A Rose by Any Other Name (Haunted Series Book 18)

  A Rose by Any Other Name

  A Haunted Series Novel by

  Alexie Aaron

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  ~

  Copyright 2016 – Diane L. Fitch writing as Alexie Aaron

  To my readers whose support has meant the world to me. Also to my Webguy, Aaron, the Red Pen, Kelly, and the Beta Reader, Jim. You’re the Bliss Cottage team that makes my world happen. And to Murphy, just because…

  ALSO BY ALEXIE AARON

  HAUNTED SERIES

  in order

  The Hauntings of Cold Creek Hollow

  Ghostly Attachments

  Sand Trap

  PEEPs Lite Eternal Maze 3.1

  PEEPs Lite Homecoming 3.2

  Darker than Dark

  The Garden

  Puzzle

  Old Bones

  Things that Go Bump in the Night

  Something Old

  PEEPs Lite Checking Out 9.1

  PEEPs Lite Ice and Steel 9.2

  The Middle House: Return to Cold Creek Hollow

  Renovation

  Mind Fray

  The Siege

  NOLA

  Never Forget

  The Old House

  Restitution

  A Rose by Any Other Name

  CIN FIN-LATHEN MYSTERIES

  in order

  Decomposing

  Death by Saxophone

  Discord

  The Wages of Cin

  Unforgivable Cin: An Opera in Three Acts

  Table of Contents

  Table of Contents

  Roustan Rose

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-one

  Chapter Thirty-two

  Chapter Thirty-three

  Chapter Thirty-four

  Chapter Thirty-five

  Chapter Thirty-six

  Chapter Thirty-seven

  Glossary

  Alexie Aaron

  Roustan Rose

  The serenity of the afternoon was brought to a startling halt, as the brief scratching of a metal key being fitted into an unused lock caused mice and spiders to pause their activities. The large oak door burst inward, assisted by the northwestern wind. Standing on the threshold, silhouetted by the bright afternoon sky, was Glenda Dupree.

  She lowered the hood on her coat and patted her gray hair into place. Her sharp brown eyes began to assess the home. “Hells bells, this place is older than I am,” she complained to the stressed-out realtor who was scanning his notes on the mansion.

  The middle-aged man pushed his comb-over into place before beginning what he hoped was his last home tour of the day, “It’s been on the market for years. They’ve dropped the price ten times. I think we can come in low, and you could walk away with a 10,000 square foot mansion for the price of a condo on Michigan Avenue,” he said. “It just needs a little TLC. The electric and plumbing were brought up to code fifteen years ago. The heating system is natural gas. The neighborhood is just now climbing into the up-and-coming category. I would also like to add that this building was one of the first to be rebuilt after the fire. The bricks were specially tested to withstand fire. The place has withstood many a Chicago winter. I believe the roof had to be fixed, but the inside, the woodwork especially,” he pointed out, putting his hand on the newel post of the magnificent staircase, “survived.”

  He brought Glenda into the largest entry hall she had ever seen.

  “This house was purchased from the Roustan family whose ancestors were the original owners. The brick color of the exterior may have influenced the neighbors to call the house Roustan Rose. This neighborhood now sits on the dividing line of old and new Chicago.”

  “What brought this about?” Glenda asked as she examined the worn but polished staircase.

  “The abutting neighborhoods have gone through a renewal of sorts. The residents committed themselves to cleaning up their lots, fixing their buildings, and in doing so, they pushed the gangs out. Governmental grants and civic pride helped to make these five square miles into a place people did not want to move out of. Most of the houses this size were carved up into apartments. The Roustans were able to keep the building and most of the surrounding land until the last of them was taken into care. It was then sold to developers on the condition that the house always stays, and stays whole. The delightful four-story condos that surround it are called Roustan Rosebuds. Your would-be neighbors are a combination of older and same-sex couples without children. Presently, the schools in the area aren’t up to snuff. This is why this property hasn’t attracted a family as of yet.”

  “I suppose, if you could afford this place, you could afford to send your children to private schools,” Glenda said, still trying to root out why the house was being offered for such a low price. “Let’s save me some time. Why is this property so unpopular?”

  “Mrs. Dupree, this house is haunted.”

  “That’s all?”

  “Isn’t that enough?” the realtor asked surprised.

  Glenda looked at the businessman and smiled. “Tell you what, how about we set up a provisional sale. I’ll give the owners a nice sum until I determine how haunted the house is. If I default on the sale, they get to keep the money, and the house has only been off the market for a month.”

  “That sounds fair. Would you like to tour the house?”

  “Oh, I’ve been here before. When I was a young girl, my aunt lived down the street, and I used to play with Renee Roustan when I visited Chicago. There isn’t an inch of this house we hadn’t explored on a rainy summer’s day. It didn’t use to be haunted. I wonder what happened.”

  The girl sat on the top step of the staircase looking down at the two old people in the foyer. She thought the woman looked familiar somehow. The man had been one of many who had led people on tours through the house. She followed them as the attributes of her home were told to the living. The tour always stopped shy of the heart of the house.

  She wished she had never found Roustan Rose’s heart. If she hadn’t, her story might have been different. But she, like the others, was changed by the being that ruled there. Her power grew daily as the entity depended upon her more and more. Her job was to trick more souls into the heart of the house.

  The entity grew stronger with each soul the house took. Renee was the only ghost allowed outside the walls. The being knew that she wouldn’t ever leave Roustan Rose, because Renee had the most to lose.

  Chapter One

  Mia slowed her steps. Brian had been walking for a few weeks now, but h
e tended to lose his balance if he went too fast. His vocal skills were off the charts, but his physical skills, especially walking, were on target for his age group. Ted had to resist picking up the little dude because Brian needed to start finding his own way. Ted watched as Mia and Brian made their way along the new path and stairs that he and Cid had cut into the hillside. They were going up to the top of the rise to check on the aerie.

  Bundled up to the eyes, the tot puffed his way to each stair and took his mother’s hand while he navigated the riser. “Mommy, I can do it!” he insisted, but he still took her hand just in case.

  Mia was amused by the stubbornness her child had developed. He seemed to be determined to make it all the way to the top of the hill. At this rate, it would take them close to an hour, but Mia was patient and allowed for the extra time. This exercise would guarantee that Brian would go down easily for his long nap. That was the only time any work could get done around the Martin residence. Brian was sleeping through the night with only one night terror so far to deal with. Mia and Ted were very pleased with his development.

  Murphy manifested in front of the mother and child.

  “Hello, Murph,” Mia said.

  “Hello, Murph,” Brian parroted.

  “Hello, Martins,” Murphy said and lifted his hat to Mia.

  Brian watched this, turned to his mother, and said, “Hello, Martins,” as he pulled off his knit cap.

  Murphy got on his knees, pointed to Mia, and lifted Brian’s cap and said, “Hello, Mother.”

  “She’s my mommy, not yours,” Brian said, grabbing his hat back.

  Mia laughed. “Brian, Murph wants you to say, ‘Hello, Mother,’ and lift your hat. A gentleman lifted his hat to a lady upon meeting her in Murphy’s day.”

  Brian plopped his hat on his head and then took it off. “Hello, Mother.”

  Mia clapped her hands together. “Very good. We need to practice that with Susan. With Susan you would say, “Hello, Susan.”

  “Hello, Susan,” Brian said, lifting his hat again. “Hello, Martins, hello, Mother, hello, Murph…”

  This went on for a few minutes. Mia raised an eyebrow at Murphy as if to say, “Now look what you’ve unleashed.”

  “Brian. Time to climb,” Murphy said sternly.

  Brian let Murphy put his hat on and followed the ghost up the path.

  Mia turned around, looked down to where she knew Ted was watching them and mimed lifting her hat up and down. She took a moment to smile lovingly at her husband before she turned around and caught up to her son and Murphy.

  Ted picked up the dead leaves he had raked out of the front landscaping and deposited them in the wheelbarrow. He walked it back to where Cid was composting. He returned the wheelbarrow to the barn before heading into the office to work on some film editing.

  Burt was inside talking on the phone with Mike. “It’s not like we can ask for money. We’re up to our eyes in debt to your mother…”

  Ted stood still and listened.

  “How about I ask Mia to… She wants the whole team? For how long?” Burt put his hand through his hair and sighed. “Let me talk to Ted. Yes, I’ll call you back.”

  “Problem?” Ted asked.

  Burt shot upright. “Rosemary’s baby! I didn’t know you were here,” he complained.

  “Did you just call me Rosemary’s baby?” Ted asked amused.

  “I’m trying not to swear. After Brian started saying ‘Mia, what the hell?’ every time he saw me, I thought I would try something different.”

  “So Rosemary’s baby stands for?”

  “What the fuck.”

  “Interesting. Mia says ‘what the fuzzy bunny?’ but that’s a bit too close for comfort.”

  “I hear you. I was just talking to Mike. Glenda wants to hire us to do a week long investigation in a house she’s planning on buying. The realtor admits the place is haunted.”

  “Does she want us to cleanse the place or introduce her to the ghosts?” Ted asked.

  “Not sure. But I don’t think we can charge her.”

  “We can offer to do it for expenses. The gas alone going back and forth…” Ted stopped, looking at Burt’s face.

  “She wants us to live in the house during the week.”

  “We can’t take Brian into a possibly haunted environment,” Ted said.

  “How about Mia and Brian bunking with Ralph or her parents?” Burt asked.

  Ted thought for a moment before answering, “They have both been asking for quality time with Brian. He is awfully clingy these days. Murph’s worried we have a mama’s boy on our hands,” Ted confided.

  Burt smiled and shook his head. My sister’s kids did the same thing at this age. “I think you’re clingier to Mia than Brian is.”

  “I’d like to argue with you, but I can’t,” Ted said. “I almost lost her for a third time. She is too precious to be left on her own for too long.”

  “You’re going to suffocate the girl,” Burt warned. “Mia is the most loyal wife you’re ever going to find. She’s gone through another major change, and as far as I can see, she’s all about being Mrs. Theodore Martin and Brian’s mommy.”

  “And a member of PEEPs,” Ted added. “I take it you need a quick answer?”

  “Glenda has never been a patient patron,” Burt said.

  “I’ll run up to the aerie.”

  “How is that coming?” Burt asked, interested.

  “The first two floors are finished. Mia supervised the moving in of the contents of Wyatt Wayne’s library last week. The bedrooms upstairs still need to be furnished. Ed promised to be here when the heavy stuff arrives.”

  “How did you get Ed to help you out?”

  “He and Judy will be using the place from time to time, and Mia hired him. She didn’t want the land leading up to the aerie destroyed with delivery vehicles. We can’t have the parking lot paved until after the Spring thaw, so Mia found a way, and the way was He-who-walks-through-time. Judy makes good money, but Ed needs to be employed.”

  “How’s he relating to this time period?” Burt asked.

  “He’s caught up on earth’s history, but the nuances and social graces are beyond him.”

  “If Mia could do it, so can Ed,” Burt commented.

  Ted put his coat back on. “Mia still has a long way to go, but all of us nerds do. I think we should let the world adapt to us. Frankly, we’re running the place now. The least society could do is give us a pass.”

  “It would make it easier.”

  Ted took off his ball cap, pulled on the Elmer Fudd hat Mia had given him, and headed outside.

  Burt got up and watched through the window as the tall man progressed up the hillside. Ted had come a long way in such a short time. Burt had seen a recent maturity settle in on the techie. He seemed to be more of a big-picture guy these days, instead of a Ted-picture guy.

  “Ahem!” Marvin the Martian said from the computer speakers. “Stop staring at the neighbors, Gladys Kravitz. We have a voice-over to complete.”

  “I’m not staring, just appreciating the view.”

  “Keep telling yourself that.”

  Burt shook his head and returned to the console.

  Ted walked into the mudroom and deposited his coat on one of the hooks that Cid had recently put in. He walked through the glass-doored entry into the large open room that Mia called the Wyatt Library. The contents were given to her by the fallen archangel Altair who had masqueraded as Wyatt Wayne for a century. He was recently taken back into the fold because of a sacrifice Mia had made. He was now an active member of Michael’s winged army, and Mia was on call 24/7 to Saint Michael for an eternity. Ted had taken the news surprisingly well. He sacrificed his time with his wife in order for there to be many more sets of eyes, wings, and swords protecting her. He no longer worried about Mia’s fidelity, as she and he were bound as husband and wife by their love and a mutual Native American tattoo that strengthened every time the couple made love.

  He found
Mia and Brian sitting down in, what Cid had named, the Imagination Alcove. Along the far wall, the lower shelves were kid-proofed and stacked with toddler-friendly books and toys. Two arms of curved bookcases encircled the cushioned floor where Brian could sit and read without too much supervision. Cid had hung a large mobile of the universe over the area. Ted was constantly correcting the placement of the planets to coincide with the time of the year. The nerd in Ted would never rest.

  “Daddy!” Brian squealed with delight. He held up a dinosaur book that made roaring sounds when Brian touched the colorful inhabitants on the pages.

  “Looks like Uncle Cid has been buying more books,” Ted said, eyeing his wife.

  “He’s still within budget,” Mia said meekly. Actually, she had no clue. Cid recently had fallen in like with the children’s book clerk at the Barnes & Noble in Oak Brook. It was quite a drive from the farm, but he managed it twice a week. They’d met when he initially was looking for a gift for Brian’s upcoming first birthday. Cid stopped there on his way home from supervising the renovation on Mia’s parents’ house and the finishing of the aerie. He didn’t tell anyone about it. Mia found out accidently when she backed into him in the kitchen. The contact of his steadying hands gave her more information than truth serum would have.

  Ted sat down on the floor beside his wife and son. Mia smiled as Brian crawled into his lap with his book. Mia moved over and sat next to her men.

  “Daddy, the big dinosaur roars when you push here.” He took his father’s finger and pushed it on the pink triceratops.

  Ted looked at the artist’s incorrect rendering of the animals. “Brian, Bernard works in a place that has the bones of these. Would you like to go and see them with me and Mommy?”

  “No bones, Daddy. Mommy is scared.”

  “Okay, no bones. You are a very perceptive young man.”

  “I Mommy’s little man,” Brian said proudly.

  “That you are,” Ted responded. He turned to Mia. “Glenda has a job for us.” He went on to describe the situation.