Alexie Aaron - Checking Out

“It’s your funeral.” Mia went into the kitchenette and started a fresh pot of coffee. She knew Audrey would appreciate her efforts after driving all day.

Audrey pulled into the drive, minding Ted’s warning. The back tires slid a bit, but soon she was advancing up the drive. She saw, to her right, Maggie bounding down the hillside. The dog had grown so much in the last few months. Gone were the papers that lined the farmhouse floor. The furniture had survived but was a bit scarred by the gnawing she had done bringing in her adult teeth. She wasn’t the best behaved dog, but she was a sweetheart all the same. Audrey always brought her a treat.

Maggie barked as she spotted Audrey’s car. Murphy looked down and nodded. He watched as Maggie jumped through the drifts until she found the path she had made on the way up the hill.

He laughed as she skidded when she hit an icy patch and her bottom slid sideways. Ghosts didn’t have a problem with ice. Weather didn’t seem to bother them at all. Sure, lightning fouled up the senses at times, but all-in-all, Murphy was impervious to the elements.

“There you are!” Audrey said, greeting the snow covered, wet fur ball masquerading as a dog. She opened her purse and pulled out a rawhide bone. Maggie sat down as Cid had trained her and waited until Audrey placed it near her mouth before taking it. “You are such a good girl,” Audrey said in a voice she reserved for dogs and small children.

Maggie shook off the clinging snow and looked over her shoulder at someone Audrey couldn’t see.

Audrey smiled. “Hello, Stephen, how are your trees handling the snow?”

“Fine.”

Audrey was pleased that the ghost made the effort to push through the ether and talk to her. A one word answer was as appreciated as if it was a full conversation.

“My dad mentioned that the wee ones may need some watching if we get an ice rain.”

Murphy didn’t say anything further. He was pleased that Audrey’s father had taken an interest in his trees, but what did a city boy know about growing seedlings? Mia said, if you didn’t have anything good to say, say nothing. Nothing it was. He followed her into the office where she was greeted warmly. He tapped a warning that he was there, and Cid responded with a hello.

Maggie took her bone and headed under the conference table to gnaw on it.

“So any news from our wayward boy?” Audrey asked.

“No. He didn’t tell you anything?” Mike asked.

“Nope, I knew he was working on the Fata em something, but I thought, as you did, it was an urban legend and not worth pursuing.”

“Ted’s calling it an FM,” Mia informed her. “We need your research skills badly, m’dear.”

Audrey smiled. It was good to be needed by this diverse and talented group of investigators. Mia’s disinterest in slogging through the net and Ted’s impatience had created a spot for her. Although, Mia insisted it was her deductive ability that the group badly needed. She said that anyone could research a haunt, but it took a detective’s mind to sort out what was just history and what was important. Audrey appreciated her confidence in her.

“Coffee me, and I’ll get started,” she said happily.

Mia did just that. She added a few of Cid’s biscotti that she had palmed when he wasn’t looking.

The group worked together and came up with the same conclusion that Cid had. Burt’s target was in Wisconsin not far from Ashville.

“Ashville, wait, something’s coming to me,” Audrey said, typing furiously on her laptop. “Ted, can you pull up information on meteorite hits in southern Wisconsin?”

“As you speak,” he answered and tapped the big screen.

“I remembered my parents talking about a summer meteor shower that impacted Minnesota, Wisconsin and northern Illinois. Several meteorites landed near Ashville, which used to be called Summerville. One of the meteorites hit the gas station. It exploded. The town caught fire and burned quickly. There was nothing left in Summerville after that but ash. When they rebuilt, they changed the name to Ashville.”

“How about overlaying the strikes on the FM map?” Mia asked.

With another session of furious keystrokes, Ted produced a transparency and moved it over the map.

Mia wandered over and stared at the monitor. “Look for anything that may have landed on or near this line.”

“Some of them are still in the ground according to this article,” Mike said, turning his laptop to Audrey.

She leaned in and scanned the article. “1973, that must be it.”

Ted whistled. “Will you look at this?” He rolled the cursor over the hit, and the information of the size came up.

“Whoa,” Cid said looking over her shoulder.

“What’s whoa?” Mia asked.

“The size and weight of that monster must have done some damage.”

“I agree about the damage, but it didn’t land on the ley line,” Mia said disappointed.

“Remember, these are recorded hits,” Mike said from the table. “What exactly are you looking for?”

“I don’t know exactly. I guess I’m looking for something powerful enough to disrupt a ley line. Something with a power source that feeds the FM that Burt may or may not have found. And a reason why it’s pinballing back and forth between these two points,” Mia said, moving her hand along the line. “I could oob there…”

“NO!” The investigators chorused.

CRACK! Murphy added.

Mia put her hands up. “I have skills here. I will no doubt get stuck on this side of it,” she said, tapping Ashville. “Perhaps I will pick up some chatter on the line…”

“It’s too dangerous,” Mike said. “That’s a long way from here. Anything could go wrong. I suggest if you want to bilocate, that we relocate to Ashville first. Perhaps we’ll come up with another idea once we get there. If not, I say, the girl has skills, people. Let her use them but at a closer proximity. After all, it’s for Burt.”

Mia looked at the others and then down at Ted, and he sighed. “The man’s right, my girl’s got skills.” He reached an arm around her waist and hugged her.

“Okay, for the rest of us, what’s going to happen?” Audrey asked.

“I suggest that we take the PEEPs vehicles to Wisconsin. Cid, map out where the most likely places that the FM will appear next. I think that if Burt entered the FM here, too much time has passed, and it has moved on from the Ashville location. Murphy, I would appreciate if you would join us. I don’t want Mia walking a ley line alone,” Mike insisted.

CRACK!

Mia looked over at him and mouthed a thank you.

“Let’s pack up. May as well take the dog too. Who knows, she may come in handy. Anyone teach her to track yet?” Mike asked. “We should take along Burt’s hoodie. If she gets a whiff of that…”

“She’ll faint; he never washes it,” Mia complained. The others nodded, holding their noses.

“It has his scent,” Mike reminded them. “Audrey, we need to interview anyone that was in the area when the meteorites hit.”

She nodded. “I need to borrow a parka or a warm hoodie,” she said.

“What’s wrong with your coat?” Mike asked.

Mia walked over to the coatrack and turned the coat around so they could see the back. “This is a Chicago Bears coat, and we are headed into cheesehead country. You boys better leave your Chiefs jerseys home too,” she advised. “They take their football pretty serious up there,” Mia warned. “Come on, Audrey, Bev left a coat of hers here that may fit you.”

The boys waited until Mia left with Audrey before talking.

“If she wants to oob, I say let her oob,” Ted said. “How else is anyone of us going to be able to enter that ley line segment to rescue Burt?”