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

by Alexie Aaron

  “Mia!” Cid protested.

  “She’s right,” Baxter said. “Don’t worry about it, Cid. It will come in time.”

  Quentin liked the discourse. He normally sat through meals either on his own or with Baxter who tended to use the time to school him or test him to see how far away the madness was.

  Mia set the desserts before them. She had already burnt the sugar on top. Since Brian’s new fascination with fire, she wanted to keep him from seeing how she used her personal fire to finish the Crème Brûlée.

  Ted brought the coffees, and they enjoyed the dessert and each other’s company.

  ~

  Mike pulled into the drive with five minutes to spare. When Mia explained that, possibly, Murphy was courting this female ghost during the time he requested off, Mike made sure he was there on time.

  Murphy stood on the back porch. Mike was not used to seeing him. Ever since Murphy had connected with the powers of Mother Nature, he had manifested in front of the PEEPs. Mike assumed it would be easier communicating with the ghost once he could see him, but those steely gray eyes of Murphy’s were unnerving.

  “Any disturbances?” he asked.

  “No.”

  “Okay. Have a nice time,” Mike said and stepped into the house. The kitchen was lit, as was the hall. PEEPs had pulled all but a relay computer out of the butler’s pantry. Jake was monitoring the camera feeds from the PEEPs office at the farm. Mike flipped on the light, looked in, and turned it off as he made his rounds of the house.

  Murphy met with Rori. They had a lot to talk about. Rori related her observations about the people who frequented the park in the wintertime. Murphy spoke about his farm and his trees. They sat and laughed over Murphy’s recent foray into deer protection for his new saplings. “Cid offered to pee a line near the tree to see if it would stop the deer from approaching. You know, scent of man, type of thing. Well, it didn’t stop the deer. They now follow Cid around when he is working outside.”

  Jake noted Mike’s arrival and watched his progress through the house. Mike started in the basement and worked his way upwards. He took with him an EMF reader and noted the levels before he moved on to the next spot. Mike Dupree may be thought of primarily as the mouthpiece for PEEPs, but he was an able investigator first.

  They had settled in the living room, and Ted had poured a measure of brandy. Cid let the brandy swirl in his glass. The amber liquid seemed to capture the firelight.

  Brian yawned. His eyes drooped, but he still held on to the book Quentin had given to him.

  “Time to get you ready for bed, buster,” Mia said.

  Quentin stood up as Mia picked up her son. “May I go too?” he asked.

  “Sure. Not sure I want to put you through singing the Bears fight song though.”

  “I think you need to explain that,” Quentin said, following her up the stairs.

  “Brian’s babysitter Susan is a super Chicago Bears fan. She knows that Ted is a Kansas City Chiefs fan, so she took it upon herself to, as she calls it, save Brian from possibly developing a liking for the enemy. So she started singing the fight song to Brian before his late nap. Soon he learned the words, and it became a thing.”

  “Kind of rousing for nighttime though,” Quentin said.

  Mia dropped the dirty diaper in the pail and cleaned Brian up. She diapered him and pulled on his night pajamas, transferring the little book from one hand to the other as to not upset Brian. “I agree with you. I think we may be moving towards reading him a story before bed. Or part of a story.”

  “May I?” Quentin asked.

  “Brian, would you like Uncle Quentin to read to you?” Mia asked.

  Brian nodded his head and handed the book to Quentin.

  “There’s your answer. The rocker in the sitting room is quite comfy for two,” Mia suggested. “I’ll clean things up here. Why don’t you two go in there and read.”

  Quentin carried Brian into the adjoining sitting room and sat down. Mia, noting a chill in the room, tucked a comforter around the two before walking back into the nursery. Her heart jumped as something moved quickly out of the shadows. It was Baxter. He pointed to his head and invited Mia inside.

  “I think it’s best if I watch the two.”

  “Do you think Brian is in danger?”

  “No, but it’s been a long day. Quentin may have trouble hanging on to his persona.”

  “You’re thinking that having a Nephilim reading a bedtime story may not be the best idea?” Mia thought back.

  “Yes.”

  “We are a house that is protected by an axe-carrying ghost. Brian is a tough nut.”

  “You’re an unusual parent.”

  “I hope that is a compliment because actually I’m a very insecure parent. My parents weren’t exactly stellar in the nurturing department.”

  “You turned out okay.”

  “I had two wonderful godfathers, but it was rough going. Baxter, I carry a lot of baggage.”

  The soothing sounds of Quentin reading to Brian stopped their mental conversation. The two inched their way to the doorway and watched as Brian’s eyelids drooped as the melodious voice finished the chapter. Mia walked quietly over and picked up Brian and took him back into the nursery and settled him in the crib. She noticed that Baxter had left. Quentin was still in the sitting room. She started the baby monitor and gently closed the door.

  “I think that’s a first,” Mia said, walking over.

  “What’s a first?”

  “Brian falling asleep to a book. Your gentle voice lulled him.”

  Quentin looked over at Mia where she was standing, looking out into the darkness. He could see that she too was tired. He would make his excuses so she could get some sleep.

  “Mia, perhaps I should go. Thank you for a lovely meal and including me in your family supper.”

  “Not just supper, Quentin. You are my family. Remember that.”

  “I will.” Quentin stood, and after two unsuccessful tries at folding the comforter, he handed it to Mia.

  “Hold the edges like this,” Mia instructed. She waited until he did so. “Then we put them together… and meet in the middle,” she said, moving towards him. “Ta dah! We have a folded comforter.”

  “I suppose you can fold a fitted sheet too?” he asked.

  “No. I think it’s a myth. No one can. I just try to get it squashed into some kind of manageable shape.”

  Quentin followed her through her master suite and out the door. “You have a very nice addition here.”

  “Cid and Murphy designed it, and Cid built it. It’s about a year old.”

  Quentin could sense Mia’s mood change.

  “What is it?” he asked, putting his hand on her shoulder.

  Mia turned around. “About a year ago this house was under siege. An Other came to collect me. It was quite a nightmare.”

  “Oh dear, I imagine the presence of my representatives at Brian’s Christening was unappreciated.”

  “Not when we found out why they were there. Then it was very welcome. To imagine I had an uncle I didn’t know about, it was very happy news indeed.”

  “Your father, my sister, and cousin never answered my letters. Why is that?”

  “You would have to ask them. In my experience, my father is so besotted with my mother that he really doesn’t see beyond her needs. And my aunt Beverly is rather selfish. Her daughter is caught up in raising three daughters, and she is a bit airy-fairy at times. Sabine is kind, but she’s grieving the loss of her husband,” Mia explained.

  “What about you? Have you gotten over what the demons did to you?”

  “Yes.”

  “You don’t bear them any ill will?”

  “Not for what seemed like a just sentence.”

  “But you do have a problem with demons in general?”

  “Only when they prey on the innocent. Much like they didn’t like when they were going about their lives and my friends stole from them. I heard the hurt, the fea
r, and anguish of having one’s home violated like that.”

  “Mia, we are on different sides of the balance.”

  “I guess so. If we don’t talk politics, we can still be friends, Quentin. We will always be family,” Mia stressed. “You have to know that I’m not going to let you scare me away.”

  “I have a problem. A duality. There is more than friendship that keeps Baxter at my side.”

  Mia looked up into his face and listened to his confession.

  “Inside me is the Nephilim. It can be a crazed killer, Mia. The reason I’ve been accepted by the demons is more for my usefulness in a fight than my sparkling personality. I enjoyed dispatching those monsters in that pit. I will not let you think otherwise.”

  “I sent a few demons and ghosts to hell just because I could,” Mia admitted. “Judge Roumain had a hell of a time getting me out of trouble.”

  “You know the judge of purgatory?”

  “Yes.”

  “How extraordinary.”

  “We met when my aunt, your sister, sold me to Angelo on the condition he bring her love back from the dead. The judge intervened.”

  “Maybe I should be happy Beverly didn’t respond to my letter,” Quentin said. “So what did the judge do?”

  “Basically straightened the mess out. Sent Beverly packing and null-and-voided Angelo’s claim.”

  “So why is he still advising you?”

  “Oh, I wouldn’t call it advising as much as having his nose in my business. He causes as much trouble as he advises.”

  “Would you like me to…”

  “No, Quentin. I have learned how to deal with him. He is valuable to both sides of the balance. He is neither good nor bad.”

  “You’re pretty smart.”

  Mia blushed. “People don’t usually think I’m smart.”

  “Well, you are. Now let’s go, so I can say goodbye to your husband and thank Cid for helping you with the dinner.”

  They found Cid in the kitchen finishing up the dishes. He dried his hands before shaking Quentin’s.

  “It was a pleasure. Don’t be a stranger. We thrive on chaos here, so if you can stand that, come over anytime.”

  “Where’s Baxter?” Mia asked.

  “Ted is showing Baxter the robots in the barn.”

  “Would you like to see the inventor’s lair before you leave?” Mia asked.

  “I would,” Quentin said.

  Mia and Quentin put on their coats and walked out into the cool crisp of the night and headed for the barn.

  Cid watched them from the porch. He couldn’t get over how that man could actually be a Nephilim. “Must be another case of the beast within,” he said to himself and went back in the house to listen for Brian.

  Chapter Thirty-three

  Mike moved to the second floor, and he walked through the bedrooms and the baths. He assumed that his mother, if she ended up keeping the house, would probably be consumed by updating the decorating. The furniture was sparse, and there were little to no knickknacks. He knew this was what realtors liked. It showed the house in an uncluttered way. The closets were empty and the decorating conventional. He thought about his childhood room at home and the big converted bathroom with the giant freestanding tub in the middle of the room. He missed the personal mementos scattered on shelves and hung on the walls. Would this place ever feel like a home?

  He checked out Renee’s room. This room, he would suggest to his mother, should be gutted, perhaps opening it up to the room next to it. Anything to get rid of that closet with the broken plaster portal inside.

  He closed the door and walked to the stairway. As he ascended the flight to the third floor, he heard something. He stopped and listened. It was a clink as if dishes were being moved. He waited and, when he didn’t hear anything more, continued up the stairs.

  Murphy watched as Rori once again walked off into the night. They preferred it this way. Seeing her fade before him was too much. He would consult with Mia to see if she thought it would be a good idea to boost Rori with an energon cube. Normally, it would be Mia consulting him with this question, but he was too close to the ghost to make that decision. In the little time they had been together, Murphy had grown fond of the pretty woman with housemaid hands.

  Quentin moved through the office with Mia. He noticed that most of the computer stations were up and running. A large eyeball appeared on the center monitor.

  “Don’t mind him. That’s Jake. I’d introduce you, but he’s busing monitoring Roustan Rose,” she explained. “This is the first time for us to be remote-watching a house we’re investigating. Mike is there now.” Mia pointed to the camera feed. “He’s filling in to give Murphy a break. Murphy is there 24/7 otherwise.”

  “Ghosts are tricky fellows,” Quentin said. “We had a few in the house in England.”

  “You lived in England?”

  “My father had business there. I still own the house if you’re ever interested in seeing the country.”

  “That would be nice. I’m supposed to take Brian to France with my mother. Maybe we could stop on the way back?”

  “Let me know, and I’ll make arrangements.”

  “Thank you, Quentin, that is most generous of you.”

  They walked into the barn. “Ted,” Mia called.

  “Over here, behind six and seven,” he said.

  “He’s given the bots numbers for names,” Mia said, wrinkling her face.

  “I take it by your expression, you disagree.”

  “Ted used to call machines the most interesting of names, but I fear he has grown out of it.”

  “No, I’m just trying not to become attached, like you are to Curly,” Ted said, putting his arm across her shoulders. “We are going to use these bots to perform the tasks needed to run the machines in the basement of Roustan Rose.”

  Quentin nodded. He walked over to where Baxter was studying the monitor that showed a simulation Ted and Cid had programed. “I see you’ve built a computer representation of the machines in that room.”

  “Yes. We’ve spent a lot of time on measuring to get it perfect. We then will be programing the arms to do the task. Hopefully, our attention to detail will pay off.”

  “I wish you luck,” Quentin said, meaning it.

  Jake picked up a change in room temperature from Renee’s room’s Wi-Fi devices. He scanned the feed from the moment Mike left the room. A mist burbled out of the crack in the plaster. He followed it as it moved around the room, pulling the heat out of the space to manifest. It went from mist to woman in a matter of seconds. The woman wore a cotton nightdress with embroidery at the neck and hem. Her long brown hair and black eyes stood out starkly against the pale white skin. Her mouth was red and her nose pert. She picked up a teacup from the shelf and looked inside. Disappointed by the lack of tea, she tossed it on the bed. Next came the saucer.

  “We have a manifested spirit on the second floor,” Marvin announced, his comical voice echoing off the barn’s walls.

  Ted and Mia ran into the office and looked over the data. Mia got on the phone and called Mike’s cell.

  “Hello, Cooper,” he said. “Checking up on me?”

  “Mike, we have a spirit in Renee’s bedroom. I recommend you leave the house immediately.”

  “I thought I heard something. Okay, I’m just approaching the attic.”

  Mia heard the bumps of something hitting the floor. It was the tripod the camera rested on.

  “Mike, get out of there now!” she said. “Ted, look!” Mia said, pointing to the screen.

  Two male entities were crawling out of the open hatch. Another male’s shoes could be seen by the toppled video camera in the attic.

  Mia took off her coat and reached into the closet and pulled her vest and scabbard on. She put salt in the shotgun before housing it. Next, she placed her sword inside. Ted handed her a Bluetooth microphone for her iPhone. “Call me when you land. I’ll do my best to have your back.”

  Mia picked up her
shield. “I’m going to make sure Mike is out of there first. I’m hoping Murphy is on his way back. I’m not sure I can handle this many on my own,” she said, walking out of the office into the night.

  Quentin was standing there with Baxter. “Mia, you’re not going alone,” he insisted.

  “I appreciate the help.”

  Mia wiggled, adjusting the scabbard as her wings unfurled. She watched Quentin drop his human persona. He looked over at her through his star sapphire eyes and said, “Follow me. I can see in the dark.”

  Mia nodded.

  The two took off. Baxter ran over to his car.

  “Can you take another passenger?” Cid asked. “Ted will stay here with Brian. He’ll talk us through. We have to contain these creatures.”

  “Sure, stow your stuff in the back.”

  Cid dropped the two go bags and got in the car. “You can’t fold space can you?”

  Baxter shook his head. “I do, however, have excellent driving skills and can charm my way out of most tickets. You keep an eye on my blind spots, and I’m going to see how fast this baby can go.”

  Ted brought the sleeping Brian out of the farmhouse and into the office. He laid him in the playpen and upped the temperature of the room. He hoped that Brian would sleep through this. If not, Ted would do the best he could. He continued to talk to Mike, helping him to navigate through a house that was suddenly plunged into darkness. The backup battery they’d left with the computer system should keep the cameras running.

  “Mike, be prepared. You have a female entity walking up the stairs towards you.”

  Mike pulled out the mini flashlight he carried along with the saltshaker. He scanned the stairs below. He saw her moving quickly towards him. He backed against the wall and poured a quick circle of salt around him. He didn’t have to wait to see if the salt would be effective. She was upon him in seconds. The ghost flattened against the invisible wall of protection. She backed up and tried again and again. She beat at it like a moth does at the glass when it wants in where the light is.