by Alexie Aaron
“She’s walking better,” Mason noticed.
“I don’t know if it’s the excitement of the investigation or the salve Lazar gave her, but she almost seems like the old Mia to me,” Cid said.
“Nah, she’s not as bitchy as I remembered her.”
“You sound disappointed.”
“I was looking forward to arguing with somebody.”
“Where’s Ira?”
“Inky is in the shower. He probably has Sabine overload to take care of.”
“Aargh! I can’t un hear that!” Cid grouched.
Mason smiled. He’d found his bitch to torment.
~
Mike walked Sabine to her door, and she invited him in. Tauni wasn’t pleased to see who Sabine chose to bring home, but at least the girl was trying.
“Can I get you something to drink?” Tauni asked Mike.
“Oh no. I’m on my way out the door. Your doorman will only watch the car so long. I just wanted to make sure Sabine was safely home and say hello to you. You know, Tauni, we could use a quick mind like yours on site if you care to drop by.”
“Me, ghost hunting?” Tauni asked herself more than Mike. “I don’t know. Maybe I’ll stop by and see what all the fuss is about.”
“Tauni has the sight,” Sabine said proudly.
“I envy you. All I get is a horrible stomach ache when evil is near.”
“Do you? Seems to me there should be some way of turning that around? Let me think on it. I’ll get back to you.”
“I’d appreciate it,” he said and started for the door.
“Mike, may I ask you a personal question?” Sabine asked.
“I guess so…” he said, looking at her. “I hope I have an answer for you.”
“Why can’t you leave Mia alone?”
“I don’t know. Maybe it’s because your cousin is an amazing person. There is no one more courageous and vulnerable at the same time. I would never interfere with her marriage. I know she loves that goofball with her whole heart. I’ll wait until he blows himself up and then make my move.”
“What about Murphy? Don’t you think he’ll give you a run for your money? He’s wanted that child since she was a teen,” Tauni warned him.
“But he’s dead. Mia doesn’t want dead. She wants someone to be there when she comes home. Someone to worry about her when she is investigating, and someone… to be blunt… To love her. I know I can be that man.”
“So you’re not worried about Murphy?”
“No, but I am worried about Angelo,” Mike realized. “You see, I’m the only unworthy person that loves our Mia. I tried to move on with my life. I’ve been trying since she first dissed me. First Burt, Whit, and now Ted. All good men.”
Sabine angled her head and said, “I think you’re wrong. You’re worthy; you just don’t know it yet.”
“And on that happy note, I shall bid you adieu. You and I will be on camera tomorrow, Sabine,” he reminded her.
“Good night, Mr. Dupree,” Tauni said and closed the door after him.
Sabine looked at her and opened her eyes wide. “What a dilemma. I’m glad I’m done with romance.”
“You’re a young woman,” Tauni informed her. “You’ll change your tune when the right man comes along.”
“They keep putting me and Deputy Braverman together, but there is no spark.”
“He may not be the right one,” Tauni said. “He’s cute, but maybe too much of a mama’s boy.”
“It’s his mother who is trying to match us up.”
Tauni laughed. “Oh you poor dear. Beware of a woman who wants the best for her boy.”
Chapter Twenty
“Deputy,” the dispatcher said when he picked up the phone, “I have an unusual call that may be right up your alley.”
“Now I’m intrigued, go on.”
“Ms. Bertha White called in a missing person’s report for a dead guy.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“She first said she wanted to report a missing person, and when I asked for the particulars, she said it was Edwin Gifford. I thought maybe it was someone with the same name. I asked her, and she replied that it was the Edwin Gifford who died a hundred or so years ago. He had been missing from her place for a few nights, and she wished us to look into it. I wouldn’t have bothered you with this, but she is one of our largest contributors to the Sheriff Department’s widow and orphan fund.”
“Call her, and tell her I’ll be over in fifteen minutes.”
“You have a heart of gold, Deputy.”
“Um, thanks,” Tom said and disconnect the call.
“I called Mia first, but she’s in Chicago. She promised to look into it as soon as she returned. But I have a very bad feeling about this,” Bea White said as she escorted the deputy into the house she had bought from the Giffords with her lotto winnings.
The Gifford house was built with the hard-earned money of the Gifford brothers, Edwin and Roland, for their widowed mother Rebecca. It was a beautiful house. When Rebecca passed, Edwin moved his family in, and the house stayed in the family until the last Gifford moved to Florida. The house stayed on the market for some time. The heir insisted that the buyers be notified that Edwin came with the place.”
“I first saw Edwin when I was gardening,” Bea told Tom. “He was coming in from the field behind the house. He had such a friendly look on his face that I took a chance and introduced myself. We got on famously. Edwin smells like the drink, but he’s always been a gentleman.”
“When did you notice that he was no longer here?”
“I came home from the Ladies Aid meeting a few nights ago, and the house felt different. Hollow, as if all the furniture was gone. Edwin filled up the place with his positive energy. He didn’t show up for the morning crossword puzzle nor my evening tipple. It’s been three days.”
“Do you think he has moved on?” Tom asked.
“I don’t think he’s interested in heavenly rewards. I think he loves this house. This is his heaven.”
“Let me take a look around inside,” Tom insisted. “He may have gotten trapped somehow.”
“Thank you, Deputy,” Bea said.
Tom walked down to the cellar to start his search. He had no idea what he was looking for. Maybe something out of place? He directed his flashlight into all the dark corners before abandoning the basement. He smiled at Bea as he walked the first floor. Everything seemed in good order. The house was tastefully decorated with a combination of Bea’s new things and some of the antiques that the Giffords had left in the place. Upstairs, the rooms were dust free, and Bea had placed flowers in a vase in her room and in the hall. He wished his mother would do this. The snapdragons added the right amount of color and scent. The guestroom had dust covers over the furniture. Tom carefully lifted these and returned them when he had examined the furniture underneath.
“Ms. White,” he called down the stairs.
“Yes?” she asked.
“Does your house have an attic?”
“Oh dear me, yes,” she said, walking up the stairs. “I’ll show you. The ladder is a bit tricky.”
Tom waited in the hall for the woman. He was surprised that she wasn’t out of breath after climbing the stairs. Bea White was a stout woman, but she carried her weight well.
“The Giffords had this gizmo put in. She walked over to a switch plate that had a very large button on it. She pushed it in, and overhead, there was a pop and the ceiling panel started to lower. Bea guided Tom out of the way as gravity pulled the stairs down. They slid halfway down and stopped. Tom pulled the last set of steps down and tested the ladder before climbing.
The attic was well organized. There were a few tall chests up there and a few old steamer trunks. A dust-covered dressmaker’s dummy had given him a start. He almost drew his firearm and shot the thing. He laughed at himself and rehoused the weapon. Tom searched from one end to the other and almost missed it. There on the floor, next to a large chest of drawers, was a s
quare outlined in salt. He took a picture of it and walked to the opening in the floor.
“Ms. White, did you spill some salt up here?”
“No, I know all about salt and ghosts.”
Tom helped Ms. White off the ladder and took her to the area. “It’s so small, I can’t imagine anyone standing in it,” Tom said, pointing out the seven by seven square.
“I don’t know what it could be?”
“Have you had any workmen up here? Maybe a pest control company?”
“No.”
“I’m going to consult with Mia, but I have a hunch.”
“Care to share, Deputy?”
“Ms. White, I think Edwin’s been ghost-napped. I don’t know how or why, but I’ll get to the bottom of this as soon as I can.”
“Thank you, I feel so much better that someone believes me that he’s really gone,” Bea said. “Now I believe I have a piece of pecan pie with your name on it waiting in the kitchen.”
Tom smiled. “Are you trying to bribe me, Ms. White.”
“Bribe you? Er… no. Reward you, yes!”
~
Mia was sleeping on the OOB lounge chair. Ted found her steady breathing comforting. He activated her monitoring necklace just in case. Mia didn’t want to bilocate in her condition and promised not to, but Ted knew that his wife sometimes acted rashly and wanted to keep an eye on her.
Burt was walking the restaurant. Dash had left an hour ago. Ted reminded him that the chef had left three plates of sandwiches for the PEEPs night crew. Burt promised to bring them back with him.
Burt placed micro recorders every fifty feet. Mia had warned him about the possibility of Fergus, Grady or Roy showing up. So far, the readings matched the base readings Cid took.
Burt moved behind the long bar and marveled at all the things that the massive Cherrywood-topped bar hid: the feeds for the taps, ice makers, and a dozen glass-fronted mini refrigerators holding everything from fruit garnishes for the drinks to imported beers. Everything had its place, and the bar was cleaner than Mike’s apartment after his industrious maid service left.
Burt had reached the curved end of the bar and turned around to return to the opening when he noticed a cherry stem on the floor. He bent over to pick it up. His head exploded with pain, and as darkness came quickly for him, he hit the floor hard.
Ted looked up from his notes and scanned the camera feeds. “Jake, Burt is supposed to be in the restaurant. Please find him.”
Ted watched as the small monitor showed the recorded feeds. They went backwards at a furious speed, stopping at 03:33 AM.
“Last sighting of Burt. Ted, camera three’s position has changed. It is supposed to film the bartender’s area of the bar. Right now, it’s filming the wall.”
Ted saw the investigator stop his progress and bend down and disappear.
“Check the kitchen feed,” Ted ordered.
“Camera four malfunctioned for three minutes and thirty-three seconds.”
“Where does it face?”
“Cold storage.”
Ted got up, moving quickly to wake Mia, at the same time giving orders to Jake, “Prepare to lock down the command center. Monitor all feeds. I’m going on com now.” He bent down and shook Mia’s shoulder. “Mia, I need you.”
Mia’s eyes popped open.
“Burt’s missing. He was last in the bar area of the restaurant.”
“Maybe he’s eating?” Mia said, getting to her feet, pushing the cobwebs away.
“He’s not on camera. There’s a fault in the camera feed showing cold storage.”
“Hells bells! The freezer!” Mia said and followed Ted out of the command center.
The door rumbled down as the two ran to the restaurant.
“Murphy!” Mia called.
Murphy heard Mia and moved quickly from the floor of the construction site where he had been patrolling. He arrived at the restaurant door in front of the restaurant just as Ted and Mia opened it. They were assaulted with a stench so bad it took everything they had to move forward. Mia stumbled to the breaker and flipped on all the lights.
“Brian’s old diapers after eating eggs!” Mia said nasally.
“Cid after eating fried chicken at the fair,” Ted countered.
Murphy, who couldn’t smell anything, moved quickly through the restaurant. He was drawn to an area where there was a great amount of energy. Murphy moved through the bar where he found a small pool of blood. Murphy signaled Mia and Ted.
CRACK!
Ted vaulted the bar to where Murphy pointed out the blood.
“Mia, there’s a blood trail heading to the back of the restaurant,” Ted said.
Mia pulled Cid’s holy water squirt gun out and moved towards the kitchen.
Ted and Murphy joined her.
“I’m worried he’s in the walk-in freezer,” Ted said. “Let’s go there first.”
Mia nodded, keeping her wits about her. She scanned the room as she walked. Every shadow was decrypted by the light and the item that was causing the shadow. She arrived just as Ted pulled the door open. Murphy moved into the freezer with Ted and began to search.
It was full of meats and seafood but no Burt. Just as they reached the back of the freezer. The door slammed shut. Ted walked quickly to the emergency lever and pushed against it. It wouldn’t budge. Murphy tried several times to move through the walls of the walk-in and was unable to get through it.
Mia, who knew better than to have both able humans on the inside of a freezer at the same time, pulled at the door handle to no avail. She sprayed it down with holy water, and the door popped open.
“Sorry to take so long. I had to give it a blessed water shower, mind the puddle,” she said.
Ted stepped over the water, and Murphy just stared at Mia from inside the freezer.
“What?” she asked.
“I’m not sure I can…”
“Oh!” Mia realized. She grabbed a handful of paper towels and absorbed the water. Murphy moved quickly past her and started opening every cupboard, looking into every space that could contain the large investigator.
Ted touched his com, “Jake, run every cameral feed again.”
Mia called out to Burt with her mind. She sensed him, but he wasn’t conscious. She pushed trying to wake him until she felt her nose start to bleed. Grabbing another paper towel, she managed to staunch the blood before Ted noticed.
Murphy, however, had seen it. Mia locked eyes with him and pleaded for him not to tell. He shook his head and moved away.
Ted walked out of the kitchen and over to the restrooms. He opened the men’s room door, ran to the solo stall but found it empty. He left the bathroom and reached for Dash’s office door and found it locked. It would take time to pick the lock. Ted decided to search the Ladies restroom first. He opened the first stall and found Burt on the floor. He ran to the door and shouted, “I’ve found him!”
Mia rushed over and watched as Ted and Murphy carefully extracted the investigator from the stall. When they lowered him to the floor, the investigator’s eyes fluttered and then opened wide.
“Did you see the truck that hit me?” Burt asked.
“Look at me,” Mia said, flashing her penlight in and away from Burt’s eyes. “His pupils are responsive and equal,” she said.
Ted watched as Mia carefully moved her hands around Burt’s skull. “He’s got a hell of a lump. Ted, ice please. No breaks in his skull, and thank God, no swelling under it.”
“Gee, it’s nice to have a CAT scan on the team,” Burt teased.
“Oh dear,” Mia said as she worked her way around to his face. “You’ve broken your nose. I can reset it, but you may want to go to the hospital.”
“I don’t want to go to the hospital. Too many questions.”
“I could tell them Ted punched you. I believe he is on file,” Mia teased, referring to when Ted broke Mike’s nose in a fight.
“Bad Mia!” Murphy said before starting to laugh.
“
No, work your magic, Little Bird.”
“Ouch, I deserved that,” Mia said and looked at Ted. “Please hold his head very still. No matter how he screams, don’t let it move.”
“Gotcha,” Ted said.
Mia waited until he was in position, and she tenderly pulled the nose up a wee bit and set it back in place. She next started the cartilage to heal. “Okay, you can let go now.”
Ted did, stepped aside, and looked down at the investigator.
“How’s he look?”
“Like Carl Malden,” Ted lied. “Actually, aside from all the bruising, he looks like Burt.
“It didn’t hurt. You said it was going to… Oh, payback for the Little Bird.”
Ted helped Burt to a sitting position with his back to the wall.
Mia grinned widely. “We need to get you to eat some fresh pineapple. I’ll go and see if there is a market open…”
“Wait,” Burt said. “In the little refrigerator under the Guinness tap. I saw a bunch of drink garnishes there.”
“On my way,” Ted said.
Murphy moved with Ted through the restaurant and into the bar area. He hovered over the spot where Burt was attacked. He turned around and faced the collection of vodkas and liquors including a brilliant aqua colored Hpnotiq. “Mia said this is where Roy was beating up Grady when Dash interrupted them.”
Ted looked around. “Yes, this is the spot.”
“Why here? There must be something in the past, or buried here, that it didn’t want Burt to find. He was removed so he wouldn’t be found in this spot,” Murphy figured.
Ted grabbed a highball glass and filled it with pineapple chunks. He turned and watched Murph. “I think you’re on to something.”
Murphy wavered as if a wave of energy moved through him. Ted reached out, stupidly thinking he could help the ghost and received a jolt that knocked him to the floor.
“What the…”
“Save it,” Murphy said. “We need to get back to Mia.”
Mia felt the room drop in temperature. She got up and stood over Burt to protect him.
