The Old House Page 4

“She knows you set Beth straight?”

  “Yes, and I’m never going to answer an email or accept a text again from that person.”

  Cid felt Ted wasn’t giving him a complete answer, but he didn’t want to push him. “I hope you stick to that promise,” Cid said.

  “If I don’t, Mia said she would leave me and take Brian away.”

  “I think this time she would.”

  “I do too,” Ted said. “After we made love, she was so clingy, very unlike Mia.”

  “Is this a problem?” Cid asked, concerned.

  “No. But I’m kind of used to independent Mia, who needs no one to complete her.”

  “She loves you, dude. She’s afraid of losing you.”

  Ted put his hands through his hair. “I don’t see the attraction.”

  Cid laughed. “Dude, I don’t see it either. Maybe it’s your big brain.”

  “Speaking of which, Mia accidently started to read my mind, and she wasn’t touching me.”

  “You’re going to have to run that by me again.”

  Ted explained what had happened and waited for Cid to catch up.

  “Whoa, that’s serious. Another gift?”

  “It’s probably been there all along,” Ted reasoned. “Lying dormant, like the others.”

  “Mia doesn’t like mind readers,” Cid said.

  “I know. I think it’s probably the reason she got tipsy. She doesn’t want to deal with that right now.”

  “Poor kid, she can run…” Cid started.

  “But she can’t hide… from herself,” Ted finished.

  Mia pulled on one of Ted’s Chiefs jerseys. It fell almost to her ankles. She brushed her hair until it shone and pulled on some footless black tights Ralph had given her on a whim. “May Susan Braverman never catch me in this outfit,” she said to the mirror as she was leaving. Brian was sleeping soundly when she looked in on him. He really was a new parent’s dream child. He had acclimated to sleeping through the night and took two nice naps during the day. This gave Mia and Ted time to accomplish tasks during the day and enjoy a full night’s rest too.

  She walked down the steps carefully, still feeling a bit woozy from dinner. She stopped at the kitchen door and surveyed the men inside. Murph had come in and was sharpening his axe in the corner, Ted had a drawing he was working on, and Cid was doing the dishes.

  “I think I’m the luckiest woman alive,” she announced. “I live in a house full of handsome men.”

  The three sets of eyes that surveyed her didn’t find anything wrong with her either.

  Chapter Four

  “The downside is that you’re liable for a third of the expenses, and should you guys get sued, then you need to consider that too,” Alan said to Ted. “We can protect your personal assets, but anything earned from PEEPs is fair game. That includes all that computer and camera equipment,” he cautioned.

  “I think the best course of action is not to get sued in the first place,” Mia said, propping her feet up on the coffee table.

  “I’ll do my best, but you know how I roll,” Ted teased. “We’ve been taking care of the rent since the beginning…”

  “We’ll put together a paper that will make that a separate affair, instead of grandfathering it in with the partnership. This way, if ever PEEPs makes any substantial money, you’ll recoup your present loss.”

  “Or I could write it off as a bad debt?” Ted pondered aloud.

  “That too,” Alan said.

  Mia put her feet down and got up to leave.

  “Where are you going?” Alan asked her.

  “I thought I’d make myself scarce so you two could talk business,” Mia said.

  “I think that Ted’s business includes you,” Alan stressed.

  Mia looked at Ted, and he nodded.

  “How do you mean?” she asked, fearing this was all a setup and she was going to be handed divorce papers.

  “Mia, Ted came to me a few months ago and asked me to put your name on the deed to this house and property.”

  Mia looked over at her husband in disbelief.

  “I should have done it when we were first married,” Ted said.

  “As it turned out, that was the saving grace when it came to the Other,” Mia said. “The loophole. Ted, this is your house. You paid for it yourself. You don’t have to do this for me.”

  “Mia, you’ve shared all you have with me. It’s my turn to do the same. I want to take care of you and Brian. With your name on the deed, it will make sure that, should anything happen to me, you have a home to call your own.”

  Mia took a deep breath, trying to stop the tears that were threatening. “I’m so touched.”

  “Then you accept?” Alan asked.

  “Yes,” Mia said, wiping the tears off her nose with her sleeve.

  He pushed over the paperwork and showed her where to sign. Mia could tell that Alan, who was her lawyer too, approved.

  “I’m going to hang around for the PEEPs meeting. Do you mind if I use the office to get my papers in order?” Alan asked, getting up.

  “Feel free. Cid’s over there now,” Ted said.

  Mia waited until Alan left before she flung herself into Ted’s arms.

  Ted smiled. “I was going to do this right after the mall investigation, but you got knocked out and…”

  “You were going to give me half the house when we were still at odds?”

  “Yes.”

  “You’re an amazing man, Teddy Bear.”

  “That I am.”

  “Well then, I guess I should share this with you,” Mia said, handing him an envelope.

  “What’s this?” he asked, opening it. He pulled out a sizable check.

  “My poster money from the international sales,” Mia said.

  “That’s a lot of money.”

  “It pales in comparison to your patent money,” Mia said. “I thought that, with your permission, I could rent a cottage for the three of us to vacation in. I think we need to get away and be a family, free of Murphy, PEEPs and even Cid.”

  “That means we have to survive on our own cooking,” Ted warned.

  “Ah, that’s what canned soup is for. Any other objections?”

  “Will you wear that jersey and little black thingy while you’re there?”

  Mia smiled. “Yes. I didn’t think you noticed. You fell asleep so quickly last night.”

  “You wore me out, Mighty Mouse,” Ted confessed. “Where is this cottage?”

  “Wolf’s Head Lake. It’s a family community. We could continue my rowing lessons, and you could try fishing.”

  “That’s a recipe for disaster, but it sounds like fun.”

  “There is a major downside to the trip,” Mia confessed.

  “What?”

  “No Wi-Fi, and it’s a cell phone black hole according to the people I’m renting from. We would be off the grid, internet-wise.”

  “I could handle that for a while,” Ted said. “When?”

  “After the next investigation. I hope you don’t mind, but I already put in for vacation, and Burt assumed that you were going too.”

  “He better assume that,” Ted said. “Mia, do you think I should take the partnership?”

  “I can’t think of two nicer guys to go into business with. It will mean a lot of extra responsibility, but I think you’ve been ready for this for some time now,” she admitted.

  “I’d like to give it a try.”

  “Well, then go over and let Alan know so he can start on the paperwork,” Mia said.

  “I take it that you’re not going to accept the Countess of Sardinia’s invitation to spend the rest of the summer with her and Angelo at the villa?”

  “Did you have your heart set on us going?” Mia asked.

  “No, I’m elated that it’s not happening, but I wanted to be supportive.”

  “I think that I’d rather spend a week with you and Brian burning soup than learning to sprout feathers and flying. I’m just not ready to join the
flying freaks yet,” she admitted.

  “You’d make a pretty bird,” Ted said.

  “I’d rather be a basic biped, thank you very much.”

  “Oh, Mia, there is nothing basic about you.”

  “Ted, if you keep saying things like that, we’re not going to that meeting,” she warned.

  “Are you ovulating?” Ted asked.

  Mia blushed. “I don’t think so. Why?”

  “Not that I’m complaining, but your appetite has increased threefold.”

  “So you think I’m in heat, huh?” Mia asked, lifting an eyebrow.

  “All I know is, after I drop Brian off, I’m stopping at the drugstore and buying a case of protection.”

  Mia laughed. “Make it two cases.”

  It was Ted’s turn to blush.

  ~

  Audrey and Cid applauded the news of the new partner. Burt mentioned that he had a bottle of champagne in the office refrigerator for after the meeting. The group settled in, and Burt turned out the lights and nodded to Jake, who was in the guise of a giant eyeball, to begin.

  “Our next investigation is kind of a reverse Shining.”

  Jake projected the picture of a mammoth hotel, deep in the rolling hills of southern Wisconsin.

  “Price Hills Resort, formerly Nowicki’s, is a hundred and four room ski lodge. It’s located at the top of one of the best non-mountainous ski runs. The only way to get to it, aside from the chairlifts and a new gondola system, is an access road presently under construction. The hotel is reported to be haunted. Since the Price Hills Resort people have taken possession of the place, the paranormal events have increased dramatically. Doors slamming all during the night. A bartender was attacked after seeing a gangster in the bar. The Price Corporation is planning to market this hotel to families and have hired us to rid the place of the violent ghosts. Ted and Mia, you need to plan on being away from Brian for two consecutive nights. I need you both on this haunt. I hope you can make this work.”

  Mia looked at Ted, and together they nodded.

  “Murphy, I’d like you to help out if you can. It’s a large old hotel, and I would feel safer having you watching our backs,” Burt admitted.

  Murphy slid his axe on the table top and nodded.

  “Murphy accepts,” Mia told Burt.

  “Good. The plus side to the Price Hills Resort is that the company has already put in a state of the art security system. We have cameras everywhere, people. I can see you focusing on the hot areas with our cameras, Cid. Ted, see if you can integrate our systems with theirs. I don’t know if Jake will be able to help us out much…

  A large trumpet blast heralded Marvin the Martian walking out onto all the display monitors. He had the earth in his hand. He started to juggle it, along with several PEEPs logos.

  “I guess that’s Jake’s response,” Mia said. “I think he’s up for the challenge. Who knows, maybe he’ll meet a geeky lady ghost and…”

  Marvin stopped, turned red and walked away.

  “Oops. I guess I went too far,” Mia said, rolling her eyes. “Do we have a firm date so I can make arrangements?”

  “I’d like to be there this weekend.” Burt handed her the information on the hotel, including the emergency numbers that Susan Braverman may need.

  Mike, who had been silent and well-behaved the whole meeting, spoke up, “Why did you call this a reverse Shining?”

  “We are going to investigate a hotel in summer, but we will be isolated up there because of the road. The hotel will open up the lifts for us to get our equipment up there but will then close it down until after the investigation.”

  “So we’re stuck unless we want to walk out of there,” Mike clarified.

  “Yes. I thought we could advertise it as such.”

  “Wait,” Audrey started, pausing to form her thoughts, and continued, “We’re getting paid, and we can air the investigation?”

  “Yes,” Burt answered. “As long as we rid them of ghosts and pronounce the place clean at the finish of the broadcast, we have no restrictions on what we film or air.”

  Mia looked around and could see everyone looked please with this investigation, even Murphy was smiling. She took out and looked over the information Father Santos had given her on Chastity’s grave location while Mike went over the advertising that was brought in by their last live broadcast.

  “How hard would it be to do the same thing up at the hotel?” he asked Ted.

  “It depends on the satellite hookup. If the cable network isn’t paying for it, I think it would be too costly. Besides, we don’t know if we’ll have a satisfactory ending to the investigation. The Price Hills Resort people could negate us airing the footage. And if we’ve already done it…”

  “Cart before the horse, problems,” Cid chimed in.

  Mike nodded. “Well, it was worth a try.”

  Mia was happy it was a no-go; she didn’t like the first broadcast much. No telling, if Mike was in charge, what kind of getup she would have to wear.

  “Any new business?” he asked.

  No one spoke up.

  “Okay, let’s adjourn the meeting and start pouring some of that champagne,” Burt ordered.

  Mia put her hand on Cid’s arm. “Can I talk to you a moment, in private?”

  “Sure. Why don’t we go upstairs?” he said.

  Mia followed him out into the barn and up the stairs. She waited until the door was shut before handing him the piece of paper, explaining, “This is where Chastity Murphy is buried. It’s in a little community not far from where we are going to be investigating. Perhaps you can stop on the way up?”

  Cid looked at the map and a small sketch of the location where Father Santos described they would find Chastity’s grave. “It looks like a small place.”

  “It’s cared for by the local priest. I think it’s important for Murphy to know she hasn’t been abandoned.”

  “I understand. Well, we better get back before Ted suspects we’re up to no good.”

  “Was that an option?” Mia teased.

  Cid pushed her out the door. “Out with the bad…”

  Mia laughed. They joined the others downstairs. Mia declined the champagne and sipped on an iced coffee instead.

  “So you’re pregnant again,” Mike said.

  “I am not.”

  “No booze.”

  “I had too much last night. It made me kind of loco.”

  “You really didn’t have that much. I was looking out for you,” Mike said.

  “I don’t know what exactly is going on with me these days. All I know is, I can’t get enough sex,” Mia said, turning to look Mike full in the face. Her eyes were dilated, and her lips were pouty. “I just want it all the time.”

  “Mia, stop it,” Mike said, getting up.

  Mia continued to stare at him.

  “Stop it.”

  She gave him a lazy smile and turned away to stare out the window.

  Audrey, who witnessed Mia torturing Mike, wondered why Mia would purposely make the elder investigator uncomfortable. She knew there was a history between the two, but Mike definitely was never Mia’s kind of guy, as far as Audrey knew.

  Mia got up and left the office. She knew Murphy was following her. She turned back and asked, “Why are you following me?”

  “You’re acting different.”

  “I know. I think I got my emotions scrambled last time Sariel touched me.”

  “He touched you?”

  “Yes, and I kneed him in the groin, so don’t you go getting any ideas.”

  “No, ma’am,” Murphy said, amused. “Mia, are you happy?”

  Mia turned, looked at Murphy, and grinned. “As happy as I can be, Murph.”

  “Good. I worry about you.”

  “You worry about me?”

  “Why does Sariel keep bothering you?” Murphy asked.

  “I think it’s because there is going to be a battle, a war of some kind that involves the angels, birdmen, demons and
superhumans. I don’t know when or why it is, but Sariel wants me to fight beside him. Angelo wants the same thing, but I have told both wingnuts that I have only one battle partner, and that is you, Stephen Murphy.”

  “Me?”

  “Yes, you. I think we dance quite well together, you old poop.”

  “Mia, I’m not much older than Burt.”

  “You’re a hundred and twenty years older than Burt, Murph.”

  “You know what I’m talking about.”

  “Yup. I’m all itchy inside. The only time I feel at ease is when…” Mia stopped, looked at her friend a moment, and amended the crude language she was about to use, “When I’m doing married stuff with Ted.”

  “Oh,” Murphy said uncomfortably.

  “The first time Sariel laid his hand on my shoulder, he tattooed his strength onto my ribcage. No arrow or sword can pierce my heart. He made a mistake, Murph. He sealed your handprint in. The Gray Ladies could not remove it. You’re always going to be part of me, whether you like it or not.”

  Mia thought she caught a faint look of satisfaction on the farmer’s face. He set his axe down and requested, “Tell me about the second time he touched you?”

  “He put his hand on my chest, not in a skeevy way.”

  “Skeevy?”

  “Sleazy. He didn’t cop a feel. He just did this.” Mia reached over and took Murphy’s hand and placed it just below her collarbone.

  “And you kneed him for that?” Murphy asked, removing his hand quickly.

  “That combined with something untoward he said.”

  “What did he say?”

  Mia mumbled something with her head down.

  Murphy pulled her chin up. “Say it again.”

  “He said that he could give me the pleasure I seek.”

  “I’ll kill him. You’re a married lady,” Murphy professed.

  “I made myself clear,” Mia said and told him about the rocks.

  He chuckled. “Didn’t anyone ever teach you it’s not okay to throw rocks at birds?”

  This caused Mia to laugh. “I think the ef… I mean, the cad, did something else to me. Or else I’m hormonal. What if Mike is right, and I am pregnant?”

  “Then you’ll have another baby,” he said simply.

  Mia rolled her eyes. “Things are so black and white with you, Murph.”