The Old House (Haunted Series Book 16) (18 page)

“You wait, Cooper.  You can’t hold on to Brian forever, and when you let go, you’re going in head first.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“I would and will.”

“I’m hungry. Let’s see if I can figure out Cid’s chicken-scratching and feed us,” Mia said, getting up.  She waded to the shore.  She slid on her flip flops and walked up to the cottage beside Ted.

She heard the canoe as it made the shore.  She stopped a moment and watched as the brave stepped out and walked through the yard two houses down before disappearing into the woods.

Lone Deer moved just inside the tree line, watching the new residents of the large wood house.  He was aware that he was being watched by the woman and child.  He didn’t perceive them as a threat, but he would be watching them.

~

Murphy roared with laughter.  Cid had come out of the master suite covered in plaster dust.  He removed his goggles and tried to shake off some of the dust.

“You look like a ghost with googlie eyes.”

“Hey, explain googlie,” Cid asked.

Murphy moved his irises to the opposite corners of his eyes.

“Stop it. I do not,” he said, sticking his head into the guest bath. He stared at his plaster-white face and tan circles where the goggles had protected his eyes.  He lowered the mask, and it made the effect worse.  “Alright, have your fun, but you’re going to appreciate the soundproofing when those two get back.”

Murphy nodded.  He moved through the house and out the back where he opened the gate so Maggie could go out and have a run on the hillside.  He moved up to the top of the hill and waited for the dog.  He sensed he wasn’t alone. He turned and saw the flit of something black moving overhead.

“She’s not here,” he said and waited for Angelo to land.

Angelo kept to his bird form and landed on top of Murphy’s axe.

Murphy shook him off.  “Get off, you.”

Angelo transformed into his human winged form before speaking, “Where is she?”

“On vacation with Ted and Brian.”

“Where?”

“Don’t know.  She doesn’t want to be disturbed.”

“Why?”

“Things have been tough for her and Ted.  She wants to have the time to work on their problems.”

“Like you?”

“I’m not a problem.  You are,” Murphy countered.

Angelo looked uncomfortable.  “You’re the second being to point that out to me.”

“She doesn’t want to lie with you.”

“Nor you.”

“Yes, we have that in common.” Murphy pushed his hat back on his head.  “She has a new teacher.”

Angelo winced.  “Sariel.”

“I’ve never met him.”

“I have.  I don’t like him.”

“Why?”

“He’s an angel, and I don’t like angels.  Sneaky creatures.  Always butting in where they’re not wanted”

“They are needed,” Murphy pointed out.

“So where does this put you with Mia?”

“I’m her friend.”

“At least you have that.  I have nothing.”

“Mia cares for you, Angelo.  She just doesn’t want to be ruled by you.”

“I want her to fight beside me.”

“She might.”

Angelo looked encouraged.

“Why all the fighting?  Is there going to be a war?”

“Looks that way.  Trouble has been brewing, and the signs are all there.  I must recruit as many birdmen as I can.”

“Then don’t waste your time with Mia.  She’ll fight alongside whichever side is right.”

“She is too compassionate to the demons.  This will be her failing.  If she chooses their side, I will have to kill her, Murphy.  I cannot bear the thought,” he said.  “Counsel her.  She listens to you.”

Murphy nodded and watched Angelo become a black bird again and fly off.

Maggie barked.

Murphy looked down at her.  “Our Mia has another problem on her hands.”

Maggie whined.

“Don’t worry, girl. Murphy will look after her.”

~

“They say he’s experiencing locked-in syndrome.  He opens his eyes, but he doesn’t move or speak,” Ted said.  “He was a captain in the reserves when he was recalled.  He was on his third tour when the building he was working in blew up.  He was evacuated to the states, but he hasn’t fully come back yet.  It’s been a few years.  Mark’s mother returned to working full time, so Mark’s alone most of the time.”

“The poor kid.  I saw the man when I touched Mark’s hand.  He is very angry with his father.  I think he needs help, Teddy Bear.”

“What can we do?”

“Listen to him.  He’s also being haunted.”

“If it doesn’t rain, it pours,” Ted said.

“Sabine or I could try to act as a bridge for the two to communicate,” Mia offered.  “I’m not sure if that’s a good idea yet.  He may ask his son to kill him.”

“That would be horrible,” Ted said.

“Yes.  But you can’t blame him.  In ancient times, the healers would present the locked-in to the thorn oak, and it would pull the soul from the body so it could move on.  It was considered a mercy.  That aberration we dealt with in the mall is a genetically modified thorn oak.  It digests the souls instead of allowing them to move into the light,” Mia said, frowning.

“Life is so much simpler when you’re ignorant of the world around you,” Ted commented, handing Mia the next plate to dry.  “You said Mark was haunted?”

“There is an old house that calls to him.  I saw a brief glimpse when I handed him the Dr. Pepper.  I’ve got to learn to keep my gloves on.”

“No, Mia, I want you to feel.  Talk to me, and let me feel with you,” Ted said.

Mia looked up at him and didn’t know how to respond.  On one hand, she was so overcome with emotion at the love he was pouring forth, but she knew the heavy burden she would be giving him.  “I can’t do that to you.  One of us must remain sane for Brian’s sake.”

Ted’s watch buzzed.  He tossed down the dishrag and pulled Mia along to the window.  “The sun is setting.”  He wrapped his arms around her, and the two of them watched the sky paint itself with golds and reds.  The water became a looking glass repeating the colors as the waves rippled underneath the sky.

“It’s so beautiful, Teddy Bear,” Mia said.  “I’m so glad we came.”

“Me too.  Brian seems to be settling in like a champ.  He’s asleep. I think it’s high time we were too.”

Mia looked at his watch, and for a couple of paranormal investigators, this was early.  Ted leaned down and whispered, “I want you, Mia.  I want you in my bed, now.”

They locked the doors and turned out the lights.  Soon Mia was being swept away by Ted’s version of being tucked in.

Mark saw the lights go out in Sunset Cottage from the window of his room.  The Martins must have been very tired after their drive.  The phone call with his mother had gone well.  She had been able to absorb the material after all these years.  She also had a report from the care home, and his father was holding his own.  His grandparents were optimistic.  He wished he could feel that way.  Tomorrow, he wanted to visit the Martins again.  Mia seemed to understand what he was feeling without him saying a word.  He would show her the picture he found in his grandmother’s bible.  It did look just like her, except this angel had real wings.

Mia moved around the cottage, careful of where she put her feet.  Ted and Brian were still asleep.  She took the cup of hot coffee out on the deck with her.  She wore Ted’s jersey and nothing else.  She pulled her legs in and tugged the shirt over her bent knees as she sat in the Adirondack chair.  She gazed at the still lake and counted her blessings.  Her husband was taking his giant-sized strides towards her.  Gone were the tentative steps, restrained by the fear of rejection.  She had bared herself to Ted, and he had accepted her, adored her, and loved her.

She sipped her coffee and thought about what she was going to say to Angelo Michaels.  She owed him an explanation.  He, like Murphy, tended to take on a chauvinistic role when dealing with her.  He wasn’t her father, and he would never be her lover. If he wanted her to listen to his counsel, he had to find another role that both of them could live with.  Mia took her grandmother’s words seriously when she mentioned Mia working with Angelo.  Mia had to make peace with him, and she had to do it soon.

She pulled off Ted’s shirt and extended her wings before wrapping them around her and disappearing.

Angelo sat perched above the herb garden and glared at the city full of humans going about their business without a thought about who was keeping them safe.

“Don’t turn around, Angelo,” Mia said softly.  “I’m only here for a moment.”

He took off his dressing gown and tossed it behind him.

“Thank you,” Mia said, wrapping the expensive silk around her naked body.  “I didn’t think ahead.”

“You never do.  May I turn around now?” he asked.

“Yes.  Sorry.”

Angelo was wearing the silk pajama bottoms to the wrapper.  He looked down at Mia and smiled.  “You came here without thinking…”

“I wanted to explain.”  Mia walked up to him and reached out her hand.  “But I think I need to show you.  Come into my mind, Angelo.”

“I hesitate to do so.  Last time, I fucked things up royally.”

“Oh dear, your language. You have been in my mind too many times,” Mia teased.  “Come, I only have a moment.”

It just took a moment.  Mia watched his face and saw the brows unknit and the jaw unclench.  He opened his eyes and regarded Mia.

“You have his feather inside you.”

He could tell by her shocked look that she had no idea.

“I don’t think he put it there to do you harm.  I think it’s more a memory device.  It also notified him you were airborne.  That’s how he saved you from killing yourself.  You silly, indulgent little bird.”

“But I’m not a little bird, Angelo.  I’m not a bird at all.  Mia turned around, dropped the robe and opened her wings.

Angelo took a step back as the mighty wings of an archangel were presented.  “How in the world?”

Mia grabbed the robe and clutched it to her front before turning around to face him.  “Not a bird, not an angel. What am I?”

“Something wonderful,” he said.  “Forgive me, Mia.  I have been a fool.  It would be an honor to fight beside you.  It will take some time, but I’ll come to grips with your alliance with Sariel.”

“Thank you.  Forgive me, Angelo, for my part in the misunderstandings between us.  You see, you were right. I did love Murphy enough to activate the curse when I was too young to know what love was.  But the curse has been broken.  I now control my own destiny.  I can love my husband with my whole heart, and I do.  Please understand that.”

“Mia, give me time,” Angelo said.  “Go now. Because I still want to rip that robe from you, take you high into the heavens, and mate with you as we plunge to our deaths.”

Mia’s eyes widened.  She dropped the robe, extended her wings, wrapped them around her and disappeared.

Angelo stared at the empty space for a while before smiling.

Ted was still asleep when Mia arrived on the deck.  Brian was singing his good morning song.  Mia picked him up and walked him over to the changing table.  “Good morning to you too.  We have another day with Daddy,” she said excitedly.  “Your mommy is a very lucky lady, and you’re a lucky boy.  Your Daddy can build castles out of Legos and robots out of wires.  He can make me laugh with his jokes.”

“Da De,” Brian said.

“Oh my god, you said…”

“Da De,” Brian said, looking over at the door.

Mia turned around, and there stood a very sleepy Ted.  “He just called you…”

“Da De,” Brian said again and reached his hands out.

Ted’s eyes lit up.  “He did, didn’t he?”  Ted walked over and lifted his son in the air.  “Well, Da De and Brian are going to dance.  Tango music please,” he said to Mia.

She sang out, “La de la dah…”

Ted realized as she sang, it was the tango they’d danced at Ralph’s wedding.  This was the strange little song she had been singing yesterday.

Mia continued to sing as she took care of the soiled diaper and cleaned up the nursery.  Ted moved out into the cottage with Brian, dipping him when appropriate.

“Honey, we have a visitor,” Ted said.

Mia, who was still just clothed in the Chiefs jersey, shrieked, “Oh no, I’m not dressed.”

“Come here,” he said.

Mia stuck her head out and followed Ted to the lakeside windows.  There, out on the railing, was a gray squirrel.

“Brian, that’s a squirrel. Can you say squirrel?”

Try as he might, the child couldn’t put the right sounds together.  “Pblsst!”

“I think, Ted, you’re going to have to be happy with Da De for today,” Mia commented.  She walked into the kitchen and fixed Brian his morning bottle.  Matt, Brian’s pediatrician, said that soon she should try a sippy cup, although Brian may still want a bottle before bedtime.  He was growing so fast.  Mia knew he was going to take after his tall father, and this pleased her.  It was difficult being short, especially if you were a guy. Although, it didn’t seem to bother her grandfather Orion any.

“I’m going to make some cookies today,” she said, handing Ted the bottle.

“Good.  Why the sudden industry?”

“We have to return the pie plate.  Ralph says you never return a dish without something in it.”

“Well, live and learn.  I thought that I might stick my nose in the boathouse and see if there’s anything I can tinker with.”

“I’m surprised you haven’t already.  I’m sorry, I didn’t think when I packed to bring your toys.”

Ted stuck his tongue out.  “You have your wings; I have my things.”

“Oh, I like that,” Mia said and sang, “You have your wings, and I have my things…” to a waltz tempo.

It made Brian turn from watching the squirrel to watching his mother as she danced around the kitchen while starting breakfast.

“They are going to take you away soon,” Ted teased.

“I’m sure I’m not going alone,” Mia countered.

~

Mark walked back through the woods and quickly past the old house on his way home.  He didn’t want to be waylaid by the ghosts today.  He had six large perch to get home.  He did stop before he hit the street and look back at the building.  The sun reflected off of something shiny inside.  He was tempted to investigate, but the fish and his gran were waiting.

“He’s still interested,” the wife said to her husband.  “We haven’t lost him yet.”

“I do hope you’re right.  I have a feeling that he’s our last hope.”

The boys started bouncing a ball upstairs.

“It has to be hard being stuck in the house on such a nice day,” the woman commented, looking upward.

“They have borne worse,” the man said, putting his arm around his wife’s waist.

“Let’s not think of that,” she said, putting her head on his shoulder.  “Let’s forget that ever happened.”

“I’m not sure we can,” he said sadly.

~

“Gran, look.  Doesn’t this look like Mrs. Martin?”  Mark said, handing her the bible, open to the picture.

“My goodness, so it does.  Mark, you do know that this is just an artist’s representation of what he or she thinks an angel looks like?”

“Yes, but I’d like to show it to her if it’s alright with you?”

“Of course it is.  I’m pleased that you’ve been reading the bible, Mark,” she said.

“I kinda started on my namesake’s chapter.”

“They call it a book.  You see…” Edie went on to explain to her grandson how the books were gathered and the bible was put together to the best of her knowledge.  “A grand undertaking but a good one.”

“There are some good stories in there if you can get by the begets.”

Edie smiled.  “There are quite a lot of begets, aren’t there?”

There was a light tapping on the street-side door.  Mark walked to the door and opened it.  “Hi, we were just talking about begets.”

Mia walked in the open door carrying Brian with one arm and Edie’s basket with the other.  “Begets?  Oh, the bible.  Well, you could say the pie your grandmother baked us in a way begetted these cookies.”

“Oh, thank you, you shouldn’t have,” Edie said, rushing to the door, taking the basket from Mia.  “Come on in.  Put your feet up.”

Mark looked at the woman whom he could stand and look eye to eye with.  She was short but strong.  She didn’t have on makeup like his mother put on every day.  She had what Grandpa Sam would say was a fresh-scrubbed face.  The baby looked more like Mr. Martin.  He had a rather prominent nose.  But his eyes were the color of moss, like his mother.

“We were just talking about you this morning,” Edie said, sitting down.

“Uh oh, what’d did I do?” Mia asked, worried.

“No, nothing like that.  Go on, Mark, show her.”

Mark held the book out so she could see it but Brian couldn’t grab it.

“That looks a bit like me,” she said, laughing.  “I wonder who painted it?”

“Why, we didn’t think to look.  I got the bible at a yard sale.  I like books, especially bibles, with pictures in them.  Mark, look for an illustrator’s credit.”

Mark looked in the back and shook his head.

“Try the copyright page,” Edie suggested.

“Ee mile Nay er.”

“Um, can I see that?  I think the name’s French,” Mia said, looking at the name.  “Émile Neyer.  I’m related to the Neyers. I wonder if it’s a relative.”

“I bet a family member posed for the picture,” Edie said, excited.

“There are artists and clowns on that side of the family.  I think that’s where I got my odd sense of humor,” Mia admitted.  “Thank you for showing me.  There is an interesting story that involves a picture and my grandfather, Neyer, finally meeting me just last week.”

“Coffee first.  Mark, run upstairs and get the company box.”

Mia was puzzled about the box until she saw that it contained baby toys.

“I wash them after every chew,” Edie said as Mark opened the Ziploc bags.

Once Brian was settled down on the clean sheet with the toys, Mia began her story.  “I was raised by very distracted parents.  My parents are archeologists and anthropologists.  My mother didn’t talk at all about her family.  She was only interested in whatever subject she was writing about.  I didn’t even find out that I had relatives on my mother’s side of the family until my cousin was doing a genealogy search and asked her.  Most people would think this is odd or maybe there was some kind of falling out between my mother and my grandparents, but if you met my mother, you would understand.  I suspect she may be a bit autistic.  She is very unfriendly and not nurturing.”

“That’s sad,” Mark said.  “My mom is busy too.”

“Earlier this summer, I went to the beach and…” Mia told the story of the contest, the poster, and her aunt seeing it.  “She called my grandfather, and he hired an investigator, and he found me.  His name is Émile Neyer.  He’s from Alsace, France.  So you see, I’ve had a happy ending from an embarrassing situation.”

“Are you mad at your mother for not telling you?” Mark asked.

“Honestly, I’ve gotten used to her ways.  I’m sad that I didn’t have them in my life when I was younger, but I’m overjoyed to have found them now.  Family is so important, Mark.  My mother isn’t perfect, but neither am I.”

“My dad is in a coma,” Mark said.  “They call it ‘locked-in’.  He can’t move, but he can open his eyes.  He needs special care and is in a veterans’ home in Chicago.”

“That must be so hard for you, Mark.”

“He can’t talk to me.  I have no idea if he hears me.”

Edie watched the young woman and her grandson interact, surprised by how Mark was opening up to her.

“If we found a way for you to talk to your father and he back to you, would this make you happy? Even if what he has to say is sad?” Mia asked.

Mark thought a moment.  “I guess so, but we can’t afford that machine…”

“What machine?” Mia asked, interested.

Mark got up and ran upstairs.  He came back down with an article.  He handed it to Mia.