Mystery of the Windowed Closet Read online

  “What is it?” I asked aloud.

  I thought briefly that somehow my friend the rat possibly got upstairs meeting them at the top. Suddenly, Sue turned almost knocking Delores down; trying desperately to get back down the stairs. Don and I looked at each other in surprise at what appeared to be a frightened reaction, wondering what was wrong. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, her face was pale and had a frightened look. Trembling, she glanced back up at the empty landing. She seemed severely shaken by the event and wasn’t steady on her feet, and I know Delores must have been concerned wondering what was wrong.

  Taking Sue by the arm, I led her to the living room where she sat down, and in a few minutes she looked a little steadier but was still pale.

  I frantically asked, “Are you alright? What happened up there? You look a little pale. Let me get you a glass of water.”

  “Thanks Ray, I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

  I returned from the kitchen, and she took several sips before getting back a little color. She remarked, “I’m sorry Delores for almost knocking you down, but I felt this terrible urgency to get back down the steps. It felt like someone had taken over my body without me being prepared.”

  “What do you mean, not being prepared?” Don asked.

  Delores replied, “Well, when we have a séance, we make ourselves ready by allowing our body a few minutes of meditation. This prepares us before accepting the spirit. That didn’t happen in this case, the spirit sort of leapt into my body, I was totally unprepared. It’s something new to me. I’ve never experienced this before.”

  “What do you think it means?” I asked.

  “I’m sure it’s someone that wants me to help her with a decision between whatever the problem is upstairs, and what’s going on downstairs, as if it’s a life and death situation. The stairs seem to be a barrier she can’t breach between the two things that are happening. Something’s going on upstairs, and something’s going on downstairs at the same time.”

  We never mentioned to Susan about the two men fighting in the living room that George told us about, and looked at each other, realizing Adda’s spirit was torn between finding her child and Levi being killed by Daniel downstairs. They were two separate incidents that must have been happening simultaneously.

  Chapter 12

  It was getting late. George expected me at 4:30, and I didn’t want to disappoint him. As I was getting into my car, Frank and June pulled up.

  “June, everyone’s inside. I’m going to pick up George. Come on Frank!”

  As we were driving, Frank brought up the question of Sue’s ability,

  “Has she ever helped with any crimes?” he asked.

  “I don’t know Frank. I just met her for the first time today. Knowing what Delores can do, anyone that she says has the same ability is good enough for me. What’s the big secret with what your wife experienced walking past the old barn?”

  “Well, since she’s already in the house and probably told them, I might just as well be tellin’ you. When she was walking the dog on Tuesday evening, it began thundering and lightning. Turning back for home, she was passing the old barn when a carriage pulled up right in front of the old section. She said a man and woman got out.”

  I Interrupted. “Did she say what they looked like? I mean, what were they dressed like?”

  “She said, at first she thought they were Amish, but she didn’t recognize them from the Amish we know. She said the hair on the dog stood up, and her tail puffed out like a frightened cat. She didn’t know what to do. She said the dog was goin’ crazy, just absolutely crazy, pullin’ on the leash; trying hard to get away from there. The dog finally broke loose and skedaddled for home,” he gave me a look as if I would think he wasn’t telling the truth then continued, “I was asleep on the recliner when the dog woke me up. She was just a howling and scratching at the door, just’ tryin’ to get in. When I opened it, she ran straight passed me headin for the bedroom, and hid in a closet. I went to see where she was, and when I opened the closet door, she was just a shiverin’ and whimpering. I pulled back some of the clothes that were hanging in the closet, and she growled at me as if something was comin’ after her. I wondered where June was, and as I was gettin’ on my jacket to go find her, when she come a runnin’ in the house. I asked what was wrong, and told her, she’s pale as a sheet, like she just seen a ghost. She was shakin’ like hell just like the dog and told me she thought she did.

  When I asked what happened she told me, ‘A carriage pulled up in front of the barn and a man and woman got out. The couple looked to be in their late 40s, or early 50s. They were both dressed in black, just the way you described them- like Quakers. When the man opened the barn door, the woman standing next to him looked up and screamed. As June said, ‘A blood-curdling scream, then just stood there staring, looking up as if she was looking at the rafters.’ She said that’s when the dog finally broke free and headed for home. June began to run down the hill and looked back and saw the man standing there looking up too, as if he was examining the rafters. I told her to sit down and I would get her shot of brandy because she was still pale as a sheet. She said, ‘Let me catch my breath first, I just ran all the way down the hill from the old barn.’

  What he told me sent my curiosity reeling, and I wondered if we were going to expand on the answers this evening.

  After picking up George, we went back to the house, joining the others. They were already in the kitchen and just as Frank figured, June had already related her story. Everyone was sitting around the table except Sue. I noticed she was examining the broken cabinet door from the previous weekend.

  Acknowledging our entry, Delores remarked, “Ray, you’ll never guess what happened to June this week?”

  I replied, “Frank already told me.”

  Noticing the curiosity of Sue examining the broken door, I asked, “Sue, if a spirit can do that kind of damage to a wooden door, would it be farfetched that they could hurt or even kill a person that’s living?”

  “I guess that depends on the severity of their resolve. The spirit that did this obviously has that kind of power.”

  “Then, what Don said about me having Daniel standing behind me with a hatchet wouldn’t necessarily be dramatic.”

  “No, I guess not. Delores telling me about the activity during the séance last week is one of the reasons I wanted to come. I also wanted to examine the mysterious blue bottle Delores told me about. Not to discourage you about the property, but if we can’t end this haunting, the only other way to free the spirits would be to tear the house down.”

  “You’re right, that’s not very encouraging. Are we to assume the people at the barn are not hostile, but only Daniel that’s in the house is?”

  “So far, the people at the barn didn’t try to harm you or June. You mentioned the Quaker that came to your door wasn’t threatening. Isn’t that correct?”

  “Yes, he wasn’t at all hostile. He only looked angrily at me as he went by the barn. When I spoke to him at the front door, he only seemed confused. I’ll say again, your prognosis of tearing the house down isn’t very encouraging.”

  “No, I guess not. Let’s see if we can find out more. Shall we get started?”

  Everyone seemed to have their own opinion of what happened to June this week, and I was anxious as the rest to get on with the séance. From what Susan had experienced on the stairs, we knew Levi was not killed outright, but was yelling for help. With everyone’s mind working in the same direction, we seemed to be making headway.

  The room was ready to go with the candles set around, and the blue bottle was in the middle of the table. We seated ourselves in the same positions we were the week before, and Sue being the sixth person with more psychic ability than George, took a seat on the opposite end of the table from Delores. I lit the candles and turned out the lights.

  Delores and Sue began by closi
ng their eyes and lowering their heads, going into a deep trance. We were all looking nervously at one another, waiting for something to happen focusing on Delores; thinking Adda would be the first to speak.

  I looked at the opposite end of the table at Sue, and between the two of them, she seemed to be the first one entering the spirit world. Her long hair slightly fluffed up as if a spirit had gently entered her body, and within a few moments Delores’s hair did the same. Something seemed different, definitely different- eerily different. Delores seemed to enter the spirit world much quicker than last week. Was it the fact that Susan’s extra power was adding more energy to the group when we held hands? __I didn’t know.

  June already had the paper on the table with the questions we wanted to ask, and with her experience during the week she quickly took over the séance as if she’d been doing it for years.

  “Adda are you present?” she asked. The blue bottle slowly turned to the paper on the table with the word YES.

  “Will you speak to us tonight?”

  Again, the bottle gently turned a complete revolution then stopped, pointing to the word YES. With everyone wide eyed, there was silence for a few seconds- a deafening silence. We looked at each other anticipating what was going to happen like the séance last weekend, but weren’t sure in which direction it would come, or whether it would be violent and rather not see it happen.

  Suddenly, in a different voice, Susan replied- “Yes, I’m here.”

  It seemed as though Adda was drawn to Susan, the stronger of the two psychics. We were surprised at the change and realized Delores for some reason was passed over.

  Suddenly, turning our attention at Susan, June quickly asked, “Why were you home alone with your son?”

  Adda in a lamenting voice replied, “Joshua’s sick. He’s so sick. I told Levi to go without me.”

  With our focus on Susan and Delores, we never realized George was possessed and spoke almost simultaneously. His voice sounded the same as it had the previous week- the voice that belonged to Levi.

  “I don’t feel comfortable leaving you here alone with Joshua being sick,” Levi’s voice replied, “I know how frightened you are during a thunderstorm with a lot of lightning. Maybe I should stay home?”

  “I’ll be fine. Try to get back as soon as you can, please!”

  June quickly asked, “Levi, where were you going?”

  “I’m going to our Wednesday meeting, we’re going to talk about a house raising for Adam and his new wife. We have to plan on a day we’ll start and what everyone’s supposed to bring.”

  Don was sitting there observing like the rest of us, when all of a sudden a mist appeared over him, a strange mist- a mist that began to swirl in a circle. Faster and faster it spun until it formed a funnel that quickly swept down, entering his head. His hair dramatically stood up and his head drooped forward. Whatever it was had entered his body and in a brief moment, his head violently snapped back uncontrollably moving in a circling motion. The head movement suddenly stopped, and his eyes opened wide only exposing the whites.

  In an instant, they suddenly turned red- a red that glowed like the hot end of a piece of steel a blacksmith would hammer into shape. His neck swelled to almost twice its thickness, then began pulsating.

  With a complete transfiguration of his normal face, he seemed to be transfixed staring at the blue bottle. We were shocked at the activity, and made the séance last week pale by comparison. The distorted transition of Don’s body was frightening, and an extremely tense moment passed. He obviously became one of the mediums for a spirit, but for which one? Could it be Daniel or just the hateful emotion that burned within Daniel? What the hell! We looked at each other surprised. So much had taken place so far, but this was really getting to be frightening. Just then, a deep groan came out of Don’s mouth- a groan that seemed to emanate from deep inside of him- a groan that frightened the hell out of all of us who weren’t possessed. As Frank put it earlier, ‘A, frighten- the- hell- out- of- us weekend.’

  Don spoke in a growling voice still transfixed staring at the bottle, “When I know they’re at the meeting, that’s when I’ll get my revenge.”

  Shocked at Don being involved and the angry tone of voice, June quickly asked the second question. “What does the barn have to do with the fire in the house?”

  Don turned to June and his eyes seemed to get a deeper red, as if he took offense to her question. With that look of anger, I feared the spirit we aroused was a spirit that was dangerous, and I was right. A drawer suddenly opened crashing to the floor spilling its contents.

  Slowly, a two-pronged fork rose from the strewn implements, then hurled itself across the room imbedding in the plaster wall.

  This was probably the spirit responsible for me getting burned by the sudden hot water change in the shower, and was most likely the one that was slamming the doors and drawers, opening and closing them violently the weekend before. That kind of power, to be able to split a wooden door, was giving me cause for alarm. I was worried that there could be some sort of harm to Don or someone else in the room, and wanted to break the séance. I was afraid of the consequences to Don if I broke the séance with the evil spirit still in his body and wondered, ‘Would it remain? Would it turn a friend into the monster that’s now being displayed?’

  Delores, still sitting in a semi-trance began to speak as a toddler crying, “Momma, Momma, Momma.”

  Susan frantically cried out, “Joshua, where are you? Joshua, where are you?”

  The table shook, and the blue bottle that was in the middle spun around several times in one direction, then suddenly stopped, and began spinning in the other direction. June seemed to be more persistent than frightened and had the courage Frank and I lacked. At this point, the look on Frank’s face reaffirmed him not wanting to be involuntarily volunteered, and I was beginning to feel the same. It looked as though he was ready to make a dash for the front door any second, and I knew if he did, I wouldn’t be too far behind.

  George spoke in Levi’s voice, screaming, “I know you’ll be burning in hell for your sins this day Daniel.” Moaning, George grabbed his knee.

  All this was happening so fast, like it was choreographed- like a stage play. I quickly asked, “Adda, who was in the carriage by the barn?”

  She replied, “Daniel’s parents. They were coming to warn me but they were too late.” She paused for a moment, “The roads are too muddy to be able to come by carriage very fast.” In a lamenting voice again she continued, “It’s been raining for days- for days now. Won’t it ever stop?”

  June quickly asked, “What danger were they trying to warn you of?”

  Don angrily looked in her direction as if he was about to retaliate if she answered. I noticed the spilled implements in a pile on the floor, was as though something was moving them, trying to find just the right weapon to use against an offensive question. Another sharp instrument rose from the pile and hurled itself against the wall sticking in a cabinet. Realizing the danger, I jumped up from my chair, breaking the chain and yelled, “Enough! Enough! Be gone with you!” Then quickly turned on the light and blew out the candles. To my surprise, it worked, and I temporarily felt a little proud of my bold accomplishment. Seeing everyone that had been in a trance having difficulty recovering, I put my success aside and helped as best I could.

  June, Frank and I were still shaken by what happened, but we began helping everyone trying to recover.

  “Don, are you alright?” I asked, “You scared the hell out of us.”

  He shook his head and rubbed his eyes. He seemed to be having the hardest time recovering, but in a few seconds replied, “I’ll be fine, I’m drenched with sweat, what happened?”

  “We think you became possessed by Daniel. It was pretty traumatic,” I said, then asked, “George, are you alright?”

  Rubbing his leg replied, “I’m fine. I think I hurt
my knee again though.”

  “Frank, do you think we can critique this thing at your house? I think it’ll be a better atmosphere.”

  “Sure, give June and I a few minutes then come on down.”

  “George, should I drive you home now?” I asked.

  “Not yet. I’d like to hear what took place.”

  “Don, you sure you’re ok?” I asked.

  “I’m fine. Let’s get out of here. Not to insult your house Ray, but this place gives me the creeps.”

  After picking up the contents that were spilled on the floor, we left for June’s and gathered around her dining room table.

  “All right, who’s going to be the first one to tell us what they were feeling? Why don’t we start with you Sue?”

  “Who possessed me? I don’t know,” she asked.

  “You were possessed by Adda we think.” June replied.

  Delores asked, “Well, if she was possessed by Adda, who possessed me?”

  “It was a voice of a young boy. I’d say about two or maybe a little older. You were crying and calling ‘Momma! Momma! Momma:’ Don’t you remember anything?” June asked.

  “I can remember smoke getting in my eyes and rubbing them trying to see. Someone was calling, ‘Joshua where are you?’ I heard it again and again. Then I heard her say, ‘Levi I can’t find him.’

  “Can you remember where you were when you heard the voice?” June asked.

  “I think I was hiding from the smoke behind some bolts of cloth. I must have been in the sewing room. I remember I couldn’t get down the steps. The smoke was in my eyes, so I tried to hide from it in the closet. That must have been the apparition of the toddler’s leg from behind the bolts of cloth you saw Ray. If that’s the case, the pleading expression on the woman’s face looking down the stairs at you could be what she was trying to communicate. Joshua was hiding from the smoke, and she wanted you to save him.”

  “That sounds logical, but why couldn’t she find him?” I asked.