“No one wants a mildewed book,” Jesse said. He picked up one book and started reading. “We should publish these under Daniel’s name. Talk about ghost writers…”
“I’ll run it by him. Let’s pack them up,” Cid said. He took note of the titles of the books and didn’t think that any were that valuable - or they wouldn’t be because of the destruction of pages due to Daniel writing between the lines.
“Help!” Gary screamed. “Help Me! Holy Shit!”
Cid and Jesse took off in the direction of Gary’s calls. They skidded into the dining room. It was empty.
“Dear God in Heaven, what do you want?” Gary asked, his voice coming from above them.
Cid and Jessed looked up. There was Gary with his face three inches from the ceiling.
“What’s going on, Gary?” Cid asked. “Is that Pietro Gallo? I can’t see him, you’re too far up.”
“Yes. That bugger picked me up and here I am,” he explained. “Pietro’s speaking to me in Eye-talian, and I haven’t a clue what he wants.”
“Well, from here it looks like you missed a spot of paint,” Jesse said.
“I’ll grab the ceiling paint and a brush. Try not to splash the paint everywhere. We just cleaned in here,” Cid said walking out the door.
“You could hurry it up, Garrett,” Gary complained.
Cid took his time.
Later, Jesse watched as the suspended Gary was taught by an invisible hand how to paint the ceiling relief properly. Cid took video from his phone. He thought maybe Burt could work it into a segment.
Gary was lowered to the floor, but before he could relax, he was pulled along to the utility sink and showed how to clean a paintbrush. He came back flushed. “I don’t know what is worse, being haunted or being mentored?”
“He could have as easily tossed you out the window,” Cid said.
“I think it was you who missed the spot, Garrett,” Gary accused.
Cid smiled. “It’s possible, but it was your responsibility to make sure it was right.”
Gary opened his mouth but shut it again. He looked around and said, “It’s too bad they’re insane. I’d love to have Pietro on my crew.”
Cid announced what Gary said in Italian.
Gary felt a pat on the shoulder.
Pietro murmured something.
“He said that he’d love to stay, but his mama is waiting in Heaven for him,” Cid said.
Gary wiped a tear from his eye. “You know, I never thought that these bruisers could be missing their parents. I’m going to give my dad a call,” he said and walked out.
Cid picked up an empty box and walked back to the library and packed up the books.
Jesse leaned on the door jamb watching him. “I was thinking.”
“Oh no, you know what happened last time…”
“Cut it out, I’m being serious.”
“Sorry, go on.”
“These men traveled across the Atlantic Ocean to find work so they could send money to their families.”
“They’re no different than Wayne, Carl and Pete who travel across the country for work.”
“They traveled across the ocean in boats, most likely elbow to elbow, with no idea if they were going to make it or if they were ever going to see their families again. I take it for granted that I can pick up a phone and call my parents,” Jesse confessed. “I don’t call them enough.”
“I don’t either,” Cid said. “I think I talk to the Martins more when I’m out of town working.”
“If your parents needed money…”
“I would send what I have, and I know you would too,” Cid answered. “But I see where you’re going with this. These men did better than we’re doing now.”
“In my case, I know they did. I’m mad as can be that their deaths were covered up. I can only imagine the heartbreak Pietro’s mother went through when she didn’t hear anymore from her boy.”
“They would have assumed he was dead,” Cid said. The alarm on his phone went off. “Time to lock up.”
“I think we’re ready for tomorrow. The foundation wall in the basement still needs seeing to, but that’s not our problem.”
“I think tomorrow is going to be an interesting day,” Cid said.
Jon and Blue Daniel watched them leave.
“It was you that put Pietro up to that stunt, wasn’t it?” Jon accused Daniel.
“I overheard him telling one of the others about the missed spot. I simply suggested that this would be a good time to fix it.”
“It took a lot of energy for Pietro to hold him up. He barely made it down the stairs.”
“Yes. Maybe we’ll have a quiet night without crazy Gallo running up and down the stairs calling for his mother,” Daniel told his friend. He looked at Jon who was staring out the window. “What are you going to do about Faye?”
“There’s nothing I can do but give her a memory. If the light comes, I’m goin’. I’ve waited too long.”
Blue Daniel didn’t say anything. He knew his friend was torn between Heaven and Faye. If it were him, he’d choose Faye, but she didn’t look at him the way she looked at Jon. Maybe blue wasn’t her color.
~
“There are nine books here,” Cid told Sally. “Do you realize the amount of energy it took for him to write these?”
“It’s surprising considering that he and Jon were fed on again and again,” Sally commiserated. “But a true writer doesn’t let anything stand in their way. No paper, I’ll use this book. Where did he get the ink from?”
“When I was cleaning up, I found the skeletons of pens and the nubs of pencils. He must have stolen them from people when they visited.”
“I’m sure his thievery will be
