about it for a moment. “Well… Can I have you and the evil genius?”
“No, you have to choose. Remember, I’m very handsome, smart and can sleep through your snoring.”
“I snore? How would you know if you say you sleep through it?” Mia asked suspiciously.
“You snore. Choose.”
“I choose you!” Mia pulled Ted into her arms. They hugged until junior kicked Mia.
“Ouch, I felt that!” Ted said, rubbing his ribs.
“That’s just your kid kicking some sense into his moronic father.”
“You mean Byronic,” Ted said, pulling an auburn curl out from under his baseball cap.
This gave Mia a case of the giggles.
“You’re not taking me seriously, Minnie Mouse,” Ted complained. “Now go and make your phone calls. I’ll be listening in on the extension.”
“So, I only have the illusion of privacy?”
“Yes. Do you want me to stand over you while you call?”
“Oh no. You can listen in. Where’s the trust?” she lamented as she walked into the kitchen and picked up a pad of paper and a pencil. “I’ll start with Gerald, Angelo’s long distance,” she called out, and instead of picking up the landline, she pulled out her cellphone, mumbling, “That’ll fix him.”
Chapter Eight
“Yes, but have Ted put you on the heart monitor just in case. Call me if there’s a problem. I will,” Gerald said and put down the phone. He walked out of his office down the secret hall and into his treasure chamber. Beverly Cooper was stretched out on the sofa thumbing through brochures.
“You were gone a long time. Business?”
“Yes and personal. Of course, everything is business to me.”
“I’m not buying that,” Bev told him. “Okay, if it’s personal, then I want to know what has put that twinkle in your eye,” she demanded.
“Mia called me.”
“That minx. Are you her new man of the investigation?”
Gerald stared at Beverly. “That was unkind. And you have no business talking. Mia is loyal to Ted.”
“I know, poor kid.”
“I wish I knew which is the poor kid you’re referring to?”
“I’ll never tell.”
“You’re a piece of work, Beverly. I’m of a mind not to tell you…”
“Okay, okay, I’m sorry. It’s just that she has so much promise. She should have played the field before the curse got her.”
“She did.”
“Two men, a ghost and a birdman is not playing the field,” Bev said stubbornly.
“Mia didn’t have relations with Stephen Murphy or Angelo Michaels.”
“That we know of. Still, she could have done better, don’t you think?”
“Honestly, no.”
“Really?”
“Ted’s worth a hundred Angelos,” he stated.
“Angelo is your best friend.”
“No. You are.”
Beverly was visibly stunned. “Then I’m sorry for you, poor kid.”
Gerald decided to ignore her and started talking, “Mia asked me for information on walking the halls of the mind.”
“She can already do that.”
“But she hasn’t ever been in the hidden corridors of suppressed memories.”
“Neither have I, for good reason. Gerald, I hope you dissuaded her.”
“I tried, but she has a very good reason for doing so. You see, a friend of hers has been through a few paranormal traumas and is suffering from personality changes and blackouts.”
“Sounds like a shrink should be dealing with the friend.”
“This will happen if she doesn’t find another reason.”
“Do you think another Gray Lady has escaped?” Bev asked with interest.
“No, but it could be a flitch.”
“A side of bacon?”
“No.”
“Wait, flitch has something to do with wood…”
“Yes, but that’s not the flitch I’m talking about. He walked over to his bookcase and pulled out a small green book.
The Celtic symbols on the outside gave Bev an idea of the origin, but still flitch escaped her.
Gerald found the page and started to hand the book to Bev but stopped and asked, “Do you read
“No, you have to choose. Remember, I’m very handsome, smart and can sleep through your snoring.”
“I snore? How would you know if you say you sleep through it?” Mia asked suspiciously.
“You snore. Choose.”
“I choose you!” Mia pulled Ted into her arms. They hugged until junior kicked Mia.
“Ouch, I felt that!” Ted said, rubbing his ribs.
“That’s just your kid kicking some sense into his moronic father.”
“You mean Byronic,” Ted said, pulling an auburn curl out from under his baseball cap.
This gave Mia a case of the giggles.
“You’re not taking me seriously, Minnie Mouse,” Ted complained. “Now go and make your phone calls. I’ll be listening in on the extension.”
“So, I only have the illusion of privacy?”
“Yes. Do you want me to stand over you while you call?”
“Oh no. You can listen in. Where’s the trust?” she lamented as she walked into the kitchen and picked up a pad of paper and a pencil. “I’ll start with Gerald, Angelo’s long distance,” she called out, and instead of picking up the landline, she pulled out her cellphone, mumbling, “That’ll fix him.”
Chapter Eight
“Yes, but have Ted put you on the heart monitor just in case. Call me if there’s a problem. I will,” Gerald said and put down the phone. He walked out of his office down the secret hall and into his treasure chamber. Beverly Cooper was stretched out on the sofa thumbing through brochures.
“You were gone a long time. Business?”
“Yes and personal. Of course, everything is business to me.”
“I’m not buying that,” Bev told him. “Okay, if it’s personal, then I want to know what has put that twinkle in your eye,” she demanded.
“Mia called me.”
“That minx. Are you her new man of the investigation?”
Gerald stared at Beverly. “That was unkind. And you have no business talking. Mia is loyal to Ted.”
“I know, poor kid.”
“I wish I knew which is the poor kid you’re referring to?”
“I’ll never tell.”
“You’re a piece of work, Beverly. I’m of a mind not to tell you…”
“Okay, okay, I’m sorry. It’s just that she has so much promise. She should have played the field before the curse got her.”
“She did.”
“Two men, a ghost and a birdman is not playing the field,” Bev said stubbornly.
“Mia didn’t have relations with Stephen Murphy or Angelo Michaels.”
“That we know of. Still, she could have done better, don’t you think?”
“Honestly, no.”
“Really?”
“Ted’s worth a hundred Angelos,” he stated.
“Angelo is your best friend.”
“No. You are.”
Beverly was visibly stunned. “Then I’m sorry for you, poor kid.”
Gerald decided to ignore her and started talking, “Mia asked me for information on walking the halls of the mind.”
“She can already do that.”
“But she hasn’t ever been in the hidden corridors of suppressed memories.”
“Neither have I, for good reason. Gerald, I hope you dissuaded her.”
“I tried, but she has a very good reason for doing so. You see, a friend of hers has been through a few paranormal traumas and is suffering from personality changes and blackouts.”
“Sounds like a shrink should be dealing with the friend.”
“This will happen if she doesn’t find another reason.”
“Do you think another Gray Lady has escaped?” Bev asked with interest.
“No, but it could be a flitch.”
“A side of bacon?”
“No.”
“Wait, flitch has something to do with wood…”
“Yes, but that’s not the flitch I’m talking about. He walked over to his bookcase and pulled out a small green book.
The Celtic symbols on the outside gave Bev an idea of the origin, but still flitch escaped her.
Gerald found the page and started to hand the book to Bev but stopped and asked, “Do you read
Similar Books
