by Jason Hawes
“Okay,” Mike said. “Here we go. Everybody ready?”
“Go ahead,” Grant said.
“This is the upstairs attic shutter,” Mike said.
Jen leaned forward as the sound came on.
Clack clack clack clack
Clack clack clack
Clack clack clack clack
Clack clack clack
There was a pause. Then the noise repeated. Jen thought it even had the same rhythm.
“Thanks, Mike,” she said. “I think I’ve heard enough. It sounds like a shutter. But maybe I only think that because I knew what it was ahead of time.”
Mike pressed a button and the sound fell silent.
“So,” Jen asked. “What now?”
“Mrs. Anderson would like us to come back,” Jason answered. “But I don’t know. Our caseload is pretty heavy.”
The month ahead was super-busy. Jason and Grant were going away for several weeks to investigate a site in California. That left just Jen, Lyssa, and the Hammond twins behind in Rhode Island.
“What did you tell her?” Lyssa asked.
“I suggested a ‘wait and see’ approach,” Jason said. “If this turns out to be a onetime thing—”
“Then it probably was something like raccoons, like Lyssa suggested,” Jen finished up.
“Right.” Jason nodded.
“But if something else happens, you want us to go and check it out,” Mike said.
“I do,” Jason said. “I agree with you, Mike. I know we debunked every single sound, but I always had the sense there was something going on in the Anderson house. Something we couldn’t quite put our fingers on.”
“Sounds like the TAPS spider-sense at work,” Mark teased.
“I’ll go back over all the audio recordings. Just in case,” Mike offered.
“Thanks,” Jason said. “I was hoping you’d say that. Maybe your spider-sense can find something we missed the first time around.”
“Come on, Jen. Just one more story!”
“I already read you three stories each!” Jen said with a laugh. “That’s enough for tonight, you little monsters. Go brush your teeth and hop into bed. I’m going to check on the baby. Then I’ll come tuck you in.”
She stood up and shooed the next-door neighbor kids off the couch. Tony and Skye were seven and five. Jen babysat for them sometimes so their parents could go out.
Quietly, she tiptoed into the baby’s room. Baby Julie was just six months old. She was sprawled on her back, sleeping with her mouth open. The sight made Jen smile.
She leaned over the crib. When she straightened up, she brushed against the mobile hanging above the crib. Moons and stars swayed and danced. Jen picked out the mobile herself. It was attached to a music box that played “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.”
All of a sudden, she felt a small hand in hers. Jen looked down. Tony and Skye smiled up at her. They came into the room so quietly Jen didn’t even know they were there until Tony took her by the hand. Skye was standing at her older brother’s side.
“Shhh.” Jen put a finger to her lips.
Tony mimicked the action. Then he gave her hand a tug. Jen leaned down.
“Jen,” he breathed into her ear. “I want to play the song about the star.”
“Okay,” Jen said. The sound was gentle and quiet. She didn’t think it would wake up the baby. “I’ll boost you up.”
She lifted Tony in her arms so he could wind the music box. A moment later, the song began to play.
Twinkle, twinkle,
little star.
How I wonder
what you are.
Jen settled Tony onto her hip and hummed along. Her fingers tapped out the rhythm on the crib railing.
Tap tap tap tap
Tap tap tap
Tap tap tap tap
Tap tap TAP
All of a sudden, Jen stopped. Her fingers halted in midair. Her whole body seemed to tingle with electric shock.
Take it easy, Jen, she thought.
She did it again.
Twinkle, twinkle, Tap tap tap tap
little star. Tap tap tap
How I wonder Tap tap tap tap
what you are. Tap tap tap
That’s it. That’s really it, Jen thought. More than anything she wanted to run for the phone. But she didn’t want to freak the kids.
“Okay, guys,” she whispered. “Let’s go out to the living room. I need to make a phone call.”
“Wait a minute,” Mike said a couple of minutes later. “Slow down, Jen. It’s what?”
“ ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,’ ” Jen said into her cell. “That’s what the sounds at the Anderson house are doing. They’re playing ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.’ ”
“You have got to be kidding me,” Mike said. “I’ve been listening to the audio for hours and I never picked up on that.”
“Listen to them again,” Jen said. “Now that you know. I’m babysitting so I can’t get to the office right away. I’ll come as soon as the kids’ parents get home.”
“I’ll call Mark and Lyssa,” Mike said. “Get them over here too. Jen, I’ve gotta ask this. How on earth did you figure it out?”
“I had help,” Jen said, “from a seven-year-old.”
“Okay, I just have to say this,” Lyssa said. “Wow!”
It was a couple of hours later. The team, minus Jason and Grant, were in the TAPS office. Mike just finished playing back the audio.
There was no question about it. Every single knock, thump, and bang in the Anderson house was to the beat of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.”
“Wow is right,” Jen agreed. “So what do we do now?”
“I’ve been thinking about that,” Mike said. “Did you ever see Close Encounters of the Third Kind?”
“Oh, no!” Jen groaned. “Please tell me this is from another ancient sci-fi movie.”
“It’s not ancient,” Mike protested. “Just from 1977.”
“Which would be before we were born.”
“It’s in color,” Mark piped up. “Does that help?”
“Hey—wait a minute,” Lyssa broke in. “I’ve seen that movie. It’s great. I remember this guy builds a mountain out of his mashed potatoes.”
“We’re going to build a mountain out of mashed potatoes?” Jen exclaimed.
“Of course not,” Mike said. “The part I’m talking about—”
“Although it would be really cool,” Mark interrupted. “I’ve kind of always wanted to.”
“Stop!” Mike cried. Silence. Mike waited until he was sure nobody else was going to interrupt.
“Forget the mashed potatoes,” he went on. “There’s this really cool part where humans and aliens make contact for the first time. The alien spaceship plays a series of musical notes. The humans play them back. Then the aliens respond. In other words, they communicate.”
“Oh, I get it,” Jen said, her tone excited. “You think maybe that’s what’s going on at the Anderson house. Maybe there’s an entity—not an alien, but a spirit. And it’s trying to communicate.”
“Yes!” Mike exclaimed. “And it’s doing it by banging out ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.’ So if we went to the house and played the song back…”
“We might get a response,” Mark finished up.
“I found just the version of ‘Twinkle, Twinkle’ that I wanted while I was waiting for you guys to come in,” Mike went on. “Jason and I both thought there was something else going on in the Anderson house. Something we couldn’t put our fingers on. Maybe this is it. I think playing back the song is worth a try.”
“I think so too,” Jen said. She looked at Mark and Lyssa. “You guys?”
They nodded.
“Okay,” Mike said. “In that case, I think we should call Jason and Grant in California and see what they say.”
“Let’s do it,” Jen said.
Mike made the call.
“Okay,” Mike said. “All set?”
; “I’m as ready as I’ll ever be,” Jen said.
She and Mike were in the Andersons’ living room. It was early evening. Mrs. Anderson was in her room. The girls were spending the night with friends. There were audio recorders in almost every room in the house.
Mike and Jen had his laptop. In it was the CD of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” that Mike made.
“Okay,” Mike said. “Let Operation Close Encounter begin.”
He pushed the play button on the laptop. The sound of a child’s toy piano filled the room. Jen smiled in spite of herself. She had a piano just like that when she was little. She didn’t think there was anything else on earth that made that kind of sound.
Plink plink plink plink
Plink plank plonk
Plink plink plink plink
Plink plank plonk
Mike and Jen let the song play all the way through. Then they played it a second time. Mike switched off the sound. He and Jen both stood still. Jen was listening so hard she realized she was holding her breath.
Nothing.
Jen let her breath out. “Try it again,” she said.
Mike reached for the play button.
Before he could press it, one of the living room windows began to lift up, then slam back down.
Thump thump thump thump
Thump thump thump
“It’s doing it,” Jen whispered. “It’s playing the song.”
Thump thump thump thump
Thump thump thump
There was a pause. The window stayed closed.
“Now what?” Jen whispered. “Do you think we should play the song again?”
“Maybe,” Mike said. He reached toward the button.
BANG slam! BANG slam! BANG slam slam!
“What is that?” Lyssa cried out. “Where’s it coming from?”
“This way,” Mike said. “I think it’s coming from the kitchen.”
The two began to sprint in the direction of the sound. As they did, they heard the window in the living room start up again.
“You stay in the living room,” Jen panted. “I’ll go check out the kitchen.”
She took two steps. Then she and Mike both heard something begin to pound on the floor right above their heads.
“It’s upstairs now!” Jen cried. “It’s all over the house.”
“I know,” Mike said. “I know. I’m going to turn the CD back on.”
He sprinted for the laptop. He hit the button and turned up the volume. The sound of the toy piano poured out.
The whole house was shaking now, thumping and pounding to the beat of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” Jen and Mike stood in the living room gazing at each other with wide eyes. Neither of them had ever experienced anything like this.
Then, without warning, the sound over their heads stopped.
They could still hear the banging from the kitchen. Then that quieted down too. One by one, all the noises in the house came to an end. All the endless “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Stars.” Until only the toy piano recording was left playing the tune.
Mike leaned over to turn it off.
“No, don’t,” Jen suddenly said. “Let it play for a while. But turn it down.”
Mike turned down the volume. The sound of the toy piano was sweet and peaceful now.
He and Jen stared at each other. They were breathing hard, as if they had just ran a race. All around them, the house was quiet as if it had never made a sound at all, as if it was settling down to sleep at last.
“I wonder if that’s what the entity wanted all along,” Jen said in a hushed whisper.
“What?” Mike asked.
“A lullaby.”
“That was really creative thinking on the Anderson case,” Jason said. “Good work, guys.”
It was a couple of weeks later. Jason and Grant were back from California.
“Has there been any more activity since your visit?” Grant asked.
Mike shook his head. “None. I’m really happy about that. Don’t get me wrong. I just wish I understood why.”
“We may never know,” Grant said. “We don’t, a lot of times.”
“Did your background research turn up anything?” Jason asked Mark.
“It didn’t, really,” Mark replied. “That house has been in Mrs. Anderson’s family ever since it was built. Kind of like the house where Mike and I grew up. She has really good family records. People have died in the house over the years. You would expect that in a house that old.
“But no children. I didn’t find anything that would explain why a lullaby might be so important.”
“But we do know we made the Andersons feel better,” Mike said. “That has to count for something.”
“It certainly does,” Jason said. He stood up from the conference table. “I say we all go home. Anybody got any special plans this weekend?”
“I’m making mashed potatoes,” Mark said at once.
“Mashed potatoes?” Grant echoed.
“Don’t ask!” Jen said with a laugh. “I’m not so sure you want to know!”
THE JEALOUS GHOST
It came down the hall.
Tall. Dark. Terrifying.
Lips pulled back in a soundless snarl. Eyes that burned like coals. Arms reached out to grab and hold on tight. Fingers curved like claws, twitching as if they could already feel their victim’s throat.
Step by step. The thing she was afraid to name came toward her. And she was trapped at the end of a dead-end hallway.
She felt the sob rise in her throat. She had time for one last breath. One last, desperate scream.
And then the thing was on her!
“Aaaaaaaaaaahh!” Jen Shorewood cried.
She jolted back in her chair, almost tipping it over. Then she started laughing. Lyssa and the Hammond twins joined in.
“I can’t believe this dumb movie scared you,” Mike said. He reached over and paused the movie playing on the laptop. The picture froze on the screen. The creature was in the shadows, and all you could see were his bloody claws.
“I know,” Jen groaned. She shook her head. “Big Ghost Hunter, huh? I’m pathetic.”
“Extremely,” Mike said.
Jen reached out and socked him on the arm. “Thanks a lot!”
At that moment, the door to the TAPS office opened as Jason and Grant came in along with a blast of chilly air. It was October 30. The weather was clear and cold.
“Hey, guys,” Jason said. He shrugged out of his coat. He and Grant were just back from giving a talk. “You’re here late. What’s going on?”
“We’re having a Halloween film festival,” Mike said. “I just freaked Jen out. She totally squealed like a girl.”
“I am a girl,” Jen said. “And I did not squeal. At least not very much.”
“What did I miss?” Grant asked. Grant loved scary movies. Monsters. Sci-fi. And ghosts, of course. He particularly liked the older black-and-white horror movies. “What’s this one about?”
“A ghost,” Mike said. “What else?”
“Awesome,” Grant replied. He came over to look at the laptop screen. “That’s it right there?”
“Yep.” Mark Hammond nodded. “You can’t really see it there, though. If you want, we can go back…”
“In the meantime, let me guess,” Grant said. “Chalky white skin and glowing red eyes.”
“And claws,” Jason put in. “Claws always come in handy. Don’t forget those.”
“You got it,” Mike agreed with a laugh.
He punched a button and the picture on the screen began to move. The ghost began pulling itself up a wall.
Grant gave a sigh. “I have to say this. I know you guys have heard it before. Ghosts are just dead people. They’re not monsters. They don’t have super-strength.”
“They don’t go around killing people,” Jason added.
“But sometimes they do act out against the living,” Jen said.
“That’s true. We’ve had some cases like tha
t,” Jason said. “Grant, remember the Maguires?”
“The Maguires.” Grant frowned. Then his face cleared. “Okay, yeah. I remember. The Case of the Jealous Ghost. It was what—about three years ago?”
“I think that’s about right,” Jason said. “And it happened this month.”
“Wait a minute,” Jen said. “You’re saying you investigated a case with movie-type scares? In October? Right before Halloween?”
“Yes,” Grant said. “I guess so.” He looked at the faces of the team. Four sets of curious eyes stared right back.
“I suppose you want me to tell you more…”
“We got the call about a week before Halloween,” Grant began the story. “A woman named Karen Maguire. She said she wanted to talk to us about some incidents in her home.
“I remember the call very clearly. It was different from a lot of the calls we get. Usually when people call, they sound pretty upset. They’ve seen or heard things they can’t explain. They’re worried that their home doesn’t feel safe to them anymore. They’re on edge.
“Karen wasn’t like that at all. She was calm. Very calm. Very clear.”
Grant gazed from person to person. “But right from the beginning, I had the feeling there was something she didn’t want to tell us.”
“What did she say?” Jen asked.
“Karen told me that she and her husband, Tom, recently moved into a new house. Tom travels a lot for his job. Sometimes he’s gone for a couple of weeks.”
“The first time he went away,” Jason picked up the tale, “Karen was left completely alone in the new house. But right away, Karen began to feel that she wasn’t alone. She said she felt like somebody was watching her all the time. She would walk into a room, and she just had a sense that someone else was there.”
“Karen never actually saw a spirit,” Grant explained. “But she was absolutely convinced she was not alone.”
“Was she freaked?” Jen asked. “Scared?”