Spooked on the Gulf Coast (Gulf Coast Paranormal Trilogy Book 3)

by M. L. Bullock

  “Have you had any other reports of the Dogman in the area?” I asked.

  Joe replied, “Yes, and recently too. Up in Leakesville.”

  I glanced at my watch and said, “Is Boy ready to go? How do you want to proceed with the search?”

  “Larry, you hang back and get those casts. The rest of us will begin the perimeter search. We will make a circular pattern around the house and then push out ten feet at a time. It’s tiresome and might take us a few hours, but it’s the best way to find someone—and we can look for evidence of the creature at the same time.”

  The German shepherd wasted no time hopping out of the truck. Thankfully, Joe had him on a leash because I was sure he would have taken off had he not been restrained.

  “He caught wind of something. Easy, Boy. Let’s go.”

  We walked into the woods following the barking dog.

  Chapter Sixteen—Sierra

  My daughter liked her groceries, and she liked them often, and she was not keen on the idea of waiting to eat. To my disappointment, my breast milk was late coming in and we had to go with plan B, which was formula. Once I got things flowing, it was too late. Emily preferred the bottle, and I was left a crying, leaking mess.

  My mother was not much help. She did not know what to do with baby girls even though she’d had one. I had been the youngest of five, and the other four were boys. Still, she stayed overnight and kept me company while Joshua had to work.

  He was such a good father; as soon as he came home, he went right for our baby girl, even if she was asleep. I had to threaten him to keep him from waking her up, but I was happy that he loved her so much. About two in the morning, it was a toss-up. I was exhausted and so was he, so we took the late-night baby care in turns. Last night had been my turn.

  I had Emily in my arms as I hovered near the stove, waiting for the bottle to heat up. She fussed because I was not her Daddy and fussed because she wanted that bottle right now, but I sang to her and walked hoping to calm her. It worked. I glanced at the timer on the stove. Just another two minutes, and then I would test the milk.

  “That’s right, baby Emily. Mommy loves you.” We walked around the table not once or twice but at least ten times. I felt my pajama shirt getting wet. Rats. I would have to change before I got back into bed. As I cleared the table one more time, I saw a brief flash of a woman, not her face but the back of her. She wore a pioneer-style dress, gingham of some type, and had dark hair that she wore in a bun at the back of her head. Even though I could not see her face, I could tell she was not much older than I. Maybe early thirties. I got the feeling she had been watching me but didn’t mean for me to spot her.

  Maybe she did.

  One more thing. I knew her name. She left it behind on the unsettled air like a living thing.

  Her name was Eliza.

  “Eliza, you have to come back later. I have to take care of Emily now.” Emily squalled at hearing me talk. I reached for the bottle, gave it a good shake and turned off the stove. I tested the milk on my wrist, and it felt fine. Emily’s pretty face crumpled as she cried even harder. What did this kid think, that I wasn’t going to give her this bottle? I shook my head in disbelief and gave her what she wanted. She immediately began to suck and was satisfied quickly. I walked around the dining room again, keeping my eyes on the doorway where I had seen the woman.

  I didn’t know all the details of the current Gulf Coast Paranormal case, but that name sounded familiar since I had looked over the case file briefly. Holding Emily as she napped between milk snacks, I powered up my computer and went to my email inbox to find the file from Cassidy.

  I scanned through a few documents until I came across the name I was looking for: Eliza Arthur.

  Eliza had been here, and I wondered why. Emily was sound asleep now, so I put the bottle back in the fridge and settled the baby back in her bed as quietly as possible. Then I went back to the office, closed the laptop and went to my room. I cleaned myself up, changed my shirt and climbed back in the bed with Joshua. He was awake and waiting for me. “What’s going on? Emily okay?”

  “Yes, she’s fine. Do not let her hear your voice, please. You know you are her favorite.” Should I tell him about the ghost of Eliza Arthur showing up in our dining room? I decided against that idea. Joshua did not like hearing about ghosts in the house, even though we were ghost hunters.

  “That’s not true,” Joshua said as he touched my face lightly and kissed my forehead sweetly. “And you’re my favorite.”

  “Darn it, you’re good. I will get up with her if she gets up again. Get some sleep, Joshua. You’ve got to go to work in the morning.”

  “Good night, Sierra.” He fell asleep quickly, just like someone had flipped a switch. Eliza did not bother me, but I did not believe she was far away at all. As long as she kept away from Emily, I’d be okay. I turned over and looked at the baby monitor. It had a video screen; it was like live television featuring my baby girl. I watched and listened but heard nothing except the sound of a baby and her daddy sleeping. It was like listening to some weird kind of stereo snoring. I stared at the screen, but there was nothing there. Eventually, I fell asleep.

  I woke to the sound of the radio playing in the kitchen. That was a part of my husband’s morning routine. Oh no, he is going to wake up the baby. The clock said 7:45 a.m. Gosh, how long did I sleep? I checked the baby monitor, but Emily was not there. I eased out of bed and made my way to the kitchen. Joshua had toast going, the coffeepot was on, and he was holding baby Emily in his arms and dancing at the sink. She was not crying but staring at him through puffy eyes. She was too young to smile, but she was certainly entertained.

  I leaned against the doorframe and watched the show until Joshua realized I was there. “Hey, how long have you been up?” he asked with a sheepish grin.

  “Long enough to see this,” I answered as I prissed my hips back and forth like a five-year-old.

  He shook his head in embarrassment but also grinned. “I made coffee.”

  “Thank you,” I said as I headed to the coffeepot, pausing long enough to kiss the baby’s cheek. “And thank you for the show. Your Daddy isn’t much of a dancer, Emily, but he makes great pancakes.”

  “I do,” he said as she blinked at us and showed us her tongue. “That’ll be on the menu this weekend.” I poured myself some coffee and took a few swigs, and then Joshua said, “Hey, why don’t you get dressed? I have to leave in a few minutes. I can’t be late for work.”

  “You mean I can’t wear my pajamas all day?”

  “You can do whatever you want.”

  “Thanks, but you know me. I’m not much for hanging out in my pajamas. I’ll get dressed; it won’t take but a minute.” I hurried off to find some comfortable clothes. I had woken up too late to get a shower, so I twisted my hair into a bun and secured it to the top of my head. I dabbed on mascara and some color for my cheeks.

  I heard the front door open and a woman’s voice. Was that Cassidy? I hurriedly brushed my teeth and decided against earrings. Wow, how was it that I felt tired already? My day had barely begun.

  “Hey, Cassidy! Didn’t expect to see you this morning! I thought y’all were going to be up at Crenshaw Lodge today,” I yelled as I slid on a pair of socks and headed off to the kitchen to greet her. She was not there.

  Joshua gave me a puzzled look. “Who are you talking to?”

  “I heard the front door open and a woman’s voice. I assumed it was Cassidy. She’s not here?”

  “No. Nobody’s been here.”

  I walked to the front door and sure enough, it was locked. “But I swear I heard a woman’s voice.”

  He took a bite of his toast and handed me the baby. “Probably just the baby, sweetheart. Got to get going. I took Bozo out a little bit ago, so he’ll be good for a while. Are you going to be okay?”

  “Yeah, of course. I’m fine. Have a good day at work, Joshua.”

  My husband left the house, and Emily almost immediately began
crying. I gave her the rest of her bottle, and she fell asleep again. Not much play time with Mommy. Emily liked to eat, sleep and hang out with Daddy. I put her back in her bed and walked around the house, hoping to connect with Eliza; it must have been her that I heard. It had to have been Eliza Arthur.

  “If you’re here, don’t hide. I know you want to talk to me.”

  Still nothing. The house was so quiet. Bozo wagged his tail at me briefly, but he too fell asleep. Poor dog. I never played with him anymore. I yawned and considered getting a nap myself. Helen’s advice to me had been to sleep when the baby sleeps. That seemed like a great idea. With my paranormal visitor, I wasn’t sure I’d be sleeping tonight.

  Chapter Seventeen—Cassidy

  “How could a grown man just disappear?” Jocelyn asked as sweat poured off her forehead. Despite her perspiration, the mosquitoes were not chewing on her, but the bloodsucking insects apparently loved redheads because I was being eaten alive again. She was sitting on a tree stump and emptying forest debris from her tennis shoes.

  “I don’t know, Jocelyn. Where did everyone go? They were just here.”

  She didn’t seem worried in the least about catching up with the team. She banged her shoe on the tree stump one more time and then slid it back on her foot before she laced it up. “They couldn’t have gone far. Let’s catch up.” She hopped up and dusted her behind before walking five feet and stopping as if she had walked into an invisible wall. Despite the heat of the day, Jocelyn’s teeth were chattering. “Do you feel that? I’m freezing.” The extreme change in temperature stopped us both in our tracks. “It’s right here.” She waved her hand at a spot near her waist and took a step forward, and then she wasn’t there at all. Jocelyn vanished right before my eyes.

  “Jocelyn!” I screamed as I raced toward the spot where she had just stood. “Where are you?”

  I heard her groan beneath me. The blond investigator had fallen into a hole, a dark hole. I blinked my eyes a few times until I caught a glimpse of her dreadlocks and her wide eyes peering up at me.

  “God, it stinks down here. Help me out, Cassidy.”

  “Are you okay? Is anything broken?”

  “No, but I think I’m going to throw up if I can’t get away from this smell. I need a ladder or a rope or something.”

  I glanced around the forest and saw no options. No vines I could use as a rope, no trees I could wrangle by myself to drop in the hole. “I’ll have to find some help, Jocelyn.”

  “Don’t you dare leave me, Cassidy Wright. I don’t have a flashlight or anything; I even dropped my camera. Do you see it up there?”

  I glanced over my shoulder. It was right where she dropped it and seemed intact. “I see it, but I wouldn’t want to toss it down there. I can drop down my flashlight, but I have to get help. There is no other way to get you out. I’ll be right back, okay?”

  Jocelyn didn’t like that idea, but it was a fact. “Fine, but please hurry. Don’t you dare leave me down here or I will haunt you for the rest of your life.”

  “I would never, I swear. Are you sure you aren’t hurt?” I asked, tossing her my flashlight.

  She sighed, and I could see her stand up to test her limbs. “Just my pride. Something broke my fall.” She waved the flashlight around and muffled a scream. “Oh God!”

  “What? What is it?” My eyes followed the light, and I felt sick. The body of Dale Albright had broken her fall. “Is he dead?”

  “I’d say so. His eyes are open, and he is staring at my leg. Please, get me out of here, Cassidy.”

  “I’m going. I’m marking this tree with my bandana.” I tied the tree with the red bandana that I had brought for wiping sweat away. “I swear I’ll be right back.”

  “Okay,” she said, less sure now.

  Now what should I do? Run off into the woods and hope to find the rest of the team or go back to the house? I opted for the latter. The chances were good the team would have realized we were missing by now and returned to the house to find us. And if I went back, I might find something I could use to pull Jocelyn out of the hole. I ran until I began to wonder if I was running in the right direction. “Yes!” I said as I spied the lodge.

  Wait! That’s not the lodge. Where am I?

  There was a cabin in front of me. I could see an oil lamp burning inside. I could also see a man in the window. He had a gun in his hand. I recognized his messy hair and wild eyes, and then just when I thought he had disappeared, the front door opened and he walked out to watch me run toward him.

  “Eliza?” he called to me. I felt like a layer of cold air had wrapped around me. Like it held me tight and did not want to let me go. “Eliza! Come to me! Please!”

  “I’m Cassidy,” I said as the bushes and trees around me began moving in the freak wind. I did not move; I could not.

  Then I heard another voice behind me. “Cassidy! Where are you?”

  I sobbed as the invisible force held me in place.

  Eliza…come home. Please, come to me….

  “I’m not Eliza!” I shouted through my tears. Suddenly, I discovered my arms and hands were free. I ran in the opposite direction toward the voice behind me, a familiar voice.

  “Midas!” I said as I spotted him wandering through the trees. “Thank God!” I glanced back, but the cabin and the man had disappeared.

  “What happened to you?”

  “Jocelyn and I got separated somehow. It happened so fast, and we did not have a walkie-talkie. She fell in a hole and…”

  “Where?”

  “That way!” I pointed toward the bandana. “I tagged the tree.”

  I led him to the spot where I’d left Jocelyn. She was squatting in a spot on the other side of the hole, as far as she could get from Dale’s body, and the flashlight was still on. She heard us and glanced up. “Thank God. Did you bring a rope?”

  “I found Midas; we’re working on it. Don’t move.”

  Jocelyn said, “Please hurry. I’m in here with a dead guy.”

  Midas used his walkie to call Aaron. He told him the bad news, and they immediately began to work on a plan for rescuing Jocelyn.

  Thirty minutes later, the woods were crawling with law-enforcement teams. We gave them our statements and decided to stop for the day. We could not investigate any further with this craziness going on. Nina showed up and gave us all hugs, thanking us for finding Dale even though it was a sad discovery.

  Midas promised we would return when the police investigation ended. Jocelyn kept quiet, but I noticed that she and Aaron briefly held hands and she hugged him.

  I did not say much as we said goodbye to Joe and Larry. My mind kept replaying what I had seen and heard.

  Eliza…come home…

  Chapter Eighteen—Cassidy

  The ride back from Crenshaw Lodge gave me plenty of time to think about what I had seen, what I felt. Finding the body of Dale Albright hit us all pretty hard. Strangely enough, Jocelyn seemed the least affected, or so I thought until she begged off coming to my house.

  “I think I’m going to sit tight at the hotel. It’s not that I’m not grateful for your offer, and I think you’re terrific, but I’ve got a lot of paperwork to do, some stuff for my mom.” I could not help but notice that Jocelyn was sending off nervous signals. In my time learning and studying paranormal investigation, I had also gotten good at reading people. You had to in this business, and Jocelyn’s signs were saying she was uncomfortable and unhappy. She rubbed her arms as if she had a chill that she could not get rid of…but then again, I probably would feel the same way if I had stumbled on a dead body.

  “If you change your mind, the offer still stands.” On top of everything else, I felt somewhat silly now. Why had I invited her over in the first place? Oh, yeah; because I’m lonely.

  When we pulled up to my house, Jocelyn got out with me and said, “Thanks for rescuing me today. I hate to think about what would have happened to me if I had been out there by myself. I guess I would have ended up like Dale
Albright.”

  “Don’t say that, Jocelyn. We would’ve found you eventually.”

  “Thank you.” Her tone said she did not exactly agree with me, but it was not such an important point that I was willing to argue with her over it. She had been through enough today without me piling on her. She scurried back into the van, and Midas stuck his head out the open window and kissed me once before he, Aaron and Jocelyn drove away.

  I hurried inside to find Domino. Naturally, I did not find him. I did not have the energy to go searching for him, so I curled up in his favorite spot and waited for him to show up. I was tired and fell asleep quickly. I had no dreams, no visions, nothing but blissful sleep. I woke up a few hours later starving and groggy, like I had been on an all-nighter. People do not tell you how vexing paranormal investigation can be on the soul. Chasing after ghosts, searching for entities and now coming on a cryptid like the Dogman wore me out. Domino was still hiding, probably waiting in the laundry basket to pounce on me when I least suspected it. I probably deserved a good pouncing for leaving him alone so often.

  I found some crackers in the pantry, dug around in the refrigerator for some cheese and hamburger dill pickles and made myself a snack tray. I quickly wolfed it all down. Man, I was still hungry.

  Eliza…come home to me….

  “Hello?” I called from the kitchen table. I knew good and well that there was no one down that hall, and certainly no one would be calling for Eliza. Whoever it was had to be looking for Eliza Arthur, Tobias’ wife and Aaron’s great-grandmother times I don’t know how many. No matter what my mind told me, no matter how practical I tried to be, hearing a disembodied voice echoing from my hallway filled me with dread. A bone-aching, soul-piercing dread.