by Alexie Aaron
“If I weren’t an ignorant dog when it came to reproduction, I would faint right now,” Lazar said, rushing into the bathroom. He walked back out a moment later. “Changing the subject slightly, I brought you something I had my granny make up. I checked out the ingredients on the internet, and as long as you don’t put it in your mouth, your child won’t be harmed.” He pulled from his pocket a small glass jar. “It’s a salve to rub into your wound. It makes the skin reject the residue of metal. I had such a problem with the staples they used when they triaged me, Granny made this up, and within a few days, I saw an improvement.”
Mia pulled off her glove and held out her hand. Lazar set the sealed jar in her hand. Mia closed her eyes. She smiled after a while. “This is crone magic. The strongest natural magic that still exists,” she told Lazar. “But you knew this.”
“Try it on just a small portion and see how it reacts with your diverse genetics.”
“Ah, I see you’ve been talking to one of the boys.”
“Cid, actually. He meant no harm.”
“As long as you don’t look at me like a failed science experiment, it won’t bother me.”
Lazar blushed to the roots.
“What did I say?” Mia asked, confused.
“I have a confession to make.”
“Oh dear. Let me sit down,” Mia said, making herself comfortable between the piles of clothes.
“They had your poster in one of the medical units I was sent to.”
It was Mia’s turn to blush. “Hard to image that was me. Whoa, look at me now,” she said, patting her large stomach.
“Your husband is a lucky man. Let’s move on to safer subjects. Yes. Here’s one. I worked it out with my physical therapist; I’ll be able to do my therapy in the mornings now. So, I can ferry Dieter to practice.”
“That’s a relief. Although, I did have Tom set up to fill in where needed. He owes me. Dieter would have hated being picked up by a squad car though.”
“Any kid would. Except for your youngest.”
“Yes, Brian does enjoy the sight and sound of a deputy sheriff’s car.”
“There is something very special about that child.”
“Just don’t let him know it. He has the Martin ego to deal with already.”
“Duly warned. When do you leave for Chicago?”
“As soon as our friends, Mason and Ira, arrive. They’re going to help us with this investigation.”
“I wish you all luck, or whatever one does in this situation.”
“Huh, it is difficult. I think wishing us luck is a good thing.”
Lazar pulled out a thick piece of paper. “Here are the instructions for the salve.”
Mia’s fingertips touched the paper, and she quickly transferred it to her gloved hand. “Thank you.”
“You’re that sensitive?” Lazar asked.
“The paper was last held by you, but before that, it was written by your mother as your grandmother gave her instructions in Bulgarian. Your grandmother bought the paper from the corner drugstore…” Mia trailed off but added, “But that’s just me showing off.”
~
Burt drove in and arrived just before Mason pulled up. The boys stepped out and were greeted immediately by Burt with hearty handshakes. Mia walked out of the office and put her hand to her mouth to stop herself from blurting out things like, “You’ve grown,” and, “How handsome you are.”
Both boys were now young men. Mason’s rough edge was gone. He actually smiled, instead of the scowl Mia remembered. He looked familiar. Perhaps like his brother? Ira was a surprise. At sixteen, he was pushing six feet tall. His sharp dark eyes softened when he looked at Mia, and she saw the boy they rescued from the middle school again.
“Mia!” he said and rushed over, bending down and giving her a hug. His eyes took in the cane. He didn’t want to make an issue of it, so, he filed his questions for later.
Mason joined them. “So you got yourself knocked up, girly-girl.”
“Twice,” Mia said laughing. “I’m so happy to see both of you. We’re so lucky you had time to help us out.”
“Help you? Hell, you’re helping us. Where’s your old man?”
“Over here, Callen,” Ted said, jumping out of the back of the truck. He walked over and put a proprietary hand on Mia’s shoulder. “Rule number one, no stealing my wife.”
“Yes, sir. What’s rule two?”
“Remember rule one.”
Mason laughed. “Don’t worry, Martin, Mia is too high class for the likes of us Callens.”
“Oh you two are horrible,” Mia said. “Burt’s giving us the eye, so let’s go in and get you guys briefed. You also have another team member to meet.”
“We already know Cid,” Ira said.
“But you haven’t met Jake. Mason, before we go in... Since you’re going to be spelling Ted at the computer, you’re going to have to do your best to make a good impression on Jake.”
“Why?”
“You’ll see,” Mia said and ushered the boys inside the office.
Cid nodded a greeting as he continued to prepare the devices PEEPs would be taking with them. He pulled the last battery packs from the chargers and put them with the others and closed the case.
“Guys, the building we’re going to be investigating is small,” Burt started. “But I have a strong feeling that the disturbances originate from the lot next door. Jake?”
The three monitors clicked on with various views of the lot.
“Prior to this, the space was a parking lot that needed constant resurfacing according to the contractor. Potholes and areas of sinking were dealt with by dumping sand, rock, and then asphalt.”
“What’s the history on this lot?” Ira asked.
“We’re hoping that you’ll be able to ferret that out for us. Mia will help if you need to deal with the city. Otherwise, point Jake in the right direction and he’ll get you the information.”
A dog appeared on one of the screens. He held a magnifying glass.
“This Jake, he’s your computer?” Ira guessed.
“Have you developed an A.I. computer?” Mason asked, getting up and walking over to one of the keyboards.
“What’s A.I.?” Mia asked.
“Artificial Intelligence, girly-girl,” Mason said, sitting down at the console.
He was rewarded with a slight electric shock and a giant eyeball starring him down.
“Ciach ort!” He rubbed his fingertips.
“Jake, be nice,” Mia warned.
Marvin the Martian strode out and directed his ray gun at Mason.
“Mason, Jake is a ghost who inhabits our computer.”
“That is so cool,” Ira said, getting to his feet and walking over.
Marvin turned the gun in Ira’s direction.
“Jake, so help me, you touch one hair on these boys’ heads and I’ll download a virus, on purpose,” Mia said.
Jake morphed from the Martian into the big-eyed obedient dog to appease Mia.
Burt and Ted watched the young men to see how they handled Jake. Cid just snickered openly.
“Type in…” Inky whispered into Mason’s ear. Mason smiled as his hands flew on the keyboard.
They created a mirror image of the dog on the screen. Jake morphed back and was greeted with another mirror image of Marvin.
This went on for a few minutes, Jake increasing his speed and the boys catching up.
“K. That’s enough, someone’s going to lose an eye,” Mia said, directing the boys’ gaze to the little robots on the desktop that Jake had activated. The Opticals had a rubber band strung between two of them, and a third was nudging a pencil over. “Never underestimate Jake. And, Jake, these guys are our friends and very important to me. I promised to return them in one piece, so I’m going to put you in charge of their safety.”
The Opticals dropped the rubber band and pencil. Marvin looked dejected.
Mason looked over at Ted and said, “He’s way better tha
n A.I.”
Marvin perked up.
“Can we get back to the briefing?” Burt asked.
“Sorry, Burt,” Mason said and returned to his seat.
Ira kept looking back at the computer with a challenged look on his face. Mia had the feeling that the games between the three had just started.
“Back to the lot. I think we need to proceed carefully there. Our aim is to, first, communicate if we can with the spirits that have invaded the bar.”
“Spirits in a bar,” Mason smirked.
Burt ignored him. “The owner would like us to tread carefully. He doesn’t want us to come in with guns blazing.”
“Tiptoe in and take a look. Gain some intel and out again,” Ira said. “What kind of damage have these characters done so far?”
“Broken bottles, sabotaged the construction. The owner witnessed a fight between the spirits. So far, no living person has been harmed. Let’s find out what’s under that lot and see if we can close the can of worms the contractor unknowingly opened.”
Mason and Ira studied the lot footage.
“How did they know what supports to pull?” Mason asked aloud. “Seems to me there’s a builder in the group of ghosties.” Mason turned around and asked Cid, “Is that what you got from this footage?”
Cid nodded. “Did anyone tell you that you look like Murphy?”
Murphy, hearing his name, manifested.
Mia’s mouth dropped open. She had thought that Patrick and Stephen bore a certain resemblance. Mason’s face had been too beaten at the time for her to really see his bone structure.
“I saw it on the drive,” Ira said. “Maybe you have an ancestor in common?”
“I don’t look like him,” Mason protested.
Murphy smiled.
“Shite, I do,” Mason admitted. “Well, put it there, Cousin.” Mason stuck out his hand, and Murphy shook it. “Damn, the man has gotten stronger. You could be a Callen.”
“You could be a Murphy.”
“I couldn’t be more pleased,” Ted said through his teeth. “Two of them.”
Mia caught Burt’s eye. She expected Mike to take exception to double Murphys, but Ted was a surprise.
Chapter Seventeen
Mia rode with Burt and the boys in the van. She wanted to continue to brief them about what to expect.
“I don’t mean to be nosing around where I’m not wanted,” Mason prefaced. “But what happened to your leg, girly-girl?”
“It’s a long, painful, humiliating story.”
“You don’t have to tell us,” Ira said softly.
“Thank you, but I do.” Mia told the story of the climbing facility and the creature that was summoned. There was some confusion about why the knife she used would create a wound that would not heal properly. Mia caught Burt’s eye in the rearview mirror.
She used her telepathy and asked, “How much do I tell them?”
“Just that your forbearers may have actually made the knife. And because of this, your DNA has a problem with the contact of the knife to skin.”
She did just that and added, “The gentleman, who is taking care of the farm for us while we are gone, has given me a salve that worked for him when his body started to reject the staples they used on him.”
“So there is hope your gorgeous legs will be chasing ghosties soon,” Mason said in his Callen way.
“I hope so. Burt, I was thinking. Ira is going to need an experienced sensitive to guide him. Can I bring in Sabine? It will be my favor.”
“Sabine Norwood would be most welcome,” Burt said. “I was going to suggest her, but I wanted to wait and see how you were doing first.”
“That’s code for: he didn’t want a catfight on his hands,” Mason told Ira.
Mia laughed. Burt could see that she was absolutely charmed by the young Callen. No wonder Ted was throwing off jealous vibes.
~
Sabine put the phone down and ran into the kitchen where Tauni Cerise was working on the grocery list.
“You’ll never guess?”
Tauni, who was used to Sabine’s drifty vagueness, played along. “The Norwoods have decided to bring back the girls after only a half day in their care.”
“No.”
“Good, because, Sabine, those three girls need a male influence. They are becoming little…”
“Don’t say it. I know. I hope that my threats to send them to Beverly if they don’t behave will keep them from terrorizing my in-laws.”
“That would keep me in line,” Tauni admitted. “Who was on the phone?”
“That was Mia, and she wants me to work with PEEPs on a Chicago investigation this week. She’s brought along a young man with incredible bilocation powers. Mia won’t OOB because she’s pregnant. I think that is very wise. So she’s asked me to show this boy Chicago. He’s not a boy, he’s a teenager, but Mia still thinks of him as the child PEEPs rescued.” Sabine could have told Tauni more. Her brief conversation with Mia over the phone opened a connection, and in seconds, Mia filled her in on all that had happened to her since the two last spoke.
“My, it’s been a while that you stepped out of yourself,” Tauni said, trying to keep Sabine in the moment.
“I have, but only briefly. I haven’t had a good walk around town since… since Brian died,” Sabine’s voice cracked, and she started crying.
Tauni took her in her arms and cooed, “Now, don’t be sad. Brian wanted you to continue and live a full life. That means the magical part too. I think it’s providence that PEEPs needs you when you’re free of the girls. Go out, and have yourself a good time, and don’t forget to bring back all the gossip you’re holding on to.”
“I’m that transparent?”
“Ah, child, you don’t have a dishonest cell in your body. Secrets weigh you down. Sabine, you are a creature of light and must learn that there is more to life then good and bad. There are gray areas that must be considered before rejecting them. You led a charmed life, but it has made you vulnerable to this world.”
“That’s why I have you to take care of me.”
“I won’t be here forever. Just long enough to get you and those girls on the right track.”
“I know. I know it’s more about me than the girls, Tauni. I’m trying.”
“What do you wear to a paranormal investigation?” Tauni asked to change the subject.
“Mia wears strange stuff with lots of pockets. Bev wears expensive designer clothes that show off her body a bit too much.” Sabine frowned.
“Perhaps something in between?”
“They don’t need me for a few hours. Would you go shopping with me?”
Tauni smiled. “Just as long as you buy me something too. That way I won’t get crabby.”
Sabine jumped up and down.
Tauni worried about this woman-child. She needed to move on to others who needed her. She had been trying to convince Sabine to move closer to her cousin. She thought that Big Bear Lake would be an excellent place to raise those girls. But Sabine was stubborn and hated change. She loved living in Chicago and wanted her girls to reap the benefits of the Windy City.
Ted pulled into the back part of the lot. The contractor had leveled off an area for this very reason. He offered PEEPs the use of his construction trailer which Mike graciously accepted, promising to mention the small company several times on air.
Mike stepped out of the trailer and waited on the small deck until Burt parked the van. Mike’s memories of the new additions to the PEEPs team didn’t prepare him for the towering Inky or the uncanny resemblance Mason had to Stephen Murphy. Mike made a note to look into how the two could possibly be related.
Mia got out of the van, instantly drawn to the excavation. She started to move around the site, keeping to the ground level. Murphy joined her, worried about her possibly falling. Mia used the cane, but on this kind of uneven ground, the cane was more of a hindrance than a help.
“There is a lot of energy here,” Mia said. “I’m n
ot familiar with any ley lines that cross here. Maybe an old spur?”
“I used to live near here,” Murphy said. “The fire took the tenement we lived in, but I can show you the area where I grew up.”
“I’m going to take you up on that offer as soon as we have a break. Before I forget, I’ve invited Sabine to join us. Since you’re the security chief - and I’m sure you’ve already thought of this - but I want you to keep an eye on her and Inky.”
“What about the Callen boy?”
“You mean your doppelgänger?”
“Yes.”
“I thought Jake should be in charge of him. It may keep Jake from killing Mason.”
“There’s no guarantee. Mason can be very irritating, and Jake unpredictable. Why do you think Burt wanted Mason to work with us?”
“He said it was his toughness that he thought we needed most. Mason does know how to take a punch. He’s been to school and specialized in computers. I hope that he’ll be a help to Ted on the console. Murph, I know we’ve been teasing that Mason may be genetically related to you. I hope that doesn’t bother you. But what do you think?”
“If he is, he is. I don’t think he’s going to be looking to me for a kidney.”
Mia burst into laughter. She laughed so hard that tears flowed down her cheeks. She caught her breath and wheezed, “I needed that.”
“Ted’s staring at us,” Murphy warned. “He didn’t talk to me at all in the truck.”
“Did he talk to Cid?” Mia asked, looking at her husband from across the dig.
“No.”
“He must have something on his mind. Although, Ted’s not a fan of Patrick Callen.”
“But Patrick isn’t here.”
“Yet. Where one Callen goes, the other is sure to follow…” Mia said ominously.
“Do you like Patrick?” Murphy asked.
“No. He’s charming but no Murphy in my eyes,” Mia said.
“Bad Mia,” Murphy said. “You’re going to get us in trouble again.”
“When have we not been in trouble?”
Murphy took a moment to think back. He couldn’t answer her.
“See? Come on and escort this cripple back to the trailer.”
