by Alexie Aaron
“How did Roumain know?” Ted asked.
“I haven’t the foggiest.”
“Do you think he was responsible for the Dark Watcher?”
“Honestly, no. His realm has certain boundaries. He can slow time, but he can’t reverse it. That is up to fate, I suppose. The Dieter in the future had spoken to him, and he was upset to not find me in purgatory. So I would say this came as a surprise to him. Perhaps Ed told Komal, and Komal spoke to Roumain.”
“So there’s nothing you can do to avoid purgatory?”
“Nope. Will you wait for me?” Mia asked.
“Mia, you will always find me waiting for you.”
Mia leaned into Ted and tears of happiness fell freely from her eyes.
~
Dieter sped through the house making sure all was well for his returning foster parents. Lazar did his best to calm the youngster, but Dieter was a power onto himself. Maggie hid under the kitchen table so her paws wouldn’t be trampled on as the large-footed teenager moved through with his bags of trash and recycling.
“If the place is too clean, Mia is going to wonder what kind of mischief you’ve been up to,” Lazar warned as he pulled a batch of biscuits from the oven.
Dieter stopped and smiled widely. “I haven’t though. Should I have been?” he asked. “What do normal United States of America teenagers do?”
“I’m not going to give you any ideas,” Lazar told him.
Maggie’s head lifted and she got to her feet.
“They’re here,” Dieter said and tossed the bag he was carrying to Lazar and ran to the door.
Mia laughed as Dieter launched himself off the porch, followed by a barking Maggie. Ted had parked the van in front of the house. Mia eased herself out of the car and motioned for the crutches.
“What happened?” Dieter asked. Sweeping his foster mother up and carrying her to the porch.
“You’re going to get a hernia,” Mia said. “Put me down.”
“No. I’m taking you inside. Out of the way, Maggie,” Dieter said to the jumping dog.
Lazar held the door open and winced as Dieter cracked Mia’s good leg on the door jamb. He got her to the couch and set her down.
Ted walked in with the crutches. “She’s fine, Dieter.”
“What happened?” Lazar asked.
“Has anyone been here to fix anything? Gas company, phone company?”
“No,” Lazar said.
“Phew! I was worried they bugged the place,” Ted said. “Mia has to pretend she hurt her leg from her near fall off the canal bridge.”
Lazar scratched his head.
Mia told everyone to sit down, including the dog. She told her story about the bridge. She concluded with, “The next thing I know is Ed’s got a hold of me and I have Hamel’s guts all over my back. Ed saved me from being blown up with Hamel. I suspect he had help.” Mia took the elegant coat out of her hospital bag. “Roumain.”
“Who’s Roumain?” Lazar asked.
“May I?” Dieter asked.
“Please,” Mia said.
“Roumain is a being that can slow time so much that it actually seems to stop. He rules over the dimension that is also known as purgatory.”
“And who is Ed?” Lazar asked.
“Ed, actually, is a superhuman named He-who-walks-through-time. His mate, Judy, called him an emerging deity or Ed for short,” Mia said.
“He’s a big guy, bigger than Dwayne Johnson,” Dieter said. “Strong as a gladiator and very smart.”
“So he was able to reach you in time,” Lazar reasoned. “What happened next?”
“Ted ran over and took me from Ed,” Mia finished.
“We didn’t want the police to detain Ed. He wasn’t exactly carrying ID on him. So we told him to skedaddle and meet us at Dr. Cooper’s place,” Ted explained.
“One witness told the cops that Tarzan rescued me,” Mia said amused. “Evidently, he wasn’t wearing much in the way of clothing.”
“But, Mrs. Martin,” Lazar started. “You didn’t know this Ed would be there.”
“No,” Mia said simply.
“So you were prepared to die?” Lazar asked.
Mia looked up at her husband and over at Dieter. She ran her hand lovingly over Maggie’s head. “I don’t think anyone is ever prepared to die, Lazar. I did know that Ted would survive if I took Brentwood out on the bridge, that he would take care of Dieter and Brian and raise them to be strong compassionate men like himself. In the other timeline, no one survived. Lazar, you were there for Dieter, and Brian had his grandparents to look out for him. But a lot of magic would die if Brentwood succeeded. I couldn’t let that happen.”
“So why the ruse with the crutches?” Dieter asked.
“I told the agent from Homeland the reason I didn’t fall to my death with Brentwood was that my ankle got caught up in the bridge supports, and the blast pushed me up, and I held on until Ted came. That’s why the crutches.”
“In actuality, Ed reached out and grabbed Mia by the ankle and pulled her to him before time resumed,” Ted explained. “Her ankle was red and swollen but not from the bridge. The doctors said nothing to dispute Mia’s claim.”
“A simple lie, but a good one,” Lazar pointed out. “You’ll have to tell me how time can be stopped sometime.”
“That you’d have to ask the king of purgatory,” Mia said.
“Let the man ask,” Roumain said, walking around the corner from the dining room.
Lazar saw a very tall, elegant Haitian. His hair was styled in a mass of braids, and these were contained with a sparkling chain of gold. He had on a satin open-necked shirt with cufflinks. His manicured nails were offset by large jeweled rings. The man’s pupils were liquid. Lazar felt, had he stared into them, he would find himself in the deep pools that were rumored to exist under the island that divided the Caribbean Sea from the North Atlantic Ocean.
“Lazar Popov, this is Roumain. Roumain, thank you for the use of your coat,” Mia said, dusting it off before she handed it to him.
Roumain, who towered over Lazar, scrutinized the veteran before smiling. “It’s good to meet you in your lifetime, as I fear that I’ll never have the privilege of you in my kingdom. Mr. Popov, you’re destined for higher things.”
Lazar’s eyes opened wide.
“He won’t tell you,” Roumain said, “but he saved the others in his unit. He saw the locals run away from the roadside. He purposely drove his vehicle in front of the transport carrying a dozen men cutting it off so it had to stop. He sacrificed himself. The military doesn’t even know,” Roumain said.
“But how do you?”
“I know all. Well, mostly all. That one keeps too much from me,” he said, pointing to Mia. “That is why she’s going to be my guest for a while.”
Mia rolled her eyes.
“How did you know about the bridge?” Ted asked.
“I didn’t. Komal contacted me and said that He-who-walks-through-time and Mia visited the future where the devastation was so great that even the souls ceased to be. I would be robbed of Mia and…
Mia coughed.
“Others,” Roumain substituted. “So I followed our time walker, as he canoed across Lake Michigan, and our intrepid sensitive, as she did her best to solve the puzzle, before that madman blew everyone and everything up. Ed’s and Mia’s destinies met under the canal bridge. I just slowed time so Ed could catch up.”
“Thank you,” Mia said.
Roumain smiled, his white teeth glistening in the afternoon light. He pulled on his coat and picked a few Maggie hairs off the sleeves. “Until we meet again. May peace follow you,” he said and disappeared.
“What an exit,” Mia said sarcastically. “Notice he didn’t tell you how he slows time.”
“Ahem, that equivocator just saved your life,” Ted said.
Lazar sat down hard. “So is this a normal occurrence here?”
“No, most of the time, he stops time, steals one of us, usually me, a
nd then restarts it when he’s had his say. I think he likes you Lazar, otherwise you wouldn’t have known he was here.”
“Is it true?” Dieter asked Lazar.
“You mean about the convoy?” Lazar clarified.
“Yes, did you sacrifice yourself?” Dieter asked him.
“I’m not sure. I don’t remember,” Lazar said honestly.
“I would say it’s probably true. From my experience, Roumain rarely lies,” Mia said, picking lint off of her sleeve, giving Ted a creepy smile.
“Since you’re back early, would you like me to move out?” Lazar asked.
“About that,” Ted said. “Would you consider moving in full time? Or have we scared you off?”
Lazar was shocked and surprised. “Are you sure? I know Cid pretty much takes care of the cooking.”
“I’m into full invention mode, and Mia can no longer handle all the work around the house by herself. You seem to be able to take all this strangeness in stride. I can’t think of a more reliable person to watch the farm and all that we hold dear.”
“I know you’ll want time to think this over. Perhaps you want to go home and discuss it with your family,” Mia said. “Speaking of, that salve you gave me helped me to heal my leg. Thank your grandmother for me.”
“Actually, I was going to talk to both of you about my family.”
“I’ll go upstairs,” Dieter offered.
“No, please stay,” Lazar said. “Mr. Martin, please sit down. This is going to take some time.”
Ted sat next to his wife. Mia moved so she was comfortable under his arm. Dieter sat on the arm of the sofa.
“My family have been nomads since before the written word. My father came to this country and worked hard and became a citizen. He went back home to Bulgaria and married my mother, and he brought her and my grandmother back to this country with him. We have been living in a place that, until a few years ago, had been a friendly place to live. My mother had her garden, and my grandmother had just become a citizen. I joined the military, but while I was gone, things changed. We are no longer welcomed in our community. My father has an opportunity to sell the farm for good money, but where do we move? I was going to ask you if you think Big Bear Lake would accept us?”
“I’ve been an outsider and lived here most of my life,” Mia said. “But I think, basically, the people are good and understanding. My grandfather has moved here. And as you know, the Leightons have established the veterans’ rehabilitation center here. Things are changing for the better.”
“I saw an old abandoned farm northeast of here. There used to be a hog farm there. The land is very reasonable, and there is an office that could be made into a home with a little work.”
“It abuts Sentinel Woods,” Mia said. “Lazar, there is something very dangerous in those woods.” Mia went on to explain the entity that moved amongst the sinkholes. “The Monroes are farmers who have cohabitated with it for hundreds of years. I would suggest you talking to Ed Monroe and his son Carl before purchasing the land. And I will personally take your mother and grandmother to see the thing in the woods. Maybe someone who is a practitioner of Crone magic will understand the ancient entity.”
“No wonder the land is so cheap,” Lazar said.
“A few teens died there. Tom Braverman would have also, had one of the boys not risked his life to save him from quicksand. And then Murphy jumpstarted his heart,” Mia said.
“Talk it over with your family, Lazar. There are other farms near here that may suit your family better,” Ted said.
“Thank you. I will speak with them and get back to you.”
“In the meantime, please consider our home, your home,” Mia said.
“I will. Thank you for this opportunity. There are freshly baked biscuits in the kitchen and some of my mother’s homemade jam.”
“We’ll be enjoying them as soon as we get some of the grime off,” Ted said.
Dieter left with Lazar. Ted helped Mia up, and together they climbed the stairs. Mia looked at the fresh flowers in the vase in their room and smiled. “Dieter or Lazar?” she asked.
“Does it matter?” Ted said, drawing her into his arms. He kissed her gently.
“What was that for?” she asked.
“For you having friends in low places,” he said. “Minnie Mouse, you are a conundrum. First you try to hack off your leg to save our child, and next you’re jumping off a bridge.”
“Maybe we need to redecorate. Put some padding on the walls and keep me under lock and key,” she said seriously. “I bet I could weave some awesome baskets.”
Ted took her head in his hands and looked into her eyes. “Don’t you dare change. We don’t know what life is going to present us in the future, but if you’re given the choice, choose to stay with me. Mia, I couldn’t exist without you. From the moment I wake and hear you breathing beside me, I know that anything is possible. Life with you is amazing.”
“You have robbed me of my words, Ted. You’re reckless when you’re inventing. I don’t know if I’m going to find you pinned to the ceiling or in a million pieces. But I will be here for you. I promise.”
Chapter Thirty-four
Burt pulled across the street from the Gifford house. A sheriff’s department cruiser was parked in the street in front of the brownstone. He went to the front door and rang the bell. It was answered by Deputy Chambers. Bea stood nervously behind him.
“I’m Burt Hicks. Deputy Braverman asked for me to stop by,” he told Chambers.
“Yes, I’m sorry, I didn’t recognize you. I don’t think I’ve seen you in the daylight,” the young deputy said.
Burt, who thought this was an absurd thing to say, tried his best not to laugh. He walked past Chambers and took both of Bea’s hands in his own. “Mia has spoken so fondly of you.”
“She’s a dear. How is she?”
“She’s a little banged up, but she’ll be up and running soon. We’re looking forward to getting Edwin home safe and sound. Would you mind if I looked around before the rest show up? I like to get the feel of a place before the cameras and recorders are set up.”
“Are you psychic, Mr. Hicks?” Bea asked.
“It’s Burt, and no, I’m dull as dishwater. I just love investigating the paranormal. Did Tom tell you we may have dealt with Edwin’s ghost-napper before?”
“He mentioned you had some leads.”
Burt ran his hand along the paneling in the dining room. He stooped down and carefully pushed on each segment of the wainscoting. He smiled. “Bea, come here,” he said. “Put your hand here. And now here,” he instructed. “What do you feel?”
“There is a bit of a give here.”
“Yes. Do you mind if I open it?”
“You mean there is something behind there?” Bea asked, excited.
“Yes, I think so. Here,” he said, handing her and Chambers a dust mask. He put one on before he put both hands on the panel and pressed in ever so slightly and slid the panel behind the one next to it, exposing a dusty crevice. He reached in and pulled out a large wooden box and five wax-paper-wrapped books.
Bea took the books, Chambers the box. He hovered over her highly polished dining table, looking for something to protect the surface. Bea shook her head. “We have no time for that nonsense. Set it down.”
Burt got up and walked over.
“How did you know it was there?” Bea asked.
“Lazar told me he suspected there was something odd about the paneling. I’ve been in a few old houses. This paneling is a handy place for hidey-holes. Before people kept their valuables in bank vaults, they would hide them in their homes.”
“Shall we open them or wait for the others?” Bea asked.
“It’s your home, your treasure, which makes it your choice,” Burt said. “But I would like to film you opening them.”
Bea put her hand to her hair. “Oh dear. Give me a minute,” she said and fled upstairs.
The doorbell rang, and Chambers let in Tom and
Mark. “Cid’s parking the van, and Ted would like permission to pull the PEEPs truck into Bea’s driveway.”
Bea, who was walking down the stairs, tossed her car keys to Mark. “Move my car to the street first.”
Mark started out the door with a big smile on his face. Tom caught him and said, “Give the keys to Cid.”
“But Bea said…”
“Do you have a driver’s license?”
“I’ll give them to Cid,” a disappointed Mark said and left.
Ira and Mason helped Ted back the truck onto the driveway. Mason looked inside the cab and frowned.
“Where’s Mia?”
“I dropped her off down the street. She wanted to look at her parents’ lot.”
“Which way?” Mason asked.
Ted pointed north. Before he could say anything, Mason trotted away.
“I guess it’s up to us to set up,” he said to Ira and Cid. “Mark, would you like to help?”
“Me?” Mark asked and answered, “Hell yes!”
~
Mia moved across the recently mowed lot. She had contracted a service to take care of the property after she was married. She didn’t need the village complaining about it going to seed. Technically, it was still her parents’ property. She had the basement filled in so no child would hurt themselves playing around. She sowed wildflowers in the rich dirt. Only the three cement steps going to nowhere stood testament to what had stood on that property. It had been a beautiful old brownstone, a full story higher than the one Bea had bought from the Gifford heir.
Mia sat down and faced the ghost of the building. She could hear her mother typing away and her father’s footsteps as he paced the floor, impatient to leave the house again. Mia also heard the soft song of her misty mother trying to soothe Mia after being yelled at by her mother to get out from under the desk, where Mia had crawled to be close to her mother. Mia viewed the compassionate young woman through her tear-filled eyes and asked, “Did I do right by you?”
