“Serial killer?”
“Maybe, we don’t actually know. Faye doesn’t know how she died or who exactly she is. She took her name from a group photo of people who attended a party in the mansion when it was in its heyday.”
“How sad,” Sally said.
“Don’t you feel sorry for me!” Faye snapped as she appeared before Sally.
“I don’t, and I’d appreciate it if you materialized at least five feet away. You’re robbing me of my heat, and frankly, lady, I hate being cold.”
Cid admired how Sally held her ground. He could see how she survived being a soldier.
“Sorry,” Faye said. “I’m just embarrassed.”
“Don’t be. Some mornings I wake up and don’t know who I am either,” Sally admitted. “I have these dreams that I’m someone else, usually a ten-year-old boy. Is that crazy or what?”
“Ten-year-old boys have no problems, responsibilities, or social pressures,” Faye said.
“I beg your pardon. When was the last time you were a ten-year-old boy?” Cid asked the ghost.
Faye looked at Cid kindly. “I forgot you had quite a rough time of it.”
Sally looked at the pair. She saw a regard that was tentative on both sides. Sally would later ponder if it was a battle of who was taking care of whom or something deeper.
“I had a dream once that was shared with two other people,” Cid said.
Both females looked his way.
“I’m not sure if it really happened. It would be impossible if it did,” he admitted.
“The older I get, the more I realize that nothing is impossible,” Sally said. “Would it be an invasion of privacy if I asked what the dream was about?”
Cid blushed.
“Oh, one of those dreams,” Sally teased.
Cid held up his hand. “I can give you the bones of it.”
“Please.”
“I was on an investigation with my best friend Ted. We were sleeping in the trailer in the back of the PEEPs truck. His wife Mia was sleeping at home. I dreamed that I heard a pounding on the truck trailer where we were monitoring the cameras from. Ted was already up and looking out the door of the trailer talking to someone. It turned out to be his wife. She mentioned that there was a block party down the street. I pushed Ted out of the trailer. I locked it. Yes, even in my dreams, I’m overly responsible. I joined them. We linked arms and walked down the street to where The Countess of Michigan Avenue – CoMA to her friends – was giving a block party. There was a band, games, beer, and lots of people. Mia wanted to dance, and since it’s a dream, I danced. Normally, I’m a bit shy. Anyway, the music changed to a tango. Mia conceded to dance with me because I told her I learned how to tango from a book I read.”
“Have you?” Sally asked.
“Yes.”
“Cid’s a genius,” Faye interjected. “He remembers just about everything he reads, and it isn’t unusual that he can perform tasks he only learned about in a book.”
“Cool. Please go on,” Sally encouraged.
Mia and I danced for a while, and we collided with Ted who was dancing with CoMA. We switched partners, and I’m now dancing with a woman wearing a top hat, tuxedo tails and something very filmy.”
“Ooh la la,” Faye comments.
“We’ll leave it at ooh la la,” Cid said. “The point is that Ted dreamed the same dream up to that point, and Mia, who was miles away, dreamed the same dream too.”
“So, no mass hypnosis,” Sally said.
“No.”
“I wonder if you all watched a movie or maybe a music video and didn’t realize how much you were taking in at the time,” Sally offered.
“It’s possible - not the music video part - but I do watch a lot of movies,” Cid admitted. “Lately, they’re with Stephen Murphy.”
“Ah, the man who Faye mentioned.”
“The ghost I mentioned,” Faye corrected.
Sally put her hand to her face and smiled. “What an interesting life you lead, Cid.”
Kiki walked into the kitchen. “Clark, you’re with Jesse this morning. I want a full recon on the inside structure from the attic down. Look at the place as if you’re buying it. Write me a report on what needs to be done. Take pictures, you know the drill.”
“Yes, Boss,” Cid said. He turned to go but stopped. “It was a pleasure to speak with you, Sally and Faye.”
Kiki watched him leave. She looked over at Sally, but she had turned back to the sink. Faye, however, was glaring at Kiki.
“What?” Kiki asked.
“Do you always have to be so bitchy?”
Kiki swallowed hard. “Bitchy? I believe that’s a new word for you.”
“Sorry, Boss. I blame the company I’ve been keeping for the last few months.”
“I’d like to think of myself as assertive not bitchy. I have to be very firm with the contractors because, regardless of their age and experience, some of them will ease up and I won’t get the best job out of them.”
“Have you ever had that problem with Cid?” Faye asked.
“Well, no. But if I show Cid preferential treatment, the others will mutiny.”
“So, Cid gets punished because of an irrational fear,” Faye concluded and disappeared.
Sally, who had watched the exchange, was amused. “She got her last word in.”
“You’ll get used to it. She has softened on me. She used to call me thief instead of boss.”
“There must be a story there.”
“I’ll save it for later. I had a card opened for you to use from my corporate account,” Kiki said, handing Sally the credit card. “If you have to use cash, let me know right away and I’ll reimburse you.”
Sally nodded.
“Also, Cid may ask you to pick some things up for him. He
