Victoria’s revealing bikini top matched the bottom piece, which was very close to a G-string. Perhaps she was out sunning in the morning, but Carter could see it in Brenda’s eyes that she was hoping to God that she would throw something over her body. She was upset, though, so Brenda was not going to say a thing to upset her further. She continued to sit by her side on the couch with her arm around her, rubbing the bare skin of her back.
Victoria began to calm down, and locked eyes with Brenda. Carter stared at this transaction from across the room. That was not what he expected when he and Brenda went over to consult her about her son, who apparently was overtired and sleeping late as well. He saw her staring intently, yet seductively at Brenda, as if she didn’t even care that Carter was in the room, or perhaps forgot that he was in the room. Maybe that’s just the way she treated everybody. She held the pose, and it got so incredibly uncomfortable for Brenda that she had to break the connection and look away.
“We wanted to talk about your son,” Brenda said. It was a good ice breaker and an appropriate one, and it put a wrench in what would have been nothing short of awkward. She was now at least able to reconnect with her eyes as if she had hit the reset button.
“Let me guess…our boys got together again in the middle of the night?” said Victoria.
“Yeah, so you are aware of it?” asked Brenda.
“We sure are, and Dan and I fought for hours after we heard him sneaking back into the house. It’s just so bizarre for someone so young acting like that. We didn’t hear him leave, so we have no idea how long he’d been gone, but we heard him coming through the front door, which we lock at night before we go to bed.”
Carter spoke up from across the room. “Did you find the same thing as the last time he left the house in the middle of the night?”
Victoria paused before she spoke, and appeared to be somewhat embarrassed by the actions of her child. “Yes,” she said softly, “I did.”
The high-strung Playboy-wannabe was now cowering with her head down. Brenda was still sitting next to her, but her arm was no longer comforting Victoria in that way, since that way was being misconstrued and became too uncomfortable. She was still only a couple of inches away, but leaning back so that she could watch her speak. It was Carter who got the first word in, though.
“Victoria,” he said from across the room, “Adam did not come here in the middle of the night. That’s not the way things happened.”
Victoria’s head popped up and gave Carter a surprised look.
“Nah, that would be too simple,” said Carter, almost sarcastically. “Didn’t work like that. It was actually your boy who broke into our house and got Adam out of our house without our knowledge.”
“My Bradley broke into your house and got Adam?” Victoria put her hand on her chest when she said this. “If that’s true, then I am so sorr…”
“We’re not looking for an apology,” said Brenda. “We’re looking for a way to fix this!”
“That’s it,” said Carter. “Help us understand what’s going on with your son and maybe we can help both boys.”
“Come take a look,” said Victoria. She rose from the couch and walked through the house toward the back, and Carter and Brenda followed her strut. Out the back door they walked, and they could immediately see the progress that had been made on the backyard. The work that had been done the last time was toward the end of the yard. The boys had made it all the way to the house on one side, completing roughly 25 percent of the back yard. Victoria had worked only on her tan.
“Oh my God,” said Brenda.
“Won’t you look at this,” said Carter.
They just stood there ogling the accomplishments in the yard. This was definitely the handiwork of Mr. Jenkins, but his work was being performed through the two kids. Sure this act was not as drastic and evil as Martin’s, but it fell into the strange and bizarre category and could very well lead to danger. It was certainly not safe for two six-year-old boys to be lurking around outside by themselves, even if they were in their backyard. It had to stop and they had to at least talk about it, especially after what had happened the previous night.
CHAPTER 25
The trees and plants and flowers in gardens around one edge of the yard had been pruned and weeded and looked like they did the day Mr. Jenkins died. He was out there in the garden every day until the day he died, and now even beyond. Since he was unable to do the physical labor any longer, he felt the need to ensure that the yard was still manicured. That was his life. That’s what brought him joy. He loved it so much that he made sure he found a way to get someone to carry on his work after his death. Perhaps that was the very reason he couldn’t move on.
“Bradley must have come back to our house last night to get help because Adam was again covered in dirt.” Brenda looked at Victoria for her reaction.
“I’m so sorry about this,” said Victoria. “I feel terrible that my son is including Adam in this. I’ll have another talk with him.”
“Victoria, it’s not your fault and it’s not his fault. I know who the driving force is behind the strange events, and Carter and I are working on our own issues with Adam.”
Victoria looked at them with curiosity. “What do you mean by that?”
“Let’s just say that your son is not the only one acting on paranormal influences. Adam is being controlled by a spirit as well…only his spirit is not so nice.”
“How so?”
Brenda dug in. “Last night, Bradley came over to our house twice.”
“Twice?” said Victoria.
“Twice,” Brenda confirmed. “What Bradley and Mr. Jenkins didn’t know was that Adam was busy with Martin.”
“Who is…Martin?” Victoria asked carefully.
“He’s the spirit that has been following us for years, and we’ve been unsuccessfully trying to shake him loose. So when Bradley came over at the urging of Mr. Jenkins, the timing…let’s just say it sucked. He ended up walking into a nightmare. We were actually viewing Adam interacting with the spirit of Martin on our surveillance camera in an attempt to figure out what was going on with Adam, and in walked your son. Then when the spirit world got out of hand, we tried to intervene, but we were too late.”
“Just then you tried to intervene?” Victoria asked. “Are you crazy?”
Carter put his hands up and pushed them down as if to tell her to calm down because it wasn’t as it sounded. But really, it was. “Victoria,” he said, “We were trying to figure out what was going on with our son, and your son is the one who came waltzing into our house and into his room late at night. What is that all about? How could you allow him to do that?”
“I can’t help Bradley,” she began, “because I have no idea what’s going on with him!” The look on Victoria’s face was one of anguish.
“That’s our point,” said Brenda. “We have no idea what’s going on with Adam either, and it’s driving us batty. Aren’t you worried about Bradley? Doesn’t it kill you that you don’t know what’s wrong with your son and therefore you don’t know how to fix it?”
“Of course it kills me, Brenda. Bradley is my son!”
“Wouldn’t you do whatever it takes to find an answer and resolution to his problem?”
“Of course I would, Brenda, Bradley is my son!”
Brenda paused, then leaned back as if she was exhausted trying to drive her point home, and she completed her argument. “And Adam is my son, Victoria. I will do whatever it takes to get to the bottom of his issues. You want to condemn us for subjecting the boys to these spirits in an attempt to get to the bottom of it? If I do nothing, then I never find out and they continue to be subjected to these spirits. Take your pick.
You can’t have it both ways. I apologize for not jumping because your precious Bradley was caught up in our investigation because his parents couldn’t keep him home, but this information could benefit both of our boys. We just need to find out more about the what and the who…that is driving them, and then we can try to come up with a plan.”
Carter wanted to fine tune this discussion before bridges were burned. “Victoria, the information that we are seeking for Adam could also be used for Bradley. They’re suffering from similar things. They are both affected by spirits, and we need to zero in on what’s going on behind the scenes…using the surveillance video.”
Victoria was nodding her head, and she appeared to finally be on the same page and on-board with this paranormal investigation. “This is just so…new to me. I apologize for being so…stupid about this type of stuff. I just…I just thought that maybe it’s something my Bradley would outgrow. I’m embarrassed.”
“Don’t be,” said Brenda. “You didn’t know. This is all new to you. It isn’t new to us. All that we ask is that you follow our lead.”
“Yeah, yeah sure,” said Victoria. “Within reason.”
“So that means if we need to borrow Bradley for the benefit of a paranormal investigation, then you won’t get in the way. We just need a blanket consent from you to do whatever we see fit, and only if there is a clear benefit for the boys.”
Victoria looked concerned, and for good reason. She wasn’t about to consent to giving up her parental decision-making rights to their next door neighbors. She had a legitimate concern.
“I’ve got to voice my concern,” she said. “I can’t just give you full rights to my son, I mean…”
“That’s just our way of saying we would like to do what we see fit…see how it goes and act in the best interest of your child,” said Carter. “You have to stop burying your head in the sand like Dan wants you to do.”
“I’m in,” said Victoria. “I’m not gonna wait for Dan on this one. I’m going to just give you the go-ahead. Time for me to make some decisions around here. Dan is all about himself, anyway. The son of bitch is only all about himself!”
Victoria was screaming at this point. Perhaps she was “off her meds” as Dan would say. Carter and Brenda had the verbal tools and medicine needed to bring her back to earth. They’d seen this before with Victoria, and they’d seen what didn’t work with Dan’s approach. She was heading off fast for the high seas, but they were able to right the ship.
As they sat calmly on the couch in Victoria’s living room, Carter and Brenda intentionally brought the tempo down a few notches. They transported Victoria’s mind away to a place that was stress-free, and they even made her laugh a few times. She had reached an unapproachable place, and that wouldn’t do anybody any good. Carter and Brenda needed Victoria in order to get to her son, so burning that bridge would be doing a disservice to their own son. It was crunch time in the life of Adam Spence. They could not dilly-dally, so as soon as Victoria was comfortable and in a better place, it was game on.
When they thought it was about time to turn the corner on the small talk and head into the substance, Brenda took the lead. She knew the time was right. Maybe she hadn’t known Victoria for a very long time, but there already was a pattern that had developed, and Brenda was a quick study when it came to people and their personalities and how to handle them.
“I bet there’s nothing in the world you would rather have than the safety of your son,” she began.
Victoria looked at Brenda and nodded her relaxed head up and down. She really loved her son, and seeing him hurting was hurting her. However, she felt helpless in the situation with a husband who flat out didn’t believe her and thought she was crazy, and she was unable to do anything about it. The more she listened to Brenda speak, the more she became interested and hopeful. Carter could read it on her face, which became softer, and she was not on the edge of her seat.
Brenda’s message was that they first wanted to witness Bradley in action, and in order to do that they would need to install a camera in his room. This sucked the wind out of Victoria, so Carter and Brenda needed to back down and think of an alternative plan. They could tell immediately that it would not fly with Victoria.
She tensed up as she sat on the edge of the couch and said, “You told me you would make it work for me and that’s how you start? You know the situation! You know Dan would never allow that, and it’s not something we could slip past him without him knowing!”
“Okay, okay,” said Brenda. “It’s just a start. You have to understand that we have to begin with a discussion in order to figure out what will work and what won’t work. Sometimes what you think will work…will not, and vice versa. We’re just getting started here.”
“Yeah,” said Carter. “We’re in this together. We want this as much as you, but we have to work together to get it done. Now we have consulted with a paranormal investigator and we’re trying to bring her in to assist with this mission.”
Victoria nearly fell off the couch upon hearing this. Not only was she blocked from her own feelings by her own husband, but he made her believe that there was no help out there and that if she sought help she would be thought of as a lunatic. He belittled her, and if he ever found out about these morning meetings, he would go through the roof. He ruled the house, and his trophy wife had no say in the matter. She may look good, but he offered her a lifestyle where she did not have to work. She was a stay-at-home mom and that made her life complete, or so he thought.
If they wanted this to work out, then they needed to work out a plan more discreetly than a video surveillance camera in Bradley’s room. That was a deal breaker. If they wanted Victoria to play in the game, even with her son’s safety at stake, they would have to do it discreetly, so that Dan would never find out about it. He had told Victoria that he wasn’t exactly sold by seeing a dog bark at his son. They had to move on to plan B.
“You know the layout of the house,” said Carter. “Is there anything you can think of…based on the layout…that would best serve us in our mission? Can you see into Bradley’s room from another room? Is there an attic overhead? How about a crawl space?”
Victoria thought about the layout of the room. Without a surveillance video to see everything going on in Bradley’s room, they would have a tough time accomplishing what they were able to accomplish in Adam’s room. They had the perfect tool there. Since Bradley’s house would not have cameras, they needed to get creative and think outside the box. It was not going to be an easy task, but it was the only choice they had to move forward with their plan.
They discussed further options, but to no avail, so Carter asked about taking a look at the room. This was tricky as well because Bradley was sleeping late and what they needed to do was directly associated with that room. However, further discussion forced Carter and Brenda to think more creatively, and they wanted to walk around the outside of the house where Bradley’s room was located, and perhaps around the inside as well. They were looking for any nook and cranny that they could find.
The outside was a long shot, and that’s what they determined immediately upon stepping out there. The windows were too high and a ladder would be absolutely ridiculous and ineffective, not to mention risky on so many levels. Once inside, there was only one real option, and that would be to stand outside the door. They wanted to give this plan a trial run.
As they stood quietly outside the door, trying not to wake Bradley up after such a late night, they thought they heard something and were careful not to have three ears against the door in case Bradley opened it.
Victoria did the honors as she could read the intricacies of the house as well as the movements of her son. She placed her ear over the door and closed her eyes so she could hear clearer. She at first thought that Brad
ley was talking in his sleep, but then thought he was just talking to himself. He continued with his monologue, and when Carter and Brenda got word about what it was that Bradley was doing, they wanted a piece of it.
They wanted a piece of the action because it was possible that what Bradley was saying could possibly help them, if even in a small way. Maybe he was communicating with Mr. Jenkins. As far as they knew, this type of communication was only taking place at night, but anything was possible. They could not overlook this opportunity to help their son.
CHAPTER 26
Getting answers out of Bradley regarding Mr. Jenkins was going to be challenging because of Dan’s stubbornness, so Carter and Brenda needed to take over this impromptu operation right away. They convinced Victoria to take a back seat while they whispered plans to each other on the fly. They really needed to listen to Bradley, and at this point, the best they could do was listen close to the door or wall.
Brenda looked back at Victoria and whispered, “Where’s the closest wall to his bed?”
“The right side of the room,” she said, pointing.
“Take us there,” whispered Carter.
Victoria rose from her crouch and quietly led them down the hallway to the next room. They tiptoed into the room until they were on the other side of the wall from where Bradley was on the bed. Carter and Brenda pressed their ears against the wall while Victoria stood back and observed. She had no qualms about leaving this work up to the experts.
They could hear Bradley speaking a lot, and they did their best to listen to what he was saying. They needed to learn how Mr. Jenkins was operating and they were desperate to obtain the content of Bradley’s discussion. There was no other voice, so they believed Mr. Jenkins was planting thoughts into Bradley’s head. He was always planting something. Bradley was answering aloud. Maybe they couldn’t get information out of the horse’s mouth, but they could ascertain what it was he was saying based on the way Bradley was answering. That was not only their best bet, but it was their only bet.
Desert Son Trilogy: Desert Son, Wayward Soul, Spiritual Intervention (Books 1-3) Page 68