“No problem,” Tatman said.
“Got it,” Buggy and Shaundelle said in unison.
“I won’t touch a thing,” Nonie said.
“I can’t reiterate that strongly enough,” Jack said. “Not only due to Frank’s trust but I don’t know if any of you have noticed, this is an historical site.” He pointed at the front door of the house. A bronze plaque hung beside it that read; HISTORICAL SITE 1860. “That’s another reason it’s critical that we not touch anything or move it from its place. Everybody got that?”
“For heaven’s sake that’s the third time you’ve told us,” Buggy said. “I won’t touch a thing.”
“As if I’d want to touch her old stuff,” Shaundelle said.
“Hear you loud and clear, boss,” Tatman said.
Jack looked at Nonie since she’d yet to respond. Her mind wasn’t on what she could or couldn’t touch. It was on who or what she might see once she got inside.
“Nonie?” Jack said, getting her attention.
“Huh?”
“Historical site, lots of memorabilia. No touching, okay.”
“No problem,” Nonie said.
“Piece of cake,” Shaundelle reassured Jack.
Nonie looked over at Buggy whose eyes looked even bigger than they actually were. This was their first ghost scouting venture and she knew Buggy was thinking, “Oh, my God, what if we do find something? What am I going to do? Run or record it?”
Nonie took Buggy by the hand and squeezed it and mouthed. “It’ll be all right. I’ll be right there with you.”
“Okay,” Jack said. “Let's get set up. Everybody grab a case. I'll unlock the house.”
At that moment, Nonie felt an electrical current run from the ground up to her feet, which typically meant there was a spirit nearby.
Trying to shake the feeling, Nonie went to the back of the van and grabbed a midsize carrying case.
While Tatman handed out cases to the rest of the crew, Nonie walked up the steps of the house to a wide wraparound porch. The house was indeed small and shotgun in style, but it was two stories tall.
Jack was fumbling with the key in the knob when Nonie reached the porch.
When Jack walked into the house, Nonie was right behind him. He stood in the doorway, flipped on a light, and said, “Sweet Jesus.”
Nonie stood on tiptoe and peeked around his broad shoulders. There were boxes everywhere. They lined the entire length of the couch and were stacked three high. True to his word, there was a sawhorse in the middle of the living room with a saddle on it. There were pictures everywhere. Pictures of Mrs. Richardson with family and with celebrities. There was barely enough room to walk around the boxes and clutter that filled the living room.
“I was right,” Jack said. “There isn’t any room to set up a monitor. We’re going to have to do everything handheld. Now, if I remember right, the kitchen is straight back that way.” He pointed past the living room. The bedroom and bath are over there, on the east side of the house, and then we have upstairs to check out.” He pointed to the narrowest set of stairs Nonie had ever seen. As thin as she was, she thought she'd have to walk up sideways in order to make it up into the attic.
As she wondered how Shaundelle was going to make it up the narrow stairs to take pictures, something odd caught her eye. Hanging on the wall at the base of the staircase was a picture of the Madonna and Child. Only their faces were warped. The Madonna’s face looked squished in at the cheeks, causing her head to have an hourglass appearance. The Child she held looked like it had a large bubble head and narrow chin, huge eyes that looked nowhere. It gave her the creeps. She didn't know who painted the portrait, but she had no idea what possibly possessed the old woman to hang something this ugly in her house.
“Ah, I see you caught that,” Jack said, walking up behind Nonie. “There’s a story behind that picture. Frank told me about it five years ago. His mom had a friend who was a painter, and he kept having horrific nightmares of a demon night after night. The demon was always chasing him, meaning to possess him. Frank’s mom suggested that he paint the creature. I guess she figured putting it on canvas might help remove it from his subconscious, and he’d be able to get a decent night’s sleep. The problem was when he painted it, the sight of it on canvas freaked him out so much that he quickly covered the demonic image with the Madonna and Child. The painter claimed that at first, the portrait was perfect. The Madonna as beautiful as any he’d ever seen and the Child sweet and innocent. Then, over time, the picture of the Madonna and Child suddenly began to warp, like the demon beneath it meant to come through. Although the demon never fully manifested itself on the canvas the way it had when originally painted, the painter meant to burn the canvas. Frank’s mom, though, was so fascinated by the portrait that she actually bought the painting from the painter and hung it at the foot of the staircase. Why? I have no clue, and, unfortunately, she isn’t here for us to ask.”
“That’s the freakiest thing I’ve ever seen,” Shaundelle said, crowding in behind them. “That thing needs to be covered with a black towel or something.”
“I agree,” Jack said. “But remember, we can’t touch or move anything in the house. There’s a reason it’s there, and I guess it’ll stay there until Frank decides it’s time for it to come down. All we’re going to do is investigate. We’ll change the pairing I mentioned in the van. Nonie, you take the Rem Pod, and Buggy you take a camera and both of you go into the kitchen. Shaundelle and Tatman, grab a couple of digital recorders and a camera and go to the bedroom and bath area. Take some pictures back there, do some EVPs I’ll stay in the living room and take pictures and do some EVPs myself.”
Everyone nodded yet they were obviously nervous because hands were shaking as they pulled equipment out of cases. They eyed one another as if ready to do whatever needed to be done, but not really wanting to do it.
Nonie and Buggy made their way into the kitchen, maneuvering around the sawhorse, tons of boxes, piles of bric-a-brac, odds and ends of memorabilia overloading a coffee table.
When they finally made it into the kitchen, they found much of the same hoarding, except for the sawhorse and saddle. There was an old metal kitchen table with a worn yellow Formica top and four metal chairs to match, each seat covered in plastic material the same color as the table.
Nonie placed the Rem Pod on the table, and the second she set it down, the lights went off and it began to beep.
“What the hell is that about?” Nonie said, backing away from it. “Take pictures, Bug! Take pictures of the lights.”
“Maybe we should call for help on the walkies first,” Buggy said nervously.
“Just take pictures for now while it’s going off. That’s evidence, right?” Nonie said. “Isn’t that what we’re here to get?”
“Do you see . . . uh . . . do you see anybody?” Buggy asked.
Nonie did a once-over of the kitchen, then said in a loud whisper, “If you mean do I see a ghost, no.”
Buggy nodded slowly then put the camera lens to her eye and started shooting the Rem Pod that was still beeping and flashing lights. “How many do I take?” she asked.”
“Just keep taking pictures,” Nonie said. “I’ll get one of the digital recorders set up and we’ll do an EVP session.”
After Buggy had taken a dozen or more pictures, the Rem Pod finally stopped beeping and only a single green light remained on instead of the flashing parade of blue, red, yellow, and green.
Suddenly, from the corner of her eye, Nonie caught a familiar figure hiding behind an eight- foot-tall piece of cabinetry. She saw a nose and a chin, enough to make her grit her teeth.
“Never mind,” she told Buggy, I know what set the Rem Pod off.”
She marched around the cabinet, put a hand on her hip and demanded, “What the hell are you doing here?”
“What?” Buggy asked. “What are you talking about? Who are you talking to?”
“I’ll give you two guesses and one doesn’t cou
nt,” Nonie said.
“Don’t tell me he’s here,” Buggy said, looking over her shoulder, turning around in a circle. “Where is he?”
“Here,” Nonie pointed to the side of the cabinetry. “Caught like a duck at a Christmas dinner.”
Guy hung his head and walked out from behind the cabinet.
“I didn't want you to see me,” Guy said.
“Well, no shit,” Nonie said. But you’d have had to do a much better job than hide behind a set of cabinets for Pete’s sake.”
“What’s he saying?” Buggy asked.
“Said he didn’t want to be noticed.”
“By you? Not possible.”
“My point exactly,” Nonie said.
Guy shrugged his shoulders. “I just wanted to protect you, Nonie. You know there are spirits in here.”
“I would hope so,” Nonie said. “Besides you. Look, let me tell you something, I need to be able to record what's really in this house. I don't need you pulling any shenanigans so that what we’re recording is you moving shades, knocking over chairs. If you’re going to hang around to keep an eye on me, then do just that. But stay out of my way and no funny business.”
Guy took a finger and formed a cross with it over his chest. “I promise I will stay out of trouble, but trouble’s already gonna find you. Just don’t go upstairs, okay?”
“I have to go upstairs,” Nonie said. “I have to take pictures. Not many people in this group can fit up that narrow staircase. Even I’ll have to probably go up them sideways.”
“There’s something up there that could hurt you,” Guy said.
“I’ll have to take the chance,” Nonie said.
“Then I’ll be up there with you,” he said.
“What exactly is up there?”
“What’s he saying?” Buggy asked, her voice shaky.
“That there's something up in the attic that we should be careful of because it could be dangerous.”
“Oh uh-uh, I’m not going up there,” Buggy said. “You can send Shaundelle up there, but I’m keeping my little white ass down here.”
“How in the hell do you think we’re going to get Shaundelle up those narrow steps?” Nonie asked.
“Yeah, but I'd have to pass next to that creepy picture and then make my way up into the attic, where Guy said there was something up there. I don’t know, Nonie. This just isn’t working out like I thought it would.”
“You’re going to come with me up there and record,” Nonie demanded. “Remember, I’m the one who sees those freakazoid ghosts, not you. If there’s something dangerous up there, we’re out in a nanosecond.”
Guy harrumphed. “It’s not a matter of getting out of there, upstairs I mean. All of you should be getting out of here.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Jack had just finished an EVP session in the living room when he heard voices coming from the kitchen. He made his way around the clutter in the living room, went to the kitchen and saw Nonie and Buggy talking to each another.
“Did y’all come up with anything?” Jack asked Buggy then glanced over at Nonie.
“The Rem Pod went off,” Nonie told him.
Buggy nodded. “I got pictures of it.”
Jack's eyes lit up. “That's a good thing. Were any of you near the Rem Pod when it went off?”
“No,” Nonie said. “We were on the other side of the kitchen. It just went off by itself.” She threw a glance at Buggy. “Right?”
“Absolutely. Right.” Buggy crossed her arms over her chest.
“That’s a positive sign. I’m glad you got pictures of it,” Jack said. “Nonie, do you think you can handle the camera if I give Buggy an IR video camera?”
“What’s an IR video camera?” Buggy asked.
“Oh, sorry,” Jack said. “It’s an infrared camera, which means it’ll take pictures of whatever you’re seeing, or in some cases what you’re not seeing, in the dark. It doesn’t require a flash.”
“I guess it would have been cooler if we’d have gotten the Rem Pod going off with a video camera instead of one that only took stills,” Nonie said.
Jack shrugged. “We’ve got pictures. That’s what counts.”
“You want us to try again?” Nonie asked. “You know, with a video camera?”
Jack shook his head. “Tell you what. I've just finished an EVP session in the living room. I didn't do a playback but I’ll run the audio when we get back home. I have an audio editing suite on my computer that's able to take out the junk noise and pick up any viable EVPs.”
“And what's an EVP again?” Nonie asked.
“Electronic voice phenomena. You may not be able to hear a spirit’s voice but sometimes the recorder picks up their voices. It has something to do with sound frequency.”
“What do they normally say?” Buggy asked. “What do they usually talk about?”
“Most of the time we get EVPs when they’re responding to a question we’ve asked.”
“What kinds of questions?”
“Did you die in this house? Did you live in this house? Did anything traumatic happen to you in this house? Questions like that.”
“Whew,” Buggy said. “I hope I can remember all of that.”
“He’s just giving us an example of the types of questions we should ask,” Nonie said, then looked at Jack. “Right?”
“That’s right. We’ll be running the IR camera. It has audio so it'll pick up any loud sounds, like knocking or banging, things like that. Sometimes it’ll pick up an EVP or two, but most of the time we get those from our digital recorders.”
“I’m getting confused,” Buggy said, her brow furrowing.
Jack held up a hand. “Let’s uncomplicate it then. You take the IR video camera, and Nonie will take the Rem Pod and the regular camera. Don’t worry about doing any EVP sessions for now. I'll follow up wherever you’ve been and take care of the EVPs. Look, we’re already off to a great start. The Rem Pod went off, and Buggy’s got that documented. Now we’re just going to see if we can find more. Sound good?”
“Works for me,” Nonie said.
Buggy nodded.
“Great.”
“Why don't the two of you go upstairs now? I’ll take the kitchen.” He took the video camera that was hanging around his neck off and handed it to Buggy. “It’s really easy to work.” He showed her the on and off button, the focus and zoom knob. “It’s as easy as the regular camera. The only difference is you’ll be videotaping the whole thing and Nonie will be snapping still shots.” He turned to Nonie. “All you have to do is set your Rem Pod down, and if it goes off, just start shooting pictures. You know how to operate the camera, right?”
“Just press the silver button here,” Nonie said, indicating a fat round button on top of the camera.
“That’s right. And it’s an infrared camera so no flash needed. So don’t be surprised if one doesn’t go off. It doesn’t mean it’s broken. The camera will be able to catch things we can’t see with our naked eye. Sometimes you’ll catch a shadow of something that doesn’t look like much but if you take a picture of it, you might be surprised by what you get. You just never know. That’s what makes this so much fun.”
“Fun . . . right,” Nonie said and rolled her eyes at Buggy.
“Do we have to go upstairs?” Buggy asked Jack. “That’s where Mrs. Richardson always said Captain lived.”
“Absolutely,” Jack said. “From what Frank told me, nothing’s been moved up there yet, so we might have a good shot of getting some kind of paranormal activity if Mrs. Richardson was right about the captain.”
“Gives me the shivers just thinking about going up there,” Buggy said.
“I know it’s kind of creepy,” Nonie said. “But we signed on for this gig and we’ve got to finish it . . . Miss I’ve Got A Great Idea!”
“Now you’re just being a smartass,” Buggy said and pouted.
“Just start the camera rolling as you walk up the stairs and keep it rolling while you
’re there,” Jack said to Buggy. “Sweep it around the room slowly. If Nonie happens to pick up anything on her camera . . . Wait, Nonie, I’ll tell you what, since you’re just operating a camera, I’m going to give you a digital recorder, as well. Just turn it on and place it on one of the cots in the room upstairs. Place the Rem Pod in the opposite corner of the room.”
“But what if I do something to piss that spirit off whenever I ask a question?” Nonie asked.
“All you have to do is ask any spirits in that room to speak into the silver rectangle that’s on the bed. Point to it. If there’s an intelligent spirit up there, it should understand what you’re saying and will go to the recorder then say what it has to say. Let him or her know that by them doing so, we’ll be able to hear what they have to say. Ask questions, and we’ll see if we can get any EVPs up there. That way we’ll have video, still shots from Nonie, the Rem Pod, and a digital recorder going at the same time.”
“And what if the Rem Pod goes off?” Buggy asked.
“That’s where you want to aim your camera. If it goes off, chances are there’s an energy boost around it, and if that doesn’t come from either of you, chances are it’s from a spirit. I’m anxious to get into the kitchen and do an EVP session to see if we get anything, especially since the Rem Pod went off in there.”
He handed the Rem Pod back to Nonie. “Now you have the pod, an IR camera and a digital recorder. Don’t forget to set the Rem Pod and digital recorder at opposite ends of the room. And Buggy, you’ll be working the IR video camera. Keep your eyes peeled.”
“And what if we see something?” Buggy asked. “Do we have to simply stay there and work with it?”
“Absolutely,” Jack said. “There nothing up there that’s going to harm you.”
“How can you say that for sure?” Nonie said. “Ever see The Exorcist?”
“You’re talking apples and oranges. A kid was possessed in The Exorcist. If there is a spirit here, it’s here because it probably doesn’t know how to move on.”
Nonie let out what seemed to be an involuntary snort. “What’s with that anyway? When you die, isn’t there supposed to be a light that comes to get you to lead you to where you need to go?”
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