise was tainted and abused. He felt sorry for the girl and vowed to make it up to her.
Bev kept her mind locked and her lips closed. She picked up her small bag and motioned to the two larger ones and stormed out. Gerald placed the bags outside for Benito and walked back inside. He put his hand on the counter of the kitchen and closed his eyes. He experienced Mia’s disgust, fear and, finally, heartbreak as once more a member of her family had let her down.
He opened his eyes, left the keys and armed the alarm before leaving and locking the door. He would have to consult Father Santos about Angelo. But first he needed to make sure Bev was settled. He walked back to the drive. He followed the car as Benito backed out. Gerald closed the gate and armed that alarm. Before he got back into the car, he looked the place over. He couldn’t understand why he still felt uneasy. What had happened there behind the gates last evening? Whatever it was, there was a pall upon the former sanctuary now. Was it the evil the Trio of Delights had brought with them or something else? All he knew was that he felt that something darker had been seeded and was trying to take hold. He would suggest Mia burning sage before she spent any real time there.
~
Mia helped direct Ted as he backed the PEEPs truck into the alley. It filled the space, leaving only enough room for the driver’s side door to open. The passenger side only had enough room to sidestep around the beast if needed. Ted put his hat on backwards and got to work on attaching into the electricity of the theater. The alley continued on for twenty yards and dead-ended at the back of the building. There was another access alley on the other side of the building. This is where the workmen had their vehicles parked. Burt backed in the van. The rest of the PEEPs got out, and while Mike and Burt went inside to iron out the contract, the other investigators organized the equipment.
Audrey grabbed hold of a roll of cable and muscled it to the staging area by the large doors. Mia, who had hopped up on the loading dock, grabbed the cable from Audrey. “You would think in this day and age, these would be lighter,” Audrey said, rubbing the small of her back.
Mia sat do
wn at the edge of the dock and explained, “They are lighter, but we have to add extra shielding, otherwise the ghosties will eat up all our energy. And we have to use this special stuff that rats are opposed to munching on.”
“Rats! Don’t tell me this building has rats.”
“Don’t know, but we still have to be prepared,” Mia said and hopped off the edge and walked back to the truck with Audrey. “It’ll either make us stronger or send us to the chiropractor pronto.”
Cid passed them carrying thrice the load the girls carried.
“Show off,” Audrey growled.
Mia laughed. “That’s how he keeps those muscles, I guess. Let him carry the heavy stuff. We are not letting down our side by choosing the more delicate items such as cameras and air.”
“Air?”
“Like this,” Mia said and mimed balancing an invisible basket on her head and walking watering-hole style to the back of the truck. She swung her hips delicately as she balanced her invisible bundle.
“Whatcha doing?” Ted asked.
“I’m carrying you a basket of air, want some?”
Ted reached over and pulled the imaginary basket off her head, saying over his shoulder as he walked into the vehicle, “With Cid’s latest chilidog consumption, I could always use some fresh air.”
Mia turned to Audrey. “Any questions?”
Audrey rolled her eyes and shook her head.
Mike paced the small conference room while Burt looked out the window. The idea of doing a contract with the heir to the drug cartel was one thing. The idea of challenging some items on the legal binders was another. Nondisclosure agreements didn’t jive with their intent to broadcast the images on their cable show.
The door opened, and in walked a well-dressed older man Mike guessed to be the lawyer. After him, two blocks of muscle with security badges on walked in and stood on either side of the door.
Burt turned around to see the entrance of the great and powerful Juan Carlos Jr. He didn’t know what exactly the man would look like. He’d seen quite a few HBO gangster shows to get the idea of the perceived body type of this kind of individual. So when the slight Japanese man wearing the hipster glasses and casual clothing came in, it took him a minute to realize that this was Juan Carlos Jr.
