Renovation

by Alexie Aaron

“It’s this Father Santos thing…” Mia went on to catch Audrey up on what Angelo was preparing for.

  “Ted!”

  “Yup.”

  “You’re telling me that the fate of Father Santos is going to depend on Ted?”

  Mia turned on her side and looked at Audrey. “For your information, Ted is quite capable. In many ways, he’s the right choice.”

  “I would never have cast him in the hero role,” Audrey admitted.

  “Ah, but you haven’t seen him in his Batman mode,” Mia explained. “He saved me from the well. His brilliant mind combined with his steady hand is exactly what is needed.”

  “I noticed you didn’t say calm head,” Audrey observed.

  “He gets a little… okay, very excited. I love that about him.”

  “Aren’t you worried?”

  “Petrified.”

  “Then why are you letting this happen at all?”

  “There’s that word again.”

  “What word?”

  “Let. Earlier Burt asked why Ted was letting me go to the beach.”

  “Would allow be better?” Audrey asked.

  “No. Both words speak of ownership. Ted and I don’t own each other. We are partners. He’s sat back while I’ve roamed the spiritual plane. Who am I to ask him not to do the same?”

  “What if he doesn’t come back?”

  Mia shivered even though the temperature was in the eighties. “I will have to cross that bridge when I come to it.”

  “Well, you won’t do it alone. I’ll be with you,” Audrey promised.

  Mia smiled. “Thank you.”

  “When is this going to happen?”

  “Angelo hasn’t asked Ted yet. Murphy says that Angelo has to go somewhere and prepare for the journey. I think the gathering of materials cost him a lot of energy. Audrey, Angelo came to me and asked my permission to even approach Ted.”

  “Gee, that doesn’t sound like the Angelo we’re used to.”

  “I think something happened on that mountain with Murphy. Both of them seem changed. More respectful of me and mine.”

  Audrey lowered her sunglasses and studied Mia’s face. “You know that both of those guys are in love with you.”

  “I think, they think they are. I’m just a placeholder,” Mia insisted.

  “Go ahead, live a life of delusion,” Audrey said. “But one of these days, these gentlemen are going to become a problem. You’re going to have to deal with it.”

  Mia shook her head. “Ah, if only I had this kind of trouble when I was a teenager. The only thing that flocked around me then was gnats.”

  Audrey laughed. She looked out into the lake. “Where is your place from here?”

  Mia pointed to the wooded area west of them. “It’s just about a straight shot from here. See the light glinting off the telescope?”

  “No. You mean Burt’s spying on us?”

  “He isn’t looking at the stars. Let’s stand up and wave at him. That’ll blow his mind.”

  Audrey jumped to her feet. She sucked in her stomach and posed as she waved her arm. Mia had a hard time refraining from laughing but joined her, mimicking the best of the pinup girls.

  Burt stepped back startled. Had they seen him? Did they think he was peeping at them? “PEEPing at the PEEPs,” he scolded himself. He tried to rationalize his actions as he was watching out for their safety. But he knew that the community of Big Bear Lake had no gangs, perverts, or aggressive males that he knew of. No one was going to bonk Audrey on the head and drag her off. Mia was Ted’s problem, but someone had to look after Audrey…

  ~

  Cid and Ted went over the data they had accumulated. Cid, more versed in practical applications but not unfamiliar with computer code, rechecked Ted’s findings. “I think the theory that we have a ‘ghost in the machine’ is looking pretty strong.”

  “I thought in the beginning that it was some hacker playing with me, and he/she could have made the leap to the main computer system. But the command center, that was baffling. It was the use of Curly that sealed the deal. We have a ghost. Now, how to trap him without destroying our existing programs?”

  “I say we treat this just like a normal haunting,” Cid said. “We need to find out who it is or was. To do this, we need to go backwards and see if we can trace the early texts back to the original source.”

  Ted nodded. “Once we know who, then we can talk to it and perhaps persuade it to leave our computers.”

  “You know, it wouldn’t be bad to have a hacker ghost. Just think of what databases it could help Audrey get into,” Cid said.

  “Hold on, I see a road to the big house. I don’t want to watch my kid grow up via redacted letters from Mia while I sit in a cell somewhere.”

  “How do you feel being a future dad, by the way?”

  “Ecstatic, worried, stressed, proud, and all at the same time,” Ted said, taking off his hat. “I keep hearing advice given to me by me in my head. You get what I’m saying?”

  “Depends on the advice.”

  “Time to put away childish things…”

  “Sounds more like your sisters talking than you, dude. Look at your parents. They managed to handle the responsibility of you and your sisters but still played and still play for that matter. Parenthood shouldn’t restrict the things you like to do. You may have to balance them in favor of the welfare of your wife and child, but the adventure can continue.”

  “You ought to be a shrink,” Ted said and took a drink of coffee.

  Cid smiled. “I always thought so, or a priest.”

  Ted spit out the coffee. “A priest?”

  “Yes.”

  “A Catholic priest?”

  “Yes, why not?”

  “You’re not religious.”

  “A mere formality.”

  “Okay, I have to admit to being stunned. Tell me your reasons. Help me to understand why Cid Garrett would contemplate not only being Catholic but being a priest.”

  “I like helping people. Giving them advice. Priests are respected and listened to,” he added.

  “You realize it wouldn’t be your advice you would be giving. If you were a priest, it would be the party line, dude,” Ted argued.

  “How about a college professor?” Angelo suggested, entering the workshop. “They mold young minds. I had a professor who opened my eyes to a lot of things.”

  Ted squared his shoulders and commented. “I can’t picture you in a classroom.”

  “Ted, I spent a great deal of my youth in classrooms. Education is power. I’ve always been attracted to power,” he admitted.

  “You seem to know yourself,” Ted said. “What can I help you with, Angelo?”

  “I expect Mia or Murphy or both have probably discussed what I’m going to ask you. Please hear me out before making your decision. I will not take offense if you turn me down. All I ask is for you to have a clear mind.”

  “This is about retrieving Father Santos, isn’t it?”

  “Yes. I know in my heart that he is trapped somewhere. Roumain suspects the outer ring of the dark world. I could not find a way to enter this world until I talked to Roumain. But then I found the way was still closed to me. But you, Ted, could open the door for us. You could help me to either find Paolo or help me to see that he is not there. If that is so, I will look elsewhere. I will not give up. I feel him in here,” Angelo said patting his chest.

  “Why Ted?” Cid asked.

  “He was the first to touch the reaper’s ring. It bonded with him,” Angelo answered simply. “In a sense he has become a reaper, or his hands have…”

  “That is so bonking bizarre,” Cid said. “I don’t understand hands. Do you mean when we hear about the hands of fate, they are just hands? Not figuratively but literally?”

  “How many times have you heard that someone avoided the hands of the reaper or was snatched from their grasp?” Angelo quizzed.

  “So they are hands. No body attached?” Cid questioned.

&n
bsp; “Most times, just one hand,” Angelo clarified. “Ted picked up the ring and held it in both hands. This is how we’re going be able to go with him. He is going to reap us.”

  “Whoa, careful, big boy, that phrase could be misunderstood,” Ted said, lifting an eyebrow.

  “How can you be so smart and so dumb at the same time?” Angelo challenged. “I don’t understand you.”

  Ted smiled. “So ask me.”

  “Theodore Martin, would you venture into the dark world with myself and, I assume, Cid to bring Paolo Santos’s soul back to earth?”

  “Angelo, there is a strong chance that even if we find his soul, he is still dead,” Ted warned.

  “Well, then he will be able to go to his reward, not exist in a place of punishment,” Angelo swore. “He has lived his whole life saving others. Let’s not let him be dishonored by an accidental goring by the deer-woman.”

  “Mia said this is a dangerous mission.”

  “It is. There is every chance we won’t return.”

  Ted paled a bit but maintained his steady stance. “If I don’t make it, make sure that Cid does.”

  “I promise I will do my best to bring all of us out of the darkness or die trying,” Angelo said solemnly. “I promise,” he repeated.

  “I want to say goodbye to Mia first,” Ted said. “Cid, you need to decide whether or…”

  “I’m going. We need to take provisions.”

  “I have the Light of Everest, the Water of Mu and wreaths of rosemary,” Angelo said.

  “I get the wreaths and the light, but the water?” Cid asked.

  “I don’t know. Roumain said to bring it, just in case. He didn’t, however, say how to use it or what the case would be.”

  “He’s not a lot of help. He assumes too much,” Ted said. “Cid, we need to bring food and water we can drink. Those Murphy-proof gadgets wouldn’t be a bad idea and anything you may think is practical.”

  Cid nodded.

  “Angelo, this all depends on the ring. Did you bring it with you?” Ted asked.

  “No one can touch it besides you or the way will be lost.”

  “I left it in the graveyard. I set it down by the large granite tomb. The one we burned the bodies on. Anyone could have taken it. An animal, a crow… a bird feathering its nest.”

  “It’s still there. It has been under constant guard since I found out about its worth,” Angelo revealed.

  “Mia’s due back soon. We’ll leave for the hollow as soon as she does. Angelo, can I ask a question of you that may be uncomfortable to ponder let alone answer?”

  “Yes, Ted, anything.”

  “Roumain said that Mia could not venture into the dark world because she was carrying our child.”

  “Yes, that is so.”

  “Mia wasn’t pregnant until you discussed this mission with Roumain.”

  Angelo waited. Ted could see that he was already catching on, but manners dictated that he should let Ted finish.

  “Roumain didn’t want Mia to go into the dark world so he encouraged us in some way to… well, have unprotected sex. We were consumed by such wild desire, we never made it to the bedroom.”

  Angelo was clearly uncomfortable.

  “What I’m asking is… Is Roumain that powerful?”

  “Roumain is powerful, but I don’t think he arranged the chess pieces here. He may be playing the game, but the board has been set by others. I think that the Circle of Women had more to do with this.”

  “I don’t understand. Why would they interfere?”

  “If you had said you were consumed with desire, then I would have to agree with you that Roumain was in the cards. Observing you and your explanation, I can tell it was Mia, wasn’t it, who initiated the mating? The women would have known her cycle. They would be powerful enough to enter Mia unannounced. As to why they did this, I don’t know.”

  “Are we being sacrificed?” Ted asked.

  Angelo didn’t answer immediately. “I think that it was determined that Mia either wasn’t the right person to cross into the dark world or that Mia, you and I, the three of us, may be more concerned with each other than doing what needs to be done in order to bring Santos home. It is no secret, the problems of our past. They are my doing, and Mia has forgiven me, but she will never trust me again.”

  “Do you think I trust you, when I know that I’m the only one that stands between Mia and you in the eyes of the Brotherhood?” Ted asked him.

  Cid watched the two. Ted needed to air his concerns, and Angelo had to own up to any notions of possessing Mia.

  “I give you my sacred vow that I will not harm you, Ted. I will not come between you and Mia. I will fight for you as I would fight for Paolo or an innocent child. I have been wrong. Stephen enlightened me of my failings on the mountainside. I am sorry.”

  Ted looked at Cid a moment. Cid spoke up. “Ted, he’s telling the truth. I hear it in his voice.”

  Ted reached out a hand to the giant man and said, “Let’s shake on it like gentlemen. For the sake of Mia, Cid and Paolo, we will put our differences aside.”

  Angelo grasped his hand and was careful not to crush it as he sealed the gentlemen’s agreement with the handshake.

  “Okay, now that it’s settled, we better beat feet and get ourselves outfitted. I don’t want to start off our adventure hunting for the damn ring in the darkness of one very scary graveyard.”

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Mia pulled the truck into the drive. As she drove towards the house, she spotted Angelo’s limo. “Audrey, it’s begun.”

  “Do you think…” Audrey started to ask whether Ted had left already, but she saw him emerge from the barn outfitted in what looked to her to be military survival gear.

  “He wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye,” Mia said. “I wish I could say I have a good feeling about this.”

  “He’ll be fine. Cid’s going with him. Those two together are a force to be reckoned with. Add Angelo into the mix, and I believe that anything can be accomplished.”

  Mia reached over and squeezed her friend’s hand. “Thank you.”

  “Don’t thank me, Mia. I’m just telling you the way I see it, like I always do,” Audrey lied.

  Mia pulled into the lot and parked the truck. Ted came over and opened her door. Mia fell into his arms. Her face was already awash in tears.

  “What’s all this?” he asked, his voice cracking under the strain.

  “Fear, pride, hormones,” Mia said holding her husband tight. “Cid is going with you?”

  “Yes, we’re a matched set. Angelo is going to be our dogsbody.”

  Mia sobered and pushed at his chest. “Let me down. We have something to discuss.”

  “If it’s about abusing the help, then I’m turning a deaf ear.”

  “So you’re teasing?”

  “Of course, Angelo could turn me inside out quicker than I could say, just kidding.”

  “Everyone has to come back, even Angelo,” Mia insisted.

  “We, like the Marines, leave no man behind,” Ted said. “Are you going to be alright?”

  “I have to be. I don’t like to be the one waiting, but if you can do it, it will be a piece of cake… Damn.”

  “What is it?” Ted asked concerned.

  “Now I’m craving cake, spice cake to be exact. With a side of pickle relish…”

  Ted gagged. “Stop! No cravings until I get back. And no combos like that. I insist!”

  “K,” Mia said, her eyes dancing.

  “You’re still thinking about cake, aren’t you?”

  “Oh yes. But I’ll wait until you come back,” she fibbed.

  “Well, I better round up the team. We’re calling ourselves the Dark Hole Explorers.”

  Mia cringed and said, “No, you’re not. How about the Dark Ring Rangers?”

  “It doesn’t sound gay enough,” Ted teased.

  Mia punched his arm. “Oh you, you were joking.”

  Audrey watched the two of th
em for a moment. She’d never understand the need for humor in the direst of circumstances, but it worked for the couple. She walked over and extended her hand to Angelo who was dressed in an expensive safari costume. He carried two deerskin-covered jars in his front pockets. Audrey swore that one of them pulsed with light.

  “Come back safe,” she said, releasing his hand.

  “Thank you, Audrey. You take care of Mia.”

  “I will,” Audrey said. She wanted to lecture him on the importance of being part of a team, but she had a hunch that he already knew that. She looked around and stifled a laugh as Cid emerged from the darkness of the barn. “What is he wearing?”

  “He says it’s an antimagnetic suit. Cid claims it will allow him to move quickly through the magnetic fields we may have to deal with in the ring.”

  “And the goggles?”

  “He thinks he looks cool. Don’t tell him he doesn’t. We need him to be confident.”

  “Gotcha. I wish I had a camera right now...” Audrey dug in her purse and pulled out her cell phone. “By golly, I do. Gentlemen, line up. I want a picture of the…”

  “The Dark Ring Rangers,” Mia supplied.

  “Okay, come on, Ted, don’t be shy,” Audrey said as she arranged the men for the photo.

  “Put the bunny ears down, mister,” Mia scolded.

  Ted protested as he had his hands in front of him. But then he caught the movement behind him. He laughed as he realized Murphy was the source of the bunny ears.

  “Ready, say cheese,” Audrey ordered.

  “Cheese,” Cid said.

  “Mozzarella,” Ted chimed in.

  “Caciocavallo Podolico,” Angelo said, his face animated.

  Audrey snapped the picture.

  ~

  Ted tested out the enhanced version of the tri-com link they had used in Sentinel Woods. “Since we don’t know how it’s going to behave in the place we’re going, I suggest, gentlemen, that we start off connected. I have two of Maggie’s retractable leashes attached to my belt. Before we cross over, I suggest we hook up.”

  They were standing beside the cemetery between the stretch limo and the iron gate. Mia noticed that Murphy was already in the graveyard. She saw him moving the wandering spirits away from the area. The energy of these lost souls had been depleted in the fight for the hollow. In some ways their harmless meandering saddened Mia. After this was over, she vowed to cross as many over as she could. Surely there was a place in the universe for them?