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...