“These are marked?” Cyryl asked, holding one to the light. “They look harmless to me.”
“Well, appearances can be deceiving,” Carl said and pointed out the slight change on the back of each card. “No one expects the obvious anymore. Just like no one would imagine that under that hotel is a fortune in copper.”
“Or that a whole group of ghost hunters would perish inside of it,” Cyryl said slyly. “After this weekend and the bad press to follow, the Corporation is going to beg me to take the ski resort off their hands.”
~
Mia opened her eyes, momentarily confused by where she was. She lifted her head and rubbed her neck as she studied the face before her. Ted wouldn’t win any contests with his looks, but Mia loved every freckle. She rarely got a chance to study his sleeping face. The Ted she lived with was animated all the time. He only slept after she fell asleep and woke most times before her.
Mia put her hand to his forehead and was pleased to find that the fever had broken. She lifted the blanket off, and aside from some seepage, the sutures she’d fastened out of the wire were holding. They wouldn’t be comfortable and would hurt like hell to remove, but for right now they would have to do.
“What’s up, Doc?” Ted asked.
Mia pull the blanket back and leaned over her husband. “You’re going to live. I’ll have to cancel my wedding to Dupree, again.”
“Sorry to put you out, pumpkin.”
Mia leaned over and kissed Ted tenderly. “I’m sure you could do with a dose of pain reliever.”
“Could, but don’t. I need to keep this brain functioning. Jake may have a plan forming, but he’s going to need me to execute it.”
“You’re not getting up.”
“Can I sit up?”
“Yes, as long as you don’t move around too much. Let me wake Mike to help you off the table.”
Ted caught her hand. “Not just yet. Mia, I know the sacrifice you made for me, for us. I wanted you to know that, even if you turn into a goose, I’ll still love you.”
“Gee, that’s good to know. A goose… I never thought of that,” Mia said, visibly concerned. “As long as I’m not a chicken.”
Mia looked around the room. Between her and Murphy, they had destroyed the once beautiful mahogany bar. The back of the taps were exposed to the room, as were the sink and small refrigerators. The tables had been moved out of the center of the room. Cid had assembled the computer station in the corner booth where Richard had spent so much time. Burt was poring over some blueprints in the booth next to Cid. Mike and Audrey had laid claim to the long banquettes against opposite walls. Mia hated to disturb Mike, but the sooner she got Ted off the table, the safer he would be.
Mia gently laid her hand on the investigator. She intended to shake him, but instead, she read his sleeping form. He had two broken ribs and a large mass of bruising that was impeding his left lung. Mia gently pulled the covers down and pulled up his shirt. She carefully moved her hand over the broken ribs and started them mending. Next, she took her fingers and gently swirled them along the bruising. She smiled as the angry purple and blue turned into an ugly yellow brown.
Mike giggled and opened his eyes. “Mia, what are you doing?”
“Stuff,” she said and moved her hand lower.
Mike caught her hand. “Mia, I assure you all is well in that direction.”
“It’s your funeral,” she said, stopping.
“It will be both our funerals if Ted sees where you were going,” Mike hissed.
“Ted’s awake. Can you help me to get him off the table and over to the booth? I’d ask Cid, but I suspect he’s not strong enough yet.”
Mike sat up. “Sure. Do you think there’s a coffee machine somewhere in that mess?” he asked.
“I imagine so. I’ll look after we move Ted,” Mia promised.
“How are you doing? You must be exhausted.”
“Oh, I’m feeling it a bit. I’ve asked my body to do things it’s never done before.”
“Oh, I love it when you talk dirty to me, Cooper,” Mike teased. He got to his feet and took a deep breath, surprised that his sides no longer hurt so much. “You do good work.”
“I’m afraid I can’t completely heal you. Time is going to do that,” she said. “Speaking of time, I wonder, what time is it? My cell’s dead.” Mia held the phone up and shook it before jamming it back into her pocket.
“I’d say it’s time to get a watch,” Mike said, looking at his wrist. “Five thirty A.M.”
There was a rumble of thunder in the distance and the sound of rain hitting the high stained-glass windows of the bar.
“Damn, I was hoping to get down the hill before the sun came up,” she said. “Maybe at the height of the storm, I’ll try it.”
“No you won’t,” Mike said. “Too dangerous, and I need you here. I can’t defend this crew by myself.”
“Murphy…”
“Murphy will insist on going with you. Give us a few hours to plan. With the minds in this room, I’m sure we’ll figure something out that doesn’t include risking our biggest asset.”
Mia wanted to argue with him but found, she didn’t really want to go out into the pouring rain.
Together, they moved Ted off the table, and Mike assisted him over to the corner booth. He slid in beside Cid who looked up at the three through bloodshot eyes.
“Time for you to get some shuteye,” Mike insisted.
“I will after I update Ted on what’s what,” Cid promised.
Mia left them in order to hunt for a coffee machine, and upon finding it, she was pleased to discover that John had a large store of coffee and bar snacks in the cupboard underneath the coffee station. Mia set up two pots, one with normal coffee and one that Ted
