Old Bones (Haunted Series) Read online

  Chapter Nine

  “Yes, Dad, I won’t leave until you get here,” Audrey agreed. She put down her phone and continued to work on the books. She had been surprised by the time when her father called her. He didn’t want her walking to her car so late at night. He was visiting a few chums from his work days and was in the vicinity. Audrey, being her own boss, had decided to try to finish the books in the study before calling it a day. Earlier that evening, she found a second edition of To Kill a Mockingbird, and as she fanned the pages to check on its condition, she stopped and started reading. The book, written so beautifully, quickly drew her into the story. She was surprised when she looked at her watch at the time.

  “Done in by literature!” she exclaimed. Audrey heard her words repeated back at her. The shelves, now bare of books, added to the empty feel of the house. She placed the book down on top of the box where she had secured the doll. She would have both appraised and see if she could afford to purchase them herself.

  Afterwards, Audrey was able to settle into a rhythm, and soon she had all the books cataloged and sorted. She made sure she didn’t pile them too high, and the first editions would be leaving the house with her for their protection.

  The doorbell rang, followed by her father’s knocking rendition of shave and a haircut. Audrey moved quickly to the door, unlocked it and opened it.

  Luke McCarthy looked down at his daughter. He reached out and picked a dust bunny out of her hair, commenting, “Did you mop the floor with your head?”

  “No, but I’ve had an adventure.”

  He stepped into the building and whistled when he saw the staircase.

  “It’s an original Giuseppe Basso. I wish I could afford to buy it…”

  “The house?”

  “No, although, I expect the house is even-steven with the value of that staircase. Funny thing is, there’s another staircase almost identical, I’m told, rotting away in the backwoods of Cold Creek Hollow.”

  “I’d like to see it.”

  “Me too, but there’s a catch. It’s in a very haunted house. Violently haunted, Burt said.”

  “If young Burt says the house is violently haunted maybe we should forget about it,” Luke said sagely.

  “I’m going to visit the Basso Gallery tomorrow. Want to come?”

  “Maybe, I’ve got the lawn…”

  “You always have the lawn,” Audrey teased. “I’m going there because of a mysterious note that was found under a grandfather clock in this very building…” Audrey went on to tell him of the discovery, her trek to the graveyard and the doll she found jammed behind the drawer.

  “Well that explains the dust bunnies.” Luke shook his head. “Well, it’s getting past my bedtime. Gather your stuff, and let’s get a move on.”

  Audrey pointed to the things she wanted to take with her in the study. She needed to turn off the upstairs lights before she locked up the house. Luke picked up the first box and headed out to the car. Audrey climbed the stairs, enjoying the feel of the polished wood under her hand. “Ah, to be lady of the manor…”

  She walked through the upstairs rooms, checking the locks on the windows before turning out the lights. She had worked her way down the hall to the last room when she heard footsteps coming down the hall. “I’m almost done, Dad,” she called out as she pushed at a stubborn latch. She turned around, expecting to see her father, but the room was empty. “Are you lurking in the hall? You can’t scare me that easy, Dad. I’m an official paranormal investigator in training.” Audrey turned off the light and stuck her head out the door. The hall was empty. “Now where has he gotten to?” she asked herself as she walked down the hall, looking in each of the dark rooms.

  Footsteps sounded behind her. She spun around. A dark mass moved out of the shadows and loomed over her. She backed away a few steps. Remembering her recorder in her pocket, she jammed her hand in and turned it on. “Who are you? What do you want?” she asked, trying to keep her cool.

  The mass grew larger and seemed menacing. Audrey turned on her heel and began walking swiftly down the hall. She felt the icy chill behind her and increased her speed to a jog. All too quickly the mass moved around her. She felt icy hands gripping her, and as her feet left the ground, she screamed, “Dad! Help! Something’s got me!”

  She twisted to release herself. As she did, her crucifix left the confines of her shirt where she tucked it to keep it from harm and came in contact with the shadow mass. It recoiled and dropped her. She got to her feet quickly and ran for the staircase. The mass reformed and pursued her. It caught up to her at the balustrade. Once more Audrey was hauled off her feet and found herself airborne as the entity tossed her. She managed to grab hold of a baluster. The carved birds bit into her hand, but she managed to maintain her grip until she got her other hand in a better position. Her body dangled above the foyer. She felt the chill permeate the wood, and quickly she worked her way over to the staircase.

  “What the hell!” Luke shouted when he saw his daughter dangling in the air.

  She had made the stairway and was trying to pull herself up. He charged up the stairs and lifted her up and over the handrail. Only then did he see the black mass that moved towards them. He placed himself between it and his daughter as they moved quickly down the stairs. Audrey grabbed her briefcase, dug inside and pulled out a blue canister of salt. She quickly drew a circle around herself and her father. Once the circle was closed she sank to the floor.

  The mass moved down the stairs and towards them. Audrey clutched at her father’s legs. “Dad, stand still. It can’t hurt us if we stay in the circle.”

  “Jesus, Mary, protect us,” Luke said as he looked into the mass and saw a twisted face looking back.

  They watched as the mass plowed into the air in front of them. It tried again and again, confused as to the reason it could not reach the McCarthys. After it had exhausted its energy, it dissipated.

  “What the hell was that?” Luke asked, helping Audrey to her feet.

  “I don’t know. Dad, I think it tried to kill me.”

  “But why?”

  “Hell if I know. Sorry…”

  Luke took her in his arms. “Baby girl, if ever there was a time to swear, it’s now. Is this a haunted house you’re working in?”

  “It wasn’t supposed to be,” Audrey said. “Let’s grab the rest of the stuff and get out of here. I don’t know how long we have until that thing comes back.”

  They took a step over the salt line and hurried to grab Audrey’s briefcase, the shoebox and books. She activated the alarm, and they exited quickly, Audrey locking the door behind them.

  The hot humid air felt good on her chilled skin. She lifted her shirt and saw the bruising around her middle. A few of her nails were broken, and her hands and arms had major scratches on them from the woodwork.

  “Come on, let’s get you to your car. You’re spending the night with us, no arguments. We’ll discuss this after we have your mother look your injuries over and we’ve had a glass of whisky or two,” Luke said as he opened the door of his car.

  Audrey got in and waited for her father to put her stuff in the trunk. She didn’t know why she looked up at the second story or why her eyes were drawn to the long windows of the end room. Standing there, illuminated by the street light was a little girl. She looked down at Audrey a moment and then disappeared.

  Audrey grabbed her cross and began praying.

  ~

  Ted bundled Mia into the truck after thanking Connie and Kirk for the wonderful engagement party picnic. He promised to come over in the morning and help pack up the rental chairs and tables. Burt had sequestered Mike’s keys and drove him and his car to Burt’s mom’s house. Mike refused to go home with his mother because to do so would mean more contact with Plum. Glenda took it in good humor. She knew he was wise to her stunt and wanted to avoid a scene around the general. Cid’s firework show was brief but mighty. He managed to hide all the evidence before the locals could pinpoint where the
illegal fireworks were launched from.

  Mia smiled as Ted got in. She snuggled up next to him and enjoyed the short ride back to the B&B.

  “I love your family,” she said dreamily.

  Ted smiled and pulled her closer. “You haven’t met my nephews yet,” he warned. “Cid kept them entertained, which I will no doubt owe him for.”

  “Could it have been a more perfect night?”

  “That’s the margaritas talking. How many did you have?”

  “I lost count. Mike was tripping the light fantastic too,” Mia mentioned.

  “He was blitzed. He’s going to rue the day he asked Kirk to make him a strong drink.”

  They pulled into the B&B and quietly snuck up to their suite. Mia walked into the bathroom while Ted locked the door. When she came out, she found him rummaging in his duffle bag. She leaned over his shoulder and asked, “Whatcha doing?”

  “Looking for something. Ah here it is.” Ted stood up and handed Mia a long thin box.

  “What’s this for?”

  “It’s for being brave and facing the family.”

  Mia opened the box and inside was a long platinum chain. At the end was a single beautiful leaf. It was in the same design as her engagement ring. “It’s beautiful.”

  “I made the leaf, but the chain is from the jewelers,” Ted told her as she handed it to him and lifted her hair. He drew it around her and clasped it securely. It fell silkily down with the leaf dancing just above her cleavage. He traced its path with kisses.

  Mia moaned and kissed the top of his head. Ted stood up and drew Mia’s dress up and over her head. She pulled at his shirt, and Ted took it off. He carried her to the bed and lay her down and stood over her a moment, looking at her. Mia got lost in his brown eyes as their gazes met. “I love you, Theodore Martin.”

  “I love you, Mia Cooper. I’ll ask you once again. After seeing all my warts and relatives, do you still want to marry me?”

  “Yes I do.”

  “Good,” he said and carefully took off her lacy undergarments. “My god, you are beautiful. I’m one hell of a lucky guy,” he said as he dropped his jeans and boxers and slipped into bed beside her.

  “You’re not only lucky but loved,” Mia said as she opened her arms and drew him to her.

  The clock may have chimed past midnight, but the night was just beginning for Mia and Ted. They made love slowly and completely, each tasting and touching each other as if they had discovered each other for the first time. And as they finally fell asleep, there was no other couple as happy and sated as they.

  Chapter Ten

  The smell of a wood fire greeted Charles as he opened his eyes to the second day of his captivity. He was no longer underground but at the edge of a clearing. Old hardwood trees towered above him, and the forest floor was blanketed with their autumn castoffs. The traveler sat tending the fire. Above it roasted what looked to be two rabbits.

  He turned the meat before greeting Charles, “Good morning, as your electric box people like to say.”

  “Where are we?”

  “On a journey. I want to show you something. I’d like your advice.”

  “How did you get me here?”

  The traveler laughed and replied, “I am a god, and you don’t need to know more than that.”

  Charles, being a scientific man, reasoned that he was drugged and carried during the night. Was he still in Illinois? Missouri? The forest could exist in either place but the chill in the air almost convinced him that he was north. Could the entity have spirited him away to Wisconsin? If so, why?

  “I’ll do what I can. You have to understand I work in conjunction, ah, with others to understand what I find.”

  “I have observed you for quite some time. You have all the knowledge I need right now. Would you like me to fetch the woman in the talking box? She may not be fit enough for travel, but I will get her…”

  “No! Leave her alone. She is just a scribe.”

  The traveler nodded. The question he had asked brought forth two things. The woman he talked to on the little black box was dear to the dirt digger, and he would do anything to protect her.

  Charles scrutinized the traveler. In the bright light of the rising sun, the man was solid and frightening. He saw many battle scars, from wounds that would have killed a man of his time, on his body. Mortal wounds, but yet the man stood impossibly whole. Could the traveler be a man from this time? Some freak of nature with a hormone irregularity? His size was one and a half times the size of the twenty-first century man. He would have been twice the size of the men of his claimed time.

  “The pilgrims you walk with to Cahokia, what are they to you?” he asked the man.

  “My people, my tribe, my followers.”

  “Can they see this time?”

  “No, they are mortal. They can only see their time.”

  “When you come here, travel here, what happens to you in their time?”

  “I sleep.”

  This confused Charles, but he didn’t show it in his face. Was he with an escapee from some asylum, a person with the gift to see the dead like him? Could the traveler have built up this world of his in his mind? The sharpening of his teeth and the tattooing spoke of someone with knowledge of the Mississippian mound builders. A student led into a delusional state? If this man was not as he claimed, he could be overpowered. But then again, if he was not a god but thought he was, he was more dangerous still.

  “Where are we going on this journey?”

  “Your people call it Muscoda.”

  “The Gottschall Rock Shelter? You’re taking me there? Why?”

  “You will know when we arrive. Now you will eat. You will need energy for the journey,” the traveler informed him. “I will cut your bonds. If you try to escape, I will cut out your heart and deliver it to Amanda personally.”

  A shiver of fear descended over Charles. “I won’t try to escape, please leave my wife alone.”

  The traveler smiled. Foolish man. He told him that the Amanda he spoke to in the box was his wife. He would do anything to keep her safe, anything…

  ~

  “Slow down. Tell me again what happened?” Burt asked Audrey. He put his phone on speaker so Cid who was driving could hear the conversation.

  Audrey related to him the events leading up to last night’s attack. She described not only the actions of the entity but the marks it left on her body.

  “Has there ever been any mention of paranormal events in this location before?” he asked.

  “Not to the knowledge of the people that hired me.”

  “How about the previous occupants?”

  “I’m going to check on that after I visit the Basso Gallery this morning.”

  “Cid and I’ll be back in the area in…”

  “Four hours,” Cid supplied.

  “Four hours. We’ll stop at the farm, pick up some equipment, and coordinate with you a time to meet at the parish house.”

  “Should I call Mia?” Audrey asked carefully, not wanting to overstep her position, but still wanting the sensitive there before she entered that house again.

  “I’ll take care of that,” Burt assured her. He pushed away his annoyance at Audrey’s need for Mia when he and Cid could handle a simple haunting investigation.

  “It’s not that I don’t think you can handle this, I’d just like to have her take on the doll and…”

  “No need to explain. We are a team and everyone has their strengths.”

  “Thank you for understanding. I’ll see you later today then,” Audrey said and hung up.

  Burt looked at Cid a moment.

  “You handled that blow to your ego quite nicely, dude.”

  “Why thank you, Sigmund.”

  “Anytime.”

  Burt dialed Mia’s phone. She picked up with a cheery, “Hello!”

  Burt launched right in with Audrey’s encounter and request that she be involved.

  “I don’t see why I can’t be there. Bu
t I’m sure you can handle it yourself,” she said. “The violence bothers me. I think you should wear your special vest…”

  “Yes, Mom,” Burt said, pleased with the ego stroke she just gave him and her concern. “I think we’ll wait for your all seeing eyes and see if Murphy wouldn’t mind a trip to the big city. Tell him I’ll buy him a Japanese maple sapling for his trouble.”

  “You do know the way to the guy’s heart, Burt.” Mia’s laughter filled the cab of the truck. Cid smiled and thought that Ted had gotten damn lucky to have landed that mermaid.

  “How far away are you?” Burt asked, assuming they’d left Kansas already.

  “Ted says five point three hours. Realistically, don’t count on us being in the city until well after sunset. I’ll see how many of us Ralph can put up for the night. They have two guest rooms in their condo. Mike’s got a foldout couch…”

  “I haven’t talked to him yet. He was, well, rather hungover this morning when we took off. He was going over to see his mother before he headed back. I’ll touch base after I talk to him.”

  “Cool beans. He’s not going to like us doing another freebie,” Mia warned.

  “Let’s call this a training exercise.”

  “I like that. Give us a call when you have him sorted out. We’re stopping for lunch… Yes, Ted, we are… In a few minutes, but feel free to call.”

  Burt put his phone down and chuckled. “Their food budget better be a big one. Between Ted’s constant snacking and the amount Mia puts away…”

  “I hear yah,” Cid agreed. “If it wasn’t for their high metabolisms, they’d be 800 pounds by now. Luckily for them, I’ve been teaching Mia to cook and shop organic whenever she can. But Ted’s a lost cause. A pound of sugar must run through his veins.”

  “Not to mention caffeine.”