“Not since you closed your eyes last night and fell sound asleep. But it’s okay. I’ll forgive you this time.” Sam gave Alex her robe and held her chair out as she sat down.
“That long ago. I’m sorry. I’ll try and do better.” Alex enjoyed Sam’s kidding. It was never mean or spiteful, just cute. “So we’re still leaving after breakfast?”
“Yes, ma’am. Jessie will meet us at the truck as soon as she sees us taking our plates back to the kitchen. I think she’s up for a little adventure. She seemed truly excited about it.” Sam was really enjoying this vacation and hoped they’d be able to find a solution before they had to leave.
“I’m so glad. I’d rather have her along in a good mood than worrying every minute about what we’re going to find.” Alex knew Jessie long enough to know when she wasn’t behind a project it could turn into a very long day.
Meeting Jessie as planned, they piled into the truck and headed for Javier’s supposedly haunted house. Not having any real documentation about its supernatural occupant may have been why Monroe’s nephew was able to sell it. Although having to reduce the price several times was probably due to the fact that no one who knew the history wanted to live in a house where two people had died. If it wasn’t for that, Javier and Juana would never have been able to afford it at least not at such a young age. It would have taken a lot more years of saving to meet the down payment for the original asking price.
Following the directions Javier had given, the trio of ghost hunters headed out for what all hoped would be an adventurous as well as rewarding experience. Alex, as always, had her wolf fetish along for a little added protection as well as a beacon for Anna and Ramon to follow.
The drive out was beautiful and it was obvious why someone would want to live there. The large two story house could be seen sitting back from the main road and in its time was considered quite the show place. Driving up the main road, Alex suddenly shivered and pulled her coat tighter.
“What’s wrong?” Sam felt Alex shake and glanced over to see her fold her arms.
“I had a chill run up the back of my neck. I’m not sure I like what I’m feeling right now.” Alex felt like she had a bag over her head, as it was suddenly becoming harder to breathe and she didn’t want to alarm either of them.
As they neared the front of the house it was obvious something was wrong. A large black dog was barking the alarm. He was standing next to what looked like a body lying at the bottom of the steps coming down from the front porch. Sam sped up and then stopped right in front. She jumped out of the truck and went to the body. The dog took off in the other direction as Alex and Jessie hurried to join Sam.
Reaching down, Sam felt for a pulse, but it was obvious this man had been dead for some time as rigor mortis had already set in.
“He’s been dead for a while. It will take the coroner to come up with an exact time. We need to call the sheriff and get him out here now. This is a crime scene until he says other-wise, so don’t touch anything and wait by the truck.” Sam pulled out her cell and dialed 911 as Alex and Jessie retreated.
“What do you think, Jess, heart attack or foul play?” Alex guessed it was the former. “If you mean did he die from being scared out of his mind and his heart stopped – then yes, I’d say heart attack.” Jessie felt the odds of him just dropping dead were extremely slim and she saw no signs of blood near the body.
“The sheriff and coroner are on their way. Are you getting any vibes from the house?” Sam was sure that Alex’s chill was a sign from Anna who was now aware of what had happened to the old man.
“I think I understand the feeling I had in the truck. It felt like I wasn’t getting enough air and my life was slipping away. I wonder if that’s how he felt just before he died.” Alex reached for Sam and then thought she saw someone in one of the upstairs windows watching them. It looked like a large shadowy figure and then the chill came back. Sam felt Alex shiver again.
“What?”
“I thought I saw someone standing in the upstairs window watching us.” Alex knew this feeling well and it meant she was being observed and not by a very nice person either.
Turning around quickly, Sam looked at the house but didn’t see anyone. She knew just because she didn’t see anything, didn’t mean Alex hadn’t.
“Are you sure you want to go inside that house once the sheriff gives us the okay?” Sam was beginning to think that Juana had good reasons for never wanting to stay in that house.
“I won’t know until I go in and see how I feel.” Alex was sure she wanted to at least give it a try.
Sheriff Rodrigo, “Rod”, Chavez had been in his patrol car and wasn’t that far away when he received the call. He never thought he would see Alex again so soon, but then she seemed to have a knack for finding dead bodies. It would be good to see her again and also find out if his Aunt Anna and Uncle Ramon were close by.
The sound of his siren could be heard and was getting louder as the patrol car approached their location. Sam jumped in her truck and moved it around to the side of the house so it wouldn’t be in anyone’s way. As he pulled up, the sheriff took his sunglasses off and radioed his position before getting out of his patrol car.
“Good morning all. Alex, we really have to stop meeting like this.” Rod could see the look on their faces and tried to lighten the mood.
“From your mouth to Goddess’s ears. How have you been, Sheriff?” Alex thought keeping it light was a good idea and smiled back.
“No complaints. It’s been rather quiet around here until today. Is this how you found him? Nothing’s been touched or moved?” Rod walked towards the body and circled it.
“Nope. We found him like that. I checked to see if he was alive and then called you. Is it Javier’s caretaker, Poncho?” Sam was somewhat excited about investigating her first possible homicide.
“Yep, that’s Poncho all right, poor guy. Nothing but bad luck his whole life and now to die like this.” Rod looked back at the house and could see the front door wasn’t closed. “No one’s entered the house either, right?”
“Correct. We weren’t going in until you gave the okay. We came out here to see if Alex could pick up any vibes. Have you heard about Javier and Juana’s problem?” Sam didn’t know who else besides Javier’s immediate family knew about the house.
“Yes, he told me about the problem when he was trying to locate the guy who sold it to him. I wasn’t much help in tracking him down. It’s like he sold the place, and vanished. My guess is he changed his name, cleaned out his bank account, and split. It would be great if you could get whoever or whatever’s in there to leave. I’d hate to see all the work and money Javier and Juana put into this house just go down the drain.” Rod had thought about buying the place, but his wife wasn’t going to live anywhere where people had died violently this was probably her reason why.
“How long do you think it will take to clear the house so we can check it out, hours or days?” Alex didn’t want to stand around all day if there was no chance of getting in soon.
“If the coroner calls it a heart attack, I’d say as soon as he takes Poncho to the morgue.” Rod didn’t think it was going to be anything but a heart attack since there were no other signs that he met with an untimely death. Poncho was old and never really took very good care of himself. He ate the wrong types of food and drank too much. He may even have broken his neck falling down the stairs. No one would be surprised by that news unless they thought the house caused him to fall. Rod would have to wait for the report to be sure about the scenario.
“That’s good. I can wait until then. I just want to get in there and see what I can do.” Alex had mixed feelings about going inif this was any indication about how the house received guests. But then Poncho didn’t have an in with the spirit world and she did.
Chapter 13
As they sat on the tailgate of Sam’s truck, Alex and Jessie talked about what they might run into when they entered the house. Jessie wasn
’t exactly thrilled that someone was dead and she felt that the house was responsible. Alex wasn’t so cut and dried about placing blame. Sure, the house had an angry spirit but he may have just told Poncho to get out and that was enough to cause him to have a heart attack. She was in great shape and a ghost had to be less of a threat than a man with a straight razor! Plus she believed in the spirit world so it wasn’t that scary to her. This spirit was just angry and wanted everyone to know it.
The coroner performed a quick check of the body to see if there were any signs of blunt force trauma, but nothing was apparent. He would have to get Poncho back to the morgue to do a more thorough examination, but his feeling was that he had died from a heart attack. The coroner, who was now in his seventies, had been working part time after school at the morgue back in 1956 when the bodies of Robert Monroe and Victoria Chalmers were brought in. He had been allowed to watch the autopsy and it was enough to make him want to do this type of work as a career. He came out for this call just to see the old house again as that case had made such an impact on his life. He would never forget it. He wished Sam good luck on getting rid of the ghost, but told her that one thing everyone had said about Robert Monroe was that he was a very strong willed individual. It was going to take a lot to get him to leave if it was him. Sam thanked him for the information and watched him drive away hoping that it wasn’t going to be an impossible task. Sheriff Rod turned to Sam.
“Let me take a quick look around inside first, then I’ll give you all the run of the place. I need to drive over and tell Javier in person about Poncho. I don’t want him feeling it was his fault. It was just Poncho’s time, at least that’s going to be my story.” The sheriff headed up the porch steps and entered the house while Sam went to get Alex and Jessie.
“Are you ready to go inside? Rod’s doing a walk through and then it’s all ours.” Sam looked at Alex and then Jessie.
“Finally. My bum was going to sleep.” Alex jumped off the tailgate and stretched.
“So we go in as a group, right?” Jessie didn’t want Alex going in by herself.
“Right. But we’ll let Alex lead the way and stay close to her.” Sam had seen Alex go into a trance before.
As they walked towards the front porch Sheriff Rod emerged looking troubled and shaking his head.
“Such a great house but even I can feel the heaviness inside. Be careful, Alex. I know you can take care of yourself, but spirits can be more dangerous than we think. I know Ramon and Anna will be around, but sometimes evil can be stronger than good so if you feel like you’re in danger, get out and let the house be.” Sheriff Rod gave her a hug as well as Jessie and Sam. These women were family and friends and he wouldn’t want anything to happen to them.
“I’ll be careful and we’ll let you know what we find, if anything. Bye, Rod. Take care.” Alex turned back to the house and took a deep breath, ready to go, but Sam had a hold of her arm.
After saying goodbye to the sheriff, Jessie and Sam looked at each other, each took a hand and entered the house with Alex. The entry hall was big with the staircase taking up a good portion. To the left was the living room and to the right a large dining room with swinging doors to the kitchen. Behind the living room was a den with an office and a small library. The kitchen had maid’s quarters behind it and a small staircase up to the second floor. The main staircase swung to the right and widened as it reached the landing. It appeared there were four rooms on the second floor and Alex felt herself being drawn there as she had been in her dream.
Sam and Jessie followed her and never said a word as they stopped just outside the last room at the end of the hall. Letting go of Sam’s hand Alex placed her right hand on the door as she had done before and closed her eyes. She felt a heaviness on her heart that she had never felt before. A feeling of such pain and sorrow over came her and she didn’t realize she was crying. Sam motioned to Jessie not to say anything and let Alex continue to cry.
Alex once again found herself alone, but this time she was inside the room. Looking around, she saw it was filled with boxes and was being used for storage. This wasn’t the master bedroom but it must have been Victoria’s room while she stayed at the house with Robert. Alex looked around and then felt a presence behind her. She turned, expecting to come face to face with Robert Monroe, but was surprised to find a woman standing a few feet from her. It was Victoria.
“You must leave before he gets angry again. I’ve tried to keep him from hurting anyone so far, but I’m afraid that poor man made him very angry.” Victoria looked exactly like she did in Alex’s dream.
“How did Poncho anger him?” Alex wanted to know what to avoid.
“He was drunk and started swearing. Robert hates drunkenness and bad language. He went into a rage and I couldn’t stop him. He threw a book at him and I’m afraid it was more than the poor man could take. He ran out screaming and then fell.” Victoria was very matter of fact, as she was all toofamiliar with Robert throwing things usually books and sometimes porcelain figurines.
“Why are you still here? What’s keeping you here in this house?” Alex thought she seemed rather calm if she was being held against her will.
“Guilt, I guess. I hurt him so badly and all he ever did was love me. I have no reason to leave him now. But I wish we could leave this house so that poor woman could have her home.” Victoria looked at the boxes and truly wanted to leave.
“Why won’t he leave?” Now Alex felt they were get-ting somewhere.
“It’s his house, his possession, like I was his pos-session. He’s very angry that it was sold and that his family ruined his business. It was one of the few things in his life that he loved dearly.” Victoria knew she was not his priority and that was fine with her.
“How does he know what happened to his business?” Alex wondered about that feat.
“He would go to work, just like he did everyday he was alive. Then when he returned he would rant and rave about how stupid they were and that they were ruining his business. Eventually they did or so he says. So he stopped going and just became angrier. Then his nephew moved in. I’m surprised he stayed as long as he did. Robert only did little things in the beginning, like moving things or hiding them. Then when he saw the “For Sale” sign go up he tried to throw things. It took him a few days of practice before he could get them to fly across the room. Then he perfected his aim and that’s when his nephew moved out.
No one came for a while until that nice couple with the children. Robert wasn’t here or I’m sure they would have seen something fly through the air. The next thing I know they’re moving in and Robert became very angry again. The longer they stayed the madder he got and he started moving objects again. He just wants them to leave us alone, but I know he would never hurt them. At least I hope he wouldn’t.” Victoria looked sad as she was trapped and didn’t know how to get out of it.
“I will try to help you get away and I have a message for you. Janet wants you to know that she still loves you and thinks of you everyday.” Alex saw the tears come to Victoria’s eyes.
“Oh, I miss her so much. Tell her I love her too and always will.” Victoria wiped the tears away just as a large box flew a few feet and she knew Robert was with them. “Please leave. He’s come back and I don’t want him to hurt you or your friends.”
“You just said he wouldn’t hurt anyone.” Alex assumed Robert had heard her mention Janet’s name and that’s what riled him up.
“I’m sorry. I guess I just wish it was so. Now please leave.” Victoria disappeared as another box moved twice as far as the last one.
“Mr. Monroe, I’m sorry to have upset you but we need to talk about this.”
Just then several more boxes came at Alex. They went through her, as she was just as much an apparition as Victoria was on this side of the door. Sam and Jessie could hear them falling and tried to pull Alex’s hand away from the door as it started to rattle violently in the jamb.
“Alex, lets go.” Jessie wante
d to leave now.
“Mr. Monroe, we need to talk about this. I’ll be back.” Alex yelled as Sam and Jessie were pulling her away from the door. “This isn’t finished. I want you out of this house. Do you hear me, Mr. Monroe o-u-t ─ OUT. It doesn’t belong to you anymore.”
The door continued to shake until they were outside and standing a good ten feet from the porch.
“You’re just a bully, Mr. Monroe. We’re not afraid of you.” Alex was yelling at the house as Sam was trying to keep her from going back in.
“Alex, please stop yelling at him!” Jessie had never witnessed that kind of paranormal activity before and it really scared her.
“He thinks he’s so tough. I’ll show him who’s tough. Just wait until the next time. Ramon and I are going to kick your butt.” Alex suddenly realized she was outside the house. “What just happened?”
“You don’t remember?” Sam was using all of her strength to hold on to her.
“I remember talking to Victoria and telling her how much Janet loved her. That was it, until just now.” Alex saw the look on their faces and wondered what she did.
“Apparently Anna jumped in when things started to fly. We could hear boxes falling to the floor and then the door started to shake in the jamb so we got you out of there. But not before you started to yell at Mr. Monroe and told him that you needed to talk. Then you said you wanted him out and that he was a bully and you were going to kick his butt.” Sam felt like she had been holding three people at bay.
“I said all that? Whoa. I guess he really pissed Anna off.” Alex could feel her heart pounding and knew she had been pumped.
“Well, you must have pissed him off too for him to throw things. I thought you were just going to talk to him. And why is Victoria still here?” Jessie was ready to go home.
Alex relayed the conversation with Victoria and why they were still in the house. The fact that both of them could come and go as they pleased would explain why the priest wasn’t able to help as neither was around when he blessed the house. Sam closed the front door and made sure it was locked and then walked around the entire place to make sure it was secure. Alex’s heart rate was coming down and she was feeling a little exhausted. Leaving the house, Sam wondered if they should stop by and talk to Javier and let him know what they had found out. She would play it by ear and see how he and Juana were taking the news of Poncho’s death first.
Death By Fright Page 7