by Alexie Aaron
Mia was impressed by the sensitivity Mike was showing towards an entity that he couldn’t even see. He treated him like a beloved, cranky old uncle. Mia could see the entity was considering what he had just said.
“Pipes under the red room corroded, need’s fixing quick,” the entity said.
Mike took a step back and put his hand on Cid’s shoulder. “Could you show Cid where that is? He’s a good contractor and won’t harm the house.”
Cid handed the camera to Mia.
“He’s nodding and pointing downward. I think he wants us to go to the second floor,” Mia said, heading for the stairs. “Ted, ask John to meet us up in the red room, over.” She handed the camera to Mike before descending.
“You heard the lady, go and get your father. I think you should join him,” Ted said conspiratorially.
Tim’s eyes flashed a thank you, and he rushed off to find his father.
“Sending father and son to red room, over.”
Mia smiled. She slid down the ladder quickly and followed the entity down the hall. She felt a tingle on her arm. She turned to see Murphy was with her. “Slow, he’ll wait,” Murphy said. “Remember, not just you.”
“Thanks, Murph, I had actually forgotten. I’ll be more careful.”
Ted listened to the exchange. He eased back in his chair. Evidently, Stephen Murphy had come to grips with the future Martin offspring and was now protecting both mother and child.
The hall camera focused and refocused as the young entity formed behind Cid.
“Be advised, there is an additional entity behind you, Cid. Mike, see if you can expand the focus and get a close-up of our follower, over.”
Two taps came over the audio.
Mia and Cid rolled the antique carpet back. The entity motioned along the length of the room.
“He says the bad pipes are along here,” Mia said, pacing off the distance of empty floor, ending at the foot of the massive bed. She pulled out her small pry bar and knelt down, waiting for permission from the homeowner to remove the maple hardwood.
John and Tim arrived winded. “I’m sorry it took us so long, but Tim went back to retrieve something from the garage.”
Tim held up his dad’s crowbar.
Mia looked over at the entity, and he nodded, smiling. “The old gentleman approves. Do I have your permission to pull this flooring up?” she asked John.
“Yes, I’ll even help you.”
Cid, John and Mia began the chore of removing the boards. There was some damage to the first board, but the ones after that were lifted without any marring.
Beneath them ran a length of piping. Cid ran his hand along it and pointed out the weak points. “This corrosion is through and through. The pipe is paper thin at these points. I recommend we cut off the feed and get to work on this soon. Your entity may have just saved the plaster ceiling in the dining room below.”
“That’s why he wanted the crowbar, Dad,” Tim said.
“Ask him if there are other areas that need immediate fixing,” John requested.
“Ask him yourself,” Mia responded. “He’s not deaf, just old.”
“Does he have a name?”
“Not that he’s sharing with us,” Mia admitted.
“Étienne Roux,” the entity supplied gruffly.
“Papa,” a young male voice drifted in the air. “It’s me, André.”
Mia watched as the older entity looked beyond the group. She followed his gaze to see a faint shimmer step out from behind Tim. A young, pale, thin boy stood in what Mia assumed was a nightshirt. “Ted, we have a young boy manifesting behind Tim,” Mia whispered.
Mike trained the camera on Tim and saw what could only be described as a smudge distorting the air behind the boy.
“Where have you been, André?”
“I’ve been with him, watching, waiting, learning,” the boy said.
The men in the room could hear the exchange. The father’s voice was strong, but the son’s was reedy and drifted in the air.
Ted felt Audrey and Mindy climb into the trailer. He pointed to the screen and put a finger to his lips.
“I wanted to play so I left with him.”
“You are too sick to play with the children,” Étienne told the boy.
“I am dead, Papa. I can play now,” the child explained.
“What are we hearing?” Mindy asked softly.
“Two entities conversing,” Audrey answered.
“A father and a son, Étienne and André,” Ted identified. “Evidently, André has been with your son for quite some time,” Ted told Mindy.
“How can this be?” she asked.
“He’s the smudge in all the family photos. He’s been with Tim since that first day you visited the house,” Audrey explained.
“Auntie Marilee said I needed to live a life before I could move on,” André explained.
“Did you enjoy yourself?” Étienne asked.
“I went to parties, picnics. I even went to see a place with a castle. Inside lived a giant mouse,” he said.
Mia felt a tingle on her arm. Murphy leaned in and whispered, “I have to go. The light’s coming for the Rouxs.”
He was gone before Mia could reply. She watched as the light filled the room. She touched her com, “Ted, can you see anything different in the room?”
“No, with the exception of a lens flare coming from the stationary camera.”
“The light’s coming.” Mia walked over to the entities and announced, “Étienne and André Roux, the light has come for you. The Wheatons will take good care of your home. Tim will miss you, André. You will not be forgotten. Go and be at peace.”
Mindy grabbed Audrey’s arm. “My family, will they be okay?”
“The light doesn’t come for the living,” Ted said with authority. “They will be fine.”
Audrey put her arm around the woman. She felt that a hug was needed. Mindy clung to her for support.
“The furnace is fine, but the pipes over the kitchen need to be seen to. Under the garage is…” Étienne started to say, but his attention was diverted as something that smelled very nice moved along the inside edge of the light.
Mia couldn’t see who it was, but the scent that emanated was familiar.
“Auntie Marilee has come for us, Papa. Let the house be,” André said and pulled his father towards the light.
Mia squinted as the light burst outward and disappeared. “They’ve crossed over,” she reported.
John looked down at the open floor and then over at Mia and asked, “Is that it? Why were they here in the first place? What’s under the garage? Why didn’t the father know the boy had come back? I have a hundred questions. Cid, did he say over or under the kitchen?”
Mia, who couldn’t get a word in edgewise, just stood there while John fired more questions at her, Cid and Mike.
“Dad,” Tim said. “One question at a time. It’s not like they’re going to disappear too.”
“Oh, sorry, it’s just that I’m overwhelmed,” he explained.
“It’s understandable,” Mike said good-naturedly.
“Are we done?” Tim asked. “Is the house clean?”
As if on cue, they heard a tapping sound. It came in threes.
“The dancer!” Tim said. “Do you hear it? One two three, one two three…”
Mia was met by Murphy at the door as she moved down the hall to the stairway. They descended the stairs with Mike on their heels. He had given the camera to Cid and moved quickly to insist on Mia taking his arm before descending the stairs.
“Remember the last place,” he said.
“Oh yeah, thanks, but I don’t think…”
“But what if you’re wrong?” he argued. “I’m not letting my niece or nephew be born with a dent on its noggin because you didn’t think.”
Mia wondered what kind of biology classes they taught in Kansas. She did however appreciate the gallant gesture, so she kept quiet.
“Be advised, Mindy and A
udrey are coming in the front door, over,” Ted announced. “Burt is already in the dining room filming.”
Cid followed them as far as the dining room before he turned around and headed back to the trailer to attend to the camera that was quickly losing battery power.
Ted greeted him with a cup of coffee, and the two friends sat side-by-side as Team B took over, with the addition of Mike, Mia and the Wheaton males.
“Any more pizza left?” Cid asked.
“Check the cooler,” Ted said. “Good thing that’s a big dining room. Mia, you may want to pull back the crowd. The camera is having a hard time deciding on the focus point, over.”
The large monitor flashed.
“What? Cid, check the power,” Ted said while he quickly transferred the feed to the smaller monitor.
Seconds later, the large screen went black. Green letters in the Chiller font moved across the screen. When it’s time to relax, one beer stands clear…
“What the hell?” Ted said.
Cid looked over and whistled the old Miller Brewing Company jingle as the screen continued to fill with the lyrics. Ted typed furiously and managed to slow and then stop the display. The screen flashed again and returned to showing the camera feeds from the house.
“What was that?” Cid asked.
“I think a commercial, dude,” Ted said, scratching his head. He opened a channel to Mike and asked, “How’s that trace on our computer ghost coming?”
Mike looked from the waltzing ghosts to the camera and mouthed later.
Chapter Twenty-eight
The dancers skillfully guided their partners around the room. A red-haired woman in an emerald green dress laughed as her feet glided on the polished floor.
“That must be Marilee Roux,” Audrey identified. “Her partner is Étienne, her younger brother.”
“The old man from upstairs?” Tim asked.
“This is like a video of the past,” Mia explained. “They can’t see us; it is but a memory. Look how happy they are.”
“This was the last ball given by Marilee in this house according to the social pages,” Audrey told them.
“Why can we see this now?” Mindy asked. “Aside from us waking it up by refinishing the floor.”
“I’m not sure,” Mia said. “It looks like an event caught in a loop. See, it’s repeated each time Marilee passes by us.” Mia turned and grabbed Murphy. “You waltz, don’t you?”
He nodded and led her out onto the floor.
“Let’s follow the dancers and see if anything happens,” she said.
Burt focused on Mia, and as she raised an arm, she was swept away into the dance.
Ted felt a wave of jealousy move through him that lasted until he saw Murphy counting out the steps. A man concentrating on counting can’t be courting.
Mia looked around her and watched the dancers. One seemed to be more opaque than the rest. He was a tall man, and as he moved, Mia heard a distinct tap of a foot. “Murph, catch me up to that couple.” When Murphy had done so, Mia twirled into the path of the male dancer and caught him in her arms.
The surprised entity stopped dancing.
“Shall we continue?” Mia asked, looking in his eyes.
His smoldering brown eyes studied her a moment. He looked as if he was trying to figure out how she knew he wasn’t just a memory, but at the same time, the music was calling to him. His manners won out, and he guided her across the floor.
“Are you seeing this?” Burt broke his silence and asked.
“Mia is dancing with a ghost. Not Murphy. Who is it?” Mike asked Audrey.
“According to the guest list, he could be Roger Demarco or Arnaud Dufour,” Audrey replied. “If it is Arnaud, then we may have an answer to the question of why this is replaying. Arnaud disappeared after the ball, never to be heard from again.”
“I suppose Roger lived a happy, full life,” Mike said.
“Married and settled down,” Audrey said and added, “I don’t know. I’m just guessing.”
Mike looked down at her and laughed. “I guess I’m asking too much.”
“I could go down the Demarco line and find out, but I bet my mother’s recipe book that the gentleman Mia is dancing with is Arnaud Dufour. His people were bakers before they left France. He came here to visit the Rouxs. His family reported him missing a year later.”
“Gee, here you only have to wait three days to file a missing person report,” Tim said.
“And how do you know this?” Mindy asked her son.
“Television.”
“Monsieur Dufour, I am Madame Martin. Can I be of service to you?”
“Madame, I do not know why I am here. I just hear the music, and I have to dance.”
“Did something happen to you at the ball?” Mia asked.
He spun her around and answered, “I don’t know. All I remember is the music, a turn on the patio with Marilee and then darkness.”
“Are you happy here or do you wish to move on?” she asked.
“I am tired of dancing. I would like to sit,” he said laughing.
“Can you?”
“No. I have to dance,” he said before he drifted over to his original partner and began the loop again.
Mia walked back over to the side and consulted Audrey, “Any clues, Nancy Drew?”
Audrey laughed.
“Look, they’re fading,” Mindy said.
The dancers faded away along with the music. All that they heard now was the ticking of the mantel clock in the living room and the hum of the refrigerator.
Burt lowered the camera and handed it to Cid who had walked in a moment before. “Splendid, I caught it all. Mia, you took a chance, and I applaud the effort. Murphy, wherever you are, bravo. It must be hard to dance with an axe on your shoulder. Shall we adjourn to the conference table? Wheatons, you are invited to join us. We are going to run scenarios.”
“It’s been a full night for us,” John said. “I think we’ll head back to the hotel. Cid, if I may have a word?”
Cid handed the camera back to Burt and followed John up the stairs.
Mia sat down on the couch. “You guys go ahead, I’ll catch up. My feet are killing me. Word to the wise, combat boots aren’t for dancing.”
“What did it feel like?” Tim asked, sitting down next to Mia.
“I have to think that the ghosts are solid in order to connect with them. It’s a trick I learned from Murphy. Monsieur Dufour felt like… wood, I guess is the best explanation. Like dancing with Pinocchio. No offence, Monsieur Dufour, if you are listening,” she quickly added.
“Tell me about Murphy, please?” Tim asked.
Mia took a deep breath and said, “It’s a long story.”
“Give me the CliffsNotes version,” he pleaded.
“Short story: he died when a tree fell on him. He rescued me from being bullied by some kids when I was about your age, and we’ve been friends ever since. He helps us with our investigations.”
“Doesn’t he want to move on like Étienne and André?”
Mia shook her head and said, “Each person has their own idea of what heaven is like. Murphy prefers to spend eternity taking care of his farm, his trees in particular, and he helps us. He has my back in a fight.”
“Fight?” Tim’s eyes opened wide. “Ghosts fight?”
“Tim, ghosts do many things, and sometimes there doesn’t seem to be any reason why they do it. Remember, they were people once, and people really don’t change much even after they die. They still get frustrated, they cry, laugh, yell, and sigh. I hear a lot of sighs in my line of work.”
“You can see and hear ghosts. How long has that been going on?”
“Since I was born.”
“Doesn’t it bother you to see the dead?”
Mia looked over at Murphy, who was dancing a jig in the middle of the dining room floor, and said, “There are times when I wish I could turn off the sight.”
~
“What do you mean you’d
like some time off? We’re in the middle of an investigation!” Burt shouted at Ted.
Mia moved quickly to Ted’s side. “Ted’s just asking for half a day. I’ll fill in on the com.”
Burt closed his eyes and counted to ten.
“Actually, I’m going to need you, Minnie Mouse,” Ted said.
“Tell me again why it’s so important for you to take time off and drag my lead investigator with you?” Burt asked.
“It’s this thing in the machine,” Ted said.
“The hacker thing, a virus perhaps?” Burt suggested.
“No, it’s an entity as I said before. Tonight it took over the computer during the investigation. I barely got the disruption contained in time to record what went on in the dining room,” Ted admitted.
“Because of this, I need you more than ever on com. What if it attacks while you’re gone?” Burt asked.
Mia looked at Burt. His body language of crossed arms and rigid posture told her that Ted wasn’t going to get his day off. Not unless she did something.
“Couldn’t we take tomorrow off? Cid and John are going to price supplies to fix the heating pipes. Mindy has a prior engagement. Tim’s not an adult, so he can’t make decisions for his folks. Murphy needs time to recharge - evidently dancing takes a lot out of a ghost. Things will still be here in twenty-four hours. We don’t have to push it, do we?”
“Burt, it would give me time to do the research I need. No sense going into that missing person thing without more information,” Audrey advised.
Burt looked over at Mike who said, “One day isn’t going to hurt. Besides, if the activity does fall off, we have more than enough for a show.”
The computer’s alarm went off. Ted reached the console first, followed by the rest of the PEEPs. The screen was flashing, and then a bowed head in silhouette formed on the screen along with the words, Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown…
