by Alexie Aaron
The dog looked up at Mia and barked in agreement.
Mia took a moment and looked around her. There was no sign of the children she had seen earlier. She let the puppy explore a bit before they headed back to the command vehicle. As they rounded the house, Mia saw that Burt had arrived. He had parked the class A motorhome on the other side of her truck. She whistled as she saw the size of the thing. Maggie jumped up at her confused.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean you, sweetheart,” Mia said, dropping to her knees to talk to the puppy on her level. “Uncle Burt has opened the vault he calls a wallet and surprised me, that’s all.” Mia stood up. “Shall we go and have a look?”
Mia wasn’t surprised to see Mike already stretched out on the couch, or that Audrey was already set up with her research materials sitting at the table, nor Burt setting up his vintage Mr. Coffee. What surprised her was the elegance of the vehicle. “Can we afford this?” Mia asked in awe as she carried the squirming puppy through the vehicle, checking out the other rooms.
“Evidently, the rock star that ordered it canceled, leaving a nice deposit. The owner was happy to cut us a deal, being a fan of PEEPs,” Burt explained. “Coffee will be ready in a few minutes.”
Mia smiled. “Anything happen while we were gone?” she asked Mike who had opened an eye at the mention of coffee.
“Audrey and I went over to 1312 as instructed. The homeowners’ names are Gina and Harold Weinstein. Gina was the one keeping an eye on us. Harold’s at work. He’s a CPA with Avery Mills. They haven’t had any disturbance with the exception of hearing laughter late last night. They, like the others, assumed incorrectly that Barb was having a Girl Scout meeting. Gina is the keeper of the keys for 1308. It’s owned by the William Faulkner – I kid you not – family. William and Nancy Faulkner and their daughters, Cindy and Erin, are on a trip to Walt Disney world. After hearing about the mischief at the other houses, Gina put in a call to them to ask permission for us to check out the house. She’s not keen on going in there herself but will send William over as soon as he comes home from work. He’s auditing, or he would have been home earlier,” Mike reported.
“Is my truck in the way?” Mia asked Burt who handed her a mug of coffee.
“If we decide on extending the cab or unrolling the awning, then yes. But right now, just take a cup over to Ted and send Cid in here,” he requested. “Team meeting in a half hour,” he announced. “I want to discuss strategy. It’s getting dark, and we don’t know if the children are finished with the neighbors yet.”
Mia nodded. She set Maggie down and watched her sniff around. “Don’t worry, she’s just been for a walk.” She watched as the dog moved under the table by Audrey’s feet, turned around three times and lay down. “She’ll be out for the count soon.”
“I’ll keep an eye on her,” Audrey promised. “It’s nice having a puppy around.”
Mia left the RV and walked around her F150 towards the truck. She reached the command center without spilling a drop. “And Ralph says I have no grace, harrumph.”
Ted and Cid looked at her from the console.
“Harrumph, what language is that?” Cid asked.
“Old person language,” Ted said. “Mia’s bilingual.”
“And here I was bringing you a cup of coffee,” Mia said feigning outrage.
Ted just smiled at her.
Cid got up and offered Mia his chair.
“Cid, Burt would like to see you in the palace. Don’t forget to wipe your feet.”
“Yes, m’lady. See if you can talk some sense into your fiancé.”
“Why?”
“He wants to use some of his DC comics to lure the ghosts.”
“And this is a problem why?” Mia asked confused.
“Honestly, you have no respect for literature! How would you like it if I used Henry James or Kurt Vonnegut as bait?”
“I’m sure the gentlemen would have something to say about it,” Mia commented.
“You can’t be serious. You don’t know who…”
“She knows. She’s just yanking your chain. Speaking of, how’s Maggie acclimating?” Ted asked, watching Cid leave the truck.
“She’s sleeping under the table,” Mia replied, leaning in and nuzzling Ted’s neck. “Brrrr, it’s getting cold in here. Want me to turn on the heater?”
“Yes, please, and hand me my hoodie.”
“Sure, but not until after I check your forehead,” Mia insisted.
“I’m fine.”
“I saw you in that comic room. You were horrified. Now you’re offering some of your collection as bait?”
“Just the new stuff. I was horrified at the loss of money. Some of those comics were worth thousands of dollars.”
“Oh,” Mia said. “When did you become a capitalist?” Mia handed Ted the hoodie.
He took off his hat, pulled the hoodie over his head and replaced the cap backwards, techie style. “Oh, since we got engaged. I don’t want us to have to ever worry about money.”
“Don’t worry, Teddy Bear, we’re both industrious. I can even dig a ditch or two if needed,” she said proudly.
Ted looked into her eyes and saw that she was serious. “You do have a knack with a backhoe, or so Burt tells me.”
Mia thought back to the frantic search for the box holding the Hag’s remains. She had used the backhoe until they unearthed the coffin. Along with the memory came the fear she felt when the Hag had ahold of Burt. Mia pushed it away to deal with later when she was alone. “I used to dig ditches for a living,” Mia said. “I had a job with the highway department of Big Bear Lake for a summer when I was twenty-one.”
“Gee, I thought you’d be stuck with directing traffic.”
A ping sounded against the side of the truck. It was followed by several others, and then what sounded like a hailstorm of rocks fell on top of the truck in a deafening deluge.
“What the fu… fudge!” Mia corrected quickly, remembering Barb’s daughter might be in the vicinity.
Mia launched herself out of the chair. Ted caught her just in time as they were assaulted again by projectiles. Ted shoved the back door down and called Burt on the phone. “We’re being attacked over here. I lowered the back door to protect the equipment.”
Burt and Mike ran out of the RV just in time to see several bushels of marbles plummet from the sky and drop on top of the truck. They rolled across the pavement and made navigating to the truck dangerous.
“Ted, you’re being pelted with marbles… Yes, I said marbles. They don’t appear to be landing on anything else but the trailer of the truck. There must be thousands of them.” Burt stooped down and picked up a handful. “Cat’s eyes, clearies, clays, shooters, no steelies yet, thank god.”
Mike scooped up a handful and whistled. “Onion skins. Burt, these are from a collection.”
“What was all that racket?” Denny asked, trotting over to the investigators.
“Marbles. Buckets of them have been tossed on top of the trailer,” Mike explained. “Do you know anyone around here that collects them?”
Denny raised his hands and shook his head. “Nathan collects comics, perhaps…”
“It’s a possibility. I’ll ask him,” Mike said.
Burt had walked over to examine the damage to the PEEPs truck. He knocked on the back door, and Ted raised it. Mia, armed with a large empty storage bin, jumped down and began picking up the marbles.
“I’ve got a plastic leaf rake that ought to help,” Denny said and ran off to his garage.
“Nice guy,” Mia commented. “Burt, I have to admit to being stymied as to what exactly is going on here?”
“It’s early times, don’t worry. We’ll figure it out.”
Maggie bounded out of the truck, followed by Cid who had her on a lead. “Time for walkies,” he said. As he passed Mia he commented, “Stymied is another old person term; are you possessed or something?”
“You heard that?” Burt said amazed.
“He still has hi
s super hearing from his Magoo days,” Mia sniffed. “And to answer you, no, I’m not possessed. Been there, got the T-shirt and moved on, but thanks for asking.”
“Hey, I’m just being observant,” Cid said. Maggie whined. He urged her away from the street.
Mia watched the handsome investigator walk across the lawn, heading towards the woods. “I guess I’ll get used to it, but it’s like having a nosy aunt in my business all the time.”
“He means well,” Burt said. “You’re not used to people caring about you. You went from being all by your lonesome to having three big brothers, a lover and a ghost taking care of you. Not to mention Audrey…”
Mia noticed that Burt blushed after mentioning the bubbly redheaded investigator. She let it slide. She’d leave the teasing up to the techs. Denny arrived back and began raking the marbles towards Mia. She scooped them up as fast as she was able. Burt and Mike chased down the ones that got away from her. Ted tossed out a few light disks to augment the light cast by the streetlights. Darkness had fallen, but the quarter moon did little to help them see the expensive toys.
Barb walked over with a tween in hand. “This is Heather. We heard the racket. How can we help?”
Burt explained the situation and Barb nodded. The newcomers started hunting for errant marbles. Heather, who bore an amazing resemblance to Mia, giggled as she worked. Mia was petite and Heather was tall for her age, their blonde locks were styled similarly. Heather had bright pink streaks in hers. Mia complimented her on them. Heather confessed to Mia that they were extensions. Her mother wouldn’t allow her to dye her hair until she was an adult.
Mrs. Alison looked over from her yard, shaking her head before retreating back into the house. A red-eyed Nathan came over dressed in a Spiderman sweat shirt and jeans. He didn’t know whose marbles they were. He volunteered to crawl under the truck and search there.
Audrey watched from the door of the truck for a moment before getting back to her research. She was onto something and didn’t want to stop her momentum. She sat back down and looked at the screen. Someone had made a Facebook page for the Himmel reconstruction project and posted pictures of Himmel School there, along with comments from a few dozen people. Alumni from many different generations had posted their fond memories of going to school there, naming favorite teachers and administrators. Even the janitorial team of 1965 were lauded for joyously taking care of flooding caused by a sudden thaw of snow that winter. Mia was certain the school was the center for all the activity, and Audrey was starting to believe her.
Chapter Six
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Ralph all but sang into the phone before setting it down. He placed several checkmarks on his wedding planner’s list.
“It sounds like you’ve had good news,” Bernard said, walking into the dining room which Ralph had requisitioned for his wedding planning. Ralph had been working nonstop since the young couple left their condo. He knew that Ralph had everything pretty much lined up and most of the participants’ time reserved well before he had presented the idea to Ted and Mia this morning, but that was to be their little secret. A wedding like Ralph had planned needed time to pull off, and the clock was ticking. He handed Ralph an icy blueberry martini before sitting down in the only chair that didn’t hold a swatch of cloth or stack of photos of some kind.
“That was Millie, Ted’s mother. She has come through with not only the measurements of Raedell and the flower girls, but has already booked the restaurant for the rehearsal dinner!”
“That’s marvelous but hardly worth three thank yous. Cough it up,” Bernard urged.
“She’s found a tradesman that makes pocket watches, steampunk watches.”
“I don’t get the difference.”
“These do more than just tell time. Some have compasses, music boxes, and one has tiny scissors that pop out for mustache trimming. Gifts for the wedding party! She’s personally seen three clockwork dolls that transform out of tiaras. That will no doubt impress the little girls and keep them busy during the boring parts of the ceremony.”
“There are no boring parts to this ceremony,” Bernard commented as he looked over Ralph’s schedule. “What does the judge say about all of this?”
“Oh she’s keen, especially when I faxed her the drawing of the outfit I had planned for her,” Ralph replied. “I really wish Ted and Mia would let one of the priests marry them, seems more permanent that way.”
“Personally, I think it doesn’t matter who marries you, or if you get married at all, as long as you commit yourself with all your heart,” Bernard said softly. He looked over at his partner of forty years wistfully. “Don’t worry, Ralph, we’ll have our wedding. The wind has changed, and it’s blowing in our direction.”
Tears flooded Ralph’s eyes. He took a deep breath before speaking, “Until then, I have this wedding to plan. It’s going to come down to the wire, but I’ll make sure that Mia gets the respectable spectacle I promised her and Ted.”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t get you a dirigible, but I got the other vehicles,” Bernard announced.
“No!”
“Yes, it took a little convincing, but Gerald Shem stepped in and applied a little pressure. We now have three marvelous steampunk machines for you to make use of.”
“The balloon would have been too iffy anyway,” Ralph said, not letting his disappointment show. “Thank you!” He crossed the dirigible off the list and checked the other vehicles. “Originally, I wanted dog carts and horses, but Mia was afraid Murphy would worry the horses. Horses evidently aren’t fond of the paranormal.”
“I’m not surprised. I’m glad you’re leaning away from the whole hunt scenario, not very PC.”
“I just thought since we were having it at a hunt and golf club, I’d incorporate that, but I guess you don’t have to tie in all the loose ends. Too much structure is boring,” Ralph said.
“And difficult to control,” Bernard added. “I’m proud of you. Mia is going to be so pleased.”
“I hope so. But even if she’s not, I am!” Ralph lifted his glass. “To Mia’s wedding.”
Bernard reached over and touched his glass with Ralph’s. “To Mia and Ted.”
~
“Teddy Bear, I’m going to head into the woods with Murphy,” Mia said, touching her ear com.
“Are you going to check out the shadows?”
“I haven’t seen them since the first time, but I’d like to see if there is any activity after dark.”
“Please be careful. Remember, Ralph will kill us if you come down with a poison ivy rash before the wedding,” he warned.
“Three leaves are not for me,” Mia vowed. “I’ll stay out of the underbrush and stick to the paths. I’ll leave the brush walking to Murphy.”
“Good idea. Speaking of good ideas, Ralph sure has come up with a doozy.”
“You know he’s been planning it since you popped the question. He just had to work up his nerve to tell us about it,” Mia confided. “Speaking of which, I forgot to give Audrey the list Ralph made up for her.”
“I found it on the truck seat and gave it to her already. She has been chasing the guys around with a measuring tape. She swears every time she measures Mike’s head, it gets bigger.”
Mia laughed. “You may want to offer to do his inseam. I wouldn’t want Burt and him to come to blows.”
“Oh, Minnie Mouse, there are so many inappropriate comments I can come up with to go with your foolhardy words.”
“Theodore Martin, shame on you,” Mia said and added, “over.”
“Don’t forget to check in, over and out.”
Mia looked over at Murphy who was pretending not to be listening in on her conversation. “Wedding plans,” she explained. “You are coming, aren’t you?”
Murphy shrugged.
“Hold on, Ralph has been busting his butt to keep this thing out of the church; we are having a judge and not a priest; and no horses will be involved. You’re coming,” she ordered.
Murphy smiled. He always intended on showing up, even if he had to chance crossing the threshold of a church. It was nice to know so much energy was going into making sure he would be comfortable. “Horses?” he asked.
Mia told him about the original idea of them arriving on horseback and the little girls in dog carts.
“Recipe for disaster,” Murphy said.
“I agree with you there,” Mia said. She stopped at the edge of the woods. “This is where I saw the soot-covered children. I counted six of them. There is a boy, about ten, who seemed to be in charge of the group.”
“Marbles, cakes?”
“No, I doubt they have enough power to make that kind of mischief. They seemed tied to the woods. Tethered like the Civil War soldiers,” Mia explained.
“Bones,” Murphy said.
“Yes, I fear you’re right. Let’s start a grid and see what we can find. The fire and the new growth trees may have obliterated any structure that the small group may have found themselves trapped in when the woods caught fire.” Mia filled Murphy in on the information Mary Alison had shared with her and Ted. “Something has a hold on them. They aren’t happy here.”
Murphy nodded, taking in what she was saying. Mia’s type of sight was complicated. She could see with her feelings and her eyes. If she removed her gloves and touched an item that a spirit had an attachment to, she could get sucked into the event that caused the being to lose its life. There were a few times that she had a difficult time pulling out of the vision’s hold. It was dangerous work, but Mia was willing to risk it if it would bring a soul to rest. Murphy watched over her, determined to keep his friend safe.
They stopped a moment. Mia pointed out a group of fireflies and said, “Late in the year for those guys. Let’s head over there.”
Murphy steadied Mia as she carefully stepped over the brambles, making sure she didn’t slip on the mossy ground. There was a slight depression. The ground appeared to have sunk in the area the fireflies held court. He moved ahead to test the depression with his axe.
