by Alexie Aaron
“What’s the big deal? It’s not like we can work today anyway.”
“He should be available.”
Amber wanted to point out that he was being unreasonable but knew better. Mike was bored and was looking for someone else to entertain him. Amber had done her best, but there was only so much under the sheets activity Mike could handle in a day.
“Why don’t we go into the city? I’ve never been to Chicago before. Dinner and a show,” she suggested.
Mike added up the money in his wallet and countered the offer, “How’s a sub and a movie? It can be a chick flick.”
“You got yourself a deal,” Amber said, popping out of bed. “You call for movie times, and I’ll shower.”
“Fine, I just have to leave a message with Burt. Where the hell is he?”
~
“Tell me about the first time you saw a ghost?” Mia asked, curling up to him on her side.
“Post-coital ghost stories instead of cigarettes, my kind of woman.” He ruffled her hair.
“Come on, tell me.”
“I was sitting at the Dairy Queen with my brother Paul when I saw the figure of a man walk through the building. He was dressed in blue-striped overalls. He didn’t come out again.”
“The Dairy Queen?”
“Yes, broad daylight. Spent the rest of the summer investigating the place. Found out it used to be a Sinclair gas station back in the sixties. A mechanic died when the hydraulic lift malfunctioned, and he was crushed. Maynard Wilson was his name.”
“Ever see him again?”
“Nope, but it whet my appetite.” Burt pushed the covers back and got out of bed. “Mind if I use the facilities?”
“Go ahead, just put the seat back down.”
“Thought you liked to live dangerously,” he said over his shoulder.
“There’s danger and hazard, two different things,” Mia called after him.
She lay back and scolded herself. She just had the best sex of her life, and still she couldn’t get Whitney Pee Pants out of her mind. “What a slut,” she said aloud.
~
Whit stared at the paper before him. Tom brought him a cup of coffee. The postmortem report on Sherry Martin confirmed that her neck was broken, but that wasn’t the cause of death. “She froze? Hypothermia? It was fifty degrees out. Okay, maybe forty by the time she was found. I don’t understand, Tom.”
“I don’t understand it either, but that’s what the coroner is saying.” Tom sat down and tapped the paper. “We could ask for another opinion.”
“They found a noose of old rope, and Mia said she saw her fall - not jump - off the sawhorse. Whatever happened up there, Mia is convinced that Sherry had no idea she was in such a precarious position.”
“Me too. There’s a rumor going around that a gang is attacking people with nitrogen spray, maybe...”
Whit got up and ran to the bathroom. The thought of Sherry in the hands of someone who put that rope around her neck and forced her to balance hours in that cold attic brought up the steak and coffee he ingested at Mia’s. “I’ll find him, and I’ll kill him,” he vowed, looking at himself in the mirror. He no longer saw a lawman. He saw an avenger.
~
Rose parked her car on the easement of Perry Dam Road and walked a mile on foot into Cold Creek Hollow. She traversed through fields filled with the skeletons of last year’s wildflowers and raspberry brambles. It took her an hour and cost her a pair of pantyhose, but she successfully managed to arrive behind the Restoration houses. She was aware that the road in was blocked off and a deputy sat in a patrol car there.
A sane woman would not have even considered this adventure, especially when someone may or may not have murdered a woman there. What was the big deal anyway? People had been committing suicide in the hollow for as long as Rose could remember. Not everyone hung themselves, but they had died all the same.
Plus that whelp of a deputy had the audacity to accuse her of having a hand in Sherry’s death. This made her mad. What made her madder was having no access to the information. No one said anything, no gossip. It was killing her to know. She had to touch the floor where she died. Drink in the atmosphere.
She carefully pulled the extra set of keys from her pocket. She selected the back door key and let herself in after slicing the crime tape with her fingernail file.
The kitchen was as she remembered it. She ran her hand lovingly along the granite countertops. She moved carefully along the wall as she walked through the living room. She was so happy that they let her choose the red wallpaper and dark paneling. It reminded her of the homes she used to visit when her mother took her along on the home tours in the city.
She climbed the stairs that Sherry climbed. But where did Mia find her? Which room? She moved quickly down the hall and ducked her head into the smaller rooms. They still looked model ready, and the bath was free of disturbance.
Rose entered the master suite and saw to her pleasure bits of plastic left behind by the EMTs as they had frantically tried to stabilize Sherry. She didn’t see any blood. How was she killed? Strangled? No, she died en route to the hospital. Where did they find her? The attic? Did they find her there? This excited her.
She noticed the attic door ajar. The police must have been up there searching for something. Rose all but skipped up the steps and closed the door behind her.
She flipped the switch, and a great emptiness greeted her. Disappointed by the lack of any evidence, she turned to leave. She tried to turn the doorknob, but it didn’t give. Rose dug in her pocket for the keys and tried each one to no avail. She was stuck in there.
“Okay, don’t panic,” she calmed herself. “I’ll just dial Mia, and she’ll come for me. That is, if she’s not fucking Whit’s eyes out now that Sherry’s gone.” Rose opened her phone, but there were no bars. “Fuck this,” she said as she wandered around the room with the phone in the air, looking for reception.
Chapter Twenty-five
Burt checked his phone and laughed as every message from Mike got progressively more profane. Ted and Beth checked in, but neither had anything of real need. Everyone was basically puzzled by him being absent without leave.
“Anything urgent?” Mia asked as she toweled off.
“Not really. I’m tempted to stay here forever. It’s so peaceful.”
Mia’s face broke into a big smile. “I’m glad. I designed it to be peaceful.”
“You mean all the salt and ground brick? You are one smart, freaky woman.”
“If you know of any more deterrents, I am all ears,” she said with a toothbrush hanging out of her mouth.
Burt got up and walked into the bathroom and behind Mia. “I want to know about these,” he said, gently caressing her arms.
Her eyes snapped to his in the mirror. “Let me get dressed first. I want to tell you everything but not naked. There’s baring one’s soul, and then there’s baring one’s ass.”
“Very different situations. How well put.” He kissed her shoulder before heading out into the other room.
It took some time, but Mia told Burt everything that had happened from the moment she left the group and went in search of Sherry.
“My god.” Burt moved over on the couch and gripped her face. “Why the fuck didn’t you say something when you came back?”
“I just wanted to feel safe. And put my head somewhere else for a while.”
He could see the truth in her eyes. She held nothing back. He thought he should let the rest go, but he had to ask, “What happened after you left me at three?”
Mia gently moved his hands from her face and held on to them. She described the fear she felt when Whit first grabbed her. “It was like he was blaming me for what happened to his wife, but I misunderstood. And then there were all the paintings.”
She talked about her feelings when she had put them all in order. “It was growing in power. It planted a seed in Sherry, and it finally consumed her.”
“Maybe Beth should see the
m. I think she may actually be of some help.”
“I’ll suggest it to Whit when he’s more settled.”
“Did you bring him back here this morning?” Burt asked, feeling a bit uncomfortable.
“Yes, but he spent the time on the couch. Me in the room, door locked. Him on the couch, passed out.”
Burt sat back awhile and thought before speaking, “Did you just use me in there? Was I a Whit fill-in?”
“No, and hell no,” Mia answered. “Although, I see your point.”
“What would you have done if he came on to you?”
“Geld him,” she said simply as if she had thought about it.
Burt smiled. “I bet you would. Note to self: make sure Mia’s really in the mood.”
“I’m hungry, are you hungry?” Mia said getting up.
“Famished.”
“Well, you did burn some serious calories making me happy. How about me buying you a meal? Somewhere dark, where I can rub your thigh under the table while we drink wine.”
“You obviously have somewhere in mind.”
“Yes, I do. It isn’t far, and the best part of it is: no ghosts.” Mia jumped up and then pulled Burt to his feet.
“Honey, you are going to be the death of me,” he groaned.
“I hope not. I have plans for you later.” Mia grabbed his hand.
Burt helped Mia salt the door. They held hands like school kids as they walked to the truck. She held out the keys, and he declined. “You know the way, and I’d like to reach out and touch at least one member of my team to let them know I’m still alive.”
“Suit yourself.” Mia jumped in the truck, adjusted the seat and waited for Burt to walk around to the other side.
He had already dialed, and someone had picked up. “Hey Ted, it’s Burt. I’m going to get some chow and then do a little local socializing. I’ll have my phone on if you guys need anything.” He listened to Ted and repeated what he said, “The monitor’s not completely fried. The surge protector blew, but the unit is fixable... We’ll meet up tomorrow morning at breakfast... Sure will. Bye.”
“Murphy did that when he touched the screen,” she confessed.
“Should I send him the bill?” he asked wryly.
“Sure. I’m not sure he’s good for it though. Since he’s my, um, friend, I’ll pay half,” she offered.
“We’ll call it even if you tell me all about Murphy.”
Mia told the story with such relish that Burt thought she was talking about a living person. “And he would appreciate it if you would get a picture of him.”
“You are fucking kidding me. He’ll stand still?”
“I’m not sure he stands, but I’ll get him to be still. And I’ll give you a hundred bucks if you take one of me and him together and it turns out.”
“One hundred bucks?”
“If it turns out.”
“Why?”
“I want to be able to put his picture beside my Grandma Fred’s on the mantel.”
“You just get creepier and creepier,” Burt said.
“Come on, who’s to know?”
“I’m not sure I want my girl having another guy’s picture on the mantel, even if he’s dead.”
“My girl. I like the sound of that,” Mia purred.
~
Ted walked back into the dining room where he and Maryanne were taking on Beth and April playing cards. “Guess who I just talked to?” he asked the group.
“Burt,” Beth said, pointing to her temple. Well it was a fifty-fifty shot. Mike and Burt weren’t here, and no one would talk to Amber if they could otherwise avoid it.
“Right, and I think he’s been shacked up all day.” Ted lifted his eyebrows. “Does anyone know with whom?”
“Not Amber. She was fucking Mike all morning, and the two of them headed out to the movies a half hour ago,” Beth said, shuffling the cards.
Ted’s blush gave away his immaturity. “Really? I didn’t know. So, it’s not Amber...”
“Okay, I give, who?”
“I thought you’d know. I don’t.”
“Wouldn’t it be cool if it were Minnie Cooper?” Ted smiled. “She could join the group and just point to where the ghosts are. I hear she is freaky good at it.”
“Where did you hear that?” Beth asked.
“At the sub shop, the pie place and the Sheriff’s Station,” he listed. “By the way, isn’t that where we last saw our fearless leader?”
“And Minnie... Mia,” Beth added, looking at the group. “She is pretty freaky, and Burt loves freaky.”
“Ooh, I think we’re on to something.” Ted laughed. “It wouldn’t be so awful having Burt happy. Maybe he’d get off my case,” Ted said wistfully.
“Miracles do happen,” Beth said. “Deal the cards, time’s a wasting.”
Chapter Twenty-six
“Do you mind if I pick your brains for a while?” Mia asked after they ordered.
Burt took a sip of wine. “Business or personal?”
“Oh, business and personal I guess.” Mia screwed up her face. “You’re aware that certain objects may retain an essence of the past.”
Burt nodded. “Research has shown that you have to be careful when you bring an antique into your home. It may hold residual energy.”
“Yes, Beth mentioned that too,” Mia struggled to form her words. “Ah, I am very sensitive to this energy. It can suck me in. The thing is, I need to handle some materials and I...”
“You want to just tell me what it is? All this cryptic talk is confusing me.”
“When Beth and I were in the library, I found a box full of diaries and other papers from Cold Creek Hollow.”
“And,” he prompted.
“I think they need to be read. There is something, a negative energy, which has been building out there that I believe is going to be very dangerous if it’s left unchecked. It’s been sleeping for nearly a century. The restoration of the remaining houses woke it up, and it’s hungry. I think it tried to harm April. Murphy stopped it from happening, but it succeeded in killing Sherry. I’m hoping that there will be something in the papers that will tell me what happened to Cold Creek Hollow when the church burnt. There were survivors, witnesses, and maybe the papers will help me to find the answers I need.”
“Are you afraid to open the box?”
“Terrified.” Mia stopped as their waiter returned with their salads. “But I have to.” She looked at Burt awhile. “I can’t open it at my home because I may unleash something into my sanctuary.”
“Seems to me, gloves may insulate you, and a blessed place - a church, consecrated graveyard - may help. Ted would be helpful, maybe Beth. Amber is a twit. Mike will have to throw in his okay.”
“Not Mike.”
“Why?” Burt asked. “He’s a good investigator.”
“I think he’s got too many issues, such as this need for fame.”
“Unfortunately, fame pays the bills. He’s living with his mother, dumped all of his money into... Oh, I see you’re worried he’s going to want to go to Cold Creek Hollow.”
“I am.”
“Did you ever consider it may have been a flesh and blood human that did it?” Burt asked. He held up his hand while their salad plates were replaced with their entrees. “Deputy Tom thinks someone may have been squatting in those houses.”
“I’ve been up there. No sane person would stay more than a few minutes,” Mia argued.
“Exactly, no sane person. Seems to me it takes a shitload of crazy to do what was done to that poor woman.”
“Burt, don’t go into the hollow. At least until you’re armed with as much information as possible.”
“That leads us to back to the box. How about I approach the pastor at Saint Michael’s and ask him if he would loan us the fellowship hall to use. We do need a larger space to go over our tapes.”
“It would give me access to the church. I have to return something anyway.”
“Well, it seems we have
a direction to pursue, but nothing can be done until tomorrow. Plus, the team has a certain cellar to explore... That will keep Mike distracted, away from the Restoration houses. We can’t legally go there anyway.”
“That does give me some comfort. I shudder to think of anyone spending any time there.”
~
Rose woke up. It took her some time to figure out where she was. The room was well lit, but it was cold. “Damn it to hell,” she cursed as her memories flooded her sleepy brain. She got up and tried the door again, still locked. Her phone had no reception. She was in a shitload of trouble, and her bladder needed emptying.
Rose dumped her purse out onto the floor and looked for anything she could use to open the door. Her nail file, why had she not remembered it? Or maybe her credit card? She’d seen that on a television show or two. If she could just manage to slide it between the jamb and the door and force the latch back.
It took several tries before she was rewarded with a click and the door released. “I don’t freaking believe it!” she exclaimed as she scooped up the contents of her purse and got the hell out of the attic. She all but flew down the stairs and into the master suite. “First things first,” she said aloud and went into the bathroom, flipped on the lights and almost closed the door. She stopped and examined it. The lock was installed backward. The locking mechanism was on the outside. She must have inadvertently pushed the lock when she opened the attic door.
As she sat down to relieve herself, she wondered how many other doorknobs in the house were installed backwards. Rose flushed the toilet before remembering that she wasn’t supposed to be in the house in the first place. “Shit.” Rose hoped that the sound of the flush or the refilling of the tank wouldn’t be audible outside of the home.
She crept out of the bathroom into the hall. Rose was giddy with excitement. She knew what happened to Sherry before anyone else. “Now, how to work it into a conversation,” she thought as she walked down the stairs.
She had almost made the foyer when she heard the voices and footsteps on the porch. Rose climbed the stairs and ducked out of sight in the upper hall. Outside, the deputies were checking the front door. Satisfied it was locked, they walked on to the next house.
