The Hauntings Of Sugar Hill: The Complete Series

by M. L. Bullock

  We did some tests in the woods, checking for blips in the electromagnetic field, and tried to get a baseline reading, but there wasn’t anything noticeable to report. Still, we recorded our findings, as we always did.

  Becker suggested voice testing, and of course we picked up nothing. It was pretty darn discouraging, but in true boss-man fashion Mike had a plan for tonight’s follow-up investigation.

  After lunch we settled on three areas to monitor with our cameras. We set up an IR camera at the old town well, another in the ruins of a burned-out home and two more near some twisted oak trees that looked to be several hundred years old. They were near an interesting rock formation, and I felt there might be something there, but the machines registered zero.

  We went back inside the van; it was just the four of us now, Mike, Becker, Megan and me. James and the new camera guy were sleeping in James’ truck. At least I didn’t have to listen to James snore. That man sounded like a mucus-filled freight train.

  There were no cameras rolling in the van, but we did our job anyway. As Mike pointed out once, “We belong to the network, guys. You never know when they’ll hit the record button on any of these machines.” I glanced around the van, as if I could detect any hidden devices. I wouldn’t really know what I was looking for if I saw it. Until my work with My Haunted Plantation, my most sophisticated ghost hunting device was a handheld tape recorder.

  “Okay, Camera One. Let’s light you up,” Becker said to the camera and watched as the picture came in clearly now.

  “Camera One online,” I reported even though I sat next to him. Soon everything was working properly and all the cameras passed our initial tests.

  Mike said with a forced yawn, “All right, let’s get some sleep, guys. Thankfully, we’ve got the two vans, and there’s plenty of room for anyone who wants to catch some sleep if you can. No time to go back to the hotel. That goes for you too, Megan. You’ll have to stay. I appreciate all your research efforts, but I need you fresh for this investigation tonight. We’ll work together tonight; Becker and Jess will take the second shift.”

  “You think we’ll catch something out here, or is this just to keep us safely away from the house? I’m dying to get back in that old plantation. You know, I meant to mention this earlier while we were rolling, but I had the strangest dream about that place last night.” Megan tapped her plump, glossed lips with her manicured finger. She had bright blond hair, a fake tan, fake nails and fake eyelashes. And she was gorgeous. I was a no-muss, no-fuss kind of gal, and the differences between us were apparent. Guys preferred Megan. I was okay with that, but the network? Not so much. I had a feeling that part of my negotiations for next season would involve enhancements to my looks. I was not going to go to the lengths Megan did. Breast implants were not in my future, and I refused to color my hair. But then again, I wasn’t sure I’d be staying on anyway.

  “You too? I thought it was just me. I was standing on the very top of the house, like in the crow’s nest, and I saw in the distance a big ship coming in…”

  “Hey, I don’t interrupt your stories, Beck,” Megan growled at him.

  “Enough with the stories, guys. Let’s hit the hay for a bit. It’s getting cold out.” Mike shoved his hands in his jacket pockets and glanced up at the sky. “At least it’s going to be a dry night.”

  I noticed that Mike and Megan left the van tentatively holding hands. That settled it. I’d sleep in the media van, even if that meant obsessively staring at the cameras and listening for erratic beeps from the charging REM pods. We wouldn’t deploy them until right before we headed out in a few hours. It would be completely black out soon. I wondered if we’d have any moon tonight. Hmm…I’d have to check that online.

  “I’m out, Jess. Going to sleep in the truck with James and Victor, I guess. You want to come with, cuddle with me?”

  “What would your Dufresne friend think about that?”

  “Who cares? She’s about as serious as I am.”

  I waved my hand dismissively but couldn’t help but grin at his honesty. “That’s gross, Becker. You shouldn’t just sleep with anyone and everyone.”

  “I don’t and you know it. Now I ask you again, pretty lady. You want to cuddle?”

  “I don’t know…” I said sweetly, “are you the last man on earth?” I propped my legs up in his empty chair.

  “No, but this might be your last chance,” he shot back playfully.

  “No thanks, I’ll die a virgin. Good night, Becker!”

  “Oh my God! You’re a virgin? I can’t tell you how that turns me on.” He hopped back in the van and stood very close to me now, smiling down flirtatiously, “I can help you with that, Jess.”

  “Gross. Get out of here and close the door behind you.” I stuck my tongue out at him, and he responded with a blown kiss as he departed. I wasn’t that offended. Jeffrey Becker had only one speed—fast forward—and it was hard for me to take any guy who wore a messy man-bun seriously. However, if he took that long hair down, it might be another story. I had a weakness for long-haired guys. Well, if he weren’t such a floozy. Nope. Absolutely not interested in Jeffrey Becker and his amazingly uninhibited sexuality.

  Before he closed the door he said in a totally adult and concerned voice, “Be careful out there tonight, Jess.”

  Wrapping my jacket around my shoulders tighter, I smiled bleakly. “You got it.” He closed the door, and I wrapped my arms around my knees and turned my attention to the cameras. All four were working fine and were live-streaming the images. We hadn’t hit record on any of them yet; we couldn’t afford to waste all that data, and who the heck wanted to scan through an extra four hours of video? Not me. And with Megan back in her position as the queen of MHP, Mike giving interviews and Beck fixing something, all the grunt work would fall to me. I was like an intern, but at least I was a well-paid intern.

  I forgot all about checking on the moonrise, and soon I felt sleepy. Staring at four boring feeds was bound to put me to sleep. What was I thinking? I pulled the chair closer and propped my legs up again. That did it. I was totally comfortable now and soon fell asleep.

  I didn’t dream a thing, which felt like pure bliss. Memories of the past pushed at the edges of my dream, but thankfully tragedy didn’t infringe on my slumber.

  But a weird sound did.

  It sounded as if something caught on fire and exploded, like a gas bomb. The whole dang van shook! It reminded me of when my dad would get carried away with the charcoal grill. He’d soak the thing with lighter fluid and then toss in a match. Yes, it sounded just like that. I woke up feeling stiff but didn’t waste any time tightening in on Camera Three’s screen. Becker had marked it with tape and paper: BURNED-OUT HOUSE. Then the light disappeared.

  “Okay, I’m seeing things.” I rubbed my eyes and moved the camera around again to get a better view. Then I heard the sound again and saw the flash of light. That was definitely a ball of heat rising from the ground, but where did it come from? I zoomed in, but there was a significant amount of foliage in the way. A fleeting dark figure shot across the screen and disappeared before I could hit record. I had the camera recording everything now. Heck, I might as well turn them all on! And I did.

  As I waited, I thought about the sound and what I saw. It seemed as if the sound and the flash of light went together, but how could they? The audio icon plainly displayed what I already knew. The red toggle overlaid the speaker—the sound had not been turned on yet. It would have been impossible to hear the audio before now.

  Which led me to just one conclusion…I wasn’t hearing these things in the natural world. The burning sounds were a residual haunt. That was hopeful! Barring a gas leak or some other kind of real-world explanation, this was proof of supernatural activity. These were echoes from the spiritual world, and because of my psychic receptivity I could hear them. I reached for the walkie-talkie, and my finger hovered over the button. I’d jumped the gun before, made a fool of myself in the basement of Sugar Hill. I coul
dn’t even remember the event! Not with any clarity. Was I really going to jeopardize my spot on the show by “crying wolf” again?

  Hell no. My heart pounded as I watched the flash of light appear again in front of Camera Three. I wonder what would happen if I took the IR filter off the camera. With nervous fingers I tapped on the keyboard, just like I’d seen Becker do a hundred times. Ha! Look at that! I’m a technician now too. Take that, my playboy friend.

  I’d have to do this investigation by myself. I grabbed the recorder, a camera and the walkie and headed out of the van to the ruins of the burned-out building. It was as dark as a bottomless pit out tonight. Even the stars disapproved of my idea because they didn’t appear at all. No moon either. No need to Google that now.

  I slid the items on my belt and zipped my jacket. Thankfully, I had a fleece hat stuffed in one of my pockets, a navy blue one that my mother had sent me last month. It was kind of ratty, obviously not new, but I was grateful. I didn’t mind her penny-pinching ways. She’d been a good mother to me.

  I suddenly missed home. I missed them all. But here I was, searching for proof of the paranormal. In the dark. In the woods. In Alabama. Absently I wondered what my mother told her nosy friends about me.

  “Oh, you know, Jessica has always been a bit of a free spirit. Always one to peek behind the curtain. I’m so proud of my special girl.”

  Special girl as in, “God? Why did you send me this weird child, and what do I do with her now that I have her?” Yes, I could imagine her saying just that.

  I glanced behind me and didn’t see anyone looking. The camera truck lights didn’t come on, and the van lights were off. Mike and Megan were probably fast asleep or doing something I didn’t want to know about.

  I decided to do it. I hadn’t quite made up my mind until I got there. But now that I hovered at the edge of the forest, I was definitely going to do it.

  As I took a step inside the foliage I heard a sound behind me.

  “Jessica! What the hell are you doing?”

  “Jesus, Becker! You scared the hell out of me.” I laughed and squatted in the grass trying to catch my breath. “Keep your voice down. Something is moving on Camera Three, and I’m going to check it out. It’s probably nothing. You stay here.” I waved him back and rose.

  “Hell no, I’m not letting you investigate without me. Mike never gives me a break. I want to go with you.”

  “I don’t think…”

  “You let me come along, or I go wake up Mike and Megan in the shaggin’ wagon. And the camera crews.”

  I sighed and shrugged. “Fine, but I’m taking the lead.”

  He ran beside me as we jogged down the path. “Stop right here,” I said. “Let’s take some readings. The house is just over there. That’s where we need to be.”

  Before we had a chance to do any sweeps or take any pictures, we saw a fire. A big roaring fire, like someone wanted to have a bonfire tonight, right out here in the woods. It burst up from the ground like something that had always been there.

  “What the hell? Who did this?” Naturally, Becker ran toward the fire without looking first. I knew what he was thinking, somebody lit this fire, and I’m going to find out who it was! It was a good thought, but I knew the truth. The person who set this fire had been dead a long time.

  How did I know this?

  Because I could see her. I could see her eyes, and they were full of hatred.

  And they were staring at me.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Avery Dufresne

  Naturally, Reed wasn’t anywhere to be found at D & D. The sweet receptionist smiled but didn’t provide me with any additional information. I mused over waiting for him, but I got the feeling he didn’t want to see me. Well, if he wasn’t here, then he must be at Sugar Hill. That’s where I headed next. It was time to have it out—over a few things. Like how dare he kiss me without my permission! And how dare he hold back vital information from me.

  I found him easily enough, sitting in the back of a truck talking to a man I didn’t recognize. I could see an ambulance leaving as I pulled up. That could mean one of two things. Either they found a body—or two—or they found nothing. By the look on Reed’s handsome face, I could tell which one it was.

  He shook his friend’s hand and they said their goodbyes as I got out of my Lexus. I wanted to punch him in the face. That all changed when I saw he’d been crying.

  “What is it, Reed? What happened?” I touched him discreetly on the shoulder. As always he was the picture of Southern perfection with his perfectly starched shirt and creased trousers.

  He rubbed his eyes quickly, like he had never intended to let me see him crying. Maybe he wouldn’t have, but I didn’t give him a chance to hide.

  “They found the bodies, just like Jessica said. I can hardly believe it. How can she know that, Avery? Now the police want to talk to her. They think she has something to do with this.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh. “They think Jessica played some role in a two-hundred-year-old murder case? What is she? A time traveler? Sounds like the local police department has a problem with logic,” I said dryly.

  “If you want to know the truth, it’s not Jessica Chesterfield they suspect. It’s us. They think the Dufresnes are pulling a family stunt. They think we knew about this and wanted to put it all on television. Or you wanted to put it on television. They have this idea that you’re using it as your big break back into News Quarter.”

  “Do what? They think I wanted to find our dead ancestors buried in a wall? Why would I need to pull a publicity stunt? I’m doing everything I can to stay out of the press, not invite them here.” I sat on the bumper of his vehicle with my arms crossed.

  “Well, that’s not how they see it, and you can’t blame them.”

  “How is that, Reed?”

  “Well, they only know you as America’s Newscaster, the woman who went after Senator Greeley and humiliated him in front of the nation. They don’t believe you have any qualms about playing this family secret to your advantage.”

  “That’s just great.” Once again that interview came back to haunt me. For the first time I truly felt regret over it.

  “As far as the bodies go, the initial examination shows that one was a young female and the other was likely an older female. There were only fragments of their clothing left, but they were wearing jewelry that might belong to the Dufresne collection. But that’s not the most disturbing thing.”

  “Really? Well, do tell. As if that wasn’t disturbing enough.” Yeah, I felt like being a smart-ass today. After he gave Jessica such a hard time, it was good to see Reed eating some crow. He was too damn cocky, I’d decided on my way over here. Could a Matrone fire the family attorney?

  “My friend Greg said the inside of the wall definitely had scratch marks, just like you would find if someone were walled in. They died in there. They were trapped—buried alive. This is horrible! What if the My Haunted Plantation people or the Paranormal Channel get a hold of this? They are going to have a field day! We don’t need our dirty laundry aired in public, Avery. We need to come up with a plan. Damn Aunt Anne for this! How could she have brought them here? She had to be out of her flipping mind! Now people will be asking all sorts of questions.”

  “Who cares? Let them question us. What do we have to hide now? I don’t think it can get any worse than skeletons in the basement, can it?”

  He gave me a look that suggested I was wrong. I didn’t probe him further. “Obviously Aunt Anne knew what they would find, and you don’t have to clean up anything, Reed. I’ll do it.”

  He ran his hands through his dark hair. “What? What do you mean?”

  “I mean, I can handle this. I’m America’s Newscaster! As you pointed out. I think I can handle a few bodies buried in the ancestral home. It’s not earth-shaking news, Reed. You act like it is the end of the world. I think the best thing to do is put our cards on the table. Be honest. Tell the investigators the truth! Say, ‘We know
we have family secrets. Help us uncover them!’ If you do that, you control the information. If you don’t, they’ll report what they want.”

  “We can’t do that!”

  “It’s done.” I stepped closer to him. “Aunt Anne named me Matrone for a reason. She must have known what she was doing, that they would find those bodies and whatever else this family has hidden. It’s time to shine some light into the past, Reed. I want to use these investigators. I want answers, damn it!”

  “Avery, I don’t think you know what that means. This could be bad for us.”

  “How? How can it be bad? Explain it to me, and please stop being so cryptic!”

  “There are certain factions that want to see you fail. They think we need another Matrone to lead us.”

  That felt like a slap in the face. “Who do they have in mind, then? Pepper?”

  “No. They want Summer. I guess there is no sense in hiding that from you now.”

  “I see. And is that how you feel, Reed? Do you want Summer to take my place?”

  “No, I don’t want that. Aunt Anne picked you, but I’m only one person. And I can’t help you if you don’t listen to me.”

  Blinking back angry tears I said, “This is how we are going to do things, and they can like it or they can lump it! I don’t need the board’s permission to handle this. I’m not asking for their permission—or their money. I have money of my own. It’s time to put these ghosts to rest. And not just for me, but for you too, Reed. For you, our families, and our children.”

  “I don’t even have a girlfriend. Having children seems a long way off, but I see what you mean.” He smiled for the first time in a while. “Very well, let’s do it your way, Avery. Let’s embrace this and see what happens. You’re right, of course; if we want to control the information we need to come at it differently, try a new tack. Yes, let’s do that.”

  “Fine. Now where are my Grandmother Vertie’s journals, Reed? I think it’s pretty crappy of you to hide them from me. You know I need to read them!”