“Stop that, you’ll make me sneeze.”
“Come on, speak the truth. We’re far enough away for you to yell at me without Cid hearing.”
“I almost lost you, if not for two beings who I’m not that comfortable with. I now feel I have two debts that I cannot possibly pay. How do I compensate them for giving me my beautiful wife back? Why did you sacrifice yourself when we need you so desperately?”
“I knew I was his only chance. He saved me. I guess you owe Sariel too.”
“No, you saved him, so we’re even there. It makes sense. I did the math, and there was no way that van didn’t destroy itself when the trailer jackknifed. I got caught up in the birth of the girls and then rewarding Tom, who called Whitney from the bar and told him that he, Tom, had delivered your babies.”
“OMG.”
“I was too drunk to understand what was going on at the time. Andy explained that Tom was just getting even with Whitney, and he knew that Tom took his job very seriously and was proud of helping you.”
“How humiliating. Next time, I won’t give birth in the graveyard.”
“About that. I think we should seriously think that we’ve been blessed enough. I’m going to have to retire the super sperm.”
“Are you sure?”
“Do you want more kids?”
“Not particularly.”
“But you would do so for me?”
“It’s because I love you and want to make you happy.”
Ted looked at his wife and knew she spoke the truth. “I’ll get an appointment just as soon as the chaos lessens.”
“We have an investigation. I’m really looking forward to getting back into things.”
“Not for you until tomorrow night. And if you feel it’s too much for you, then we will find someone else.”
“I can’t hardly cry exhaustion with that hit of blue light I received.”
“Then I will look forward to bossing you around for four hours.”
“Now, I’m rethinking this.”
“Too late.”
Mia felt a dampness on the front of her shirt. “My body is telling me it’s time to get back and feed the girls. I’m going to fly. Do you want a ride home?”
“Yes,” Ted said and watched as his amazing wife grew to compensate for his height. “I love seeing this. Now the wings!”
Mia drew forth her wings and flexed them. The sunlight caught the armor, and the trees surrounding the glen were dappled with a rainbow of light. She wrapped an arm around Ted and shot upwards. She leaned in and allowed Ted to feel the momentum of the climb. She stopped and turned around.
“You’re not lost, are you?” Ted squeaked, almost afraid of looking down.
“No. Open your eyes. This is all ours, thanks to you.”
Ted saw the rolling hills, the forests, and the buildings below. Mia flew to the house and landed gently on the third floor.
“Jake, open the balcony entrance,” Mia asked.
Ted heard the door click open and Jake saying, “Welcome home, Mr. and Mrs. Ted Martin. Welcome home to Woodlands.”
~
Cid and Ted worked like machines. They not only had the Glynn house wired for video but had trap cameras outside. Tom, who was visiting his parents at the time, suggested that they roll the truck behind the house. It wasn’t fair to the owners of the rental to have the stigma of a haunted house on their reputations. There was an old slab that may have been used for boat storage. It took the weight of the PEEPs truck, which was a big relief. Noah’s recent foray into mud paintings had made part of the trip with the truck treacherous. The wheels sunk into a few places on the side lawn where there was still standing water. Cid inspected the gouges and figured a few bags of topsoil and two rolls of sod would be all they would need to repair the damage the truck wheels caused.
Burt volunteered to spend the night monitoring the equipment. Enos would be his dogsbody. Ted was to return at daybreak to collect data and get the equipment ready for a walkthrough that afternoon.
Earlier at the office, Enos was disappointed when, upon examination of the photos, they didn’t find any evidence that would explain what had happened to Stephanie. The blatant stripping of the eagle’s nest was the only illegal activity they could pin on the lumber company.
Burt arrived home to find Paula had a nice dinner waiting. Paula told him she had made a few adjustments to Enos’s room and was baking some snacks for Burt to take with him.
Noah approached him and waited.
“Yes, Noah?”
“I would like another lesson.”
“Let me eat first and help your mother with the dishes. Then I’ll have an hour to devote to drawing instruction.”
Noah smiled.
Paula wasn’t much of a talker, which pleased Burt. She hummed as she cleaned, and Burt found himself enjoying that.
~
Mia knocked on the door of the guestroom. Ralph opened it wearing a dressing gown. Bernard looked up from his laptop.
“You look devastated,” Ralph said. “What’s wrong?”
“I have to be on camera tomorrow, and I don’t have anything to wear.” Mia sniffed. “Ted’s no help. He doesn’t mind that I’m all boobs and the maternity pants hang on me.”
“You’ve come to the right person. Lead me to your closet.”
“Actually, I was wondering if you wanted to take a trip with me to the all-night discount store.”
Ralph turned green. “If money is a problem…”
“No. But the good stores close soon, unless…”
“Unless what?”
“You want to fly with me to Denver. It would give us a few hours.”
“If you’re going to put me through that trauma, take me to LA. I’ll call ahead, and we can land at a friend of ours.”
“Do you mean Madam Rosa?” Bernard asked. He typed on his laptop and turned it around so Mia could see the tastefully dressed transgender female.
“Yes. Mia, she lives in a loft over the most expensive mile of clothiers…”
“I said I had money, not a trust fund,” Mia said. “How about Vegas? Know anyone in Vegas?”
“Why Vegas?”
“I get turned around sometimes, and it’s hard to miss Vegas at night.”
“The stores in the casinos would be open late into the night,” Ralph mused.
“I want to go,” Bernard said. “I’m calling Angelo.”
“But…” Mia started.
“Angelo, I need a ride to Vegas,” Bernard said. “Yes, you owe me. When? Now of course. Mia needs some clothes for a PEEPs investigation tomorrow. She says she’s a couple of milk jugs on top of a washboard.”
Mia sunk to her knees and curled up into a ball.
“We’ll meet you at the aerie.” Bernard hung up. “Put on something decent, that outfit you wore earlier. Now scoot. We don’t have much time before you start leaking.”
“Humiliation factor twelve, Bernard,” Mia said, stomping out of the room.
Ralph’s eyes lit up. “This is going to be fun.”
Nanny Berta looked at Mia. “You’ve expressed enough milk for a feeding apiece, plus there’s Idra’s special formula. I can give you eight hours.”
“Now I have to explain it to Ted.”
“Vegas?” Ted asked, thinking he didn’t hear right.
“I just wanted to go to Walmart, and it got away from me.”
“It will give you the chance to test Angelo out with Bernard there to chaperone to see if he is indeed moving on,” Ted said, stroking an imaginary beard. “Go and have some fun. I’m going to go over and spell Burt.”
~
Ralph was more than happy to have Mia to himself as Bernard and Angelo entered the casino at the Wynn. Mia and he were headed, first, to the Fashion Show mall, where Mia could afford to shop, and then, later, to the Wynn Esplanade where Ralph wanted to window shop. On the way, he caught Mia walking funny.
“Why do you keep jumping this way and that?”
“There are a lot of dead people walking the sidewalks, Ralph, and they haven’t exactly died gracefully in their sleep.”
“How does one die gracefully?” Ralph asked, amused.
“You know, they just sigh as they die.”
“Before or after they crap the bed?”
“You’re very poetic tonight,” Mia noticed.
“Did you see those guys in the Cabana Bar when we landed?”
“The ones who thought Angelo and I were part of some Cirque du Soleil show?”
“Yes.”
“Gay or European?” Ralph asked.
“Yikes. Since they were not looking at my cleavage, and Angelo’s behind… gay.”
“Next, do you see that group over there by Neimans?”
Mia had never played Gay or European with Ralph before. She walked right up to the group and asked, “I’m looking for Marvel Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N., am I in the right place?”
“It’s in the Treasure Island,” one of them said. The others offered to show Mia there personally. She thanked them. “I’m going to do some shopping. Maybe I’ll see you there later.”
Ralph and Mia walked away. “Not European, one closeted gay, and the others, nerds.”
“You cheated. You have to observe.”
“How is this advancing gay rights?” Mia asked.
“It’s fun. You know they’re going to follow us for a while.”
“What could be better than six superhero wannabes looking after us?”
“I’m telling Ted you went trolling for nerds.”
“I’m so not letting you choose my next outfit.”
~
Burt was surprised to see Ted. “I’m not going to ask why you’re here. Thanks for coming.”
“I thought you may want to take a break,” Ted said, sliding into the vacated spot at the console.
“I have the Bravermans’ backdoor key. They are letting us use their bathroom.”
“Take your time. I’ll work on logging in your data,” Ted said, holding his hand out.
Burt handed him his notebook. “I was going to do that tomorrow.”
“I’ll have it done before you return.”
Burt hunched his shoulders and left.
“Jake, has Burt set up a page for Investigation Glynn yet?”
“No. Why are you here?”
Ted talked while he set up the data page. “Mia is on camera tomorrow afternoon. She has nothing suitable to wear. Because of the fire, she only bought clothing for her pregnancy. Now she’s swimming in them. Ralph’s helping her out.”
“Why are you gritting your teeth?”
“Angelo went along.”
“To Walmart?” Jake asked.
“To Vegas.”
“Hold on.”
The third monitor lit up. Ted saw an image put together from several security cameras. “Mia is in Nordstrom with Ralph.”
“Find Angelo.”
“I don’t have his phone number.”
“Do you have Bernard’s?”
“Yes. Finding Bernard.”
“Bernard is in the casino at the Wynn hotel. I’m having trouble breaking into…”
Jake displayed Bernard and Angelo playing blackjack.
“Isn’t that cheating?” Burt asked, watching behind them.
“I don’t think he’s counting cards,” Ted said. “Remember when PEEPs were there, and they tossed me out of Caesars?”
“Yes.”
“I was counting cards,” Ted admitted.
Jake split the screen, and Mia and Ralph were headed out of the department store carrying a bag. Behind them, a group of six men in their twenties were following them.
“Damn, Mia’s attracted a swarm of nerds,” Ted said.
Burt laughed. “Now all this makes sense. You needed Jake to spy on Mia.”
“Actually, it wasn’t initially my idea.”
“Activity in the kitchen,” Jake warned.
The center monitor filled with the active filming while the third monitor showed the past five minutes.
“There,” Ted pointed. “There is a distortion by the cupboards over the sink.”
They watched as the doors opened and the products contained there spilled out onto the floor.
“Shall I alert Enos?” Ted asked.
“No. Tonight, we film. Tomorrow, we go in and start a full PEEPs investigation. That means, Murphy, Mia, and Cid too.”
“You really didn’t buy Paula’s explanation, did you?” Ted said.
“I knew she thought she was telling the truth. I didn’t expect it to be anything paranormal. I was wrong.”
“You got them out of the house. Good move,” Ted said, watching as the silverware drawer opened and something they couldn’t see drew out a knife.
Chapter Ten
Mia arrived in time for the twins’ second night feeding. She took the waiting Maeve into the sitting room and nursed her. Nanny Berta brought Genevieve in and rocked her until Maeve was finished. Mia traded daughters and winced as Genevieve took hold.
“Idra left some salve; although, sunlight would be better,” Nanny counseled.
“Salve tonight, and if the forecast holds, there may be a bit of sun tomorrow.”
“How was your trip?”
“Eventful. I did acquire several outfits and a present for my husband. Angelo and Bernard won a little money, and Ralph ran into a colleague who used to work for him and now is one of the most sought-after stage designers in Vegas. And no, I can’t remember his name.”
“I’m glad you had a good time.”
“I’d be lying if there weren’t some good times, but I really don’t like the place. It’s not my type of fun. Give me a trip to Taco Bell with my husband any day.”
Mia burped Genevieve and got up and dance-walked with her until she too dropped off to sleep. Mia tucked her in.
“I’m going to look in on my boys and then try to get some sleep. I always get keyed up when I fly.”
“Maybe some chamomile tea?”
“Tried it. Just makes me pee all night. Till we meet again, Nanny Berta,” Mia whispered and left the room.
Nanny went to clean up the sitting room and saw a small gift bag Mia must have left on the seat of her chair. Nanny picked it up and saw her name had been scrawled on the tag. She opened it and found a charm in the shape of a five-petal flower. “How did she know I had a charm bracelet?” she asked herself. Nanny closed her hand around the charm.
“I want to get Nanny Berta something. I don’t think she’d want one of those garish snow globes,” Mia said to Angelo.
“Come, I have an idea,” he said and led her out of the souvenir shop and over to a jewelry store.
“I can’t afford…”
“Yes, you can. I’ll loan you the money.”
Mia bit her lip. Angelo whispered, “Friends let other friends help them out now and again.”
“K.” Mia motioned the clerk over. “I’d like that one.”
“Why a flower?” Angelo asked.
“Each petal is one of my children whom she takes such good care of.”
Nanny opened her hand and smiled.
Mia slid into bed beside Ted. She sensed he was awake, so she curled up and let him spoon her.
“I missed you,” he said.
Mia wiggled around until she faced him. She kissed him and said, “You’re my heart and you’re my home.”
Ted wanted to ask if Angelo behaved himself but knew that now was not the time. Mia was reaching for him.
“Let me love you, Teddy Bear.”
“It seems so selfish,” Ted said as she moved closer.
“I’m a selfish woman,” Mia said and kissed him.
~
The aroma of bacon frying opened Mia’s eyes. Ted was gone. Mia slipped on her robe and ran out of the room and down the steps. She wa
s famished. She arrived in the kitchen tousled.
Ted watched as Mia skidded into the room. He remembered how generous she had been with him last night and smiled shyly. “I made you bacon,” he said.
“He burned your bacon,” Lazar said. “I, then, made you bacon.”
“I love crispy bacon,” Mia said, looking for the burnt offerings.
“Nanny would kill me if I fed you carbon,” Lazar said.
Ted leaned against the counter and said, “Mia fed me carbon for years, and look how good I turned out.”
“Exactly my point.” Lazar smirked.
“He really doesn’t want a raise, does he?” Mia questioned. “I’m not the one to impress, Cousin.”
Ted received a text. “My parents will be arriving at four. You’re due to be filmed doing a walkthrough with Burt at twelve.”
“If the girls are cooperative, I’ll be able to have time to bake some cookies in between.”
“You’re doing enough. Plus, I imagine my mother is bringing cookies,” Ted said.
Mia, you’re going viral on the internet,” Jake announced.
“Oh damn,” Mia said.
Jake connected the video to Ted’s phone. Mia and Lazar leaned in to see it.
“There has been a sighting of the Ice Queen at the Avengers Station. Normally, they close the place at ten, but once word got around the Ice Queen was here, they opened the doors for her and her entourage.”
“Entourage?” Ted asked.
“I can explain,” Mia started.
Lazar shushed her.
The person who was filming’s hand shook as Mia exited the exhibit with Ralph. He stepped aside as a sextet of nerds posed with Mia. She was wearing the clothes she wore to the meeting, but her waistband had been rolled down, showing a flat sexy stomach, and her hair had been fluffed.
“She’s wearing her PEEPs shirt. The Ice Queen promises she will be on this season of Paranormal Entity Exposure Partners. I’m going to see if she’ll answer a few questions. Excuse me, I’m Rory Dee from Techno Geek. Can I ask you a few questions, Ice Queen?”
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