“Aye aye, Cap’n,” Jesse said.
Cid was still holding Sally. She was torn between wanting him to carry her into a bedroom and reminding him that he was still holding her. Once the shadow passed, Cid set her down.
“My hero,” Sally said and kissed Cid on the cheek.
Cid stammered, “I don’t want to leave but…”
“Go. I’ll be fine. I’m wearing your gift. I’ll be careful,” she promised.
Cid moved quickly to the stairs. He took out his light and directed the beam as he descended. Once he was sure the shadow was out of the building, he walked into the workshop and reported, “The ghost has left the building.”
“That’s no ghost,” Faye said. “It’s oozy.”
“It’s a negative elemental,” Cid said. “Think demon ghost.”
“Well, okay,” Faye said. “I don’t know what that is, but fine.”
The other contractors looked at Cid. They knew from their wives and girlfriends that when a woman said fine, it didn’t mean fine.
“Faye, our friends in Chicago think there may be a negative elemental involved too. It’s most likely the reason the other ghosts are trapped in the house. The negative elemental needs them to draw power. Just like you need the emerald to fuel all the wonderment that you are, the negative elemental needs the souls of the trapped dead workers.”
Jesse saw that Faye was happy the moment Cid said, “all the wonderment that you are.”
“What can I do?” Faye asked.
“Stay away from the shadows. We don’t need that thing drawing any of your superpower,” Cid told her.
“Yes, sir,” Faye said blushing.
Jesse would ask Cid later if ghosts blushed, and did he know that Faye had a wee bit of a crush on the ghost hunter?
Kiki exited the bathroom feeling wonderful. She walked into the kitchen and asked, “Where did you get that scrub?”
“Target, but I’ve seen it in the major drugstores too,” Sally said, staring at the woman who was comfortable holding a conversation wearing a towel. Sally knew the towels the estate provided would not fit totally around Sally’s hips, but there was her boss completely covered.
“Where did you say the iron was?” Kiki asked.
“In the cupboard over the dryer, and the ironing board is hanging behind the door.”
“Thank you,” Kiki said and walked off.
Faye materialized just after Sally heard Kiki’s door shut.
“Hello, Faye. Don’t go in the bathroom. There may be some salty footprints.”
“How in the world did you convince her to rub salt on her body?”
“Honestly, I didn’t think beyond that the woman smelled bad and her face was dirty,” Sally said.
“Well, you’re a hero downstairs.”
Sally laughed. “She still scares me.”
“She’s a ballbuster,” Faye said.
Sally looked at the ghost. “You’ve been spending a lot of time with contractors.”
“Oh, you mean my colorful language?”
“Yes.”
“That’s from hanging around spirit guides in New Orleans. One died from a stripper pole that wasn’t grounded in an electrical storm.”
“Ouch!”
“At least she knows how she died.”
“I take it you don’t.”
“I was murdered, body tossed in a well, and that’s about it. I can’t remember who I was, let alone who done me in,” Faye said, her eyebrows knitting together. “I hate not having a memory before waking up in Hidden Meadow.”
“I’m sorry this has happened to you. I’ve always wanted to forget the traumas in my life, and now, I see it as not a good thing.”
“In my case, no,” Faye said. “What’s going on with her majesty?”
“Someone named Alan is going to take her into the city for a lunch meeting. She’s probably ironing her blouse.”
“Alan is her boyfriend. They’re intimate with each other. He’s also Cid’s lawyer, so you can see there is a bit of a conflict of interest going on right now.”
“I’d say there was. Poor Cid. Poor Alan. Poor Kiki.”
“I’m to stay with you until after she leaves. Unfortunately, Cid expects the negative elemental to reattach itself as soon as the residue of salt fades.”
“I’ll tell you more when she’s gone.”
“Thank you,” Sally said.
~
Instead of rolling the carpet up in the new media room, Cid made the judgement call of keeping the summoning circle covered. The men folded the rug over the circle so they could work without damaging the thick Turkish carpet. By the time they were done, Wayne was sweating bullets.
“If salt keeps the ghosties away, then they’ll steer clear of me today. Is it warm in here?”
“I already tried resetting the new thermostat, and it says it’s offline,” Carl said.
“Which means?” Gary asked.
“One of us has to go down there and reset it.”
Cid walked over to the massive windows, unlocked one of them and opened it. He did the same on the other end of the room. He also walked across the house and propped half of the big double doors open with a ladder.
As the cool breeze meandered through the room, Cid said, “There is always another way.”
Kiki walked into the house, puzzled by one of the double doors being propped open. She didn’t see any painting on the schedule. She heard the men working in what would soon be the media room. The deeper she got into the house, the more she felt the heat. She walked over to the thermostat outside the kitchen and saw that it was offline. She shook her head and mumbled, “dumb boys,” before she opened
