NOLA (35 page)

Mia alluded that she had trouble the first day with all the crossings.  That was until Father Peter told her his trick for not being tempted by the light.  She said she thought of Cherry Pop-Tarts, her family and him.  This touched him.  He wondered why Cherry Pop-Tarts got first billing though.  He couldn’t taste them, so he would have to take her word for it.  But then again, Mia could be quite a teaser at times.

Murphy never regretted not crossing over.  His time here had been full of adventure and happiness.  He didn’t win the girl, but he did gain her respect, and the respect of her friends.  Her people were now his people.  That was as good as it got if you were dead, he supposed.

Chapter Twenty-seven

Mia and Mike moved quickly through the library setting up cameras in the previous hot spots.  The two of them insisted that Cid and Audrey concentrate on their previous communications.  Ted had his hands full because the M duo weren’t as experienced and liked to horse around.  Mia loved pushing Mike to the point of roughhousing, and Mike enjoyed the sisterly affection of the sensitive.  He didn’t mind playing second banana to Cid on this investigation.  He was learning more about the production aspects of the ghost hunts.  It had changed leaps and bounds since he and Burt and one camera ventured into graveyards.

Mia stopped and rubbed her leg.

Concerned, Mike suggested, “You really ought to get that seen to by Doctor Walters.”

“And what do I tell him?  I got the injury being carried upside down as an amorous teenage demon climbed through the great oaks of N’awlins?”

“I heard that story from Ted.  I thought he was making it up.”

“Nah, it’s true.  The burn I gave myself has started to heal, but the muscles are screaming right now.  I think I’ll see if a visit to my favorite bird lady is possible.”

“Mia, Mike, heads up.  Burt wants to start off with a visit with Miss Hodges in a half hour.”

“Shit… I mean roger… over… ah hell,” Mia said and picked up the stack of tripods and headed to the basement.

“You heard the lady,” Mike said, amused.

Burt watched their progress from the command center.  He was pleased with everyone’s improvement.  Had the team gotten better, or was it the absence of the flitch that made this investigation a lot more fun?  Everyone seemed to be smiling, and laughter was more commonplace than frustration.  Burt was able to back off of Mia and see that she was being supportive of their efforts.  She even listened to a few of his ideas, only rolling her eyes once at one of his more far-out concepts.

Ted had matured with becoming a parent, but it didn’t stop the banter between him and Mia.  The two were so obviously suited, he wondered why he hadn’t seen it sooner.  His memories of his time with Mia no longer haunted him but became something private and very special to think about when he was alone.  He did wonder what would have happened if the flitch never entered his mind.  Would he be bouncing his and Mia’s child on his knee?  Or would Whitney still have come back and taken Mia away from him?  Funny that Ted, his tech, although smart as a whip and humorous, took Mia away from her childhood crush.  If you stood the men side by side, Burt would probably take Whitney Martin instead of Theodore Martin himself.  But Mia was sensitive in more ways than the paranormal.  She had chosen someone that adored her over someone that needed to be adored.

“Earth to Burt, earth to Burt,” Ted said, trying to get his attention.

“What? Oh sorry, Ted, I was caught up in a daydream.”

“It happens to the best of us.  Audrey would like you to meet her and Cid in the conference room to go over a few things before Miss Hodges arrives.”

“On my way,” he said and stopped and patted Ted on the back.  “You’re doing a great job, Ted, thank you.”

Ted beamed.

Jake waited until Burt left the command center before hundreds of shiny red apples filled the screen and a chorus of audio clips from children’s movies played, “Teacher’s pet, Teachers pet.”

“You sir, are just jealous,” Ted said, meaning every word.

~

Mia asked Murphy to shadow Audrey.  He agreed, remembering the comment the bully ghost had made concerning the bouncy redhead.  She was presently moving through the stacks taking readings.  He didn’t have time for books when he was alive.  There was always something to do outside, and when evening came, the lack of good light made reading impossible.  Winter was the only time for books.  He liked the adventure books while Chastity liked the lurid romances.  His mother read the bible over and over as if she could somehow crack the code and talk to God directly.

Here, there were books on just about everything imaginable, plus a dozen different bibles.  His mother would have been confused as she claimed
her
book was the
only
book.  He slid out a book on trees, and Audrey turned around.

“Hello, is anybody there?” she asked.

Murphy tapped his axe.

“Phew!  I thought it was the Frisbee teens.  What do you have there?” she asked, moving closer.  “
The Blossom on the Bough: A Book of Trees
by Anne Ophelia Todd Dowden.  Would you like me to borrow this one?  I don’t think ghosts can get a library card,” Audrey informed him.  “Or you could have Ted order you a copy?”

Murphy weighed the decision and handed the book to Audrey.  By the time they left the nonfiction area, he had added two more books to her pile.

“You know Cid loves the library.  Have him take you when you finish reading these,” Audrey suggested.  “I’ll put a bug in his ear.”

Murphy was horrified that Audrey would put a bug in Cid’s ear. It was then that the realization hit him that it was an idiomatic expression.  He was learning all about them from Mia.  Idioms were second nature to her.

Audrey set the books on the checkout counter.  Miss Hodges looked up from a stack of books she had taken from the outdoor return bin.

“Is it too late to take these out?” Audrey asked.

Miss Hodges looked over the books and cocked her head to the side.  “These don’t seem to fit you, Miss McCarthy.”

“They’re for a friend.”

“I see.  I take it this friend doesn’t have a library card?”

“He doesn’t have the proper identification,” Audrey confessed.

Murphy lightly tapped the counter.

Miss Hodges sat up straight, her cheater glasses slid off her nose and lay dangling from the cord she attached the ends to.

“Miss Hodges, this is Stephen Murphy.  He exists on a different plane than we but can manipulate things. So, he can read, very similar to the man in the basement stacks,” Audrey explained.  “He’s here to help us communicate with ghosts and protect us too.  I don’t know what we would do without him.”

Murphy was taken aback by Audrey’s comment.

Miss Hodges took Audrey’s card and added the books to her account.  “Mister Murphy, you are to return these in two weeks.  If you need them longer, Miss McCarthy will have to renew them.  Do you understand?”

Murphy tapped his axe.

“Alright, then I hope you enjoy them.  I’d be interested to know what you think about the Dowden book.”  She set the books on the counter and tried not to gasp when they slid off into midair and headed out the front door.

“He’s probably putting them in the PEEPs truck.  He lives… well, not lives, he haunts the Martin farm.  Actually, it was his farm once upon a time.  Am I making any sense?” Audrey babbled.

“As much sense as can be made.  What a fascinating world we live in,” Miss Hodges exclaimed.

“Audrey, Burt is waiting in the conference room,” Ted said quietly in her ear.

“Miss Hodges, we are almost ready for you.  When you finish, meet us in the conference room, please.”

“I’ll be there in ten minutes,” she promised.

Audrey left and tried to walk ladylike even though she felt like skipping.

~

Mia scooted her chair closer to the table.  She and Mike flanked Ted.  Each had a few feeds to monitor.  Ted and Mike would have to depend on the fluctuations that the computer caught, unlike Mia who could see the paranormal events unfolding.  The trio sat armed with their steaming hot cups of coffee, snack cakes and alert eyes.

Ted brought up the meeting on the large center monitor.

Audrey started off the meeting.  “We’re here with Head Librarian Katherine Hodges.  We’re approximately halfway through our investigation, and we’ve decided to go a little off book and discuss our findings with Katherine to get her take on what we’ve discovered so far,” Audrey explained to the camera.

Cid brought up the footage of the reading room.  “I’m going to ask you to listen more than view this.  There is some movement, but the EVPs are more important for what we have to share with you.”

“What are EVPs?” Katherine asked.

“Electronic voice phenomenon,” Cid answered and then elaborated, “They are voices that are caught on electronic devices such as recorders and camcorders.  Most times, we can’t hear them in person, but the electronic devices pick them up.  This time, however, we heard them firsthand.”

“I see.”

“Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be,” Katherine said, displaying honest nerves.

Cid played the first sequence and stopped it after the first
HAM
was shouted.

“Oh my!  That’s exciting.”

“It gets better,” Cid said and played the whole thing.  “How many voices can you hear?”

“Besides yours, two.  Very young voices, pre K maybe,” Katherine guessed.

Audrey waited for this to sink in and then brought up the experiment.  “We decided to bring in an investigator who can communicate with the ghosts.  You won’t be able to see him, he stands out of frame,” she explained, more for the viewing audience than the librarian who just met Murphy a few moments ago.

Cid handed her a set of headphones, explaining, “We found that we could hear parts of the children’s conversation through this.  You can see Audrey holding the recording device in the film.”

Mia grabbed Ted’s arm.  “Two little faces looking in the conference room.  A boy and a girl,” she identified.

Ted whispered in the mic, “PEEPs, you have two little observers outside the room, looking at you through the glass.  The playback of the book reading must have attracted them, over.”

Mike check out the other feeds.  “The rest of the library looks quiet.”

Katherine sat back in her chair stunned.  “They’re waiting for their mother in the library?”

“We’re almost positive that we are dealing with Alice Marie and Greggy Jones.  They and their mother were in a car crash.  The children perished. Their mother was in a coma for some time but eventually recovered.  The children came here to wait for their mother instead of going into the light with their grandmother,” Audrey told her.  “The children want to know if it is alright if they stay here.”

“Why yes, is there anything I can do?” Katherine asked.

“Perhaps rotate a few Dr. Seuss books into the reader’s schedule.  The children don’t seem destructive, but you may have to remind them to pick up their toys every now and then,” Audrey advised.

“Gladly.  I’ll read to them before I leave in the evening. Would that be alright?”

Mia watched as the two children nodded their heads.  “Ted, tell Audrey the children are excited about her reading to them.”

Ted relayed the information.

“Katherine, Alice Marie and Greggy are looking forward to you reading to them,” Audrey said.

“And cut,” Burt said.  “We’ll take a break before we bring up the Frisbee boys.”

“Now you have me intrigued.  I take it you’ve caught the book tossers.”

Ted giggled.

Mia smiled.

“Grow up,” Mike said.

“But she said tossers,” Ted reminded them.

The evening progressed with filming the librarian’s reactions to the ghost encounters.  Katherine expressed a need to have the book tossing curtailed.  Audrey told her of her hunt to track down information on Tim Trebuchet and Gary Smith.

“We have a sensitive on staff who will talk to them if you wish?”

“Yes, please.  They are welcome to stay as long as they respect the books, otherwise they must move on,” she said firmly.

The old gentleman in the stacks was received well.

“It would be nice if he would venture upstairs.  The stacks can’t hold too many more books.  I may lose the war, and the books may be moved offsite to the warehouse.”

“That’s a shame but understandable,” Audrey commiserated.

“That’s all we have right now. Do you have any questions?” Cid asked.

“Yes, more of a curiosity.  You told the staff to stay out of the furnace room, and if not, to not go in there alone.  Why?”

Audrey nodded to Cid.  He handed her a mugshot of Chester Vogel and a copy of the newspaper article about finding the frozen man.

“We think that Mr. Vogel wasn’t homeless.  He was a felon who escaped police custody while being transported from Joliet prison to the courthouse.  Chester was a violent criminal.  He was an enforcer for a local loan shark.”

“Oh my!  What is he doing here?”

“We’re not exactly sure.  We think he’s attached to the place because he died here,” Audrey said.  “Tonight, we are going to question him.  We have a sensitive along so that there won’t be any misunderstandings.  He wasn’t happy we were here earlier, and I bet he’s not happy we’ve returned.”

“I think you need to move this character along too.  If he has no love of books, then he’s trespassing.  The children and Ronald Whitmore can stay as long as they want.  The teens, too, if they behave, but this one
has to go
,” she said firmly.

“We’ll do our best,” Audrey said.

“And cut,” Burt said and hefted the heavy camera off his shoulder.  “Excellent interview.  Katherine, I think we have some wonderful footage here.  You’re quite photogenic.”

Mia giggled.  “Burt’s flirting.”

“Hashtag, why he’s still single,” Mike said and yawned.  “I think I’m going to walk around before we start on the basement.  Anyone need anything from the corner store?”