The Old House (Haunted Series Book 16) (21 page)

“Mark, there are no promises,” Cid began.  “The first thing we need to do is to assess the house and the situation inside and whether the house wants to and can be moved.  Sometimes, Mark, a house dies, but parts of it can be introduced into another house or many houses.  This way the house can find other families to nurture.  Do you want us to honestly look into this house or leave it be?”

Mark frowned but nodded.  “I think it’s time.”

“Would you like to be lead on this?” Burt asked.  “You found the haunt. You get to call the shots.”

Mark opened his eyes real wide.  “Ah, no. Could you do it, Burt?”

“Okay, I’ll be lead on this investigation.  I’d like to get set up for an afternoon run tomorrow.  I want, you Mark, Sam, if you want to be part of this, Mike and Mia to be first to enter the building.  Murphy, I want you to stand by just in case we face an unfriendly crowd.  I’ll film the initial walkthrough.  After, I’d like Mike and Audrey to do interviews.  Audrey, I’ll want you and Cid to do a perimeter walk on film.  Point out the architectural details.  Smart talk about old buildings.  You two are our experts.  Ted, of course, you’ll keep us communicating.  Set up a few trap cameras in addition to the others.  I have it on good authority that there is a defunct ley line west of the house.  Mark, you may have walked through it on your way to the pond.”

“Is it the thick air?” he asked.

Mia nodded.  “That’s what it feels like to a sensitive.  It’s kind of shimmery, especially when it’s foggy out.”

“Whoa,” Ted said.  “What if the house was built from trees that grew on the line?”

“It would have a natural power,” Mia mused.  “Mark, I think you found a rare haunt for us to investigate.  Bravo!”  Mia walked over and high-fived Mark.  “It also explains how it got into your mind.”

“Anything else to discuss?” Burt asked the group.

Mia raised her hand.

“Mia?” Burt asked, flabbergasted by her raised hand.

“There is another soul who seems to need our help.”  She explained the situation of the Native American and her and Murphy’s suspicions.  “We have a few days until he can lead us either into a trap or to his remains.”

“I think that we can look into that too,” Burt said confidently.  “Either way, we will have another investigation to film.  Okay, anything else?  No, then, Mark, Sam, we’d like to invite you to party with us tonight.  The first annual PEEPs party at Wolf’s Head Lake.”

Mia looked at Ted and grinned.

Ted rolled his eyes and went with it.  “The water is warm.  There are floats in the boathouse.  Cid’s on kitchen duty.  Let’s all go out and enjoy ourselves because tomorrow we have to put on our big boy pants and be professionals.”

Mia walked over to Audrey and waited for her to secure her papers and laptop.  “Let’s go and find where Glenda has taken my child.”

“She was rather breezy when she arrived,” Audrey said, worried.

“She has good instincts, even plowed.  At the wedding, she won four hundred and fifty dollars, and I never saw her glass empty,” Mia reported.

“Ah, to live the life of Glenda,” Audrey sighed.

Mia opened the back door.  “Come on, let’s get some distance from Super Ears and his buddy Eavesdropper,” Mia suggested.  She looked at the ground and saw the grooves from the stroller.  “I think Glenda went that way.”

“Matt and I had a fight. A big one,” Audrey said, opening up.

“It wasn’t about coming here? Because you don’t have to be here. I’ll cover…”

“No, it happened days before.  This is a great opportunity to put space between us.”

“Oh dear.”

“First, before I lay this on you, how’s your bump in the road?”

“Thanks to all of you, the road hasn’t just been paved over, but excavated and rebuilt stronger than before.  I really feel connected here,” Mia touched her heart, “to Ted.  At the ski resort, I managed to break the Cooper curse and set myself and Murphy free of each other.”

“So you were joined by a curse?  Of course, Murphy was your first love.  How romantic.”

Mia raised an eyebrow.  “Romantic?  How would you like to be in love with a walking corpse?”

“I understand he’s very handsome and gallant and…”

“Murphy,” Mia finished.  “He and I are better this way.  Now, stop stalling. Tell me what happened to make you so sad?”

“He asked me to marry him.”

“Whoa, I’m a bit confused.  I know I’m a bit of a social misfit, but I was over the moon when Ted asked me.”

“I was too, but then came the conditions.”

“Uh oh, tell me.”

“He’d like me to stop working.  Mia, I built that business from nothing.  I love my work.  He wants me to only consult with PEEPs from the safety of his house, and I’m not sure I can let go of the chase.”

“The chase can get you killed.  I’ve been dead a few times,” Mia said.

“So? What a way to go!”

Mia lifted an eyebrow.  “And they call me an adrenalin-junkie.”

Audrey stopped walking and gripped Mia by the shoulders.  “When I was brought into PEEPs, it was the best thing to ever happen to me.  Through our work, I’ve been able to lose the fear that my abusive ex instilled in me.  I found that I have a brain, and I can trust my instincts.  We do good things.  All my life, I’ve let myself be cowed.  First by my education - those nuns can be fierce - and later by a man who wanted to control me.  Matt’s doing the same thing.”

“He’s not hitting you?” Mia said, clenching her fists.

“No!  Oh my, don’t get me wrong.  Not with his fists, with his wishes.  I get the feeling that I’m the end of a checklist.”

“Um, you’re going to have to explain that.”

“He has his career, his home, and a ghost.  All he needs is someone who understands all of those things and a couple of children.  List completed.”

“Men think of things differently, Audrey.  He seems so taken with you.”

“But he’s not in love with me, and honestly, I’m not there yet either.”

“Maybe you two need more time,” Mia suggested.

“Mia, I don’t have time.  I want children too.  I’m not getting any younger and…”

“You can adopt, freeze your eggs, go to Judy for a refresh,” Mia said.  “Don’t toss this relationship away before you’re sure.  Of course, it’s backwards to what I did.  I’m a horrible example and shouldn’t be giving you advice.  There’s a woman with much more experience to talk to.”

“My mother wants a grandchild and a doctor in the family.  She’s rather biased.”

“I was thinking of Glenda.  She’s blunt.  She’ll tell you how it is.  All I can say is that you deserve someone who adores you.  Someone who loves you, warts and all.  He has to be brave and smart.”

“It all comes back to Alan, doesn’t it?” Audrey said suspiciously.  “You always wanted us together, Mia.  Don’t deny it.”

“Unfortunately, yes, but I wasn’t thinking of anyone in particular.  All I know is that I have a husband who thinks that tattooed feathers moving on my skin is erotic. He put up with the Murphy thing, the Mike thing, the Burt thing, the Whitney thing… Oh my god, the man deserves a medal.  What I’m trying to say is that you need to take the time to discover if Matt’s the man for you or if your man is somewhere out there.  Don’t move too quickly.  Get Matt to understand that you need time.  Think about what is really important to you and what you can’t compromise.”

“Strangely, Mia, you’re making a lot of sense.”

“Surprised myself too,” Mia admitted.  “I love you, Audrey.  I want the best for you, but I also know you need to make that decision on your own.  I’ll always be here to rejoice with you or pick up the pieces.”

“Thank you, Mia.  I’ll give it some time, and I’ll consult with Madam Dupree later.  Speak of the devil, there she is, and she’s got a friend.”

Mia nodded.  “That’s Mark’s grandmother, Edie.”

They waited for the women on the side of the road.

“Look who we found,” Glenda said joyfully.  “Mark’s grandma.”

Edie extended her hand to Audrey who introduced herself.

“Your grandson is a very articulate, smart young man,” Audrey said.  “He held his own at the meeting.  You’ve done quite well with him.”

“That would be my daughter and son-in-law’s doing.  I’m just around for spoiling.”

“We’ve adjourned our meeting and have set up the investigation for tomorrow, so the others have started to party.  Would you care to join us?”

“Oh, as long as I can bring something.  Let me see, I’ve got some snacks in the freezer I could bake up.”

“Any food would be welcomed.  I’ve got a house full of PEEPs,” Mia said.

“I’ve heard that.  Glenda has been telling me a few of your adventures.  She’s very proud of her son.”

“We all are,” Audrey said.

Mia looked at Audrey a moment, stunned, but realized that she was being cordial.  “Mike is very special,” Mia added quickly.  “He’s one of a kind.”

“Ooh ooh,” Brian said, pointing down the street.

Mia looked over to see Murphy heading into the trees.  He tipped his hat at Mia and disappeared.  “Murphy’s checking things out, Brian.  How would you like to go swimming?”

Brian clapped his hands.

“I guess that’s a yes,” Mia said.

~

Mia emerged from the bedroom in a one piece swimsuit.  Audrey handed her Brian so she could change.  They entered the kitchen to see Cid happily planning a barbecue with Sam.

“I didn’t know we had a grill,” Mia said.

“Ted built one out of stuff he found in the boathouse,” Sam said, impressed.  “I sent Mark to get my charcoal and grill set.  You’re married to a smart fella.”

“I am.  He tells me that often.”

“He’s not the smartest one, Mia.  My test scores were higher,” Cid told her.

“In verbal, which surprises me, considering how much my husband talks,” Mia said.  “We’re going for a swim.  Leave that, and join us.”

“In a few minutes.  Sam is giving me his whiskey glaze recipe.”

“Whiskey? We don’t have…  Glenda has - okay, I’m on the right page now.”

Audrey came out of the bedroom.  “I’m ready when you are,” she said.

“Well, this is us, out of here,” Mia said, grabbing a few cookies on her way out the door.

Ted watched his wife arrive with Audrey and Brian.  The males who had congregated on the dock with drinks in hand were watching too.  Burt had a wistful look on his face.  Was it for Ted’s wife or Audrey?  Mike openly leered and let out a whistle which embarrassed Mark beside him. Mike pretended that Mark was the guilty party and said, “Shame on you, they are old enough to…”

“Watch it, Dupree,” Mia warned.

This had started the Mia, Mike war.  Ted, Burt, and Mark watched as Mike got up and set his beer down.

“I’m watching it, Cooper.  Nice of you to bring it out for all to see.  I don’t see any judges though.”

Mia handed Brian to Audrey, her mind calculating the distance to the idiot at the end of the dock from where she now stood.  She could push him with her mind, but that was a waste of her powers.  Plus, she didn’t want to scare the hell out of Mark.  She ignored Mike and casually walked onto the dock.  She leaned down to Mark and asked, “Are you enjoying yourself?”

“Yes.”

“How deep is it at the end of the dock?” Mia asked in a whisper.

“Ten feet.”

“K.”

Mia turned and looked at Ted, smiled wildly and waved.

He knew that look.  He nodded his assent.

Mia spun around, took off running and knocked Mike off the end of the dock into the water.

She dusted off her hands while she waited for him to emerge, which he did, sputtering.  She calmly walked down the dock and over to Ted.

“Oh no, I’m not defending you,” he said, laughing.

Mia spun around to see Mike barreling out of the water.  She took off running.  He caught her at the street.  He picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder.  Mia was wriggling and kicking, but Mike had a firm hold on her.  He walked past his mother.  “Nice day for a swim, Ma.”

“Dupree, okay, you’ve proven you’re the he-man.  You can let me down now.  Murphy!”

“He’s not going to save you, doll,” Mike said, walking into the water.  He picked Mia up as if she was a piece of driftwood and tossed her in, receiving applause from everyone, including Murphy who was there in seconds.

Mia didn’t come up.  It wasn’t until Mike’s legs were taken out from under him that Ted released his breath.  Mia pulled Mike a few feet before she popped out of the water, taking a deep breath before swimming away from the investigator searching wildly for her.

Ted walked over to Audrey.  “I’m not sure who to root for?  On one hand, Mia’s been asking for a good dunking all week, but Mike was rather rude.  Burt’s having such a good time that I’d hate to break this up.  Murphy, what’s your take on the subject?”

“Children.”

“I say, let them drown each other and get it out of their systems,” Glenda said, arriving with a pitcher, full of gin and tonic, and plastic glasses.  She handed Mark a Dr. Pepper, telling him, “Save your liver, kid.”