A Rose by Any Other Name (Haunted Series Book 18)

by Alexie Aaron

  “Do you agree with the creature?” Glenda asked Ted.

  “Roustan Rose is a machine, but I haven’t determined exactly what it does. Thorn claims that he needs to ‘cycle the house,’ and it will close the open areas where the monsters from this pocket can enter our world.” Ted walked over and pointed to the places where there had been bleed through. “In theory, he could be right. A slight movement would align these openings. See…” he said, showing that the three remaining hot spots were in a straight line. “Another slight movement, and they would be closed, hopefully forever.”

  “What opened them in the first place?” Glenda asked.

  “Wind,” Cid said. “Derechos. Straight lines of wind constantly hitting this house over time could actually move it enough to change the building’s measurements. It may only be fractions of an inch, but when you’re dealing with an experiment as complex as Thorn’s, then it’s possible to disrupt the outcome by something as simple as wind. After the fire, there were no mature trees to soften the blast of the constant winds we see around here,” he explained.

  Mia took Ted aside. “We need to start starving Thorn of power.”

  This was so contrary to Mia’s previous views, Ted had to ask, “Why?”

  “He isn’t our friend, Ted. He is the spirit of a man hellbent on getting what he wants. Soon we won’t be able to stop him.”

  “We need him. I don’t understand yet what this machine actually does. We’re making remarkable strides.”

  Mia put a gentle hand on his chest. “You need to take a moment and think about what’s important.” Mia handed Ted the roll of drawings his son had made for him. “This is what is important. I almost forgot, and Brian was kind enough to remind me.”

  Mia walked away and headed downstairs to confront Thorn. She brought with her the angel sword. She prayed she would find no cause to use it. Mia didn’t take it for her protection; she knew Murphy would have her back. Mia took it to save this world from Richard Thorn and his experiments.

  Ted unrolled the bundle. He sat down at the table and opened them. They, like most of Brian’s drawings, were of stickmen. In the one before him, he saw a very tall man holding the hand of a small boy. The boy’s face had a big smile on it. The next drawing was of the boy and Cid (denoted by the Superman cape) reading. The tall image of Ted was standing looking over at the two. The boy had a big smile on his face. The next drawing was of the boy alone. He was sad. Murphy and a woman he assumed was Mia stood very far away, and their arms were up as if they were fighting. Ted couldn’t get over the message his, not even, one-year-old had sent him. He was happy when Ted was with him or if Ted was working nearby, but when Ted was gone, no one was happy, not Brian, not Mia or Murphy.

  Mia approached the two ghosts slowly. Thorn and Murphy glared at each other, Murphy’s hand not far from his axe handle.

  “Salutations, Richard,” Mia said.

  Thorn tried unsuccessfully to hide his annoyance.

  “I would think after all these years you would have learned patience,” Mia observed.

  “I’m just trying to stop the monsters. Lord knows what Rose is up to.”

  “Actually, I have it on good authority that Rose has fallen prey to his own monsters.”

  “Then we must double our efforts! There is no time to waste.”

  “Isn’t there though,” Mia said, angling her head. “I’ve recently found that in my impatience, I made a few errors. I should have left Miss Renee be and just blown up this house. Taken it apart brick by brick…”

  “Bloody hell, woman!” Thorn advanced on Mia.

  Mia held her hand to stop Murphy from dispatching the ghost.

  “You need to make a choice. You can lay your cards on the table, and we’ll do our best to help you. But these lies have to stop. I know what you’re doing. In my haste, I wanted you regenerated, given power. I shouldn’t have. The evil which I thought I’d left behind in the pocket dimension is nothing compared to the ambitious man in front of me.”

  Murphy wondered why Mia was riling the ghost up. Did she actually know what was going through Thorn’s mind? Or was she bluffing, hoping the spirit would toss in his cards?

  “This is my house, my experiment.”

  “I’ll acknowledged that it’s your design, but other people have lived and died here. The house is full of regret, and yet, there is still hope. It radiates from the very walls. You have trapped the souls of the dead here, and they must be set free.”

  “The dead have no bearing on science.”

  “Don’t they?” Mia challenged. “You’re dead, or have you forgotten that?”

  “I’m aware. Each time I try to pick up a tool and the effort depletes me, it presents itself,” Thorn said coolly. “Watching the world make gigantic strides, unable to participate. All my work forgotten. Tell me, who has ever heard of me?”

  “Not many people alive today knew of Nicholas Tesla’s contributions until the last few generations,” Ted said as he walked over and joined his wife. “I’ve read your work. Seems to me that Edison drew upon your concepts, and Tesla would have too if he had known of your existence. You and fate walked a different direction. You wasted your time in Thornrose when you should have been out there.”

  “You don’t understand. Samuel Rose had the money. All I had were ideas. He funded me, and in turn, I built him his machines.”

  “That’s not how history views your collaboration,” Ted told him.

  Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Glenda Dupree. She could make out enough of Thorn to address him. “Richard Thorn, as the new owner, I have a proposition for you. But I’d like to ask you a few questions first. Answer me truthfully, and I’ll give your cause due consideration.”

  “Fair enough,” Thorn said.

  “Once your machine is up and running, what will happen to the physical house?”

  “It will change into energy, and at that point, I will move it into the - for lack of a better label – gray dimension. There, I will live and continue my experiments.”

  “So Roustan Rose will cease to exist?” she asked him.

  “Yes, unless I’ve not considered something and the bricks and mortar will still be here, but the energy that is Roustan Rose will be gone.”

  “So you may leave behind this mansion?”

  “It’s possible. Or it could be gone.”

  “Bear with me a moment.” Glenda stood there and considered the situation. “I see that either I will be left with a house free of Thornrose influences and monsters or a vacant lot.”

  “Yes,” Thorn answered honestly.

  “Will you set the souls free first?” she asked.

  “If you wish, I can do that now,” Thorn said arrogantly.

  “Tell you what, I need to talk to my lawyers and see if I can break the codicil on the title of this property and talk to the developers of Rosebud, but if I’m successful, I’ll give you Roustan Rose on the condition you set the souls free first and you stay away from possessing Ted, Cid, or whomever you’ve been fancying.”

  Thorn was surprised by the last condition. He had no idea the old woman or the others knew of his plan to take over the physical body and magnificent brain of Ted Martin as his own. He looked over at the sensitive and could see, possibly, that he had underestimated her.

  “What if I don’t wish to comply?”

  “I’ll take this sword, and you will cease to exist. No energy, no nothing. You will walk the darkness, never to come in contact with anyone or anything again. Just you and your thoughts for eternity,” Mia said.

  “That’s the sword you used on Renee,” Thorn confirmed.

  “Yes.”

  “If I set the souls free today, what guarantees that you’re going to follow through on your promise, Mrs. Dupree?”

  “You have my word. Besides that, it’s good business. The lot here is worth more than the house. If you remove it for me, I don’t have to pay to have it demolished. Also, you seal off the pocket dimension
and set the souls free that are trapped here, the property will no longer be haunted. It pleases my son and his friends whom I consider family. I walk away with a lot ready to build expensive condos on. I don’t give a fig for your immortal soul, Richard, but I have a feeling you do.”

  Thorn looked at the old woman and could see that her intentions were honest. The codicil he influenced Roustan to make in regards to the destruction of the house may prove difficult for her lawyers to get set aside. What’s more, he had no idea where these supposed lost souls were, nor did he care about releasing them. If these souls went with him to the other side, he would have slaves to do his bidding. “I need time to think this through.”

  “You have one hour. After that, we will have to renegotiate, and I assure you, sir, you will not be happy,” Glenda said firmly.

  ~

  Father Santos finished giving Tomas Alessandro his last rites. The old priest was nearing his end. The purgatory priests had come up from the parlor. Santos couldn’t see them, but he sensed that they were there.

  “Get on your knees and pray for forgiveness for your sins. The light will decide your fate,” Santos instructed.

  Tomas exhaled. It sounded like a sigh, but there wasn’t a returning inhale. Tomas moved up and out of his body, looked upon Father Santos, and laid a hand on his shoulder. “You and I have disagreed in the past, but you have always been a friend. Thank you. You have my love and admiration. Goodbye, Paolo.”

  “Goodbye, my friend.”

  The light came. To Father Santos, it was an old friend. He watched as Tomas walked into it, followed by an entourage of priests. Santos recognized a few and understood why they had been frightened of their judgement.

  Father Santos was left in the room, empty of souls with the exception of his. He took the time to examine his life and to humble himself before he too asked for forgiveness.

  ~

  Thorn nodded. “I’ll free the souls. It’s dangerous to be down here when I activate the machines. The souls will be released into the room where the chandeliers used to hang. Ted, if you would be so kind to assist me?”

  Mia gave Thorn a long look before she left with Glenda, leaving Murphy behind to protect Ted.

  She helped Glenda up the stairs. The two of them walked quickly to the kitchen where Burt was already rallying the troops.

  “Dieter, bring in your souls. If Thorn does release the trapped souls, they will need your guidance, and perhaps, the light will come for all the souls,” Burt told him.

  “Yes, Mr. Hicks,” Dieter said and stopped only a moment to see that Mia concurred.

  Mia nodded. “We may want to set up more cameras, including Curly, in the entrance hall. I’m not sure how many souls are trapped here, but it could be quite a light show.”

  Cid and Mike went out to the truck with Dieter. They brought in cameras and other equipment, including lots of salt as a precaution.

  Mia watched the console. “Jake, we need to keep an eye on the machine room. Murphy and Ted are down there with Thorn.”

  “What is the most dangerous, the rose or the thorn?” Jake asked.

  “In this case, both. The rose needs the thorn in order to survive. The rose’s beauty distracts you and make you accessible to the thorn,” Mia replied. “A rose by any other name: Roustan Rose, Thornrose, and Doctor Samuel Rose, all dangerous roses protected by Richard Thorn. There was another Rose, Jake.”

  The Martian stopped moving and turned and looked at Mia.

  “When I was a child, I made the mistake of trusting Rose Malloy. She was an older girl. She made sure all of the mothers of the Kindergarten I was in, knew that I screamed in the cemetery and that I claimed I could see ghosts.”

  Jake searched through the PEEPs files and brought up a picture of Big Bear Lake newspaper’s account of finding Rose Malloy dead in the foundations of the hollow’s church. She had been struck by lightning. Mia never took the time to think about that. What were the odds she would be crossing the church the moment it was besieged by a lightning storm? If the lightning strike was paranormal, who was responsible? Her normal protectors weren’t there. Sariel didn’t know of her existence until she crossed the twins. Angelo wasn’t aware of the problems in hollow. Wyatt? Roumain? God?

  “I wonder what happened to her soul. I’m ashamed to say, I didn’t give it a second thought. Rose gave me her house…”

  “Which had the hag planted in the rose garden,” Burt reminded her from the doorway.

  “How long have you been standing there?”

  “Not long.” Burt turned Mia around. “Mia, you can’t be all things to all creatures. If the universe wants you to rescue that demon’s soul, then it will tell you. Until then, don’t second guess yourself. You’ve got too much on your plate as it is.”

  “You’re right. I’m sorry. I’ll get back on track,” Mia apologized.

  “Don’t apologize,” Burt said, keeping his distance. He was all too aware that both of them had mentally traveled back to a time when they were lovers. “I promise to look into what happened to Rose’s remains when we’re through here. Right now, let’s go and rescue some deserving, innocent souls.”

  Mia took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “The sooner the better. I fear for Ted. Thorn is…”

  “No match for your husband,” Burt said. “Ted’s a fellow inventor. He read all of the man’s papers. Trust that Ted knows who Thorn is and what he’s capable of.”

  “You’re right,” Mia said.

  “What’s next?” he asked to get Mia’s mind back on the job at hand.

  “When Thorn releases the souls, Dieter or I will have to call the light.”

  “Have you ever called the light?”

  “According to Sariel I have. I don’t know how exactly. It just seems to show up when I need it. Sariel calls me ‘sister of the light.’ Honestly, I’m a bit afraid of the light. I feel the pull. To me, it’s a siren’s song. In New Orleans, Father Peter confessed he had the same problem. He shared with me what he does to stop himself from going into the light. You see, Burt, it is so beautiful, and inside there is no more pain, just love.”

  “What do you do?”

  “I think about the things I can’t have if I cross over. Ted, Brian, PEEPs, and Murphy.”

  “Murphy is always going to be part of you, isn’t he?” Burt asked, already knowing the answer.

  “I don’t know. I hope so. Now we’ve got all that nonsense behind us and he has connected with his power source, he’s different. He’s matured.”

  “Don’t kid yourself. Next chance he gets, he’s going to play a prank on Mike.”

  Mia laughed. “I shouldn’t laugh, and I should make him stop, but it’s funny. Mike has returned the favor a time or two, but the prank playing is kind of one-sided.”

  “It keeps us young,” Burt said.

  Dieter came in holding one jar. “I have made the most exciting discovery!” he said, his face full of wonder.

  “Come on, tell us,” Mia prodded.

  “I decided to put the souls together. The churlish one that helped us and the little girl,” Dieter said. “Katherine greeted the soul. She said, ‘Mr. Morrison, it’s good to see you.’ Do you see what this means?”

  “We have the real author of the journal. Can I talk to him?”

  “Yes, but I can’t guarantee he’ll talk to you. He is still a bit surly.”

  “I understand.”

  Burt watched as Dieter opened the jar and reached in and pulled out the larger of the two lights.

  Mia took off her glove. Dieter put the soul into her hand. Mia closed her eyes as the soul penetrated her palm.

  Burt was alarmed and reached for Mia’s hand.

  Dieter grabbed his. “He won’t hurt her.”

  Mia stood in a field of wheat. A man dressed in a stiff white collar and a formal suit approached her.

  “Herbert Morrison, I presume?” she said lightly.

  “What do you want?”

  “I want to mak
e sure that you want to move on. You’re the leader of the shadow men. You guided us twice into the pocket dimension. I think it was to save your wife, but we failed. I’m sorry.”

  “You had no idea what you were up against in the abyss.”

  “There still are three other ways into Thornrose. Would you like me to find her?”

  “You would do that for me? For a monster?”

  “It’s what I do,” Mia explained.

  “Mrs. Martin, I have not seen my wife’s soul since Renee took it. Her soulless body is not her. My wife was a happy person for the most part, but there is no joy in that being. No, I will not ask you to bring her out of the abyss.”

  “You said Renee took her…”

  “Yes. She tortured the monsters and myself by ripping out our souls and chewing on them. Dr. Rose rescued me. He had a use for me.”

  Visions of the soul eater filled her mind. She placed her hand on her temple to slow down the thoughts. When she looked up, her face was filled with hope. “Herbert, I may be wrong, but there is a slight chance, since Renee took your wife, that she is in this house, trapped with the other souls.”

  “How?”

  “This past year, I was put in the way of a soul eater. I found that soul eaters keep their souls until they have enough for a meal, and when they are done feeding, the souls lie scattered on the ground of its lair. Maybe, since Renee was still taking souls, they aren’t used up yet.”

  “I confess to having hope for the first time in many, many generations. Tell me more,” Morrison pleaded.