The Old House (Haunted Series Book 16) (9 page)

“Mia, if I don’t make it, don’t marry Mike.”

“I don’t intend to,” Mia said.  “There’s not going to be anyone after you, Ted.  I’ve had the best of the best. Any other man is going to be a disappointment.”

Ted smiled sadly.  “You need to be loved.”

“And that’s why you’re not going to give up on me.  You should have let me take care of you first!” Mia scolded.  “How dare you do this to me?”

Murphy arrived, and while Mia kept Ted distracted, she slid the sword under Ted and motioned to Murphy what had to be done.  The metal of the angel sword moved evenly through the metal without jarring Ted too much.  Mia tenderly lifted the leg, putting a trauma pack under the entrance wound and taped it.  Together, she and Murphy moved him to the litter and took him topside.

Mia pulled the shield out of the mechanism and allowed the doors to close.  She heard a winding sound and a couple of thunks.  She hoped the doors had locked, but no one in their team would be walking over that spot anytime soon.  There was a door in the bar that exited to the outside.  They would, when ready, leave through there.  Until then, Mia would continue to nurse her husband.

Mia tossed Mike his jeans which she’d used to pad the litter.  There was a bloodstain running down one leg.  He put them on without a comment.

“That was genius, Dupree.  I’m so impressed that I’m going to have sex with you right here,” Mia said.

“Wait,” Ted said, lifting his hand to object.  “I’m not dead yet.”

“Oh, sorry.  Can you wait, Mike?”

“I’m a little busy anyway. Can I have a raincheck?”

“Sure.”

Audrey was at a loss for words.  She knew why the two of them were flirting.  They were trying to distract Ted from fixating on how serious his condition was.  It was an improvisation that was beyond her talents.

Audrey was impressed with how Cid was mending.  Whatever Mia did seemed to set him on course.  Burt was also showing signs of being able to sit up.  His leg was still encased in the temporary cast.

“Mia, did you bring the shotgun?” Burt asked.

“No, I didn’t want to take a chance and spoil all this new decorating,” she said.

“Do we have any weapons besides your sword and Murphy’s axe?”

Mia shook her head.  She looked over and asked the PEEPs camera, “Jake, inventory what Ted brought, and see if you can Frankenstein anything, please.”

The camera light blinked twice.

“I brought Curly,” Ted whispered.

“You’re a genius.  I think we can make use of him.  Mike, do you think we can hole up in the lobby, or should we gather the equipment in here?

“I’m not nerdy enough to answer that,” Mike confessed.  “Cid, Ted, Burt?”

“The lobby is too open.  Too many windows and doors,” Burt said.

“If you guys are going to move the stuff, you better do it soon,” Ted said.  “We don’t, as of yet, know who or what we’re dealing with.  Remember to get the second generator.  I’m surprised that Jake is still functioning; the first generator is running on fumes.”

Murphy pried the counter piece off the bar.  Mia and Audrey carried it into the hall where they slid it over the trapdoor.  The lobby was twenty feet down the hall from the trapdoor.  Ted had the equipment set up on the near wall.  Murphy went in first and tapped out his okay.  Mia and Mike ran in and tossed as much as they could into two of the black transportation boxes and pulled them into the bar before returning for the rest of the gear.  Audrey stayed with the invalids.

Once the lobby had been emptied of PEEPs gear, Mia pulled the large piece of polished wood away from the trapdoor.  She, instead, placed it just inside the bar to discourage anyone from trying to sneak in via the hallway.  By the time they were finished, both Mia and Mike were exhausted.

Audrey had climbed up and pulled the cable out of the security camera on Ted’s insistence.  If they were dealing with humans, then they didn’t need them spying on the PEEPs.  She went over the information she had gathered on the Nowicki clan.  They seemed like a very industrious, large Polish family.  The original Cyryl Nowicki immigrated with the canal diggers prior to WWI.  He purchased what was thought to be an untamable, steep-hilled hundred acres of land.  The father started off with sheep, letting them graze.  His son Junior leased the land to an hotelier from Switzerland.  Together, they built the ski resort.  They made quite a profit from the rich Chicagoans who didn’t have the time to venture to the ski resorts in New England.  Junior’s son invested the money well, and when the ski cliental went west, they shut down the hotel but held on to the land.  Junior’s grandson, the fourth Cyryl Nowicki, led a life of idleness until his mother died.  Cyryl the Third remarried, and the second wife produced twin boys.

“Mike, you said that it was Cyryl Nowicki that threatened you?” Audrey asked.

“Actually, it was Mia he threatened.  The ID the security guys pulled confirmed that. Why?”

“I’m just trying to put the pieces together.  How did this go from a paranormal investigation to a hostage situation?” Audrey asked.

“It’s more than that,” Mia stressed.  “You were intended to disappear forever investigating, and I was to be driven nuts, furthering the rumors of the property being unsuitable for people, especially families, to stay here.  This Cyryl wants his property back, and he wants it badly enough to kill for it.  If we find out why it’s suddenly become so valuable to him, then we will have most of our questions answered.”

“That pit you found us in, it wasn’t a natural cavern,” Burt said.  “The iron beams reminded me of old mines.  Possibly, it collapsed at one point.”

“It doesn’t explained the rebar-reinforced cement,” Ted said

“But couldn’t the cement be from the foundation of the hotel?” Cid asked.

“That’s a better answer.  Maybe it was a basement that collapsed into the mine,” Burt said.  “Could be an old mine that still contains something valuable.”

“Gold, maybe silver?” Audrey guessed.

“Not here,” Burt said.  “It’s not impossible but highly unlikely.  I’m thinking something that is quickly disappearing in the United States.”

“Copper,” Ted answered.  “It’s an old copper mine.  It probably was too expensive to run when copper was plentiful, but now that it’s scarce…”

“They tried to kill us over pennies?” Cid questioned.

“And wire,” Ted reminded him.  “It cost us a fortune to wire the extension on the farmhouse because of the shortage.”

Mia didn’t like the way her husband was looking.  She felt his forehead, and her worries were confirmed.  “Ted, you’re burning up.  An infection has set in.  I don’t think we can wait to be rescued.  That rebar has to come out now.”

“But, Minnie Welby MD, you’ve never operated on anyone before,” Ted said nervously.

“No, but we don’t have another choice,” Mia said.  “We don’t even have access to the internet at this point.  I’m going to have to give myself over to a mage, Ted.”

“Don’t. As it is, you’re already showing signs of birdman.  The more you use it, the more the gene takes hold,” he reminded her.  “Mia, I want you to have a choice.”

“Ted, my freedom isn’t worth it if something happens to you.  Don’t you see? Without you, there is no me,” she said softly.  “Let me do this for you.  You’ve shared and sacrificed for me.  It’s my turn now.”

Ted grabbed her hand.  “I can’t talk you out of this?”

Mia looked into Ted’s eyes, and this told him there would not be any further discussion.  Mia had already summoned the mage.

“Audrey, I need the highest grade alcohol you can find, some sterile dressings, and…” Mia listed the items she needed.  She would use her own knife.  She handed it to Murphy.  “Please sharpen this.”

Mike helped Mia move Ted to the sturdy banquette table after washing it down with eighty proof gin.  Audrey found some tablecloths still in the laundry packaging.

“They bleach this stuff to remove the stains and keep it white,” Audrey reasoned.  “They are as sterile as we can get.”

The remaining items in the trauma kit would have to do.  Mia needed something to suture the entrance and exit wounds.  Ted pulled out a small spool of wire and handed it to Mia.  She looked at it and handed it to Audrey who cut it into manageable lengths, dipping them in the gin.

When all was ready, Mia walked over and spoke to Murphy.  “Once I start, I can’t stop.  You have to protect us.  I need Mike and Audrey to hold Ted down.  You’re our army, Murph,” Mia said.  “Cid has more energon cubes.  Do not wait to draw power.  Better to be overstimulated than to be less effective,” she counseled.

“You can count on me, Mia,” he promised.

Mia nodded and walked away.  She pulled off her gloves and washed her hands before pulling on the plastic gloves Audrey had found.  Mia stood a moment and closed her eyes.  “Please send me help,” she asked.  “My life for his,” she promised.

“What do you mean we can’t see anything?” Cyryl asked as he entered the security building.

“When you had us turn off the electricity, we lost the cameras,” Ray told him.

“What about the jammer’s generator?” he asked.

“You turn off the jammer, and that woman will be able to call for help.  Besides, the generator can’t handle the system.”

“There’s the one powering the sound effects…” Ray started.

“Nah, let’s keep that going.  We’ve got a day and a half to drive her over the edge.  “I want you two to guard the exit routes, just in case she makes a run for it.”

“That pretty little thing, maybe she needs cuddling,” Carl said.

“There’s no time for that kind of stuff,” Cyryl insisted.

“It might push her over the edge,” Ray said.  “We could crawl in with her in the dark.  She’d probably think we were ghosts.  As long as we don’t leave no evidence.”

“No!” Cyryl pulled out his gun and pointed it at Ray.  “There will be none of that on my watch.”

“Look who’s taking the high road.  You’ve got five deaths on your hands already,” Carl said.

“I may be a murderer, but I’m not a rapist.  You leave that woman alone.  Get your mind back on your jobs.  Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, sir.”

~

Mia placed the gauze over the wound.  The wire would allow the injury to drain.  Mia placed her hand on Ted’s forehead, pleased to feel that his body temperature had returned to near normal.  At the beginning of the operation, Ted had passed out.  The amount of alcohol Mike had him drink would have him sleeping for quite a while yet.  Mia took a deep breath as the mage left her.  She walked over to the bar and poured herself a drink.  Murphy had moved to her and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.  She looked sadly at her friend and shrugged her shoulders.

Cid looked at her, worried.  He couldn’t help but hear Ted’s and her conversation earlier.  He knew Mia, and he knew that she’d sacrificed a lot to stabilize him and Burt.  He could only imagine what operating on Ted had cost her.  She was dead on her feet.  None of them were up for the long night ahead of them.

Mia walked back, drew up a chair, and put her head down on the table top next to Ted’s.  Mike had raided the linen closet. He unfolded a blanket and started putting it around Mia’s bare shoulders.  He stopped and stared at something.  He pulled down the back of Mia’s tank.

“What’s this?” he asked, tracing his finger on the black feathers.

“My payment,” she said before she pulled the blanket over her shoulders and fell asleep.

Cid motioned for Mike to come over to where he was setting up the computer.  “What’s going on with Mia?” he asked.

“She’s got a rad tattoo on her back just like Angelo’s,” Mike said.  “Poor kid.”

“It could be her destiny,” Cid said.

“You know that this destiny will probably end up destroying her,” Mike said.

“It doesn’t have to.  If her friends are supportive, she’ll adjust better.  Her greatest fear is losing our regard.  She loves us like family,” Cid insisted.

“I can’t help but wonder if she would have been better off if Burt and I had never gone over to April’s that fateful day,” Mike said.

Audrey walked over after checking on Burt.

“If it’s okay, I’m going to try and get some sleep.  I’m dead on my feet,” she said.

“That’s not a bad idea,” Mike said.  “I think I’ll catch some Zs while things are still calm.”

“Murphy and I will take first watch,” Cid said.

~

“There’s a light on in the hotel bar,” Carl reported.  “She must have found a flashlight.  I thought you went through the supply closets and took them all?” he asked Cyryl.

“Maybe she had it on her.  She was in her room when we started the slamming doors,” he reminded the men.

“Ah, she’s probably getting a snoot full.  Dutch courage, my ma used to call it,” Carl informed them.

“Seems racist,” Ray commented.

“Now look who’s gone all PC,” Carl said.  “My ma was a bit of a racist,” he admitted.

“Are you two through?” Cyryl asked.  “We’ve got to set up the chick’s next scare.  I’m thinking of rattling some chains.”

“She’s a ghost hunter; that’s not going to fool her.”

“Fake ghost hunter.  They’re all fakes.”

“Cyryl, that bar is haunted.  I saw what
whatever’s
in there did to the bartender.”

“Well then, maybe we’ll leave the resident ghosts to take care of our problem for us.  Anyone for a game of chance?” he said, pulling a deck of cards out of the desk drawer.

“Not using Carl’s marked cards,” Ray said.  “There’s a fresh pack in the bottom drawer.”

“These are marked?” Cyryl asked, holding one to the light.  “They look harmless to me.”

“Well, appearances can be deceiving,” Carl said and pointed out the slight change on the back of each card.  “No one expects the obvious anymore.  Just like no one would imagine that under that hotel is a fortune in copper.”

“Or that a whole group of ghost hunters would perish inside of it,” Cyryl said slyly.  “After this weekend and the bad press to follow, the Corporation is going to beg me to take the ski resort off their hands.”

~

Mia opened her eyes, momentarily confused by where she was.  She lifted her head and rubbed her neck as she studied the face before her.  Ted wouldn’t win any contests with his looks, but Mia loved every freckle.  She rarely got a chance to study his sleeping face.  The Ted she lived with was animated all the time.  He only slept after she fell asleep and woke most times before her.

Mia put her hand to his forehead and was pleased to find that the fever had broken.  She lifted the blanket off, and aside from some seepage, the sutures she’d fastened out of the wire were holding.  They wouldn’t be comfortable and would hurt like hell to remove, but for right now they would have to do.

“What’s up, Doc?” Ted asked.

Mia pull the blanket back and leaned over her husband.  “You’re going to live.  I’ll have to cancel my wedding to Dupree, again.”

“Sorry to put you out, pumpkin.”

Mia leaned over and kissed Ted tenderly.  “I’m sure you could do with a dose of pain reliever.”

“Could, but don’t.  I need to keep this brain functioning.  Jake may have a plan forming, but he’s going to need me to execute it.”

“You’re not getting up.”

“Can I sit up?”

“Yes, as long as you don’t move around too much.  Let me wake Mike to help you off the table.”

Ted caught her hand.  “Not just yet.  Mia, I know the sacrifice you made for me, for us. I wanted you to know that, even if you turn into a goose, I’ll still love you.”

“Gee, that’s good to know.  A goose… I never thought of that,” Mia said, visibly concerned.  “As long as I’m not a chicken.”

Mia looked around the room.  Between her and Murphy, they had destroyed the once beautiful mahogany bar.  The back of the taps were exposed to the room, as were the sink and small refrigerators.  The tables had been moved out of the center of the room.  Cid had assembled the computer station in the corner booth where Richard had spent so much time.  Burt was poring over some blueprints in the booth next to Cid.  Mike and Audrey had laid claim to the long banquettes against opposite walls.  Mia hated to disturb Mike, but the sooner she got Ted off the table, the safer he would be.

Mia gently laid her hand on the investigator.  She intended to shake him, but instead, she read his sleeping form.  He had two broken ribs and a large mass of bruising that was impeding his left lung.  Mia gently pulled the covers down and pulled up his shirt.  She carefully moved her hand over the broken ribs and started them mending.  Next, she took her fingers and gently swirled them along the bruising.  She smiled as the angry purple and blue turned into an ugly yellow brown.

Mike giggled and opened his eyes.  “Mia, what are you doing?”

“Stuff,” she said and moved her hand lower.

Mike caught her hand.  “Mia, I assure you all is well in that direction.”

“It’s your funeral,” she said, stopping.

“It will be both our funerals if Ted sees where you were going,” Mike hissed.

“Ted’s awake.  Can you help me to get him off the table and over to the booth?  I’d ask Cid, but I suspect he’s not strong enough yet.”

Mike sat up.  “Sure.  Do you think there’s a coffee machine somewhere in that mess?” he asked.

“I imagine so.  I’ll look after we move Ted,” Mia promised.

“How are you doing? You must be exhausted.”

“Oh, I’m feeling it a bit.  I’ve asked my body to do things it’s never done before.”

“Oh, I love it when you talk dirty to me, Cooper,” Mike teased.  He got to his feet and took a deep breath, surprised that his sides no longer hurt so much.  “You do good work.”

“I’m afraid I can’t completely heal you.  Time is going to do that,” she said.  “Speaking of time, I wonder, what time is it?  My cell’s dead.”  Mia held the phone up and shook it before jamming it back into her pocket.

“I’d say it’s time to get a watch,” Mike said, looking at his wrist.  “Five thirty A.M.”

There was a rumble of thunder in the distance and the sound of rain hitting the high stained-glass windows of the bar.

“Damn, I was hoping to get down the hill before the sun came up,” she said.  “Maybe at the height of the storm, I’ll try it.”

“No you won’t,” Mike said.  “Too dangerous, and I need you here.  I can’t defend this crew by myself.”

“Murphy…”

“Murphy will insist on going with you.  Give us a few hours to plan.  With the minds in this room, I’m sure we’ll figure something out that doesn’t include risking our biggest asset.”

Mia wanted to argue with him but found, she didn’t really want to go out into the pouring rain.

Together, they moved Ted off the table, and Mike assisted him over to the corner booth.  He slid in beside Cid who looked up at the three through bloodshot eyes.

“Time for you to get some shuteye,” Mike insisted.

“I will after I update Ted on what’s what,” Cid promised.

Mia left them in order to hunt for a coffee machine, and upon finding it, she was pleased to discover that John had a large store of coffee and bar snacks in the cupboard underneath the coffee station.  Mia set up two pots, one with normal coffee and one that Ted would appreciate.  She found a box of instant creamer and sugar packets.  She poured the regular coffee in a carafe and grabbed some mugs.  For Ted, she did her best to supercharge a large mug with sugar and creamer before pouring in the super-strong brew.  Lifting the tray, she made her way to the working PEEPs.

Burt watched Mia cross the room with the heavily-laden tray.  She would never be graceful, but she was strong.  She set her tray down in front of him.

“Coffee?”

“Please.”  He was about to tell her what he wanted in his coffee when she automatically put the right amount of everything in, and as if she was reading his mind, she said, “There are some things I’ll never forget.”

“Thank you, Mia, me too.”

Mia walked over to what she called the geek booth.  “Okay, nerds, here’s something to keep you awake.”

Ted smiled as he tasted what Mia created, having had to make do with the instant creamer.  She handed him some painkillers.  “Chase them with the coffee.  You’re going to need them.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Ted said and tried to wait Mia out, but she wouldn’t leave until he took the pills.  She even had the audacity to have him open his mouth to make sure he swallowed the pills.

She walked over to where Mike had settled himself and slid in the booth with the remaining coffee.  The two of them sat in companionable silence for a while.

“You’ve got feathers on your back,” Mike said finally.

“I’m sure they’ll fade as soon as I learn to control things.  Now these,” Mia said, taking off a glove and holding out her wrist to display the two black feathers on the underside, “aren’t going anywhere.”

“What are they?”

“Scribe feathers.  They identify my family.  My grandfather is Orion.”

“I bet that came as a surprise.”

“Yup.  You see, the facts are that you and Burt coming to the hollow didn’t start anything that wasn’t going to happen anyway, so put those fears away.  As Popeye was fond of saying, ‘I yam what I yam and that’s alls that I yam.’”

“But, Mia, you’re so much more.  Don’t forget that the best part of you is your ability to forgive and see things from the perspective of all creatures, big and small.”

“Thank you, that was very kind.  Any idea on how we’re going to get out of this situation?”

“Once we get the geek squad to get around to providing us with good info and backup, I think that we need to go on the offensive.  I figure the only reason they haven’t come in and shot us is that they are under the incorrect assumption that you are the only one left alive.  The storm that is approaching will keep them occupied for a while, but after it lets up, they are coming to hurt you, Mia.  We need to be prepared for them.  How long until our injured can safely be moved?”