“After the next investigation. I hope you don’t mind, but I already put in for vacation, and Burt assumed that you were going too.”
“He better assume that,” Ted said. “Mia, do you think I should take the partnership?”
“I can’t think of two nicer guys to go into business with. It will mean a lot of extra responsibility, but I think you’ve been ready for this for some time now,” she admitted.
“I’d like to give it a try.”
“Well, then go over and let Alan know so he can start on the paperwork,” Mia said.
“I take it that you’re not going to accept the Countess of Sardinia’s invitation to spend the rest of the summer with her and Angelo at the villa?”
“Did you have your heart set on us going?” Mia asked.
“No, I’m elated that it’s not happening, but I wanted to be supportive.”
“I think that I’d rather spend a week with you and Brian burning soup than learning to sprout feathers and flying. I’m just not ready to join the flying freaks yet,” she admitted.
“You’d make a pretty bird,” Ted said.
“I’d rather be a basic biped, thank you very much.”
“Oh, Mia, there is nothing basic about you.”
“Ted, if you keep saying things like that, we’re not going to that meeting,” she warned.
“Are you ovulating?” Ted asked.
Mia blushed. “I don’t think so. Why?”
“Not that I’m complaining, but your appetite has increased threefold.”
“So you think I’m in heat, huh?” Mia asked, lifting an eyebrow.
“All I know is, after I drop Brian off, I’m stopping at the drugstore and buying a case of protection.”
Mia laughed. “Make it two cases.”
It was Ted’s turn to blush.
~
Audrey and Cid applauded the news of the new partner. Burt mentioned that he had a bottle of champagne in the office refrigerator for after the meeting. The group settled in, and Burt turned out the lights and nodded to Jake, who was in the guise of a giant eyeball, to begin.
“Our next investigation is kind of a reverse Shining.”
Jake projected the picture of a mammoth hotel, deep in the rolling hills of southern Wisconsin.
“Price Hills Resort, formerly Nowicki’s, is a hundred and four room ski lodge. It’s located at the top of one of the best non-mountainous ski runs. The only way to get to it, aside from the chairlifts and a new gondola system, is an access road presently under construction. The hotel is reported to be haunted. Since the Price Hills Resort people have taken possession of the place, the paranormal events have increased dramatically. Doors slamming all during the night. A bartender was attacked after seeing a gangster in the bar. The Price Corporation is planning to market this hotel to families and have hired us to rid the place of the violent ghosts. Ted and Mia, you need to plan on being away from Brian for two consecutive nights. I need you both on this haunt. I hope you can make this work.”
Mia looked at Ted, and together they nodded.
“Murphy, I’d like you to help out if you can. It’s a large old hotel, and I would feel safer having you watching our backs,” Burt admitted.
Murphy slid his axe on the table top and nodded.
“Murphy accepts,” Mia told Burt.
“Good. The plus side to the Price Hills Resort is that the company has already put in a state of the art security system. We have cameras everywhere, people. I can see you focusing on the hot areas with our cameras, Cid. Ted, see if you can integrate our systems with theirs. I don’t know if Jake will be able to help us out much…
A large trumpet blast heralded Marvin the Martian walking out onto all the display monitors. He had the earth in his hand. He started to juggle it, along with several PEEPs logos.
“I guess that’s Jake’s response,” Mia said. “I think he’s up for the challenge. Who knows, maybe he’ll meet a geeky lady ghost and…”
Marvin stopped, turned red and walked away.
“Oops. I guess I went too far,” Mia said, rolling her eyes. “Do we have a firm date so I can make arrangements?”
“I’d like to be there this weekend.” Burt handed her the information on the hotel, including the emergency numbers that Susan Braverman may need.
Mike, who had been silent and well-behaved the whole meeting, spoke up, “Why did you call this a reverse Shining?”
“We are going to investigate a hotel in summer, but we will be isolated up there because of the road. The hotel will open up the lifts for us to get our equipment up there but will then close it down until after the investigation.”
“So we’re stuck unless we want to walk out of there,” Mike clarified.
“Yes. I thought we could advertise it as such.”
“Wait,” Audrey started, pausing to form her thoughts, and continued, “We’re getting paid, and we can air the investigation?”
“Yes,” Burt answered. “As long as we rid them of ghosts and pronounce the place clean at the finish of the broadcast, we have no restrictions on what we film or air.”
Mia looked around and could see everyone looked please with this investigation, even Murphy was smiling. She took out and looked over the information Father Santos had given her on Chastity’s grave location while Mike went over the advertising that was brought in by their last live broadcast.
“How hard would it be to do the same thing up at the hotel?” he asked Ted.
“It depends on the satellite hookup. If the cable network isn’t paying for it, I think it would be too costly. Besides, we don’t know if we’ll have a satisfactory ending to the investigation. The Price Hills Resort people could negate us airing the footage. And if we’ve already done it…”
“Cart before the horse, problems,” Cid chimed in.
Mike nodded. “Well, it was worth a try.”
Mia was happy it was a no-go; she didn’t like the first broadcast much. No telling, if Mike was in charge, what kind of getup she would have to wear.
“Any new business?” he asked.
No
