Checking Out Read online

  “I remembered my parents talking about a summer meteor shower that impacted Minnesota, Wisconsin and northern Illinois. Several meteorites landed near Ashville, which used to be called Summerville. One of the meteorites hit the gas station. It exploded. The town caught fire and burned quickly. There was nothing left in Summerville after that but ash. When they rebuilt, they changed the name to Ashville.”

  “How about overlaying the strikes on the FM map?” Mia asked.

  With another session of furious keystrokes, Ted produced a transparency and moved it over the map.

  Mia wandered over and stared at the monitor. “Look for anything that may have landed on or near this line.”

  “Some of them are still in the ground according to this article,” Mike said, turning his laptop to Audrey.

  She leaned in and scanned the article. “1973, that must be it.”

  Ted whistled. “Will you look at this?” He rolled the cursor over the hit, and the information of the size came up.

  “Whoa,” Cid said looking over her shoulder.

  “What’s whoa?” Mia asked.

  “The size and weight of that monster must have done some damage.”

  “I agree about the damage, but it didn’t land on the ley line,” Mia said disappointed.

  “Remember, these are recorded hits,” Mike said from the table. “What exactly are you looking for?”

  “I don’t know exactly. I guess I’m looking for something powerful enough to disrupt a ley line. Something with a power source that feeds the FM that Burt may or may not have found. And a reason why it’s pinballing back and forth between these two points,” Mia said, moving her hand along the line. “I could oob there…”

  “NO!” The investigators chorused.

  CRACK! Murphy added.

  Mia put her hands up. “I have skills here. I will no doubt get stuck on this side of it,” she said, tapping Ashville. “Perhaps I will pick up some chatter on the line…”

  “It’s too dangerous,” Mike said. “That’s a long way from here. Anything could go wrong. I suggest if you want to bilocate, that we relocate to Ashville first. Perhaps we’ll come up with another idea once we get there. If not, I say, the girl has skills, people. Let her use them but at a closer proximity. After all, it’s for Burt.”

  Mia looked at the others and then down at Ted, and he sighed. “The man’s right, my girl’s got skills.” He reached an arm around her waist and hugged her.

  “Okay, for the rest of us, what’s going to happen?” Audrey asked.

  “I suggest that we take the PEEPs vehicles to Wisconsin. Cid, map out where the most likely places that the FM will appear next. I think that if Burt entered the FM here, too much time has passed, and it has moved on from the Ashville location. Murphy, I would appreciate if you would join us. I don’t want Mia walking a ley line alone,” Mike insisted.

  CRACK!

  Mia looked over at him and mouthed a thank you.

  “Let’s pack up. May as well take the dog too. Who knows, she may come in handy. Anyone teach her to track yet?” Mike asked. “We should take along Burt’s hoodie. If she gets a whiff of that…”

  “She’ll faint; he never washes it,” Mia complained. The others nodded, holding their noses.

  “It has his scent,” Mike reminded them. “Audrey, we need to interview anyone that was in the area when the meteorites hit.”

  She nodded. “I need to borrow a parka or a warm hoodie,” she said.

  “What’s wrong with your coat?” Mike asked.

  Mia walked over to the coatrack and turned the coat around so they could see the back. “This is a Chicago Bears coat, and we are headed into cheesehead country. You boys better leave your Chiefs jerseys home too,” she advised. “They take their football pretty serious up there,” Mia warned. “Come on, Audrey, Bev left a coat of hers here that may fit you.”

  The boys waited until Mia left with Audrey before talking.

  “If she wants to oob, I say let her oob,” Ted said. “How else is anyone of us going to be able to enter that ley line segment to rescue Burt?”

  “Mia has no defenses when she is in that state. She can only observe,” Cid reminded him.

  “Murphy will be with her. There is no one I trust more with my wife than Murphy,” Ted insisted. He made eye contact with the ghost. “You’ll keep her safe, right?”

  Murphy, touched by the sentiment, nodded. He raised his axe and smiled.

  “What the hell was he thinking?” Mike said in reference to Burt. “How dare he investigate alone? Fuck, he broke his own rule. I am so mad at him right now.”

  “Let’s table the anger for a moment and go into this with a clear head. No preconceived notions or nonsense as my wife likes to put it. We have to look at this with different eyes. Think magically and scientifically. Murphy, I’ll bring along a shitload of energon cubes. We need you to communicate with us verbally. Your insights are too valuable to chance a misunderstanding,” Ted said.

  “You want to take lead on this?” Mike asked Ted.

  Ted shook his head. “Mike, if you don’t want the lead, I suggest giving it to Cid. After all, he brought us the haunt.”

  “Me? No, I’ll fuck it up,” Cid said.

  “No. You won’t,” Mike said. “I trust your instincts. Plus Mia listens to you. She wouldn’t if she thought you were a bozo. I’d like you to corral the wagons and get us up and running as soon as possible.”

  Murphy reached out and willed his hand solid and patted Cid on the back.

  “Thanks, bud,” Cid said. “Okay, Mike, start packing up the truck. I’ll open the barn up to pull your car in. It’s too pretty to be sitting out here unprotected. Ted, call Tom and let him know what we’re up to. Murphy, get Maggie’s things. Put her car carrier in the back of the van. I’d like you to ride with Mia and Ted in the big truck. The rest of us will take the van. As soon as Audrey is outfitted, we’ll have her looking for lodgings for us. It’s cold up there, and we won’t be able to camp out for too long. Ted, I’ll help you with the equipment. Let’s bring along the two big gasoline generators. We have to be able to be totally functioning even if we are away from an electrical source.”

  “It’s fur! I can’t wear fur!” Audrey whined.

  “You didn’t kill it or buy it, but it’s warm,” Mia said, slipping the offending garment on Audrey.

  “But what will people… Ooh it is warm. What is it?” she asked as she looked at herself in the hall mirror. “What if they throw red paint or worse on me?” She petted the arms as if they were Maggie.

  Mia raised the hood, and as the warmth enveloped Audrey, she stopped protesting. “Well, it’s a shame to waste such a nice coat.”

  Chapter Three

  Burt, determined to keep sane, decided to put himself in full investigative mode. He started on the ground floor of the inn. He tapped walls and opened cupboards. A couple of times Mrs. Brewster stopped and asked him what he was doing.

  “I’m investigating an urban legend,” he replied.

  Seemingly satisfied by this, she continued on her way. Her daughter, however, was not amused when his investigation moved into the kitchen. It was a large room with a walk in freezer - uncommon in today’s inns, but very common in restaurants in the seventies – just off the service area. A large working surface covered with muffin pans was centered in the room. Two large ovens anchored spots on either side of the fireplace. “What are you doing in here? Don’t touch the work surfaces. Health codes, Mr. Hicks!”

  “Excuse me, but when was the last time you saw a health inspector, or a specter for that matter?” he asked. “And what is your name? I hate to call you the young Ms. Brewster.”

  “I would hate that too since it’s Millie Swanson, Mrs. Millie Swanson,” she spat.

  Burt felt sorry for Mr. Swanson but held his tongue. “Are you aware what is going on here?”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Evidently not,” Burt said. “When did you leave the inn last
, Millie?”

  “I don’t know, I assume last night,” she said puzzled. “I always set up for the morning before I go home to supper with my husband. I arrived just before dawn today to put the muffins in the oven…” her voice trailed off.

  “What was the weather like when you arrived?”

  “A little cool, but that’s normal for summer mornings in these parts,” she answered.

  “What year is it?”

  “1973.”

  “There’s the problem. Millie, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but it’s 2014.”

  “No!”

  “Yes!”

  “Mother!” Millie called, exiting the kitchen. “That lunatic says that…”

  The swinging doors closed leaving Burt alone in the kitchen, not privy to what he thought would be an interesting conversation between the two women.

  He moved quickly to the back door. It opened with ease. Outside, the sun was setting, and the fireflies were buzzing around the small herb garden. He stepped out onto the porch and proceeded down the back steps when he heard. “Careful, Mr. Hicks, that second step could kill you.”

  He turned around and saw that Mrs. Brewster had made an appearance. He turned back, and the garden and the second step had disappeared. A chasm of darkness filled the area below the first step.

  Burt stepped back onto the porch. The hostess cleared her throat, nodded towards the inside of the inn and held the door open for him. He walked through the door while she admonished, “You have riled up the cook! I doubt we will see a croissant today. I will have to ask you to confine your wanderings above stairs from now on.”

  “Why not let me go? I’m no use to you here. Perhaps I can save you from this Groundhog Day fiasco you have going on here.”

  “You’re talking gibberish. Up the stairs, and be quick about it,” she ordered.

  If she was just a woman, Burt could have easily ignored her and continued to investigate the first floor. But the look in her eyes told him that it was the inn and not a person he was talking to.

  “I’ll head up and take a nap. Is that permissible?” he asked with an acid tongue.

  “What a wonderful idea,” she said, the corners of her mouth rising, giving a semblance of a smile.

  Burt walked out of the kitchen towards a very irate Millie who hissed, “Lunatic,” as he passed her on the way to the stairs. He climbed the stairs slowly, taking in the noticeable differences in the foyer. The desk had been neatened, and there was no longer a front door.

  ~

  Ashville turned out to be a nice little town. The only surviving building of the fire of 1973 was, ironically, the firehouse. It bore a keystone that read 1929. Its red brick and green shingles gave the place a Christmassy look to it. That combined with the drifting snow made Audrey want to jump out and take next year’s Christmas pictures for PEEPs. She stifled the urge, realizing that Burt wouldn’t be in the shot. She was ashamed that for three minutes of joyous Christmas contemplation she had forgotten the missing investigator.

  “There’s the library. Mike, text Ted and tell him we are going to drop Audrey off there and meet them at the motel later,” Cid instructed.

  Mike did as asked, thinking of how quickly Cid donned the hat of power, and how surprisingly well he looked in it.

  “They’re going to drop Audrey off at the library before it closes. We’re to meet at the motel out on Route Six later.”

  “I’d like to drive out to where Burt was headed before checking in,” Mia said.

  “I’m all for it. Murphy?” Ted asked the ghost beside him.

  Murphy pulled out an ear bud and waited for Ted to tell him what they were doing. He nodded in agreement before putting the bud back in his ear. Briefly they were serenaded by Patsy Cline as Murphy adjusted his solidity to house the sound.

  “Turn right at Mason Street, head north until the first paved road, and then head west,” Ted instructed.

  Mia looked at the snow covered landscape and wondered how she was going to tell a paved road from an unpaved one but held her tongue. Rule number one of traveling was that no one argued with the navigator. Rule number two was that the driver could choose to ignore the navigator if it was going to bring harm to the occupants and vehicle. She and Ted made up these rules as needed. It helped to amuse them on long truck trips. Murphy didn’t need such amusements as long as the charge held on his Walkman and he could listen to the angelic voice of Patsy.

  They would lose light in another few hours. The sky was overcast, adding to the sense of immediacy.

  Mia turned left and headed west.

  “By the GPS, the intersection of the line and road is coming up in a half mile.”

  Mia slowed the truck and patted the seat next to her, getting Murphy’s attention. “Keep your eyes peeled for Burt’s car,” she instructed.

  The terrain was flat. The wind whipped up the snow and sent it moving in southeastern waves.

  “It looks so cold out there.” Mia shivered.

  “It looks like they plowed this stretch after the initial snowfall,” Ted observed.

  Mia nodded as she drove through the drifts that edged their way onto the pavement. They passed a large pile of snow on the right verge. Mia stopped the truck and pulled over. “That might be Burt’s car under that snow.”

  Ted hopped out of the truck and ran back to the mound and began digging. It wasn’t long before the green of Burt’s Ford greeted him. He worked his way to the driver’s side door and found the latch. He was amazed to find the door unlocked. He pulled on the door and looked inside. Empty. No Burt. He trotted back.

  “It’s Burt’s car but no Burt. Let’s check out the field on either side. Mia, you better button up, the wind’s freezing my nards already.”

  “I suggest you cover them, Teddy Bear. We do intend on having children one day,” Mia teased.

  Murphy looked at Mia in disgust.

  “Come on, what’s with the prudish behavior?” she complained as she pulled on her snow shoveling gloves and zipped up her LL Bean parka. Mia reached back behind her seat, pulled out two snow shoes and stepped into them, tightening the straps before heading into the field.

  Murphy moved over the snow, Mia on top of it, and Ted through it. They did a quick grid around the car and were rewarded by finding Burt’s computer bag. Ted looked through it and found the laptop cold but sound. There wasn’t anything in it to tell them where the owner of the bag was. “I hope he’s got his investigating backpack with him,” Ted said.

  “Murphy, look under the snow. We want to make sure Burt’s not lying under it somewhere,” Mia requested.

  He nodded and disappeared.

  Mia and Ted worked their way back to the truck to warm up. It wasn’t long before Murphy returned. “No Burt.”

  “I don’t know whether to be relieved or not?” Mia said.

  “Look,” Murphy pointed a few yards from where they had been standing. The evening air shimmered.

  “He sees the ley line,” Mia explained. “I can’t tell if it is the segment or not. If Burt parked the car here then the inn must have been close by, so I’m going to assume that is the segment.”

  “You don’t sound happy about it.”

  “If Burt happened upon the active line and for some reason was pulled into it, he would have been taken to Cape Hatteras before being tossed out. At least he would have been in a lot better climate than this, I assure you. If he is stuck on this side, he’s dealing with the climate of the ley line. Since it’s porous, the temperature would be close to the surrounding ambient temperature which right now is a little over freezing. Fortunately, he doesn’t have this wind to contend with.”

  “So you’re telling me that even if he is in the building, he is still facing the weather,” Ted said, scratching his head.

  “Ted, there is no B&B. At least I don’t think there is. A FM is nothing more than an illusion. It’s a ghost ship in the Caribbean, an oasis in the desert. If it has form, then it’s something else.”
>
  “Mia, what I’m asking is, could Burt have survived last night?”

  “Maybe if he kept his clothes on and kept moving,” she answered. “Eventually, he will need water and food, otherwise the cold will kill him.”

  Ted’s phone rang. He looked at it a moment as if he didn’t recognize the number. He picked it up and answered. “Ted Martin.”

  “Ted, it’s Audrey. I got some great news. I’ve found an old timer that wouldn’t mind talking about the 1973 disaster at Summerfield.”

  “Good.”

  “Your voice sounds funny,” Audrey said.

  “Audrey, we found Burt’s car and computer bag, but no Burt.”

  “Oh. Ted, no body means there still is a chance. Turn the truck around and head east and take a left at Mason Street, head north. You’ll see the van parked on the right hand side in front of a bar called Tear Drop Tavern. “Hurry. Old John’s on his second whisky…”

  “We’re on our way.”

  Mia started up the truck and proceeded to do an eight-point turn. “What’s the matter?” she asked.

  “Did Audrey get a new phone?”

  “Not to my knowledge, why?” Mia said as she finished her turn and headed back towards Mason Street.

  “I could have sworn the caller ID said, “Last Chance.”

  “Whoa, maybe she’s using someone else’s phone. They’re able to program whatever they want to these days instead of the identifying exchange number. I picked up a call just the other day. The caller ID read Chicago, Illinois, but it was Mumbai, India I was connected to.”

  “What did they want?”

  “They wanted to sell me a technical support contract for one of our PCs. I told them I had all the technical support I could handle, thank you very much,” Mia said, winking at Ted.

  Mia made the turn north and was pleased to find the tavern on the first try. Mia hopped out and invited Murphy to join them, but she made him promise that if there was a jukebox, he would leave it alone. He wrinkled his nose and agreed.

  They entered the warm dark bar and looked into the gloom, waiting for their eyes to adjust. Cid was almost in front of them before they saw him.