by Alexie Aaron
“You know that works both ways,” Mia said.
The night security manager looked at her and said, “Those bumps in the night don’t bother me, and I don’t bother them. Now it’s you two I worry about.”
“Everything’s fine here. Would you like a burger?” Ted asked.
“Nah, the wife’s packed me a lunch. I’ll dine on leftover meatloaf tonight.”
He left, and it became quiet again. The only sound was of the moths and their determined quest to get to the lights.
Chapter Seventeen
Murphy took the opportunity of the downtime to investigate on his own. He started with the outside of the The Jewel and moved in and out of the adjacent buildings. Some were abandoned, gutted, ready for renovation. A few were small stores and offices trying valiantly to hold on even though most of the customers preferred the strip malls on the main drag. Still, Joliet retained its hold along the river, and with hard work and hope, the downtown would come back.
He passed a few souls huddled in doorways, staying out of the glare of the street lights, trying to get some shut-eye before the police cruised by and moved them on. He met some spirits that moved oblivious to him. None seemed interested in the burlesque theater. Stephen headed back to the PEEPs command vehicle.
Mia sat with the scrapbook before her. She had stayed outside. The glare of the overhead lights gave Ted a headache as he kept watch on the camera feeds, so she took the book back outside to the lit screened tent. She flipped through the homage to Gypsy Rose Lee, noting that there seemed to be no end to the accolades the woman collected during her performing days. She flipped the page and appreciated that Marc had decided to add other performers he had run across as he investigated who he thought he was in a previous life. Mia pondered a moment if she or any of the paranormally talented people she knew could tell if someone was reincarnated. Did that even happen? She would ask Father Alessandro next time they went to dinner.
Mia turned the page and saw the smiling face of Cherry O’Kelly staring up at her. Marc had found a publicity still of her. This one just had the young woman’s face. Underneath was a chorus line up. She sought out Cherry’s face and found her standing with her arm draped around another woman. The two of them seemed thick as thieves in the picture. Unfortunately Cherry didn’t hold much interest for Marc, and he moved on to other performers, most were from the bigger cities. Mia closed the book after taking one more look at the chorus lineup.
Mia got up, left the screened enclosure and tapped on the inside of the trailer. “Ted, I want to go inside and return this book. I worry that it’s too humid out here. There are some valuable photos in it. Can you call inside and let the night guy know I’m entering the building so I don’t get shot?”
“Sure. Please bring Murphy with you. I’d go, but I worry about leaving this equipment unattended.”
She nodded and listened a moment while he raised the security guy on the radio. “Murph?” she called and tried not to jump as he appeared in front of her. “Whoa, now that’s service.”
He smiled and raised an eyebrow.
“Would you mind escorting me inside? I want to put this in Amber’s dressing room.”
Murphy extended an arm to say, this way.
Mia followed him to the door. She juggled the large book and managed to open the door. She shook her head when Murphy asked her what was taking her so long. “I only have two arms and can’t walk through walls,” she complained.
He pointed to her forehead and wiggled his fingers.
It took her a moment to realize what he was getting at. “Telekinesis? I never thought about it being useful, just something to do tricks with. Good idea though. I should train it to be a third hand.”
Murphy laughed. The image of a three-handed Mia or a three-handed anyone seemed so absurd.
They walked over to Amber’s dressing room door, and Mia tried it and found it locked. “Damn, I forgot about that.”
Murphy pointed to her forehead and then to the door handle.
“I’ll try, but if I can’t do it, will you?”
He nodded and moved through the door. When he had disappeared. Mia thought about the locking mechanism and the button type lever on the opposite side. She pushed with her mind and, after a few tries, managed to disengage the lock. She put her hand on the knob and reared back as it was hot. She looked at her glove and saw a small scorch mark in the center of the palm.
Murphy, wondering what was taking her so long, stuck his head through and found her blowing on the doorknob. This started him laughing again.
“It’s hot, you moron,” Mia snapped. “I seem to be more of a fire-starter than a burglar.” She raised her scorched gloved hand for him to see. She waited a few more minutes for the metal to cool and then opened the door.
She walked over to the coffee table and set the book down. Mia didn’t tarry long, feeling a bit like an invader into Amber’s world. She set the lock before she exited and met Murphy in the hall.
Mia pointed out the dogs to Murphy. He thought they were a bit frou-frou but seemed to enjoy teasing them.
“Would you want a dog?” Mia asked, picking up one them.
Murphy pushed his hat back on this head, stood up and raised his hand to indicate he would want a big dog.
“Ah, a guy’s dog, a manly dog. Don’t discount these little ones. Poodles are supposed to be the smartest of the bunch.”
Murphy wrinkled his face, indicating disbelief.
“Try and look past the haircut these dogs are cursed with for eternity. These babies can do amazing tricks. It takes a smart dog to figure out what we humans are trying to say to them and follow suit.”
She looked down at the two interlopers in the hall. They were playing with The Amazing Paradise Pups. She looked at the back of the chatty female and then over at the silent man dressed in work clothes. He carried an axe. The blade caught the light when he moved.
She tried to speak to them, but without vocal chords, all that came out was a sickening gurgle.
Mia spun around and looked up. Over her was a floating head. She bit back the scream that was making its way forward. “Murph,” she managed.
He looked over and saw the floating head, the frightened eyes and the open maw of her mouth. He went to raise his axe but stopped.
“Hello, I’m Mia. I’ve seen your body stumbling around. Would you like us to try to reunite you?” Mia asked, quickly standing up. From her perspective she could only see the underside of the head.
The woman tilted her head downwards and blinked her eyes.
“I got it. Twice for yes and once for no. Do you want us to take you to your body?”
The apparition blinked twice.
“Can you follow us?”
She blinked no.
“Can I touch you?”
The disembodied woman blinked three times.
“Well, fuck. I’ll take that as I can try. Here goes,” Mia said. She concentrated and reached up and put a gloved hand on either side of the head, being careful to not transfer too much of her energy. She pulled the head towards her and held it like a prized vase. “Quick, Murph, I saw the body last on the stage.” Mia wanted to communicate with Ted but couldn’t risk letting go of the head with either hand. She walked quickly towards the stage entrance.
The dogs sniffed around and noticed something different. The cage door was open. The leader of their troop, Blackie, put a tentative paw outside the barrier and tested the floor. He jumped out and barked. The other five dogs followed him and began sniffing around. They began to investigate the hall, moving like bloodhounds. They caught the scent of the blonde lady’s clothing and went in pursuit.
Mia pushed through the black curtains. She waited until her eyes grew accustomed to the dim light that emitted from the exit signs. She searched the stage for the spot she last saw headless Harriet’s body. Mia sensed that the head was losing energy, and she willed a little of hers into the apparition. She felt dizzy a moment but continued along the f
loorboards.
Crack! Murphy let his axe fall when he spotted the body tripping along the mezzanine center aisle.
“Can you directed it this way? I don’t know how long Harriett here can hold on. Or I can hold on to Harriett.”
The head protested that she was no Harriet, but all that came out was a growl.
Mia stiffened.
Murphy got behind the headless body and tried to touch it, to grab hold and direct it towards the stage. There was a spark that emitted from it, and it knocked him backward.
Mia saw the flash of light as she descended the steps. “Murph, are you alright?”
A faint scratching assured her that he was at least able to move.
Mia took the last step off onto the carpeted floor of the house when she heard dozens of little paws behind her. She hazarded a glance and saw to her horror that the poodles had followed her from the hall. “Good doggies,” she said lamely. They jumped up at her, some of them reaching her arms. “No, it’s not a ball. See that body over there, fetch. Go on bring it to me,” she pleaded, and then in a commanding voice she said, “Fetch the body!”
The dogs circled her legs a moment and then headed out towards headless Harriett.
Mia continued to move carefully towards the center aisle. She was pumping more and more energy into the head, trying to get it to stay with her a few moments longer.
The dogs found their prize, and after receiving a few shocks from contact, they began nipping at the heels, causing the body to turn and lurch away from the electric jolts. The dogs herded headless Harriet towards Mia who was feeling faint from the exertion.
Murphy was on his feet and followed the menagerie down the aisle. He watched as Mia climbed on top of a seat and turned the head and lowered it onto the neck.
A flash of electricity exploded around them, and Murphy lost track of Mia. When his vision cleared, he could only see little blue dots. He stumbled and managed to make his way around the full apparition. He found Mia ten feet away on her back, lying across seats 5J and 5K. He knelt beside her, and she opened her eyes.
Mia looked into Murphy’s concerned face and asked, “Am I dead?”
He shook his head.
Mia thought he looked a bit disappointed but let it go. “Harriett?” she said, trying to look around him. He moved aside and helped her to right herself.
Standing in the aisle, moving her hands up and down her body, was the chorus girl. She tested her voice, and the first words out of her mouth were, “My name’s Mandy, not Harriett!”
“Hello, Mandy,” Mia said. “It’s good to see you in one piece.”
Mandy smiled and squinted her eyes. “What’s with the spot?”
Mia looked up and only saw the dark balcony. “Are you seeing a light, Mandy?”
“Yes.”
“It’s for you. Walk into it. It will take you to the big time.”
“What about Cherry?” she asked.
“I’ll find a way to get her there too. You lead the way, Mandy,” Mia said. She wanted to ask her how she died and a lot more but feared the light would only wait so long, so she let Mandy go.
Murphy put his hand on Mia’s shoulder as they watched the chorus girl take a few tentative steps forward and then disappear in a spark of lights.
“Whoa,” Mia said.
They heard a set of footsteps pounding the boards of the stage and turned to see Ted running out in search of Mia. He jumped off the stage and ran over to her.
“The camera picked you up when you crossed the stage. I saw you fly when you and that thing connected. I thought you were dead,” he said, gathering her in his arms. “Promise me you’ll not do that again.”
Mia considered how many times in life she would have the opportunity to place a floating head on a headless body of a show girl and said honestly, “I promise, Teddy Bear.”
Murphy, who was feeling like a third wheel, moved away from the couple. He walked out into the aisle and looked for the dogs. Had they followed Mandy into the light? He somehow didn’t think so. From his experiences with Mia and the PEEPs crew, he believed the light came for a specific reason. He got on his hands and knees and looked down a few rows of seats.
“What’s he doing?” Ted asked.
“Oh, he’s looking for the poodles…”
Ted looked at Mia with a big grin on his face.
“Don’t say it,” she warned.
He shook his head and bellowed, “Okay, who let the dogs out! Who who, who who who.”
Mia rolled her eyes and shook her head as Murphy pointed at her, not understanding the cultural reference.
The dogs came bounding out of row eighteen. They jumped on Murphy. Mia told Ted what she was seeing. Ted could see Murphy and his unusual gyrations, but since the dogs were invisible to his eyes, he thought Murphy was having a fit of some kind.
“I hate to break up this party, but I left the truck unprotected,” Ted said. “And, Mia, please remember to use this,” he touched her ear com. “Tell me what’s going on.”
“Sorry, when I remembered, I had my hands full of head,” she explained, following him across the stage towards the hall. “I burned my glove,” she pointed out, trying to get sympathy, forgetting how she burned it.
“How did you do that?” Ted asked as he held open the exit door.
Murphy played with the dogs for awhile giving Mia and Ted space. He heard Ted shout, “You can do what!” before the theater door closed on them.
Chapter Eighteen
Burt arrived to find two very exhausted investigators barely able to function.
“Coffee ran out at four AM,” Ted explained. He accepted the venti Starbucks with two shots of espresso from Burt. “You’re a prince,” he said and ignored the scalding hot temperature and sipped it anyway. “Where’s the crew?” he asked.
“They dropped me off with the emergency rations. Mike’s dropping Audrey and Cid off at the library first. It’s a few blocks that away.” Burt pointed in the direction.
Mia lifted her head off the desk, waved at Burt and dropped her head back down into her arms.
He looked at Ted. “Is she ill?”
“No, exhausted. You see she crossed headless Harriet…”
“Mandy,” Mia mumbled.
“Mandy, but first she had to attach… Burt, you better sit down. It’s going to take awhile to explain all this,” Ted suggested.
Burt listened to Ted’s story and was happy to hear that they had a lot of it on film.
“We still haven’t found all of the dogs.”
Burt smiled and opened his mouth…
“Don’t say it,” Mia started.
But Burt couldn’t be stopped, “Who let the dogs out, who who, who who who!”
Mia banged her head on the desk, almost upsetting the venti cup of coffee cooling there for her.
“Mia’s not a fan,” Ted explained. “Are we going to see Bev today?”
“Mike told her to take the morning off and be here this afternoon for rehearsals. When Mike gets back with the van, why don’t you and Mia head over to the motel for a rest. Be back around four and bring food. We are going to order lunch from Jimmy Johns so we’re covered until diner.”
~
Cid moved up and down the stairs, taking in the old library. He wandered down the stacks of books and breezed through the areas where computers held court. Something continued to pull him into the areas where the smell of old books was the strongest. He had left Audrey to deal with the trials and tribulations of trying to get a hold of old, archived newspaper articles, promising to be back to help her copy. He was on a mission to find the book of his childhood. He didn’t remember its name or the author. He remembered the cover and the premise. He recalled finding solace in the book after one traumatic day that started with his parents thinking that basketball day camp at the local YMCA would be a good idea. At nine, he was short, fat, and uncoordinated. His heavy black spectacles caused him trouble walking, let alone trying to navigate down the basket
ball court.
He hadn’t met Ted yet and had spent most of his summer days alone. His mother, blind to the torment by his peers, demanded he at least try camp. It was beyond horrible. He ventured into the gym wearing brand new high top sneakers and was greeted warmly by the coach who handed him off to a few of the high school athletes that came to volunteer. To give them credit, they did try. He could sense their aversion to the overly sweaty kid, but the two older boys actually had managed to get him to dribble the basketball successfully across the gym floor by the time the other kids entered the small gymnasium.
That’s went it all went downhill. His nerves took hold, and the ball would not stay near his hands. He double dribbled, lost control, and then had to chase the ball, much to the amusement of the other boys. His glasses slipped off his sweat-drenched nose and dangled from the sports strap. He heard “Heads up,” but without his glasses he didn’t see the ball coming towards him until it hit him full in the face. Little Cid Garret fell backwards. Blood spurted from his nose. He managed to grab his spectacles and jam them into place. He looked at the young men who ran over to his rescue through the blood-spattered lenses.
Cid got up and pushed them away. He ran out of the building and didn’t stop running until he cleared the parking lot. He looked around. He didn’t know where he was exactly. His mother dropped him off, and he hadn’t been paying attention to the drive over. He knew she’d be back for him at three when the day camp let out. He decided to find something to do in the meantime. He could have called her, but that would have brought her disappointment at his explanation for never setting foot in a gymnasium again sooner. Cid needed time.
His nose had stopped bleeding by the time he found the library a scant three blocks away. He opened the door, and to his relief, he found a restroom not far from the double doors of the old building. He rushed into the room and began the arduous task of cleaning off most of the blood. Each time he removed his glasses, the world swam before him. He managed to look through the lenses and orient himself to soap, sink, and paper towels before he started to clean his blood from the lenses.
