Alexie Aaron - Checking Out

Mia laughed. “We’ll get you your steak as soon as we get this mess straightened out.”

“What happened in the room?” Cid prodded.

“Oh, yes, of course, the room,” Mia said, thinking a moment. “Not much else. We left the room and sought out the back stairs.”

“I didn’t know there was another set of stairs,” Burt admitted.

“In a house that size and age there would be servant stairs,” Mia informed him. “They are hidden, but they are there. We found the inn’s set across the hall from Mrs. Brewster’s room. We walked through a doorway to find ourselves on a landing that joined two sets of staircases. We didn’t want to invade the first floor just yet so we climbed the attic stairs. There we found a semi-floored attic that ran the width of the inn. Old furniture and cedar chests and trunks lined the walls. It was clean, free of rodents and insects. The trunks were unlocked, and I opened a few. I found old clothing and a lot of lace doilies. I was just about ready to abandon my snooping when Murphy opened the next chest. Inside we found your backpack, Burt. I pulled it out, and underneath there were bits and bobs from other guests, I imagine. Nothing valuable like jewelry, but the hostess seems to have a penchant for looting the bags of the guests, extracting sharp things like knitting needles, nail files, penknives and even a seam ripper.”

“Why?” Burt asked.

“I don’t know, but I would hazard a guess that she took away anything that could hurt the inn? Scratch the furniture or poke holes in the surly hostess?” Mia mused, looking at Murphy for his reaction. He held firmly to his axe. “Oh, that reminds me, she wasn’t too thrilled about Murphy’s axe until I told her it was a family heirloom.”

“Self-preservation,” Ted said. He handed Mia a refill of his special brew of coffee and chemicals. “If the hostess and the inn think they are alive then perhaps they don’t want to be hurt in any way. Perhaps they thought Burt and his gear bag of cameras and devices could destroy the mirage, lift the curtain, so to speak, and perhaps damage the reputation of the inn. Instead of being seen as a godsend…”

“It could be seen as a prison. A trap,” Burt said, rubbing his arms. “I don’t know when I ceased to be a guest and became a prisoner, but it wasn’t a pleasant feeling,” he admitted.

“I wonder if it tried to keep anyone else?” Cid asked.

“There weren’t any other spirits that Murphy or I could detect. But it doesn’t mean the inn didn’t try and was unsuccessful. We may find a charnel house of bones when the mask is whisked away,” Mia said.

“Ten points Slytherin and a Bella Lugosi award!” Ted announced. “You may be my love, but you’re creeping me out,” he complained.

“And you call yourself a ghost hunter,” Mia scoffed. She looked at Burt and at Cid. She saw their pale complexions and thought she may have gone a bit too far.

Murphy mouthed, “Wimps.”

“What happened next?” Cid asked.

“We decided to venture down the stairs which brought us just outside the kitchen. We faced an exterior door, a prep room of some kind. There were deep sinks and herbs hanging from a clothesline. We heard two people talking in the kitchen and stayed out of sight until we determined that they were Millie and Paul. We walked in. Paul seemed happy to see us there. Millie was put out and told us, ‘No guests in the kitchen!’ We nodded and walked through and exited into the dining room where we found Mike having a spirited conversation with Mrs. Brewster while Audrey took covert photos and readings of the room.”

“Our Mike’s a charmer,” Cid said. “He could charm a sheet off a ghost.”

CRACK!

“Sorry, dude, just a saying. No offence intended.”

Murphy seemed appeased so Mia continued, “We moved quietly through the room and almost made it, had my partner in crime not stopped to admire the Birdseye Maple paneling. ‘What are you two doing out of your room?’ Mrs. Brewster bellowed. I told her, ‘We aren’t errant children. We are guests of this establishment and should be treated as such.’ She countered that since she owned the establishment she would determine how we were treated and whether we would continue to enjoy her hospitality. That’s when Murphy got us kicked out.”

“How?” Ted asked surprised.

“He took his axe and dragged it along the cherry dining table, cutting a deep gash into the wood.”

“You didn’t!” Burt gasped.

Murphy smiled wide, showing how proud he was of his actions.

“He not only did that but cleaved an end table in two for good measure,” Mia reported. “Mrs. Brewster picked up a chair and threw it at us, nearly decapitating Audrey in the process. ‘Get out, get out!’ she screamed. The floor of the inn started buckling under us as we ran for the front door. It flew open, and we escaped by diving off the porch before the witch made the lobby. The funny thing was, we landed in a field of summer wheat. I was so surprised that I got up and backed out of the ley line, pulling Murphy after me.”

The three investigators looked from Mia to Murphy and back again speechless.

“We did, however, bring you back a souvenir. Show them Murphy,” Mia instructed.

Murphy walked to the end of the truck and jumped off. He returned quickly, pushing Burt’s backpack before him. Burt and Cid only saw the backpack float out of the darkness of the night, land on the truck bed and move towards them.

Burt walked over and tried to pick it up. “Either I’ve lost a lot of muscle or the pack is much heavier than I remembered,” he said as he struggled to get it to the console table. Ted managed to move the keyboard just in time as Burt lost hold and the pack fell on the table, spilling the contents out on the surface.

“We brought back the other items in the cedar chest. Figured that perhaps we could locate a few of the owners…” Mia led.

“And perhaps they would tell their story on camera,” Burt murmured. He looked over at Mia happily. “Bravo! You two are A number one investigators.” He walked over and hugged Mia and requested, “Point me to that rascal.” Mia did, and Burt held out his hand to Murphy. “A job well done, sir.”

Murphy reached out with a solid hand and shook Burt’s.

“Of course some of the booty could belong to corpses,” Mia hissed in Ted’s ear as she passed by him.

He turned around and shook his finger at her.

Mike and Audrey followed Mrs. Brewster into the lobby. They were amazed by the rage their hostess displayed. Sure, they understood it, but the depth of the hatred was unnerving.

“Never in all my years of inn keeping have I had an incident like this,” Mrs. Brewster claimed, shutting the door firmly, but not before Audrey caught sight of fireflies.

Audrey walked towards the windows of the parlor but found the curtains had been closed to the night. To open them to look out could possibly alert Mrs. Brewster that they weren’t just guests to be entertained.

“I’m sure, Amelia, that’s the last we’ll see of those two,” Mike said, trying to calm the woman before she turned on them.

“It’s been such an unsettling few days,” their hostess admitted. “First Mr. Hicks and all his snooping around, and then the Murphys…”

“Mr. Hicks?” Audrey asked. “I don’t believe we’ve met this gentleman yet.”

“He’s been asked to stay in his room. Can’t have him stealing the silver while we sleep now can we?” Mrs. Brewster said crisply.

“Speaking of sleep, I think I’ll head upstairs. Coming, dear?” Audrey asked Mike.

“I’ll follow you up soon. I think I should wait down here a few minutes just to make sure we’ve seen the last of the Murphys.”