THE HAUNTING PAST MYSTERY OF THE WITCHES EXECUTION

THE HAUNTING PAST: MYSTERY OF THE WITCHES EXECUTION After the case of the "evil" volume, Mr. Brown did, in fact, keep his promise, to allow Tami and I some relaxation. This relaxation would come in the form of a "day treatment", at a spa which, normally, only the super-rich were allowed into. What Tami and I could not get over was how relaxed one could feel, while receiving a massage. Yes, ghost-hunting was a strain, but the rewards! Oh, the rewards! What I could not understand was the reason why, after the massages, Tami turned bitter, remarking something about "If you wanted "some", you could have come to me. You didn't HAVE to go to those others". Okay, not that I knew what she was talking about, but, later that day, we had seperate tables, for our "victory" dinner. When I asked Tami "Did you really not like the massage, THAT much?" and she said "Not as much as you did, and did you REALLY have to be so audible, about it?" When I asked "WHAT are you talking about?" Tami said "Dont play dumb, with me. I know you too well. My god, was it sickening, listening to that racket". When it was time for our daily reports, Tami took one glance, at my report, and asked "Dont forget to tell the boss about those bimbo's. He will need to know how much they want, for their "services". When I asked "What bimbo's?" Tami would say "I told you. Dont play dumb, with me. I SAW you! You and your bimbo's" When I told her "Tamara, I have news for you. The only woman I saw, today, besides YOU, was my masseuse" When Tami counter-charged, giving "details", of what she had seen, while on her own table, I told her, honestly, "I wish I had been there. Sounds fun", Tami would say "Men!" When our seperate reports went in, and Mr. Brown responded "I want verification, from both of you, regarding this." Tami said "Fine, you want FACTS. I will give them to you". After brazenly telling me that she needed "room", and I backed away, Tami would work her "magic", and review the camera footage, for what she was sure to find. The problem was that, after reviewing a few minutes, of the footage, then scanning a larger portion, looking for whatever she thought had happened, Tami would mention "I dont understand. It SHOULD be RIGHT HERE!" When I looked at the footage, showing me, lying on a table, with the massage worker doing her thing, and I asked "WHAT are you looking for?" Tami replayed the footage, five times, looking for something. Finally, she asked "Where is it?" When I asked "What?", and she said "Fine, lets try the audio, from MY room. Lets atleast HEAR you carrying on". When I suggested "Why not go for video. The whole nine yards. Lets SEE, as well as hear, what you think is happening". It was when Tami hacked the video, from her own session, that she got the shock, of her day. Sure, even Tami admitted that she dozed, atleast a couple of times, during her session, but, what she could not believe was what the video showed. According to the video, when Tami "dozed off", the camera showed her being wheeled OUT of her assigned room. Tami then "accessed" various camera's, in the spa, until she found one which showed her coming out of her assigned room, and being rolled into another room. It was in this OTHER room, where the sounds, of people, having wild sex, awoke the woman, and Tami thought she noticed something, about my voice. She figured that the muffling sound was just my face in a womans cleavage. What Tami just now remembered was that she did not recall if the worker was present, for her own massage. If the worker was not present, where were they? After a bit, Tami remembered dozing off, again, and this is when, on video, we watched, as Tami was wheeled OUT, of the OTHER room, and back to her own. When next she awoke, Tami remembered that her worker whispered "Slowly, miss. Rise slowly. Dont want to re-kink those muscles." When Tami looked at me, as if to say "Sorry, I thought it was real". I told her "It can happen to anyone. The only question is "What did it "buy"?, and For WHOM?" When the message came, by morning, and via e-mail, Tami and I had a hard time holding in the laughter, as we read the message: "Dear Mrs. Ghost Hunter, Wanted you to know what your husband was up to, while you were getting a massage. Mr. Ghost Hunter was busy getting laid. See the enclosed file, as proof" When Tami said "They think we are married? Whatever gave them THAT idea?" I told her "I have NO idea". As for the video, it was just blurred enough that voices, and body parts, were generalized, so that it could be video of anyone. When Tami boosted the audio, she smiled as she said "Doesn't even SOUND like you, once you listen close enough". Tami gave the e-mail response, to the message. (To me, her message was far too soft, but Tami said "Discretion is best") Her response: Better luck next time. Also, please review your FACTS, before jumping to conclusions. No one will pay attention to half-truths. While we were packing, to return to work, another message came in, claiming "Since you wont play ball, this has gone on the internet. TRY to stop it, now" Tami and I just laughed, finished packing, and returned to work. Back, at the Brown Agency, Tami would apologize, for her actions, and for not checking her facts, before condemning me. All Mr. Brown would say was "Dont let it happen, again". By evening, the video had gone "viral", and dozens, if not hundreds, of people, were trying to take credit for the contents. Even the fact that the video was titled "Mrs. Ghost Hunter, what is your husband doing?" meant nothing, to the internet. While the internet was enjoying the joke, Tami and I were busy, reviewing our latest haunting case. As it seems that this case would be a more weird mix, of the old, and the new. IF the contact was telling the truth, it would seem that a woman had been hung, in the twenty-first century, on a conviction of "Practicing Witch Craft". IF the report were accurate, the charge, and the conviction, were based both upon "lights" being seen, and "sounds" being heard, from the womans property. The report claimed that, when taken, and charged, the woman had been wearing a witches black robe, and pointed hat, and had been spotted stirring a cauldron(?) Since the woman, reportedly, had an ancestor, who was, also, hung, as a convicted witch, locals saw no reason to question the modern accusation. Then, the case file got "weird". If the information were true, it was reported that, after the hanging, when SOME-one decided to BURN the body, it is claimed that, although the coroner verified that the woman was dead, prior to burning, that the body cried out, in agonizing pain, while burning. There was, also, a completely un-verified report, that a demon might have shown up, at the burning. Tami and I had to laugh at the idea of a horned, winged, demon, showing up, at a burning. Tami would say "I will bet $1,000.00 that the "viewer" was either high, or drunk, at the time, of the burning." When I said "No way", Tami would whisper "chicken". The problem we were being called in, to deal with, was the question of how much power a witch has, AFTER death. If the report was accurate, it would seem that the womans death-cries were being heard, each night, by the whole community. Also, the woman was, allegedly, being seen, in public. Some were saying that it was possible that the witch was writing people messages. Well, even I knew that, in the age of technology, ANYONES voice can be faked, and recorded. As for the sightings, it could, easily, be either mis-identifications, or actors, trying to scare people. Thanks to the invention, of laser scanners, it is even possible to program a persons hand-writing, to create documents, which the "victim" never wrote. Allthough Mr. Brown agreed with us, he emphasized that the contact wanted PROOF. Whether this was just a terrible prank, or something supernatural, our client wanted it documented. When Tami and I agreed to take the case, our pilots would say that we had found a "wind-fall", in atleast one way. It seems that, for the first time, our deliveries, of ration packs, were, ALL, of the kind we could eat, and in generous quantities. If there was a problem, with this flight, it was the fact that air traffic control, at our destination, wanted us to set Ghost SHip One down, in a football stadium. When our pilot asked "And just WHERE do we hide the marching bands, cheer-leaders, mascots, and so on?" All air traffic control would say was "Take it or leave it". Our pilot, politely, said "Leave it". When the next set, of coordinates, came in, and our pilot checked, against G.P.S., Our pilot would ask air traffic control "And just HOW are we supposed to park a fifty ton, freight handling, jet, on a lake?" Finally, the last message came through. "Our final offer: A stone quarry. It should be large enough, and D-R-Y enough, for your plane." When the pilot used satellite zoom, and computer enhancement, to verify size, the pilot said "Done". While enroute, to the case, the pilot asked Tami and I to attach a canvas bag to a winch, then strap in, when we were within five miles of the target site. We had no idea what the pilot had in mind. Turns out that "five miles out" was the location, of the lake and, upon approach, the pilot took us into hover mode, as he dipped the canvas bag into the lake, picking up maybe 20-25 gallons of water, before proceeding to the landing site. Over the landing site, the air force pilot used a surgeons precision, not to DUMP the bag, onto the ground, but to WASH the landing area, like a parent washing a child. By the time our landing gear touched the stone quarry floor, the stone reflected our ships lights. Once again, Tami and I were impressed with these mens abilities (and we STILL wondered WHY the U.S. Air Force had let these men retire). After touchdown, when Tami and I asked the pilots about the water-drop, our pilot would explain "Its like this, the same stone dust, which most people just dust off, and which quarries rinse off, of finished stones, is the same dust which, if ingested, by the jet engines, would be equal to trying to fly, with machine guns firing at the engines. The dust would have shredded the engine parts, and the plane would have had to go in, for major repairs". When Tami would ask "What about AFTER the case? By then, I am sure that the stone will be dry as a bone". The pilots had a plan, in the making. A plan which, if successful, would allow the plane to take off, from an equally wet surface. My own curiousity made me wonder WHY the community had offered us such bizzarre choice of landing sites. First, a football stadium? Second, a lake? Third, a stone quarry? Was it my imagination? Or, did someone NOT want us investigating this case? While the pilots began work, on their plans, for take-off, Tami TRIED to do what she did, best. She drove into town, and TRIED to talk to people, about the community. It would seem, though, that someone had gotten to the people before we did. Tami would be left to report "Would you believe it, no one would even come near me. It was as if the entire town has been placed under a "gag-order". I was not even allowed near the retirement center." My own news would be no better. When I tried to approach the so-called "witches" home, I think that no less than three rifles sent "warning shots", in my direction. Come nightfall, though, even our pilots heard the cry, of a person, in mortal agony. It was Tami, though, who said "Sounds female, to me". The pilots were suspicious, though, as they closed eyes, turned full circle, then said "Someone is "playing" with us." When I closed my own eyes, and listened, I found that the pilots were correct. The sounds seemed to come from multiple directions, OUTSIDE of the reflective walls, of the quarry. When Tami asked "Then, why does the cry sound human?" The pilot would suggest "The best I can come up with is that one of the cries is real, and the others are a distraction. A way to keep the curious away." When I asked the pilot how the air force would counter such measures, he would say that nuclear bombers are equipped with headsets, which filter out false content. Using speech recognition, the head-gear only allows orders from voices, which it recognizes. When Tami would say "Swell, and just WHERE do WE come up, with a tacticle, nuclear, bomber?" The pilot would smile as he would say "I never said we needed a bomber. All we need is some of the head-gear." When I asked "Can YOU use your contacts, to gain us some of the gear?" The pilot would ask "Do bulls have horns?" Thanks to the U.S. governments penchant, for overuse, of paper-work, and ambiguous definitions, to cover covert operations, our pilots were able to secure a case of the head-gear, for our use. Like the pilot cautioned, though "If any of this equipment is stolen, or worse, destroyed, it MUST be reported, since these units are on LOAN, from a flight, which is down, for routine maintenance". Still, even with the head-gear, the womans scream tore at our hearts, atleast until Tami found a sample, of the womans voice, from her mock-trial. Once the head-gear produced a voice-print, for the filters, and we donned the gear, just before night-fall, and the filters not only screened out the fake cries, but, based upon computer records, we verified that the fake screams were coming from concealled, stereo, speakers. Now, it was obvoius, as to the reason why the town wanted us to park, in the quarry. The area had been rigged, with stereo speakers. Thanks to the head-gear, though, the cries lead us directly to the meadow, where the accused had been burned, to ashes. Although Tami really didn't need the testing kit, having found dis-carded beer bottles, and the buts, of "joints", at the site, Tami still did a foot print analysis, of the area. Not only did the client want definitive proof, of what had happened, but Tami wanted this proof, as well. Although Tami DID find some kind of hoof, or claw, print, near the ashes, what laser measuring produced was a shoe size, and a makers mark. When we scouted the area, after the cries died out, it was the co-pilot who found the demon costume. The only problem was that the costume was too tall, for any of us. When the co-pilot asked how tall a man would have to be, the pilot would say "On stilts, he could be four feet tall, yet seven feet, in the suit." In our daily report, we informed the Brown Agency of our findings, including the beer, Marijuana, and the demon costume. We also noted the hidden, stereo, speakers. This is when Mr Brown would say "It seems you are closing in, on this mystery, since locals are going to such effort. After all, if this were just an "urban legend", then WHY bother with all the props?" The first local, who spoke to Tami, was a woman, who was on her death bed. Although reminded of the consequences, of her actions, the woman would tell the person, issuing the warning, "I am dying. WHAT can you do to me?" The woman then shared a story with Tami. A story, handed down, through the generations. A story, of a woman, who wanted more out of life, than a husband, and family. A woman who wanted to BE somebody. Seems that local religious groups branded her an "outcast", since she wanted a better life. She wanted to see what life had to show her. Legend said that the woman had, initially, shown no interest, in withcraft, yet had taken to the practice, after she had to stab two, drunken, men (on seperate occasions), since each was determined to marry the woman, no matter what she said. When the suitors failed to force the woman to marry, the woman, fearing a coming attack, by villagers, who lived by the WORD, of the Gospel, were coming, to attack this "freak", the woman turned to a known witch, for a spell, with which to protect her home. The spell might have worked, but the attacks did not stop. After the woman was declared un-holy, un-righteous, and so on, the attacks, on her land, became more aggressive, until the woman bowed, to the witches teachings, and sent the village a "message", which they would, never, forget. Out of blind fear, the villagers would wait until one night, when the woman was asleep, and her powers were at their lowest, and this is when her cottage would be stuffed with kindling, then set on fire, while a priest invoked the Lord, asking that the sinner be banished to Hades. The old woman would say that, for YEARS, after the woman was burned, alive, in her own home, her cries, of agony, could be heard, every night, after sun-down. At the very time she was burned alive. When Tami would say "So, they burned one woman, alive, just for being "different". But what does that have to do with today? If the woman had no children, why did the events not stop, with her?" The old woman would say "In that family, there were several sisters, and some split their time between being wives, and mothers, and developing the craft. It is from one of these sisters that the recent victim was descended". When Tami asked the obvious question "Are there other members, of the same family, living locally, I mean?" This is when I would notice that one of the men, in attendance, would depart the gathering. When the dying woman would say "There are a few, but most have married into other families. Even I have lost track of some of them, over the years." Moments later, an explosion rocked the building, and the speakers issued the normal alert: "Check ALL patients, check all rooms, check all exits. Explosion, and fire, on the premises". When I went to check, on Tami's car, which we had driven, to the home, for the visit, I noticed that it was HER car, which had exploded. Although we had checked the car, for fuel, prior to take-off, to me, it seemed as thought the flames were being fed by more fuel than the cars tank could hold. When I snuck out of the convalescent center, and got close to the fire, I smelled something, which I should not have smelled, either at a care facility, or in a cars gas tank. I would swear it was charcoal lighter fluid. I would have to thank Tami, later, for insisting that, on this visit, we carry disposable evidence bags. Ofcourse, her reasoning had been excellent. After all, the community had gone to the trouble, of rigging stereo speakers, to stall our investigation. How FAR would they consider Too FAR, to go? After taking a sample, then hiding, while the fire department put out the fire, I listened as the fire chief, very quickly, ruled the fire "mechanical failure". After calling Ghost Ship One, for my Jeep, which the pilot delivered, himself, the pilot drove us back, to the plane, where he said he left the pilot under orders not to let anyone near the plane. By the time we arrived, at the plane, though, the co-pilot had signalled an alert. From the planes own camera's, we could see the scorch marks, from where someone had set off some charges, just off the side of the quarry wall. Thankfully, these old, air force, freight haulers are constructed, of reinforced metals. The stone, which was blasted away, just bounced off the ships skin. Shortly after this, our band scanner picked up calls, saying that two, local, houses were on fire. This, even as the computer read that my sample was, in fact, concentrated lighter fluid. The problem, which small towns, like this one, had, was that, since the town was not "large", by any definition, and fires might be decades in between, it had been decided that the city needed only ONE fire station. As a result, with two, major, blazes, at the same time, the fire department tackled the fire, closest to the station. Volunteers would have to handle the second fire. When Tami filed our daily report, even Mr. Brown said "Someone, definitely, does NOT want this case reviewed. Not with a car-bomb, two house fires, and your plane attacked, all in the same evening." When Tami added "Doesn't it seem strange that all of these events happen just after an elderly lady tells us that an accused witch may have relatives, in the area?" In the morning edition, of the local paper, primary mention was made, of the fact that the burned homes had members who, once, belonged to the family, of an accused witch. Although the newspaper would print a retraction, of the story, the original story got out, thanks to the internet. By the afternoon, in one neighborhood, locals, it seems, made "Citizens Arrests", of two youths, who were spotted carrying gas cans past a family home. Although the youths claimed they needed gas, for their car, the police first verified that the youths licenses were suspended, for drag racing, near some old couples farm, then arrested the youths, officially, for driving on suspended licenses. Although neighborhoods went "on alert", that night, another house was, somehow, doused with gasoline, then neighbors reported seeing flaming arrows come "out of the sky", and set the house on fire. Later that night, while collecting evidence, Tami and I both thought we saw a woman, who seemed to match the burned witches description. The problem was that the sighting was too brief, and from too far away, to make a positive identification. Come morning, though, hand-written messages were found stuck to tree's, with arrows, at each incident site. One arrow was found near Tami's burned car, one near each of the fire locations, one near the house, which the youths tried to burn, and one was, even, found on a tree, near the edge of the quarry. Although no one seemed surprised, when the messages turned out to be in the womans hand-writing, it would be Tami who, using our own gear, would show locals how easily a persons signature can be forged, using scan technology. Right in front of the silenced gathering, Tami not only crated a duplicate, of the notes, but created fake adultry notes, and two notes, threatening to kill people. Placing the papers, in front of the audience, Tami would say "You have just watched as I created some of the documents, right before your eyes. What makes you think that the others are anymore "real" than mine are?" Silence enveloped the meeting. That night, and for the first time, in decades, many people locked doors, and windows "as a precaution". While locals sept, something set off the planes perimeter alarms, atleast five times. Seeing nothing, on the screens, we checked the planes position, twice, then the pilot suggested, aloud "I will set the automatic guns. If anything comes by, the guns will shred it" After that, no more alarms. Over the next few evenings, though, we did have more sightings, of our own, primarily of the woman. When we viewed her, though, Tami would note that, unlike fake phantoms, which TRY to gain attention, this "phantom" just seemed to watch goings on. Like she was just an observer. Each night, like clock-work, at the same time, the cries, of anguish, came, from the same direction. Although our own sensors did not register anything, Tami and I had that same feeling, of "being watched", that we had, at other locations. When Tami tried calling some names, which she looked up, on historical databases, the response was most unusual, even for us. For each name, which Tami called, asking "Are you...?" something we could not see hurtled rocks, or branches, alternately, at Tami. When one struck her, especially hard, and Tami said "Ouch! that hurts!", I suggested "It seems that the spirit definitely does not like THAT name". Tami would retort "Really? You THINK so?" It would be hours, of name-calling, before Tami found a name, which caused the woods, about the site, to come alive, with a womans laughter. When Tami would say "That is NOT the name, of either woman, who was burned.", and I asked "Who was she?", I felt like someone clubbed me, in the left arm, and hard, too. When Tami said "Hurts, dont it?" I said "Very funny". Tami would tell me "According to history, this woman lived a long, Christian-based, life, and was a life member of the local church." When something swatted her back, Tami called out "Ouch! I am just repeating what history says" It was when I suggested "Maybe, she is saying that history is wrong?" The voice called out "HA!" This is when Tami would suggest "Okay, so someone has re-written history. What does that have to do with two women being burned, and this, other, damage?" When I suggested "Maybe, the women were "railroaded?" Tami would say "Sounds reasonable. Still, why not just come forward" A second later, Tami called out "Ouch! Stop doing that", as she touched the back of her head. This is when I suggested "If we provide you with paper, and pen, would you write your intentions, so we dont have to play guessing games, all night?" No response. When Tami and I returned to our plane, we were surprised at how hungry we were. No question, it was time to break open some ration packs. This was the one thing we could, never, figure out, about ghost hunting. WHY it was that, once we gained a spirits attention, our energy levels took the same "dive", as electronic batteries did. Every time we ended a session, it felt like we had just finished a major league work-out. Thankfully, military rations are packaged for the hunger of large, muscular, bodies. People, who spent their days, or nights, carrying weapons, and other equipment, sometimes, for LONG distances. Still, we each packed away atleast two of the rations packs, before calling it a night/morning (depending upon ones point of view). When we returned to the meadow, during the day, all that we found, on the note pad, was what looked like doodles. No other way to explain what looked like nothing more than cartoons. Although there were more alleged "sightings", of the "witch", that day, Tami found the lack of detail, to be most annoying. The most "description", that anyone gave, was of a white woman, about five six, or so, in a black cape. Tami did notice that not all of the statements mentioned the conical hat. Coincidence? By evening, the pilots had followed our directions, and linked a series, of batteries, in series, to a laptop computer. More batteries would be used, for a camera, which would monitor the computer keyboard. A remote feed would allow us to view anything happening, at the computer, from the plane. It was a good thing that we wired up the extr batteries since the primaries, and the first back-ups, went dead, sometime after the evening "wailing". On the remainder, of the battery power, we would watch, from the planes screens, as some invisible "hand" began typing, on the keyboard. Some of it was gibberish, but some of it was intelligible. Words like "murder", "frame", "deceit", "theft". That, and some names, as well. Names which Tami had not found, in her history search. When Tami wondered, on the plane, "Could these be the names of a coven?" This is when, in the meadow, the word "YES" was typed. When I asked "Could it be that the coven was hunted down, or driven out?" the keyboard typed "Yes, Yes". Tami was about to ask "WHY", but then remembered past cases, and how people were driven away, just for being "different". Society did not need a "reason". All it needed was an excuse. Instead, Tami would ask "How many of you weere there?" The keyboard would type "Many". When Tami would ask "Locally?", the keyboard would type "Wide". I would suggest that this meant "Over a wide area, such as a county, or a state". When Tami would ask "How many of you were put to death, here in town?" It would be minutes, as if someone were counting, before answering. This is when I suggested "I THINK it will be a LOT of spirits". "Swell", was Tami's response. She remembered the last case, where hundreds had died, and how she had spent two weeks just taking down information. Sure, our pay-scale was GREAT, but the work could be so tiring. When the keyboard produced an answer, it said "Twenty-five sisters, among others". Now, we were getting somewhere. Now, the question was "Are they Wiccans, or dark witches?" The only response was "We serve the Master". Tami would ask "Wouldn't a Wiccan say "We serve the powers, of knowledge, and enlightenment"?" I would agree. To say "We serve the Master" would, PROBABLY, mean "We are dark witches". Wouldn't you know it, just at that moment, the Enforcer would show up, along with the Mother Superior, and both for the purpose of saying "Dont assume. Let your investigation lead your way". When Tami would ask "Just WHAT are we dealing with, here?" Mother Superior would say "We cannot become involved. We can only caution you to proceed carefully." Swell, the ultimate, in immortality, and all they can spew is riddles. Tami and I would spend the next few days just sifting through questions, and trying to determine who was what. Believe me, when I say it was not easy. Based upon what we learned, though, it would seem that a Wiccan coven had been approached, by a dark coven, which had HOPED to use Wiccan power for their own, dark, uses. The "scheme", however, had backfired, as the witches learned more, about Wicca, and about personal empowerment. It seems, however, that, just as Wicca was finishing converting the witches, to Wicca, locals decided that both groups were "evil", and most tried to flee, while some provided cover. What none had expected, though, was for carefully planned escape routes to be blocked, and the Wiccans "coralled", until a local minister could proclaim judgement. When no amount, of holy water, had any effect, on the Wiccans, the minister proclaimed "Their evil is beyond this world. We must send them back to the darkness". Result, the women were doused in kerosene, and alcohol, then set on fire, while the priest read passages from the Bible. When Tami asked about the other souls, the answer was that these people had been put to death since their arrivals coincided with either disease, death, of disaster. When Tami asked "If they are innocent, why do they not just pass through, to Heaven?" The response was "A curse, placed upon the site, by that priest. A curse which states that the "un-holy" must wander the Earth, until salvation is upon them". Tami would say "In simple English, you mean that they are stuck until their "records" are cleared, of any wrong-doing". "Essentially correct" was the response. Now, our task had become not so much finding out the CAUSE, of a single haunting, but tracking the movements, of dozens of people, and from a period of time, when record keeping was all but non-existant. What the community found odd, as in strange, was how, once our investigation was underway, the after dark cries died away. After Tami managed to "clear" the names, of a half dozen spirits, we received some reports, of passers by, hearing children laughing, in the meadow. If Tami's information were correct, atleast two, of the men, who were killed, were priests, enroute to new parish posts. When Tami cross-referenced this information, with modern church records, she was able to verify that SEVERAL priests had started the journey, yet had, never arrived. It was assumed that they died, while enroute. Several spirits would, also, inform Tami that, although they were either members of the church, or people, travelling on business, the people left "official" clothes packed in luggage, and wore regular street clothes, for the journey. This is why panicked locals assumed that the people were just trying to save their own skin, by SAYING they were church members. While Tami worked on the "Who's WHo", of this group, I would work on the WHERE, where the villagers would have stashed the bodies, to prevent an investigation. After all, no one would believe any community could be "Gospel", with a "mountain" of decaying corpses, laying about. No, the bodies had to be disposed of. The question was "Where", and "How". Even scanning the landscape, via my bicycle, I could have found either too many, or not enough, places, to hide bodies. It was not until I found an area, which was over-grown, with weeds, that I found what seemed like indentations, in the ground. After checking, to make sure these were not just wild animal tracks, I would contact Tami, and ask if there might be an old grave-yard, hereabouts. I dont know why I bothered to call her since the Mother Superior appearred, at my side, saying "Yes, young man, this was, at one time, a parish grave-yard. Only, not a grave-yard for the Gospel. A grave, for the un-holy". When I asked "Is that why there are no markers?" The Mother Superior would say "Correct. These souls were not deserving of being remembered. They were not Gospel". When I asked "Does not being "Gospel" mean that they were not members of the local church?" The Mother Superior would say "That is most correct". When I asked "How many are buried, here?" Mother Superior would say "None are "buried" here. None, here, deserved burial". When I asked "No matter WHAT you CALL it, how many bodies are here?" Mother Superior would name almost the exact number as those who had been haunting the land, since their deaths. It would be Tami, though, who would ask "Why did the spirits only become active AFTER the latest woman was put to death?" The "leader", of the spirits, would say "Although she is too young to manifest, the woman has rallied our group, to speak out, and seek justice". When Tami would ask "Was she a Wiccan?" The response would be a laugh, as a spirit would say "She is not even interested in our ways. She just wants her record cleared, just as we all do." Although the spirits would suggest bringing the living to justice, for their crimes, Tami would have to inform the spirits that this was impossible, since those, who committed the crimes, were dead, themselves. Maybe, for centuries. When a female spirit would ask "What has become of our families, and what will become of us?" Tami could only say "If you would like, we can TRY to notify your living relatives of your fate. Beyond that, though, we really dont know what will await each of you". Thankfully, Mother Superior would appear, at Tami's side, saying "there may not be any "Welcome" mats, for you, in Hades, but I am sure we can find you accomodations, in the realm of Our Heavenly Father. That is, ofcourse, for those of you who wish to make the journey". I really dont know HOW the Mother Superior managed it, but, when the spirits looked upon the ancient grave-yard, with sadness, in their eyes, Mother Superior waved her ghostly hand, and, as if by magic, the weeds were swept away, from the graves, and flowers appearred. Shortly after this, Tami negotiated another, of her agreements, by having the community agree to recognize, and maintain, the cemetary (Which, amazingly, very few people knew about. And in their own community, yet). With another "agreement" in her "portfolio", Tami and I would want to take a couple of days, just to relax, however, this was dashed, as a contact,with the main office, would yield the response "We need you, two, for another case". Tami would respond "At the end of the next case, we do not send final results, until we get some time to rest. Agreed?" I said "Agreed". Who was I to dispute the finest negotiator, and researcher, on the planet? After a few rations, of Supreme Pizza's, and some snacks, our pilots would ask if we were ready for take off. The way he said "Hold on to something", made us wonder what he had planned. Reaching, for a length, of rope, which had been pulled into the cockpit window, days before, the pilot gave the rope a gentle pull, and what could be described as a miniature Niagra Falls flowed down, over the walls, of the quarry, drenching the walls, and floor, even as it washed our planes tires, of the stone dust. With the area cleared of any dust, the pilot switched on the engines, and Ghost Ship One lifted off, as gently as a whisper. After some locals saw us lift off, atleast one child would be heard to ask "I wonder if I could fly a plane, like that?" A parent would say "You would have to join the air force, just to qualify." Onboard our plane, Tami would ask me "We have been sent after ministers, nuns, demons, and who knows what else. What do you think our next mission will be?" I could only say "With our track record, all I know is that it wont be alive". What else should a ghost investigator say?

THE HAUNTING PAST MYSTERY OF THE WATCH TOWERS

THE HAUNTING PAST: MYSTERY OF THE WATCH TOWERS In our most baffling case, to date, Tami and I would be called in, not so much to identify which spirits haunted a location, but, rather to verify whether, or not, spirits actually were haunting the location. According to the preliminary case-work, a group, of historic preservationists, was, currently, engaged in an effort to save an old prison, from demolition. According to the listed contacts, the prison had, during its operational years, housed, primarily, those convicted of sea crimes. The contacts claim was that history stated that the convicts were to serve their time, as close to the ocean, as possible (as a sort-of reminder, of how they had betrayed the sea). It would seem that past generations had hoped that this would cause convicts to "regret" past actions. The current issue, though was the fact that the local government wanted to demolish the prison, to make room for modern land development. The governments "view", of the "ghost" issue, was that "If spirits can haunt one place, why cant the spirits find another place to haunt?". For my intrepid partner, the first item, of business, would be to verify the REASON behind the governments sudden desire, to raze the prison. Sure enough, in almost no time, Tami learned that millions of dollars was being "injected" into the engine, of the local economy. Finances, which were being provided by corporations, which seemed to be hoping to buy "goodwill". It would seem that this influx, of money, as well as the promise, of a potential, additional, "investment", of $500 billion, was, all, conditional upon the local governments agreement, to let the old prison-turned-landmark be torn down. After all, as the corporations argued the question of the prisons worth. Questions such as "Just WHAT was the place? A landmark? Tourist attraction? Dating location? Reminder of the past?" Tami also learned that the prison had been "operating" in debt, for years. A recent, land, survey, even made the claim that "Without the prison, the land would be worth ten times its current value". Despite all of this, though, local citizens wanted to retain the property, in its current condition. This is why, in order to press the issue, and allow the sale, of the land, local government gave the population only a very limited amount, of time, to prove that the prison was, in fact "haunted". It was not long, after Tami and I agreed to take on the case, though, that Tami was shocked by two things: First was the fact that, by the time the case-file had reached the agency, and us, the governments "deadline", of just two weeks, for locals to "prove" the prison was "haunted", had all but elapsed. No sooner had Tami questioned how, with no time left, even for research, HOW were we supposed to provide a proper investigation? The reply came, un-expectedly soon when, for some reason, the local government decided that, with Ghost Ship One coming onto the case, the original deadline was extended for another two MONTHS. Even with this "reprieve", Tami and I set about our research tasks, even as our pilots handled fueling, provisions, and aviation inspections, for Ghost Ship One. Our pilots, though, were un-hurried, in the inspections, un-like their civilian counterparts. Our pilots actually enjoyed showing off our cargo plane, to inspectors. The pilots did not even mind the airplanes UN-offical nickname: Ghost Ship One. No-doubt, this is because, according to rumors, around the airport hangers, everytime Ghost Ship One departed our local airport, it was in response to some ghost, somewhere, which needed to be "laid to rest". Rumor even held that Ghost Ship One was the primary reason why many "upset" spirits had returned to their final rest. Whatever the reason, when the aviation inspectors boarded the plane, the pilots made sure to have ALL permits, on-hand, and especially those permits which allowed the plane to carry a limited supply of explosives. Sure, G.S.O. carried enough explosives, on-board, to bring down four jet aircraft, however, according to our permits, the explosives were authorized, for job-site use. i.e.: Moving boulders, or easing jammed doors, etc. Our pilots, always, laughed, when asked about our on-board "chemical" supplies. The pilots would show inspectors our on-board lab, saying that "on-site" analysis was, sometimes, necessary. Once the inspections were done, and the plane was "cleared", our pilots would rest, while awaiting our arrival. Turns out that a weeks worth, of research, could be compressed onto a single flash drive and, by launch time, Tami and I had an idea of just what we might be dealing with. What we had learned was that, what made the prison so unique was not just its inmate population, but the design of the prison, as well. I mean, someone had, really done themselves proud, with the prison lay-out. Modern prisons might even envy this place, if it were modern. For example, the prisons outer walls were, reportedly, sloped, at a forty-five degree angle, to prevent the use of battering rams, or explosives, to assist a possible prison break. It is thought that the forty-five was designed to deflect the force, of any attack. Then, there were the "watch-towers". HUGE spirals, along the walls, and at each corner. If the case-file were correct, these towers seemed to "double" as light-houses, especially to direct ships AWAY from the prison. What might seem a bit unusual was that, with the towers design, it, almost, seemed as though the guard posts had been an "after-thought", in the spires design, as the guard posts appearred to have been bolted to the exterior, of the spires, far below the search-light beams. During our flight, Tami would mention that her mother had raised the issue, of starting a family, again. Tami would say "My mother continues to question why I am chasing spooks, when I should be chasing a man, to father my children". When I looked at her, Tami said "Yes, my mom mentioned YOU, saying that a co-hort might make a good "partner". When I asked "Did you remind her that we are co-workers?" Tami would say "She thinks that, just because we share rooms, while on assignment, that we MUST be MORE than co-workers". Ofcourse, her mother wasn't the only one, who thought this way. As Mr. Browns own secretary had explained it, to us. It should not matter what others think. All that should matter was what WE thought. After all, many, of the secretary's own relations thought that, just because the woman loved her job, that she had married Mr. Brown, most discreetly. There were even rumors that, when the woman took sick, a few times, and took off work, that she was, actually, giving birth, to Mr. Browns children. Tami and I agreed that, if the secretary could shrug off such rumors, so could we. Tami would only advise me to be cautious, the next time I saw her family. If she knew her parents, they would make a point of reminding me of their daughters "eligibility". By the time the plane was approved to land, our pilots had received confirmation of news, which we had heard, upon take-off. As part, of the "influx", of capital, into the local economy, the corporations had agreed to spend almost five million, just to upgrade the area, of the prison parking lot, for the use of construction vehicles. The idea had been that the old, crumbling, asphalt, surface, would be replaced with a reinforced surface, which could carry heavy traffic. It is believed, though, that the reason why not so little money was spent, on the actual parking lot is because a city council member set forth an amendment, to the deal, stating that part of the replacement work would be a replacement road, starting at the edge of town, and ending at the property, marked for development. Since the road would run right past the council members home, this was seen as the real reason for the road work. Also, since the budget, for the improvements, was fixed, the replacement parking lot would be of lower-quality material. Still, when we came into view, of the property, and the pilot gave us a nose-camera view, of the parking lot, it seemed atleast large enough, for our plane. The pilot was just not sure if it was strong enough to hold the plane. Prior to landing, the man would remark "Doesn't seem all that thick, or solid, to me. Better be gentle with the landing" Upon landing, Tami and I thought that we saw some bits, and pieces, fly past the nose camera, but we decided this was, probably from the nearby forrest, which had been re-growing, into the area, since the prison had closed. Only after landing, and when the four of us exited the plane, to check on conditions, did we see the bad "news". The "new" parking lot had been laid, so thinly, that, when the weight, of our plane came to rest, on its black surface, the blacktop snapped, like burnt toast, or even pop-tarts. The pilots primary comment was "Thank God we can take off, vertically. No way this place could support a full-power take-off." No doubt, one of his primary reasons, for this conclusion, was the fact that the airplanes wheel-wells had not only cracked the blacktop, but the wheels had sunk a few inches into the ground. While our pilots assessed the "airfield" situation, Tami pointed out, to me, what she had noticed. That some waves had been painted, on the prisons walls. This was a fit, with our research, which showed that the prison was decorated, in nautical themes. What Tami found most suspicious, though, was the fact that, even though the prison had been closed, for decades, then renovated, into a "tourist attraction", some years later, what the place had NOT been equipped with was a parking lot. Not until recent years. No wonder the place had not been a successful tourist attraction. There hadn't been any available parking, until the past twenty years! Even this would not have happened had not a donation been made, to pave a two-lane road, and create a blacktop parking lot, next to the prison. Prior to this, visitors might have to park, up to two miles away, and on the shoulder, of the road, to visit the prison. (Personal memo, to Mr. Brown: Tami and I had little concern, for our actual flight, however, upon boarding the plane, some hangar workers were heard to call out "Good ghost hunting!" Question: Should Tami and I be concerned that our anonymity is being compromised?) While making a preliminary observation sweep, of the property, what would have gotten Tami and I even more irate was when a government representative showed up, to provide us with keys to the prison. The representative made such a fuss, over having us SIGN, for the keys, while, REPEATEDLY, reminding us that local government was NOT RESPONSIBLE, for any "events" which might befall us. What made even ME want to punch this bureaucrat, was how, after all of their fuss, and "lectures", the representative provided Tami and I with only ONE key, for each of the locks, in the prison. (Was it just me, or did the representative actually smile as they said "Extra keys will cost $500.00, extra, per key") Although our pilots overheard the conversation, the professional, former soldiers, kept silent, until after the representative departed. Only when Tami asked "HOW are we supposed to investigate, with only one key?" This is when the co-pilot came forward, asked to see the keys, then smiled as he said "Follow me, please". When Tami asked "Why?" The co-pilot would only say "You want more keys, right?" When Tami and I followed the pilots inside our plane, we had no idea what the men had in mind, until we reached the on-board machine shop. Ofcourse, even Tami knew what this was for, since her father, and grand-father, had been U.S. Air Force, themselves. Although it wasn't a "secret", it was, also, NOT common knowledge, that these massive planes carried machine shops, in their "bowels". Most of the time, such shops were used for small repairs, to the airplanes mechanics, or to make spot repairs, to damaged fire-arms. Now, Tami and I would witness another use. Inside the machine shop, a piece, of scrap metal, was taken out of a bin and, within five minutes, the aircrafts metal lathes had turned out five copies, of each key. Now, each, of the four, of us, had a key, and the remainder would be locked in the planes safe. Once the keys were ground, the main reason why "penetration", of the prison, was so time-consuming, was because of the ear-splitting groans, which the iron doors made, when open. A sound, loud enough, that it was a safe bet that neighbors, maybe a mile away, might have heard the noise. This problem, though, our pilots, again, solved, this time by "arming" a mini-drone, with pressurized lubricant, then flying the U.A.V. over the prisons walls, down the interior, to the door hinges, where the pilot watched, on a set, of three-D glasses (while we, three, watched, on a laptop display) as the pilot brought the drone level with the hinges. Once in place, the pilot would slip a tip, which looked like a screw-driver, into the crevice, of a hinge, then press a button, on his remote. A moment later, the pilot moved on, to the next hinge. When Tami and I counted ateast five hinges, on this door, we remembered that this place was a prison. There was no such thing as "too much security". Once the entry door was sprayed, and allowed to lubricate itself, the pilot took the drone about the property, looking for other doors, and asking if we wanted them lubricated, as well. To our surprise, the drone only had to use one tube, of lubricant, around the whole prison, since the main building had only three access points. Just as a precaution, though, we asked the pilot to re-load, and lubricate the rest of the doors, on the property, as well. (Personal note: What a LAUGH! When someone, who was spying our operation, from nearby, saw the drone, flying about, inside the prison, they called the sheriff, saying that they thought that a "terrorist group" was inside the prison, and that the feds were about to "blow the place up!", using the drone to place explosives.) By the time a deputy showed up, and saw our drone returning to the plane, the deputy was about to shoot the drone, until the co-pilot said "Dont shoot!" When the deputy asked "Why not?" The co-pilot would say "Because our boss will "take it out, of our hides", or atleast bill our paychecks, for the loss, of the drone. Those things cost a fortune, you know". Whe the deputy asked "What is it for?" The co-pilot would say "You have heard of "Breaking and Entering", haven't you?" When the deputy said "Ofcourse" The co-pilot would say "Think of this as "Entering, just without the Breaking part". After the co-pilot explained using the drone to grease squeeky hinges, th deputy would say "boy, we are so used to hearing those squeeks that this place will not "feel" the same". Later, while the lubricant was doing its work, on the hinges, Tami and I took a stroll, on a nearby hill-side. We wanted to know if people really COULD look over the top, of the walls, to the inside of the prison. Conclusion: Even from the top of the hill, at ground level, the most we could see was the top of the prison wall. Next, although Tami declined the chance, to climb a tall, old, tree, saying she would stay on the ground, and in a joking voice, would say "To call the paramedics, when you fall out of that thing". Although I thought I might have to CLIMB, to the top, to see over the prison wall, I really only had to climb some twenty feet, in order to see the prison exercise yard. I would call down, to Tami, saying "You dont know what you are missing. You can see most of the prison yard, from here. Only the areas, blocked, by the buildings, are not visible." It was only when Tami asked "Are you shooting video?", that I remembered to do so. After I thanked her, for reminding me, and shoot as much footage as I could, I heard her tone as Tami would ask "Would you mind coming down, now?" When I told her "Yes, my love", I said this using what I hoped was a laughably sarcastic voice. After making our daily report, to the agency, Tami and I would rest, until morning. Come breakfast time, though, Tami seemed so focused, on the LOUD squeeking, of the doors, from the previous day, that I hoped to get past the doors, as soon as possible. As for the ration-packs, I remember the pilot saying that they had to turn away four crates, which contained either oriental food, or food, which would "interfere" with the effectiveness, of Tamis medication. Still, somehow, two crates had been loaded, with food we could not eat, due to allergies. Still, there was plenty of ham, beef, and chicken, rations. During breakfast, Tami would mention that, normally, our investigations would start with the most reported hauntings arreas. The problem, with this prison, though, was that many prisoners had lost lives, all over the property. Oddly enough, though, very FEW of the deaths resulted from staff abuse, of convicts. In fact, if the case-file were to be believed, it would seem that inmates had, more regularly, killed one another (presumably over cashes of stolen goods). When Tami saw that atleast five inmates were convicted, for Kidnapping, she asked "I wonder if atleast a few murders were over people seeking information, or revenge, over the loss, of a family member?" Ofcourse, in our "line of work", NOTHING was "impossible". Tami and I had met spirits, which had been searching, for family, for so many years, that they did not even remember what year it was, or what country they were in. (I doubt that it helped that some properties had been relocated, from Europe, to the America's, with no one taking the time to "inform" resident spirits, of the move). This, ofcourse, left us with the question of "What do we tell a spirit, who has been dead, four hundred years, and whose direct family is centuries dead, by now?" To us, there was nothing worse than having to explain death, to a spirit. Comfort, sympathy, a shoulder to lean on. What more could we offer? Still there was the question of WHERE to start our investigation. In most cases, we start in the area, of the most hauntings. This would be where spirit activity was strongest. In this, old, prison, though, reports were spread, practically evenly, over the whole site. Man, did this remind me of the case of the Home for Un-Wed Mothers. Part of the "Black" ville case. The home had been the worst, though, since, like this prison, it was sprawling. When we reported in, to base, Mr. Browns secretary, the reliable, and efficient, woman, had, already produced a list, of convicts, from the prisons operational years. Tami, and the secretary, agreed, that the most efficient search would be to call out, to specific spirits. The secretary had done another, exceptional, job, not just in providing names, but cell blocks, and cell numbers, as well. Still, this left Tami and I the burden, of making actual contact. Tami crossed her fingers, that the spirits would WANT to be chatty. After all, we had only 6.5 weeks to verify them, before the bulldozers tore this place down. After breakfast, Tami and I returned to the front doors, where Tami, again, crossed her fingers, as I placed the key in the lock, and, again, the locking bolt drew aside, with a loud "THUNK". Moment of truth. This time, although the doors still squeeked, when opened, it was no-longer un-bearable. Now, it was more like "old house" squeek. Once inside, Tami and I asked one another "Can you feel that?", almost at once. Yes, we did feel it. The feeling that as many as one thousand eyes were upon us. Checking the grounds, and the buildings, Tami and I saw plenty of "shadow figures", but, as calmly as possible, we reminded the spirits "We cannot verify you unless we make contact. Glances, whisps, and glimpses do not solid proof make. We need contact, to help you". Over those next few days, though, there was not much to go by. This is why Tami had her sights set on the week of the full moon. From experience, Tami knew that full moons were spiritually active times. She was prepared to go in, "gun-blazing", during the full moon. We did, however, lose two, of the seven days, of the full moon, to a restraining order, from the city council, and the police. For two days, while Mr. Brown "worked his magic", all Tami and I could do was WATCH as apparitions moved about the property. Some, Tami could mark off the list, as "purely residual". These were the spirits which just moved about, in set patterns, never changing a step, and keeping the exact same schedule, day after day. Other spirits, though, like that man, in what looked like an admirals hat, and full, dress, uniform, of his day. He HAD to be an "intelligent" since, whenever he passed the spirits, of female visitors, he made a point of bowing, in the traditional way. HIS routine varied, from day to day. Then, there was the man, dressed in civillian clothes, who, actually, WAIVED at US, from the distance. When we waived back, it was like he tried to say something, then another spirit came along, and hustled him away. No question, these were "intelligent haunts", as well. By the time Mr. Brown was able to clear our way, Tami and I had logged fourteen, maybe sixteen, "intelligents", and forty, or fifty, "residuals". Based upon descriptions, from prison records, we had a pretty good idea of where to look, and for whom. Now came the tricky part. Initiating contact. Even before the "ghost-busting" movies, and television shows, of the 1980's, and 90's, the dead really did not get along with the living, too well. Even in the twentieth century, spirits were annoyed when family ran from the very presense, of spirits. In the worst cases, families resorted to bringing in many "quack" groups, which claimed to be able to exorcise spirits. More than one spirit had to sit by, near living family members, while some fool spouted chants, burned incense, and claimed "I am in communion, with the spirit world", while a spirit would mumble "More like you are trying to get in "communion" with my families bank account". The spirit world was only beginning to change its perceptions since Tami and I had a proven reputation, for wanting to communicate, and to aid, both the living, and the dead. Even in the land of spirits, Tami's deal, between the two realms, over Mr. Appletons land, had caused some heads to turn. A human (and not a priest, spouting gospel) had been willing to negotiate a land-use deal. Tami and I could sense that there was discussion, or something similar, going on, in the spirit realm, as we walked the prison grounds, asking various prisoners to come forth. We could feel the "tremors", all around us. When Tami felt her ears "burning", she told me "I think they are deciding about making contact". When I told her "I hope they act, soon. We have only four nights, of the full moon, left to contact them". By this time, our eyes hads become adjusted, to the dark so, yes, we did startle, a bit, when one of the watch-tower lights came to life. It was similar to going from a pitch-black room, to high noon, sun, in an instant. What we did not know was that, outside the prison, when local deputies saw the light come to life, they, wisely, did the best they could. They jumped into their cruisers, and "Got out of Dodge". Inside the prison, Tami and I expected the light to angle down, at us, but it didn't. Instead, it held its angle, sending its light out to sea. Soon, as if one by one, the other watch-tower lights came to life, and, soon, the night, above the prison, looked more like the sky, above a shopping mall, during a major sale. This is when a voice called out, from the shadows, suggesting that we get undercover, as soon as possible. When I asked why, the voice said "If they catch you out, after dark, its a week, in the hold." Even as Tami explained that we had a permit, the voice said "Shhh! They wont care what you have. Now, follow me." This is when I realized that this was just a practical joke. A local had been retained to pretend to be a prisoner, so that, what? Did they hope we would make a false report? Defraud the investigation? Cry "wolf"? Following the "spirits" lead, Tami and I were lead through a section, of the wall, which was not shown, on the blue-prints. Once shown to a cell, where the "spirit" promised that we would be safe, Tami would ask "But, how do we investigate the hauntings, from this cell?" Boy! Did the "spirit" seem baffled, when Tami mentioned the hauntings. What surprised Tami and I, even more, was when, just three hours later (03:00, by our watches), the sun rose, to start a new day. This is when we realized that someones research was screwed up. After all: According to local legends, the light houses went dark, each morning, at dawn. These idiots had not even read the internet. They left the lights burning until the sun had half, risen, past the horizon. Another "surprise", which we received, was when the warden called for a "random selection", of inmates, to be brought before him. Boy! Did this actor do a terrible job, of researching his role. The moron was dumb enough to give the warden the name of a convict. Tami made a note, to make sure that she included these gross in-accuracies to Mr. Brown. Tami and I would agree that, if these actors were on the set, of a modern movie, or television show, they would have been fired, in no time. Sure, legend said that the warden was a "hard man", but, nowhere was it mentioned that the man was a "homosexual"(?) There was, also, no mention, in history, of there being children in the prison. These actors did "put on a show, for us", including pretending to beat a prisoner, senseless. The captain, of the guards, then reminded us of the wardens "leiniency", in allowing us to return to the yard, without further injuries. By the time Tami and I returned to the exercise yard, though, and were about to ask what the "show" was about, a man, in a naval captains uniform, of the 17th century, would step forward to say "Your time, here, is at an end. Soon, you will return to your own time. Remember what you have seen, and heard". In moments, though, Tami and I felt exhausted, and collapsed, to the ground, where, I guess, that we passed out. The next thing I remember hearing was someone saying "We already checked that area. There is no one, there". When another voice would say "Check AGAIN! The boss does not like workers being missing". Soon, a voice called, from close by, saying "Ive found them!" Tami and I, soon found ourselves surrounded by people, who all seemed to want to know the same thing. WHERE had we been? Being a woman, Tami was the first to notice our "not-so-fresh-scent". She responded, to questions, by saying "I will be glad to answer any questions AFTER I have a shower". This is when I noticed that I smelled bad, as well. I know that it MUST have been my imagination, which made me feel like I hadn't showered, in days. I was sure since I knew that I cannot go more than 24 hours, without a shower. Being "aromatic" was just not my preference. After our showers, Tami and I realized that we were starving. This, too, did not make sense, since we had eaten, at last nights meal. Still, we felt like we had not eaten, in days. When I asked the pilot, about the search party, the pilot said that we had been missing, for three days. According to the calendar, we had just one more night, of the full moon, before we had to wait another three weeks. In her report, to Mr. Brown, Tami would report such things as the lights coming to life, seeing the performers, dressed as convicts, and how the warden was not only given the name, of a prisoner, but that someone must have thought it would be "cute", to present the warden as a pedophile. All that Mr. Brown could confirm, of our story, was that, at one time, a warden HAD born the same family name, as a later convict had. Mr. Brown would, also, warn Tami and I to make sure we wore extra trackers, in case someone wanted to "take off", again. And, NO, Tami and I could NOT explain WHERE we had been, for three days. By the time we were rested, and ready for another nights "patrol", our pilots made sure our tracking gear was working, loud, and clear. All we had to do, now, was wait for sun-set. It will sound strange, but, come dusk, as Tami and I re-entered the old prison, our communications, with the plane, ceased to function, even as we heard activity, from inside the prison. When we turned, to signal the pilots, that the radios were not working, we were shocked to see not only the plane gone, but the parking lot, as well. All that we saw, beyond the prison, was a meadow. This is when Tami was thankful that Mr. Brown had ordered us to carry a few days worth, of rations, when we re-entered the prison. Our packs were heavy, but, during this visit (which would seem to last for DAYS), atleast we had food to eat. (Odd thing was, neither of us ever heard a meal call) Although Tami ran her electronic recorder, during her conversations, with these "people", she did not trust the electronics, which is why she made regular notes, as well. The easiest thing, for either of us to verify, was the source, of most of the "residual" haunts. Turns out, these were the prisoners, whole labored to make the prison live-able. The prisoners whom, I believe, are, now, called "Trustees". They were the cleaners, cooks, and so on. Most of the "intelligent" haunts, were those who either wanted to protect "booty" from being pillaged, or were trying to find kidnapped relatives. It would seem that, although the most successful pirates had stayed with smuggling goods, some had become greedy, and kidnapped travellers. While crown soldiers could "look the other way", when rum, jewels, cloth, and so on, were smuggled into port, Action had to be taken, when hostages were part of the deal. According to the old sea captain, one of the worst, among their numbers, was a pot-bellied man, who had a reputation, for slaying adult males, torturing child-males, and, equally allegedly, for sending out, females, to auction, while pregnant. When Tami asked her "witness" just how MUCH, of this "information", could be proven, the captain gave a "non-answer", which was equal to "If you dont want to believe, then DONT. It make no matter to us" By the time Tami announced that she was READY to return to our time, she would tell me that, if even half of what she had been told, was "true", that the Atlantic Oceans pirate trade, alone, would have contained MORE vessels, than the U.S. Navy, and the Coast Guard, put together. I would agree that I, too, would not have been convinced, that any of this was "real", had not we seen our plane, and the parking lot, vanish. One, other, thing, which baffled us, was the reason of WHY, IF we had time-travelled, how was it that we SMELLED as fresh as after we stepped from the shower? We were thankful when the spirits said "Time to go." Tami said it felt like weeks, since we had arrived. It was only when we "returned" to our time, and saw the parking lot, and our plane, that, in a moments time, we realized that we smelled like we hadn't bathed, in weeks. When we saw the "decon" showers, set up, no one had to tell us what to do. We had our filthy clothes off, in a flash, and were under the shower heads, for a good, long, while. While in the showers, Tami asked the on-site medic HOW we could travel to another time, and remain fresh, yet, as soon as we returned, to the present, we made toxic waste smell "inviting". The medic just shrugged their shoulders. Thanks to our rations packs, though, Tami and I were not starving, when she got on the vid-link, to the office. Still, the problem was that, the more we reported, the less history seemed to make sense. Supposedly "rough-and-tumble" sea-men turned out to be little more than average bank robbers, and "corporate raiders". While several convicts had stolen money, then hidden the loot away, on islands, which only the men knew about, others had, deceitfully, purchased boats out, from under captains own noses. Back-door "deals", which turned ships captains into nothing more than "deck-hands". Several convicts, openly, admitted to killing these "raiders", with some going so far as to string the "raiders" up. Although the law has never been CLEAR, about whether "corporate raiding" is, even LEGAL, the courts did have to sentence those, who were guilty of killing others. One question, which Tami and I never thought to consider, was the question of female inmates. Atleast three tales, of local history, told of women, including the operator, of a whore-house, being sent to the prison. Ofcourse, another story told of a nude woman, streaking, on the prison grounds, while alive. Rumor had it that the womans spirit still streaked, on occassion. Tami and I found it very easy to dimiss these stories, since none of the inmates, at the prison, nor any of the staff, were female. In fact, according to the inmates, the only women, allowed near the prison were from a local convent. (And the prisoners had been most adamant that NONE of them would attack a nun, or a Mother Superior) What Tami and I found creepy, was the planes side camera footage, of Tami and I entering the prison, each time. Neither Tami nor I could get over seeing our images dissolve, into thin air, as we passed through time. Once Tami had collected a veritable "encyclopedia", of the spirits, which remained on the prison property, Even Mr. Brown would be surprised when the very same city council man, who had endorsed the original proposal, to give historic preservation only thirty days, to prove the presense, of spirits, submitted his resignation, from the city council. His reasoning: "Our city will, never, grow, or prosper, so long as we cling to the past. That prison is just a worthless pile of rock. We MUST embrace the FUTURE. There are millions, if not billions, of dollars, to be made, from land development. What we need is progress, and revenue, NOT another "make-out" spot." When historic preservation would ask "Why dont we bill the place as, truly, haunted, listing those whom we know are in "residence?", the councilman would ask "And just how much revenue do you think ghost tours MIGHT bring in?" When historic preservation would say "Who knows?" That is when the council man would say "Precisely. Ghosts are NO guarantee of revenue. The corporations, though, are willing to commit millions of dollars to our community. Revenue which will be LOST, if we recognize a "bunch of spooks". A moment later, a thunderous GROWL would fill the council chamber, then the other council members would step away, from the resigning man, even as someone asked "Whats that smell?" A loud roar, of laughter, would fill the room, as someone said "He pissed his pants". The blushing, former, council man would rush out of the room. Final case notes: Despite active protests, to keep the prison standing, the city council would decide that the city needed to think of the future, more than the past. People needed the promised jobs, and the community needed the promised influx, of dollars, to move into the future. Although Tami and I would have learned that the mysterious, occassional, lighting, of the lighthouses, was the way in which the past was trying to keep a form of contact, or bond, with the present, promised revenues would be what kept people in their homes. According to the demolition contractors report, though, so much explosives, and equipment, would have to be used, to bring the prison down, that, by the time the demolition was complete, the cost, of just renovating the place, maybe into a guest resort, would have been just one-quarter of the demolition costs. It should, also, be noted that, after the city held up its end of the deal, including tearing down several, Victorian, homes, where several generations, of families had been raised, the city had torn down as many as thirty properties, under an agreement that the land would be developed, by the corporations. It seems, though, that someone did not READ the FINE print, closely enough. According to the agreement, it would be the corporations, which would be left to decide if the terms, of the contract had been met. After leaving locals "hanging", for three months, the corporations would issue their decision. Under a highly ambiguous clause, of the contract, the corporations decided that the city had NOT fulfilled its end of the agreement. A reason was not given. Just the wording "Community failure to live up to contractual requirements". Mr. Blue would tell Tami not to feel bad, about that town. After all, Mr. Blues own research had verified that the same deal had been made, with five, other, cities. Cities which had been promised hundreds, of millions, in economic stimulus, in return for community development. Like the city, where the prison was located, other cities had taken out immense, "community improvement" loans, from banking entities, totaling around $700 million, per city, in the hopes of bringing billions of dollars, in corporate revenue. Now, local governments were left with a total, of over $5 billion, in loans, to be re-paid, and no capital, to cover the payments. In the end, about the only part of the case, left un-solved, was the mystery of whether, as the Coast Guard said, a corporate yacht capsized, due to "pilot in-competence", or the local belief. One which claimed that, when the yacht came floating past the prison location, and some thought they heard the people, on the yacht, laughing at the "fools", who had bankrupted themselves, over vague promises, of economic windfalls, then, as reported to the police, a harsh, belly, laugh filled the night, as the yacht, on a calm river, suddenly turned over. Although several people swore they heard the laugh, all agreed that, by the time they reached the river bank, there was no sign, of the yacht, or its passengers. All the police got, out of the "witnesses" was the suggestion that, either the boaters drowned, before anyone reached the river, or that the bodies had floated away, with the current. Since the police never found any bodies, nor the boats wreckage, all anyone had was speculation. MAYBE, locals had killed the boaters, and buried the bodies? MAYBE the current had washed away any evidence? MAYBE, the executives, knowing that at least three cities had filed FRAUD charges, and were suing to recover spent monies? Monies which, MAYBE, the corporation never had, to begin with? The last our agency heard, from the area, there was TALK, of re-building the old prison, since it was such an old, and recognized, landmark. Tami was just closing the case-file, when she saw Mr. Brown headed our way, with another file. Mr. Brown, though, was as polite as ever, when he handed us the folder, saying "I just want your thoughts on this one." Well, back to work...

THE HAUNTING PAST "EVIL" VOLUME

THE HAUNTING PAST: THE "EVIL" VOLUME Not long after Tami and I started our "vacation", the Enforcer demon paid us a visit. This time, however, it was asking OUR help. According to the informatioon, which the Enforcer had, some lower-level, servant, demon, had made its way into Lucifers library, and made off with a very ancient, and powerful, volume. Something only Lucifers closest confidants were permitted to see. When Tami asked "Whats the story?" The Enforcer would say "Word has it that the demon, in question, will try to use the volume, to bribe its way into Heaven" When Tami asked "What do you need?" The Enforcer would say "My sources tell me that the volume is in the world of man, at this time. If we can recover it, in time, then nothing bad will happen". When Tami would ask "And, if "we" DONT recover it?" The Enforcer would say "The balance, between good and evil, will be thrown off. Chaos will erupt, and who knows how, or IF, mankind, will survive". When Tami asked "Any leads, so far?" The Enforcer would show us a print out, from a web-site. When Tami would ask "If you know where it is, why not just go get it?" The Enforcer would say "There are RULES. Neither Heaven nor Hades, may act, in the world, of man, without being summoned. " When Tami would suggest that legends stated that Hades could care, LESS, about RULES, this is when some phantom nun, or Mother Superior, would phase in, agreeing with the Enforcer, saying "The Enforcer is most correct. Neither Heaven nor Hades, may act, directly, in the world of man. We may only guide the actions, of those who wish to be guided." When Tami asked "So, you cant even wave a hand, and whoosh us to where the volume is?" both the "angel", and the demon, agreed. This case would be normal leg-work. This left the question of WHO would be paying for our jet fuel, and so on. The Enforcer would say "Conditional upon successful completion of the task, my master has agreed to cover your expenses. " When Tami asked "You mean, your master KNOWS of us?" The Enforcer would smile as it said "My master, as well as the master, of Heaven, have been monitoring your actions, since you began making the deals, which have allowed the dead to rest in peace." According to the Enforcer, the BOSS, of Hades, had requested our services. The Enforcer had to laugh, out loud, when Tami asked if this meant what she thought it meant. The Enforcer would say "My BOSS is impressed with your previous performance, however he is NOT expecting your company. There is NO "welcome mat" waiting for you." In simple English, this was a job, and Heaven, and Hades, were the clients, plain and simple. Tami and I were to be the "leg-men". When Tami would ask "Any chance of back-up, should we need it?" both the nun, and the Enforcer, would promise that the situation would be under review, at all times, and that, should asistance be needed, it would be provided. When I asked "How much more can you tell us? About the volume, or its dangers?" the Enforcer would state "That is why we have selected you, for this mission. The two of you have the best track record, of your race. Succeed, and the rewards will be great." Before departing, though, the Enforcer WOULD provide us with an enlarged photocopy, of the volume, in question. This way, we would, atleast, know WHAT we were looking for. Back at agency headquarters, though, the problem began with the "key-word" search, and just spiraled, from there. Just like the case, of the necklace, since we had no official NAME, for the volume, just typing in "volume", or "volume of evil", brought us over 750,000 "hits". When we tried "Book of Evil", this brought even worse results, expanding the number, of "hits", to 7,900,000. When Tami suggested "We are going to be using a LOT of fuel, on this one", it seems that Mr. Browns ever-competent secretary came through, with an idea. Although the enlargement did not contain much information, the woman was able to gather "data-points", from it, anyway. The secretary did caution us, though that, if SHE could figure out the location, so could others. As for our next, supernatural, visit, it was from the nun. She wanted us to know that the creature had made initial contact, with Heaven, and made an "opening bid", for the volume. When Tami would ask "What was the bid?", the nun would say "Just as we suspected. The creature wants a full reprieve, for past offenses, and a place, in Heaven". When Tami asked "Do you know where the creature is?", the nun would say "It is being very clever. It is using what you call "disposable cell-phones". When Tami asked why the creature would not use "regular" channels, for communication, the nun would say "If it used regular channels, we could trace it, within 1.5 of your seconds". When Tami asked about the volume, the nun would say that it was "shielded", in some way. When the nun asked about our own progress, Tami gave the woman a "run-down", of our efforts, to date. When the nun would ask "How LONG is this going to take?" Tami could only say "Based upon what little we know, it could take MONTHS, possibly years, to track the volume. Are you SURE there is no aid, which we might be granted?" The nun would say "Let me do some checking", then dissolved. While the nun went about whatever she was doing, Tami and I had to report in, to Mr. Brown. To say that the case did not overly thrill him, would be an under-statement. As he told us: "You know, this firm has a large, and GROWING, number, of clients, who want YOUR "special" services. I want you to consider this even as you consider the fact that, with nearly 2,000 "hits", just locally, on this volume, this agency just does not have the man-power to track every single lead. What help are your sources willing to give?" Tami would say "Last we talked with the Enforcer, it was going on another assignment. As for the "angel"? She said she would do some checking, and get back with us". When neither party seemed to be in any "rush", to contact us, Mr. Brown assigned us to fly out, to logging country. Reports said that a dragon had appearred, and was ravaging a town, from sun-down, to sun-rise. The report also claimed that chanting had been heard, as well. To Tami, this brought back the horrible memory of the un-official case wherein her family had been targetted, by an infatuated, former, suitor. Although the rejected man had offered his soul, for Tami's love, the offer had been rejected, since the mans request was based upon PURE emotions, and PURE desire, not upon anything, dark. Still, the mans conjuring had caused the familys property some serious damage, as well as injuries, to family members. Tami just HOPED this was not another case of "spurned love". It was bad enough having to face her own, dejected, "lover". She did not want to have to deal with another persons rejection. By the time the plane was fuelled, and supplies were stored, and we were ready for take-off, Mr. Browns contacts had sent us some aerial photos, of the area in question. Since the photos showed NOTHING, Tami asked for, and received, video footage. She suggested that, if "it" didn't show up, on photographs, then, perhaps, its "wake" would. We were just landing, at the location, when the video arrived. As Tami thought, the "thing" did not show up, but its path was easy to see, via the destruction, which it left, in its wake. The video also had some audio, which Tami could "hear", but not make out. When Tami asked the secretary, the secretary agreed that there was SOMETHING there, and that the secretary would have the audio experts "wash" the feed. Maybe the techs could figure out what was being said. In the meantime, Tami and I were off, to do our job. She, to do "interviews", and I, to do my scouting. While I was off, in the woods, I thought I heard someone singing, with this being followed by heavy foot-steps. I know it will sound insane but, when I got a look, at the dragon, and right at the moment, when I thought it would cook, and eat, me, somehow, I found myself surrounded by beings, of light. I would like to say that they were winged, but I couldn't be sure, of what I was seeing. All that I know is that the beings appearred, and surrounded me, just before the dragon shoot its fire. A fire which should have roasted me, alive. Somehow, the light-beings "deflected" the dragons "breath", yet, when I went to thank them, for the assist, they just smiled, then dissolved. I must have passed out, at that point since, when I thought I looked about, only a moment later, the dragon was gone, as well. This is why I checked my watch, with the plane. I was sure that a dragon, weighing, probably over fifty tons, could not just vanish, in a split second. No, I must have passed out. Atleast, thats what I thought, until the pilot confirmed that I had been awake the whole time. No less than five times, during this assignment, Tami and I found ourselves facing people, we had, never, met, yet they seemed to know all about us, including, eerily, our thoughts. Their messages were just as creepy. Messages like "Do not let your eyes deceive you", and "Do not question what is before you, simple because it is not rational". One night, while Tami and I were hunting the dragon, after we, both, heard the chanting, the beast no sooner appearred, right in front of us when we found ourselves floating up, into a nearby tree. Although we HEARD the sound, of wings flapping, in the air, and felt the touch, on our skin, what we SAW was regular people, two holding up each of us. What I cant figure out is why the tree did not catch fire, which the creatures fire blazing at its trunk. After maybe thirty minutes, of fire, the dragon dissolved, before our eyes, then our "protectors" smiled at us, and dissolved, as well. Tami and I were left to climb out of the tree, on our own. Since Tami had the fore-sight, to have us wear digital recorders, when we returned to the plane, she was about to replay the chant, in the computer. Within seconds, of sending the message, to two, anonymous e-mail addresses, the responses were confirmed. The dragon was a revenge spell. I just wonder WHO came up with the idea that, in order for the counter-spell to work, the speaker had to be in a riding position, on the dragons back. I can only say that bravery had NOTHING to do with my deciding to ride that thing. I just made the only choice I could, when the dragon was sent chhrging at the local grade school, during an evening event. Although my "plan" was to have a local "shoot" me from a see-saw, into the air, and onto the dragons back, I was just on my way, to the playground, when the ground gave way, beneath me, and I was floating through the air. As gently as a mother laying an infant to rest, the beings set me down, on the dragons back, and I gave off my best version, of the chant. I dont know what it was, about hearing the chant, but the dragon growled, and whipped its head about, as though in extreme pain. Soon, its wings were flapping about, wildly, as well, and it stopped, short of the school. When it dissolved, out of existance, I would find myself NOT falling, but floating, to the ground. This time, I made a point of nodding at the beings. Still mute, they just smiled, and dissolved. Based upon the fresh trail Tami and I found, it seems we just missed our "trouble-maker", maybe by minutes. One thing, our sources confirmed, and that was that the conjurer had been using an entry, from the volume. Maybe not, directly, from the volumes pages, but a copy. When Tami and I slipped away, from the community, Tami said she didn't know why but she felt that Canada should be our next stop. When the nun appearred, saying "Your instincts are good, my child. Go, with GOD", I remarked "Too bad she could have been less cryptic. A destination would have been good". In the next moment, I felt the feeling, like a pointer, being whacked across my bottom. When I jolted, Tami smiled as she said "I think that means that we are being WATCHED. A "Watch your mouth" sort of thing". Swell, I had a ghost nun treating me like an un-ruly student. What could be next? I was, soon, sorry that I asked this question, when a new report arrived. A report which stated that, of all things, the Loch Ness monster was being observed, in Canadian lakes. The question, of HOW, was answered, by an un-addressed e-mail. It was quite simple. "The demon is using another spell, to create this." When Tami responded "What is the counter-spell?", the reply was "Working on it". By the time we arrived at a place called Queen Victoria's Lake, the counter-spell had arrived. If the directions were correct, though, the chanter would have to be right in front of the creatures face, for the spell to be effective. My question was: WHO is writing these spells?" It would be bad enough, if I had to straddle another beast, to issue the chant, but to have to look it in the face? Shortly after this, though, another e--mail arrived, dis-avowing the previous mail. The new message, said that the actual spell could be given, from the riding position. The rider just had to make sure the creature stayed on the surface, long enough to finish the chant. (I had a feeling that I was about to get very wet). Although the creature was not "monstrously hideous", by any means, for me, the toughest part was how many times I had to re-start the chant, after the creature dived under the water. After atleast eight dunkings, though, a winged creature appearred, in mid-air, caught the creatures attention (and mine), then held the water creature in its "trance", whhile I issued the chant. When I finished, I expected to have to swim back to shore. And why not? I was soaked, already. Fortunately, just before I was to fall into the lake, my "guardian angels" appearred, again, and we flew for the ship. Once we landed, the angels just smiled, and faded away. I realy dont know how the studious Tami did it, but, while I was "riding the wild side", she managed to slip from the plane, find the demon, and if nothing else, TAGGED the creature. Tami would explain "Since I could not believe it, by its appearance, I triple checked jmy findings, to make sure I was not tagging the wrong being." Still, I gave her a huge hug, while whispering "Thank You", to which she gave the normal, female, reply: "You are all wet. Go, dry off. THEN hug me". When the demon made the predictable mistake, of trying to use the volume, to remove the tracker, it had to let its "shield down". When it did so, the un-protected volume un-leashed a wave of storms, which no one could explain. For several minutes, storms, of incredible ferocity, raged, the planet over. Still, this gave us the time we needed, by having the demon land, long enough for us to tackle it, and retrieve the volume. Once the demon no-longer had control of the volume, it let out a roar, the likes of which I NEVER want to hear, again. After this, four Enforcer demons arrived, and, although I dont think they SAID anything, Tami and I got the distinct impression that the Enforcers were telling the worker "The BOSS wants to see you". After this group dissolved, into thin air, the nun appearred, and Tami and I were surprised by her answer, to Tami's question: When Tami asked "What do we do, with this?", even I knew that Tami meant "Who do we return the volume to?" This is why we were, both, surprised, when thhe nun said "Child, that is your decision. You hold very GREAT POWER, in your hands. It is your decision, as to how to use it". When Tami clarified "Although this belongs to Lucifer, WHO will return his property to him? We cannot do it since I doubt regular humans can just visit Hades" The nun suggested "If you wish, child, I will return it to him. As a representative, of Heaven, I am under the Lord's protection. I may travel, safely." I dont blame Tami, one bit, for asking "As long as all parties, to the agreement, accept". A moment later, when the skies cleared, and all seemed to return to normal, Tami and I took it as the Lord's answer, to her question. Once Tami handed over the volume, the nun dissolved, into thin air, saying something like "The Lord's Peace/Protection be upon you, both" With the volume returned, Tami and I wondered if that was the end of the case. On the way back to base, Tami wondered what her family priests would think, if she told them that we had been working a case, like this. Would the ministers consider her a "Good Christian", for helping the Lord restore order? Or, would the ministers consider her a "Bad Christian", for not handing the volume over, to the church? When she thought about it, though, she wondered WHY she even cared. After all, she hadn't actually ATTENDED services, in years. Sure, we had VISITED multiple churches, in the course of our investigations, but neither of us had attended mass, for YEARS. When she asked me "Do you think we are "Bad Christians", for not attending church?" I told her I did not even know if my own church, the United Methodists, would consider me a good person, for not, regularly, attending. I could, always, SAY that our work kept us too busy, for church, but that would be a lie. By the time we returned to the agency's offices, the secretary would inform us that an amount, equal to double our usual salary, had been deposited, by "parties unknown". When Mr. Brown met up with us, we KNEW what was coming, even as the man said "Congratulations! First rate work. The media has no idea what happened, and the public is just speculating. Excellent work." This is when Tami would break in, saying "Okay, boss man. Enough with the back-patting. Whats the next job." Mr. Brown gave Tami a bright smile as he said "If you have time..." No rest, for the "wicked". Mortal, or Immortal.

THE HAUNTING PAST MYSTERY OF THE TEXT

THE HAUNTING PAST: MYSTERY OF THE TEXT After finishing up the case of the corporate lodge, Tami and I were feeling tired, as we prepared to return home. It wasn't that we did not enjoy our work, but going from one case to another, was just energy draining. Simple fact was that, just like anyone else, Tami and I could only go so long, before we needed a rest, as well. This is why we were relieved when the corporation had decided to abandon its "retreat" idea, and donate the land. The last Tami had heard, from Mr. Brown's secretary, was that Mr. Brown was, personally, approving our vacation vouchers. Once back home, the plane would go in, for maintenance, while Tami and I took a well-deserved rest. Ofcourse, that WAS the plan, atleast until we landed. Back at base, we would be informed that the agency had a special case, and that Mr. Brown was pulling in all available assets. When Tami asked about the case, the secretary would tell us that a woman had been charged with both witchcraft, and cannibalism. It seems that, while doing some utility upgrades, near the womans house, utility workers had un-earthed some bones, which had been sent in, for examination. Although the woman denied knowing about the bones, it seems that some overzealous police obtained a search warrant, for the womans house, even before the bones were identified. The woman was, also, taken into custody, as a "precaution". By the time the lab results had come in, verifying that the bones were human, the police search warrant had found a text, in the kitchen. A text, which the police were un-able to read. A text which was, currently, sitting in the holding room, of the police station, while charges were filed, against the woman. At the present time, Mr. Brown had a request in the works, to gain access to the text. It would seem that one of the agencies financiers wanted to know if the "evidence" was true, or if the woman was being "railroaded". Mr. Brown agreed that he, too, wanted to know. The agency was, also, trying to collect land records, in case this was nothing more than a copy of the "Grave Secrets" story. A story in which home owners un-knowingly purchased land, for homes, in a housing tract, which was built on top of an old graveyard. While law enforcement "stone-walled" all of Mr. Brown's efforts, to gain access to the text, for testing, and translation, Tami would make a contact, via an agency client, with a local coven. When Tami visited the coven, she would be informed that the text, if Wiccan, could be a double-meaning book. Read one way, it was a simple cookbook, for preparing delicious meals. Read another way, it was a book of potions, and preparations. Ofcourse, it COULD be dark magic, as well. If this were the case, the book would have only one meaning. It would be for the empowering, of dark forces. When Tami would ask about the property, and bones, the coven would tell Tami that it was possible that, in the past, a graveyard had rested, on the location. The problem was that, with the passage, of centuries, only a close-up examination would reveal the truth. When Tami would ask "How close up?", the coven leader would say "Forget it. Even the coven has failed to get close, as yet". When Tami would ask "If I could get close, what would I be looking for?" The coven leader would provide a list of features, which might still exist. By the time Tami had this, in hand, Mr. Brown was growing VERY annoyed, at the police, and the District Attorney. His reason was simple. The agency wanted a hand, in translating the manuscript. The police, though, would release no more than the cover, and the first, ten, pages. This, even though agency contacts, within the justice department, said that the volume was as thick as a dictionary. Mr. Brown, and Mr. Blue, would be left to conclude that the D.A. was determined to make a fast, and easy, case, against the woman. The bones, found on her property, would be the D.A.'s "slam-dunk", for a witchcraft connection. Mr. Blue, though, was left to wonder just WHAT punishment a convicted witch might receive, in the 21st century? After all, no one had been burned, at the stake, for centuries. HOW would the justice department handle prosecuting a convicted witch? When all, legal, attempts, at securing land-maps, failed, Mr. Brown turned to his resident "expert", at bureaucratic thievery. Malcolm Morsden. This man was the federal version, of the residential specialist, Jackson. Morsden had a reputation for breaking into even the more secure places, stealing data, and escaping, without anyone knowing that he was there. Mr. Brown knew that this case was urgent, since the D.A. was even moving high-profile cases aside, to make room for the witchcraft case. The question was "Why?" Why was the D.A. so determined to gain a speedy conviction? Malcolm Morsden provided atleast PART of the answer, when he submitted his report, on land use, since the states official founding. Prior to the invasion, of Chirstianity, and the seizing, of Indian property, "In the name of God", it seems that the land in question had been a burial place, with as many as 100 burials. The reason why the land was not "marked" was because only the holiest people, and those deemed "Most Honorable", were buried in this place. When Mr Brown checked with the agency "plant", at the morgue, the worker verified that it was odd that the coroner was ordered to stop the inquiry, once the bones were found to be human. The D.A. did not seem to care WHOSE bones were dug up. The D.A. only cared that they were HUMAN bones. When Mr. Brown asked the worker to determine all that they could, about the bones, the worker agreed to make a report, as soon as possible. Mr. Blue, soon had to report that the woman was being denied legal representation, since her case was not being considered "criminal". The D.A. was using every loop-hole they could find, to deny the woman her rights. This included listing the womans actions as "administrative/religious". When even Mr. Brown asked "What does THAT mean?", the entire staff, of the agency, looked just as confused as Mr. Brown, himself, was. How could anyone be tried, in court, under "administrative/religious" reasons? When Mr. Browns secretary made contact, with the indian nations, the descendants, of those, who were driven off the land, centuries ago, verified that, at one time, a holy place had existed, in the area. Although the indians had petitioned, for a visit, it would seem that the D.A. was using their own "connections", to keep the indians away. This, even as the D.A. petitioned the courts, to move the trial date even closer. In fact, according to agency sources, at the courthouse, the D.A. was pushing staff, to process the witchcraft case, at record speed. When the presiding judge decided that the case was proceeding TOO fast, and requested that all information be double-checked, to verify validity, the D.A. let it "leak", to the holding center, that the accused woman was an alleged cannibal, who MAY have eaten children. Result, the woman was attacked, in prison, and beaten, violently, even as her stomach was cut open. The prison infirmary staff would be left to notify the courts, that NO human body parts were found inside the accused body. The infirmary also had to report that the woman would be in ICU, for weeks, or longer, since someone had decided to carve anti-witch, and anti-devil, markings into the womans flesh. As a result, of the attack, on the woman, Malcolm Morsden agreed to assist Tami and I, in infiltrating the "crime-scene", in order to determine the truth. Using information, from both the Wiccans, and the Indian nations, I guess that one could say that our group performed "Breaking and Entering", since we entered a "crime-scene", without proper authorization. We rationalized this, though, by hoping that we could prove the womans innocence, especially of the cannibalism charge. Under cover of darkness, a small "army", of agency personnel, descended upon the scene, all looking for evidence of the indian cemetary. It was easy to see how home-buyers had been deceived, into purchasing land, in the area. In fact, our group did not even find any evidence, of any activity, until we brought in ground-penetrating-radar. By three a.m., though, we had learned why so many, small, bones had been found, on the womans property. According to records, supplied by the indian nations, the womans house was built over what had, once, been the "center", of the "childrens burial" section. Proof of this was found when GPR discovered the base, of an idol. An idol which, according to indian belief, guided the young dead into the indian version of the "after-life". Discreet scanning, of nearby properties, verified the presence, of long dead burial sites. The remains were buried in the customs which had pre-dated the Christian invasion, of the America's. GPR also found evidence, of the removal, of other markers, as well. By dawn, the "army" might have been exhausted, and ready to "hit the showers", but the evidence, which we un-covered would help prove, atleast, that the woman was NO cannibal. Ofcourse, there was no way to prove that the woman was not a witch. Even Mr. Blue had questioned how one could prove a person was a witch? Now that we knew that there were real, and active, white, and dark, witches, in America, this left the question of not just "proving" witchcraft, but proving if a witch was a "Wiccan", or a dark witch. During the womans trial, when the D.A. kept trying to push for a conviction, based upon witchcraft, we can only think that the judge grew suspicious, of how often the D.A. kept invoking phrases, such as "dark witch", and "Devil worship", since, to everyones surprise, the judge, finally, asked the D.A. to define the terms. When the D.A. would say "Your Honor, the evidence is right in front of you." When the judge would ask "What evidence?" The D.A. would say "The bodies, under the property, for one." When the judge would ask "What else?" The D.A. would say "That BOOK! It MUST be evil. Otherwise, WHY is it not in Christian English?" The judge must have received our agencies report, since the judge indicated "For your information, counselor, information has reached this court, which shows that the land, in question, was, once, an indian burial ground." When the D.A. would, passionately, state "But, that BOOK! It is NOT in CHRISTIAN English, so it MUST be evil!" The judge would ask "Since when are books, not written, in Christian English, "evil"?" then add "The Russians do not write, in English, nor do the Germans, nor the Poles, nor the Greeks. Counselor, are you saying that these peoples are "evil", for not writing, in English?" When the D.A. would say "That woman is EVIL!" The judge would say "Counselor, you have just thirty days to prove that she is "evil". If you do not do so, I am declaring a mist-trial" Still, this left Mr. Blue's question un-answered. Just HOW does one PROVE that a woman is a "witch"? According to reports, from the prison infirmary, checking the womans body, for marks, would do no good, at this point. Her body was covered on so many injuries, from religious radicals, that she was in for months, of re-constructive surgery, just to repair the worst damage. According to her prison intake reports, the intake physician did not note any "suspicious" art-work. The nurses had noted nothing, either. Just HOW did the D.A. hope to prove that the woman was a witch? When one of Mr. Browns team would say "If she is anything like my wife, I would say that the odds are even" This is when another agent would say "If womens behavior is any judge, then ALL of them are witches". Someone else would add "And you men are no better?" Mr. Brown would call an end, to the discussion, by saying "It is true that, at some points, nearly everyone, male, as well as female, ACTS like a witch. The question is PROOF. How does one PROVE witchcraft?" What no one knew was what Mr.Brown, and Mr. Blue, had in store, for the D.A. During a hectic week, for the D.A., court was just in recess when, outside the courtroom, the D.A. would shout "The Devil!", while pointing down the hall. When others looked in the direction, which the D.A. was pointing, they did, indeed, see a tall figure, complete with a magificent beard, bright, red, skin, horns, and so on. The very image of the Christian view of Satan. When Mr. Brown stepped before the man, though, asking "Why do you assume this is Satan?" Several, in the crowd were un-sure, but Mr. Brown could read the looks, of fear, in their faces. They were afraid of the POSSIBILITY that this COULD be the real Devil. When "Satan" gave off a "wicked" smile, screams followed, then "Satan" gave a heart-felt belly laugh as, in a deep voice, he said "Fools, you know not what you are looking at". Then he turned to Mr. Brown, asking "Did I say that, right?" Mr. Brown would say "Perfect". When a judge came out of court, asking "Whats the meaning of this?" Mr. Brown would gesture, to "Satan", saying "Ladies, and gentlemen, allow me to introduce mister (name of actor). He has played several roles, these past years, and has agreed to aid my agency, in showing that all is not what it seems. This gentleman will, now, show you what I mean". There, in front of dozens, of terrified eyes, the actor would, bit by bit, remove his make-up, which he handed to a now-present assistant. Within ten minutes, "Satan" became the well-recognized actor, from several, recent, plays. When the judge would ask "Your point, sir?" Mr. Brown would say "Just because something SEEMS to be "evil", whatever that means, it does not mean that it IS "evil". When the D.A. would insist "That man is just trying to get that devil-worshipper off, on a technicality. She must be STOPPED! Her, and her kind!" When the judge would ask the D.A. "Stopped from doing what?" The D.A. would say "Stopped from poisoning the minds of others!" The judge would, only, say "I need a clearer definition than that". After the D.A. would stalk away, to consider his position, the judge would tell Mr. Brown "Nice stunt, and, thank you, for notifying me, in advance". At Mr. Browns agency, the staff, including Tami and I, would watch, in total amazement, as the public tried to define what "witchcraft", and "evil" were. To say that the debate was "heated" would be an understatement. Simple fact was that neither the Bible, nor the Koran, nor any other source, really defined "evil". The closest anyone came, to a definition, was to call certain things "un-godly". The debate would rage on, even after the woman was released, into physical therapy. She would be declared "disabled", atleast until her injuries were healed. As for the sub-division, owners ended up defaulting, on mortgages, since NO one wanted to buy housing, which was built on grave-sites. The land would end up on the states books, and would be converted in to a memorial park. Banks did show lieniency, with the defaults, since not even the banks knew what was buried (or, so they said, anyway) on the land. Once the woman was healed, enough, she showed the agency HOW to read the text. A text which was in a very old, and obscure dialect. She did caution us, though, NEVER to READ the recipes, aloud. She said that would be known as chanting. When the woman said the book contained recipes, and someone asked "Does it contain a recipe, for non-fat Strawberry Shortcake?" The woman would say "Deserts Section", then point to the section marker. When Mr. Brown would ask "What happens if a person reads, aloud, as they are mixing?" The woman would say "Talking to onesself does not apply. It is intentionally calling out the words, which is called chanting. For example: "I call upon this moon to be a lovers moon, with all the pleasures, thereof"" When the woman issued the words, in a rich, thick, booming, voice, then said "That was a chant". When Mr. Blue would ask "Just curious, but what generation, of your line, are you?" The woman would say "According to grandmother, I would be, lets see, five generations in Rome, seven in England, four, in Ireland, seven, somewhere, in South America," then she would count, on her fingers before saying "I would guess, maybe, twenty-five, or thirty. Why do you ask?" Mr. Blue would say "Wow, after so many years, you must be real masters, of your craft." The woman would smile as she said "Cute, but no. None of us is BORN, knowing the secrets. Each generation must LEARN the ways of the world. Knowledge must be EARNED, to be valued." When Mr. Brown would ask "How much study before you will complete your studies?" The woman would answer "If you mean "graduate", I doubt there is such a thing as a "graduate". Our lives are spent in the process of learning." When Mr. Blue would ask "Then, whats the point? Spending your life just studying? What is the end reward? What do you get out of the deal?" The woman would smile as she said "Knowledge, and Enlightenment. Those are our rewards. To achieve what few others strive to achieve." (Case-file conclusions: The accused would turn out to be a "white witch", or Wiccan. The charge, of "Cannibalism" would prove as false as a seven dollar bill. This, due to the fact that age-old indian records PROVED that the housing development had, at one time, been a sacred, burial, ground.) The Wiccan would, then, treat agency staff members to a "healthy dessert party". Yes, the volume was a cookbook, and everyone was amazed to find out both how healthy, and how delicious, that Strawberry Shortcake could taste, when "proper" ingredients are used. The District Attorney would be placed on "extended leave", especially after his "outburst", over seeing what he had THOUGHT was the Devil. The judge had ordered an "extended rest, and recovery", for the man. Thanks to his performance, at the courthouse, the "Devil" was offered four, film, projects, and would announce that, after years of effort, his dream, of becoming a professional performer, was in hand. As for Tami and I, we were giving up any hope, of a real vacation. Not with all the cases, which still needed tending to. Besides, the last time we went on leave, a "case" actually found US. Tami and I, also, knew what Mr. Brown was about to say, when he brought forth another file. "I just want your thoughts, on this one." How many times had Tami and I heard THAT one? I guess that "success", even secret success, comes at a price. Oh, well, time, life, and work, go on...