by Chris Moon
The group was stunned by the accusations coming through the machine and I noticed the man in question pushing through the crowd to get to the door. He opened the door and ducked out as the door slammed loudly behind him. As if something had control of my hand, I reached down and shut off the power. Everyone in the room stood in surreal silence, realizing who this man might be.
As time went on, I became more wrapped up with events outside the state of Colorado and the owner of the Lumber Baron Inn began to conduct more murder mystery events at the property. I had all but lost contact with the officer I’d been working with on the case. Looking back on it now, things were appearing hopeless for the poor spirit girls at the Lumber Baron Inn.
In 2010, in one of my rare times at home in Colorado, I received a random phone call at the Haunted Times Magazine offices. It was a woman claiming to be an old friend of Cara Lee. She said she heard about the work we were doing to attempt to solve the murders and had also heard how people were speaking directly to the two girls through the Ghost Box. She asked me if it would be possible to do a private reading in the Valentine Suite at the Lumber Baron Inn. I was extremely busy at the time, but knew how important it would be to attempt to put this woman in direct contact with her old friend and how it might positively affect Cara Lee. I contacted the owner and after a few attempts, he found a weeknight when the room wasn’t booked, allowing us to come and conduct a session. I can’t say I remember all of the particulars that night, but I do recall clear communication between this woman and Cara Lee. It was extremely interesting to listen to them communicate, many times not even needing my interpretation. The woman talked about old times and things they used to do and there were many laughs and tears. I could sense a positive change in Cara Lee’s energy and demeanor and realized it would be much easier to speak to her from that point forward. After the session, the woman repeatedly thanked me and said she might be interested in doing another session sometime in the future. Yet somehow I knew she had gotten everything she needed out of that session. There was a definite reconnection and healing that night and it’s one of the most rewarding private readings I’ve ever done.
We only did a few more Ghost Hunter University events at the Lumber Baron Inn with the original owner, as his events became more popular and the spirit girls somehow became an unfortunate afterthought. A development happened several years ago and, if it hadn’t been for my mother, I might not have ever known it took place. It turns out the Denver Police Department decided to open up the Lumber Baron Inn murder investigation and turn it into an active cold case file. We wondered if the facts we obtained and provided through the Ghost Box sessions were a contributing factor to this development. We were not in it for the fame or glory, so it meant a lot to us that the police were again focusing on such an important case. We obviously hoped it could be solved quickly.
Fast-forward to late March 2016, my team and I were given an extraordinary opportunity to hold the very first paranormal event at the Molly Brown House Museum in Denver, Colorado. It was a fundraising event attempting to restore the original porch on the house. We conducted our own investigation prior to the event and got some great results. Once the fundraiser was announced, it quickly sold out. The museum was kind enough to give us two dates when we could hold our Ghost Hunter University events at the house in exchange for services during the fundraiser. When I announced the Molly Brown House Ghost Hunter University on social media, it sold out in less than one day. We had hundreds of people who weren’t able to get tickets demand a second night. When we checked with the museum, they said unfortunately they weren’t equipped for another event that weekend. Soon people asked if I could hold another Ghost Hunter University event somewhere else in the Denver area. I wracked my brain to come up with another great location for an event, but ran into several roadblocks. As people made suggestions of places they would like to investigate, the Lumber Baron Inn came up several times.
I was extremely reluctant to contact the owner, as I knew his focus went in a completely different direction and wasn’t sure I could provide a quality event for new attendees. Eventually, I decided it was best to at least give it a try. I called and asked for the owner, but the man on the other end of the phone said he wasn’t there. I asked the man if he knew when he would be back and he informed me the former owner had sold the Inn to him and had moved to California. I asked, “Who am I speaking to?”
He said, “My name is Joel Bryant.” He went on to explain that he had just taken over. I just happened to glance down at the date on my computer and saw that it was April 1: April Fools’ Day! I suddenly remembered attending the former owner’s wedding on April Fools’ Day in the ballroom many years before. I think I actually laughed out loud on the phone. I thought this was a cool synchronicity and a good sign. I was definitely excited at the new possibilities and I quickly explained who I was and what I wanted to do. Joel listened to me and asked if he could think about it and give me a call back. After giving it some thought for a few days, he agreed. We arranged a meeting down at the Lumber Baron Inn that day to discuss details of the event.
When I arrived at the old familiar building, it felt different somehow; better. I rang the intercom and was met by a friendly man who invited me in. He introduced himself as Joel and we sat down in the old parlor to discuss business. We talked for a few minutes before the energy in the room lightened even more and in walked his lovely wife Elaine holding their grandson. She carried quite a bit of good energy and I could feel the house had somehow adopted that. What started out as a business meeting soon turned toward all things ghosts and paranormal. While Elaine was very open to the spiritual side of things and very much a believer, Joel was more skeptical. Interestingly, though, Joel is extremely empathic and it seemed he had picked up on many of the energies in the house long before I stepped through the door. In our conversation, Joel and Elaine explained that one of their main missions in the house was to make sure the two spirits girls were respected and loved. Not only that, Elaine was determined to solve the murders. I felt like I made an amazing connection with them right away.
They were kind enough to take me up to the Valentine Suite and let me communicate with the girls right away. Though I didn’t have any equipment with me that day, I spoke to the girls and something very interesting happened. As I attempted to communicate with them, both Joel and I heard whispering right behind us. I got the impression the girls were thrilled with the new owners and I think they were happy to see me again. We set up all the details for the event and I asked Joel and Elaine if we could return with equipment and try to speak with the girls again. They both agreed.
I returned a few days later with my mother and father and we were able to return to the Valentine Suite and use two different versions of the Ghost Box in an attempt to communicate. The first device we used was the Frank’s Box that I had Frank Sumption custom-build for me many years ago. It’s a tan-colored device about the size of a cigar box that runs on gel cell batteries. It has a small brass handle on one side and a brass latch on the other. There are two speakers on either side of the box but you can’t see any of the components until you flip the lid on top open to reveal all of the dials and settings as well as an additional set of speakers. This box is by far the easiest for me to hear and relay messages. I’ve always felt extremely comfortable with it since the first day Frank handed it to me. While some of the other devices are clearer to the general public, this device has brought forth some of the most amazing messages. This day was no different as the girls communicated with us clearly and concisely. They stated they “loved the new owners” and even made a mention about Elaine’s spiritual jewelry business. They confirmed some information that came to Joel in a dream and they also told Elaine they “loved the flowers” she brought them.
The next device we used was built by my friend Andre Wallaert and we call it the “Echo Box.” This device looks like a small version of a 1930’s era radio. When spirits learn
to use this machine, the voices that come through sound incredibly clear. I already had some success using this device for a short time at an event held on Halloween last year. When we explained to the girls that this was a new device, they started communicating through it right away. While there was a little bit of a learning curve, we did hear the girls come through clearly several different times. Once we wrapped up our communications, I immediately started breaking down all of the EVP sessions at the office so I could share them with Joel and Elaine. I was actually able to pull more than 300 Ghost Box EVP clips out of the two recordings and shared that with them.
When I announced the Ghost Hunter University event at the Lumber Baron Inn, we sold 100 tickets in three days. We decided to add on an additional event the Friday night before, which we sold more than 70 tickets. When the Friday night came to hold our Moon Family Psychic and Paranormal Experience event, we were extremely excited to see what the spiritual response would be. My mother and I did the presentation and the attendees seemed to love it. After our gallery reading, we sent half of the group to do a ghost hunt of the property with our paranormal investigation group, the Ghost Box Paranormal Society, while my mom assisted me with an electronic séance for the remainder of the group. The energy was great and we were able to connect several people with their lost loved ones on the other side using the Ghost Box during both electronic séance sessions.
After the event, we stayed several hours into the early morning conducting private psychic counseling/Ghost Box readings. I know the entire Ghost Box Paranormal Society team was completely drained of energy the next day from lack of sleep, but we knew we had another huge event that night. The presentation that evening couldn’t have gone any better. The crowd was excited to be there and hung on every word we said. Joel and Elaine spoke a bit about who they were and how excited they were to be there. We were nervous about how to maneuver more than 100 people through all of the ghost hunting equipment stations we had set up, but once again, it seemed good energy was on our side and things went incredibly smoothly.
I was stationed with the Ghost Box in the Valentine Suite. I sat on the corner of the Jacuzzi tub with the window at my back. I gave quick instructions to each group before we went lights out in the room. From the time the lights went off, I could tell the girls were extremely eager to speak. In the first session I contacted my Technician, who identified himself by an earthly name and I heard the safe sound. I first communicated with Cara Lee and her voice came through the speakers loud and clear. I was also surprised to hear the voice of Marianne come through in a much calmer tone. It seemed her energy had settled, and she was fairly aware of where she was and who she was talking to. I was flattered when the two spirit girls “flirted” with me several times, putting me at ease.
As positive as our conversations started out, things took a very odd, dark turn. (As a result of what took place that night and in the following weeks, I have added a new element to my events and investigations—in certain circumstances, depending on the negative energy that may arise, we conduct a mandatory sage cleansing and clearing.)
As attendees respectfully asked the girls about what happened the night of the murder, strange things began to happen inside the room. From time to time a dark, negative energy pushed through and said vile things. At one point, in one of the more animated conversations, it blurted something through the speakers and then a man who stood near a piece of furniture jumped and yelled, “It just hit me on the leg!” I didn’t know what he meant right away, but he explained the door on the piece of furniture next to him forcefully flew open and hit him in the leg. He closed the door and it didn’t bother him again.
Once the session was over, I ran over to the piece of furniture and attempted to open the door myself, but no matter what I did, it stayed closed. Finally, I shoved my fingers over the top of the door and had to force it open. I couldn’t see how the door would open on its own, let alone fly open. The night was getting interesting in a hurry.
The next group of participants came in and the messages that came through the Ghost Box become darker and darker. Finally, someone in the room blurted out, “Are you the one that killed them?”
Audibly through the speakers of the machine, we clearly heard a man’s voice say, “Yesss …” Someone shrieked, as the sinister voice sounded almost like a snake.
I asked, “Are you the one who came to my event here years ago?”
There was a moment of static and fragmented noise before I heard the man’s reply through the speakers, “Yeah, f**k you!” A chill shot down my spine.
The attendees, aware of the story from my presentation, began to ask the man question after question. One of the more chilling moments happened when someone asked the alleged killer, “How did you die?”
With almost no hesitation, the male entity replied, “AIDS!”
I didn’t have a chance to relay what I heard because nearly everyone in the room repeated his answer. Over the course of the night, Cara Lee and Marianne verbally battled their purported killer and didn’t seem intimidated by him whatsoever. It made me feel good to know the girls were strong enough to face this individual and not back down. As more groups of attendees visited the room, they informed us that the dark messages, similar to the ones we received through the Ghost Box, were being relayed through other pieces of equipment throughout the house.
We had several confirmations that night. The door on the piece of furniture flew open on three additional occasions, confirming a strong spiritual presence in the room. As we started to receive darker messages about bodies burning, serial killings, a satanic cult, and additional details of the alleged killer’s death, the energy in the house rapidly turned more ominous.
The killer claimed to have brought the devil himself as well as several demons to protect him. I took this with a grain of salt as I’ve been threatened by these types of forces before and realize that some human spirits attempt to use the demonic to scare us away. It wasn’t until one of the last groups came in that I became concerned. As a woman and her husband, both seasoned paranormal investigators, entered the Valentine Suite, the woman suddenly looked confused and it seemed as though all of the energy was ripped from her body. She turned to her husband and said, “I’m going down!” She stumbled once and then fell back into the glass shower just beyond the door. She laid there, equipment strewn around her, her husband the only one attempting to aid her.
Both Dina and I made our way across the room to help her. But being a true investigator, she insisted we continue the session with her lying there, as she knew the group had a limited amount of time to ask their questions and attempt to help the spirit girls.
After the last sessions were complete, we closed the stations and met back in the ballroom for an evidence review with the attendees. It seemed that almost everyone had some sort of deep, personal paranormal experience that night and the room was abuzz with excitement. Attendees shared their experiences and evidence with one another while we presented some of the better pictures we captured.
I was combing through evidence when one of the female attendees came up to me and asked if I would look at a picture she had taken with her camera phone. At first it didn’t look like much—just three green lights far off in the background and I didn’t see much validity to it. She told me to zoom in. As I zoomed in on the center green light, it became very clear to me that there was some sort of green demonic entity right in front of me. I held the phone away from me, looking closely before realizing exactly what it was. I was shocked at the clarity of this image once I zoomed in. I tried to keep my composure so as not to alarm anyone and said, “Wow! That is really interesting.”
As she started to walk away, I heard some commotion off to my right. There was a group of attendees surrounding a camera phone pointing and yelling. I walked over to them and said, “What did you get?” The attendee turned to me and handed me the phone. It took me a few moments to actually co
mprehend what I saw. She had actually captured a true demonic form, an apparition forming and dissipating all at the same time, moving down the hall on the second floor. As I studied the image more closely, I noticed the entity had horse-like legs and hooves and there were several faces emanating from the main form. I immediately thought of the messages we received that night about the alleged killer being and his assertion he had brought demonic forces with him.
I tried not to show panic and ended the night on a positive note, thanking everyone for being a part of gathering so much amazing information in an attempt to solve the murders. Everyone had a memorable time and the house was filled with loud conversation. During all of the excitement, I’d forgotten that several people were spending the night and that I had promised I would do a public Ghost Box gallery reading for their small group before bed. I quickly grabbed my Frank’s Box and gathered up the overnight group. As we entered the Valentine Suite and prepared for the session, one of the women attendees who was not an overnight guest burst into the room. She started to ramble wildly and almost incoherently. It took me a few minutes, but I finally realized she was the person involved in the demonic picture I had just seen. It looked like the entity went right through her. She seemed to be completely unaware she was walking through anything negative as she moved toward the person taking the picture, but her physical image was somewhat distorted and blurred by the demonic energy. There is a possibility the attendee may have entered some sort of vortex as she shared space with the demon.