Another REM-pod went off.
“Jane for Danny. Where’s that coming from? Over.”
“I can’t tell. Courtney’s being attacked down here. Over,” Danny said.
“Okay. Stay with her,” Jane said. “Tim, where are you? Over.”
“Fourth floor. Over,” Tim answered.
There was the sound of running feet overhead.
“It’s the séance room. Over,” Jane said.
“On my way. Over.” Tim said.
They both showed up on the third floor camera at the end of the hall. Courtney watched as the two conversed. Tim disappeared from view. More thundering feet and Tim showed up, running down the stairs toward her and Danny.
“Get me the ghost box,” Tim said.
Danny ducked under the table and riffled through a crate before he came up with a gadget he handed to Tim.
“Thanks.” Tim ran away.
*
Jane waited in the hall for Tim, her anticipation growing. The loud squeal continued from the séance room, but they’d decided to wait until they were together to go in. Finally Tim joined her and they ran down the hall toward the room. When they entered, Tim shut the REM-pod off and set the ghost box on the table while they each pulled up a chair.
The ghost box was an instrumental trans-communication (ITC) device, or a two-way radio that allowed users to speak to the dead in real-time. The box swept the AM radio band and the sounds being picked up on the constant scan included spirit voices.
Jane nodded toward Tim to start.
“Are you the one who’s hurting Courtney?” Tim asked.
“Yes.”
“Why?” Tim asked.
“Because.”
“Because why?” Tim said.
“I can.”
An eerie chill enveloped Jane. They didn’t have a ghost box when they were investigating the old Heller house on Isabelle Island, as it hadn’t been invented yet. That was the only other time she’d come face to face with evil. Somehow she knew that this situation would be so much worse.
“Why are you here?” Tim continued.
“Invited.”
Jane cringed. It’s very difficult to get rid of an entity that’s actually been invited.
“Who invited you?” Tim said.
“Bess.”
“The spirit board. Bess MacDougall was trying to reach her husband, Patrick, and opened a door to the other side,” Jane whispered.
Tim nodded toward her. “Can you force people to do things against their will?”
“Yes.”
This entity was strong.
“What is your name?” Tim said.
“Keeper of Souls.”
The hairs on the back of Jane’s neck stood up. “Are you a demon?” she blurted.
“YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.”
Jane and Tim stared at one another. Neither spoke for some time. Although she’d never come up against a demon, she knew they weren’t equipped to deal with one. Demons weren’t ghosts, you couldn’t just wave some sage around to get them to leave. You needed a priest, or better yet, an exorcist.
“What do you want?” Tim asked.
Jane didn’t want to know. The name, Keeper of Souls, evoked an image of people screaming while they burned alive in a pit of fire.
All at once Tim rose out of his chair. Jane reached up to grab him, but he was just out of her reach. His body flipped upside down and she could see the fear in his eyes; his arms and legs flailed about while his back smacked against the ceiling, and his head made a sickening crack. “Let me go!”
Courtney and Danny ran into the room; they’d witnessed this from the monitor. “Lord’s prayer,” Danny said.
They clasped hands and began to recite. When they got to the words, Deliver us from evil, Tim dropped face down to the floor. Jane ran over to help him up. Blood gushed from a cut across the bridge of his nose, and it looked broken. Danny and Jane each grabbed an arm and together they helped Tim stand on wobbly legs. The poor guy was white as a sheet, his entire body shook.
In all the years she’d known Tim, she had never seen him defeated like this.
“Courtney, would you put the light on please?” Jane said.
“There isn’t one in this room, but I can get the one in the hall.”
With the aid of her flashlight, the girl carefully made her way out of the room and a few seconds later they could see the door clearly. Up to that point, the only light in the room had come from their discarded flashlights lying haphazardly on the floor, which made their vision sketchy at best.
When they got to the exit, Jane and Danny eased their grip on Tim so he could be the first out the door. Instead he was ripped from their hands and pulled backward. His shout echoed throughout the room as they watched his body slam against the far wall. A loud crash sounded and glass littered the floor. The night sky suddenly appeared behind Tim.
It was not a wall at all, but windows that had been painted black. Jane screamed and ran toward Tim, Danny and Courtney followed. They grabbed his legs before he could plummet to his death. Tim clutched the sides of the window frame. All four of them wrestled against the powerful force of the unseen assailant.
Complete pandemonium ensued. Screams and expletives filled the room as they fought with all their strength. Tim’s eyes bugged out of his head. His pallor was the shade of the full moon just beyond his head.
A high-pitched wail took Jane by surprise. It had come from Tim. She glanced up, but before she saw his face, she noticed three long cuts across his shirt. Blood dripped from his chest. While she watched it happened again, this time across his stomach.
Tim’s hands briefly let go of the frame before he gripped it again. “Tim, no matter what, do not loosen your grip. That’s what he’s trying to do,” Jane yelled.
“Help me. My hands are slipping. I don’t know how long I can hold on!” Tim yelled back.
His body was bending in the middle by the suction. They were losing the fight. Jane took a big breath and yelled the rosary as loud as she could. “Hail Mary, full of grace.”
Danny joined in.
Tim wailed again as his body jerked.
Before long, they were able to climb his legs and grab a hold of his belt. They were on their third prayer when his body flew at them as if it was let go. Everyone collapsed in a heap with him on top. The only noise was the sound of heavy breathing as they tried to regulate their breathing.
Tim rolled off them onto the floor. “Get me the fuck out of this house.”
They climbed to their feet at different stages and helped Tim up. His legs trembled as if they couldn’t hold his weight. Jane and Danny grabbed him around the waist, his arms went across their shoulders and they passed through the doorway sideways.
“Holy shit,” Courtney said.
Jane glanced over her shoulder to see Courtney pointing. That’s when Jane noticed the giant bloody claw mark across Tim’s back.
“I can’t wait to hear Stephan’s response to this,” Tim said sarcastically.
“It’s not like it’s your fault,” Danny said.
“That’s not the way he’ll see it. He’s been bitching about my little hobby, as he puts it, since we began dating three years ago. Now that I’ve gotten my ass kicked by a demon, his bullshit is finally validated.”
“I’m so sorry. Maybe if I explain—” Jane said.
“Explain? How the hell are you going to explain this?” Tim said.
“At least let me clean up those wounds so they don’t look so bad,” Jane said.
“No. Just get me out of here. Now,” Tim said emphatically.
They helped him onto the back seat of the van where he laid on his side so that his wounds didn’t touch the vinyl. Jane sat with his head in her lap, while Courtney sat up front with Danny. The ride to Hillcrest was quiet for the first fifteen minutes.
“I will not be going back to that house,” Tim said firmly.
“I understand,” Jane answered.
“And if you were smar
t, you wouldn’t either,” Tim added.
“But what about Alyssa and Brandon?” Courtney replied.
Danny’s hand reached across the van and landed on her knee. “We’ll think of something. Don’t worry.”
“We could contact the Thibodeux Foundation. I bet they can help us,” Jane said.
“What’s the Thibodeux Foundation?” Courtney asked.
“The largest paranormal co-op. They’re in touch with psychics, mediums, clairvoyants, and demonologists from all over the world,” Jane answered.
“That’s a great idea. See? I told you we wouldn’t leave you in the lurch,” Danny said.
“You’re leaving?” Courtney asked Danny.
“Not on your life. I’ll still be a part of the investigation. Right, Jane?” Danny glanced into the rearview mirror at Jane.
“I don’t know how they do their investigations. They may not allow us to join them. We’ll just have to see,” Jane answered.
EIGHTEEN
Two days later, Jane found herself at the San Diego International airport waiting for two members of the Thibodeux Foundation. She was told to look for a tall blond man and a short Native American woman. They were both coming in from Dallas, Texas, a cowboy and an indian. Jane giggled at the thought.
As a wave of people exited the double doors, she searched the crowd. A cowboy hat appeared above the crowd, and crystal blue eyes searched until they landed on hers and stopped. He had to be the one. Before long a petite woman appeared alongside him as they made their way through the crush of people.
He stopped in front of her. “Jane?”
“Yes. You must be Jake Spaulding.” Jane thrust her hand toward him. His large calloused hand enveloped hers and her heart skipped a beat. She couldn’t take her eyes off of him. The words Nordic God flashed through her mind.
“This is Sara Crow.” His voice broke the spell and she found herself looking at the older woman next to him.
“It’s nice to meet you. Thank you so much for coming on such short notice.” Jane shook Sara’s hand. “I’m parked over there.” Jane glanced around. “Hurry, the parking police are heading this way.”
Jake smiled. “We can’t have that.”
“Hey, that lady is mean.” Jane opened her trunk and let them put their luggage in. “Just look at her face.”
After loading Sara’s bag, Jake put his own in the trunk and closed it. “Don’t worry. I won’t let her get you.”
Jane’s focus changed from the awful woman to Jake; he was smiling from ear to ear. “Laugh it up, cowboy. I don’t doubt she can make a grown man cry. Now get in.”
She watched as he folded himself up to fit into her compact car. Now it was her turn to laugh, he was practically kissing his knees. She pulled away from the curb. “Did Sara fill you in on what’s going on?”
“Yes. It sounds like you have a nasty entity on your hands,” Jake said.
“Not a demon?” Jane was surprised.
“I don’t like to speculate.”
“No need. He did everything in threes, including his attack. We checked the video later, it started at 3:00 and ended at 3:33 AM.”
“That makes sense. Some think Christ died on the cross at three o’clock. So that’s the devil’s way of mocking the Holy Trinity. I’d be interested in seeing this video,” Jake said.
“No problem. You can view it on my computer. I’m taking you to my house. I have a day bed in my office that Sara can use. I’m sorry, but you’ll have to sleep on the couch.”
“It’s okay. I’ve slept in worse places,” he said.
Jane glanced in the rearview mirror. “So what is your specialty, Sara?”
“Psychometry. I get information by touching objects.”
“Interesting. And Jake, Sara said you’re a demonologist? What exactly is that?”
“I can see things that a regular psychic medium doesn’t, such as demons. I can also banish them.”
“That’s what we need right now. Do you have any other talents?” Jane asked.
“I’m a great cook.” He grinned at her.
“As much as I like a good meal, that’s not exactly what I meant.”
He shrugged. “You asked me about my talents.”
“Jake,” Sara admonished.
“I’m also a psychic, I pick up messages.”
Jane began to panic. “You can read minds?”
“Although I knew that was the next thing to come out of your mouth, the answer is no. If I could hear everyone’s thoughts, then just standing in a crowd would make me go insane.”
Phew. “I never thought about it. So what is it like then?”
“I receive messages.”
“Can you shut it off whenever you want?” Jane asked.
“I keep a shield up, like a brick wall to protect myself. It’s something that Sara taught me years ago.” He turned in his seat and smiled back at Sara.
Jane’s hopes crashed. Of course they were a couple. What was she thinking?
“I let it down when I’m investigating or if I need answers about something I can ask my spirit guides. They don’t have all the answers, but they do have a lot,” Jake finished.
“Got it.” Jane shut her mouth and feigned interest in the road. He was a sexy cowboy for Christ’s sake. How could she have imagined he’d be single and interested in her? He also lived in Texas. Sara had told her on the phone that he had a ranch there. Talk about geographically undesirable. The entire scenario was impossible.
Pathetic. Desperate much?
Jane pulled into her driveway and turned off the engine.
“Here we are,” Jane announced.
“Cute bungalow,” Sara said.
“Thanks.” Jane popped the trunk. “How does your investigation work? Do I just drop you off at the house and the two of you work alone?”
“Normally, but since you’re already familiar with the case, we could use your help,” Jake said. “What do you think, Sara?”
“Definitely, we could use all the help we can get. If you don’t mind,” Sara said.
“Sure. I’ll let Danny know. Tim won’t be joining us though,” Jane said.
“Can’t blame him,” Sara said. “He may be scarred for life.”
“Yeah, well, his husband isn’t very pleased with me right now, that’s for sure.”
“He’ll get over it after the shock wears off,” Jake added.
“I hope so. Tim’s been my best friend for many years.”
They grabbed their bags and followed Jane into the house.
“I’ll get you guys set up at the computer so you can watch the footage.”
After she made her guests comfortable in the office, Jane called Danny and then fixed lunch. On her way in to ask what they wanted to drink, she caught a bit of their conversation.
“—not good at all,” Sara said.
“I haven’t come across a demon this strong since Luc and I went up against that evil Hoodoo Bocor in the bayou back in the 1980s. Remember me telling you about that? It was Luc’s first case and my first demon.”
“How could I forget? I was frightened for you just in the telling,” Sara answered.
“You’ve been like a mother to me over the years—”
“Watch it, buddy, I’m only ten years your senior.” Sara punched him in the arm.
“I know, but if you hadn’t come into my life when you did…”
“Hey. No need to go there. We all cross paths with the people in our lives for a reason. Remember, you were the one who put everything in motion when you contacted Frank. You were a brave kid.”
“I was scared shitless,” Jake answered.
Jane was so drawn in by their conversation that she forgot why she was there in the first place. “I’m sorry to interrupt.”
Startled, they turned around in their chairs.
“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but do you mind if I ask how you two came to know one another?” Jane asked.
Sara’s face became a scowl. “I do
n’t think—”
Jake put his hand on her arm. “No. It’s okay.”
Jane came into the room and sat on the day bed.
“They call my particular gift Clairaudience in that I hear the voices of the departed, but can’t see them,” Jake said. “As a child, I didn’t know it wasn’t normal. I had no idea where the voices were coming from or why, I just thought everyone heard them. But when I started puberty the voices grew stronger.”
“This happens to a lot of people at this time in their life because of the raging hormones flooding their bloodstream,” Sara added.
“So by the time I was about fourteen, I was sure I was crazy and began looking up everything in the library that had to do with mental illness. I came across schizophrenia, when one hears voices in their head telling them to harm themselves or others.”
“You must have been scared out of your mind,” Jane said.
“To put it mildly, but the voices weren’t telling me to harm anyone. That really confused me.”
“What sort of things did they say?” Jane asked.
“Sometimes names and dates, other times they were whole sentences. Messages that would come true. That led me to believe it could be paranormal, so I began researching paranormal phenomenon: psychics, telekinesis, mediums, stuff like that.”
“And did that put your mind at ease?” Jane said.
“Not exactly. I wanted it to stop,” Jake answered.
“What did your parents say?”
“My mother had passed, so it was only my father. I tried to talk to him, but he didn’t want to hear it.”
“Then what did you do?”
“I read an article about a girl whose family thought she might be possessed and had contacted The Thibodeux Foundation in New Orleans. So I looked up their address and sent them a letter. Frank Thibodeux answered and we began to correspond.
“He wanted me to go to New Orleans, but I couldn’t. My father needed my help with the ranch, my brothers were too young at the time to do much good. So Frank introduced me to Sara.” He smiled at her before he continued.
“And he’s been a pain in my ass ever since.” Sara punched him in the arm again.
“You love me and you know it,” Jake replied.
“About as much as someone loves a boil on their butt.” Sara laughed.
Spirits 04-Spirits of Seacliff Manor Page 12