The Discovery (16 page)

"Do you actually think Mr. Pfeiffer will allow that?"

"He doesn't have to know," Loreen says. "I feel that the doll is a representation of a specific person. From what I know about people using voodoo dolls, you can address the doll almost as if you're talking to the person. You can ask for anything your heart desires because the doll calls upon the
loa
to fulfill your wishes or dreams."

"Is there any way to uncharm it?" I ask.

Patrick toys with his fork. "We'll do our best tonight."

I turn back to the adults. "You'll come with us, right? We don't know what we're up against and it's always good to have you two around."

I feel Father Mass's hesitation before he responds. "Well, Loreen and I sort of had ... umm ... personal plans for tonight."

She places her hand on his. "Aww, honey. It's just dinner. We can reschedule, can't we?"

A shadow of displeasure crosses my Episcopal priest's handsome face. "Well..."

Suddenly, I'm blinded by a flashing white light, warm and welcoming and emitting love. There's nothing bad, evil, demented, or frightening about it. It sparkles and shines and radiates pure happiness unlike anything I've ever experienced. It's ... OMG!

Loreen is walking down a flower-strewn aisle dressed in white lace and tulle. Father Mass waits at the end of the path, his hand reaching toward her.

I jolt out of the trance, and my eyes fill with tears. I can't stop smiling at my mentors, people I brought together.

Her eyes shift over me, and then Loreen begins to cry as well. She's seeing exactly the same vision. There is no sadness on her face. Only pure joy at the realization of what we've both foreseen.

"What is wrong with you two?" Mass asks with great concern.

Patrick must have seen it too because he nudges me and says, "Shhhhhh ... don't spoil it."

Father Mass looks at Loreen, me, Patrick, back to Loreen, and then he collapses in the booth with a long sigh of defeat. "You know, don't you?"

"Ummm ... yeah," I say, beaming at the priest.

"You damn psychics ruin everything," he says with a smile in his voice.

Loreen launches herself into his arms. "Oh, Maaaaasssss!"

He holds her tightly and says close to her ear, "You can't even let me propose in the right way."

Patrick and I simultaneously reach for each other's hands as we watch the miracle unfold before us.

Loreen pushes back a little. "Does it really matter?"

"To me it does. Let me out."

Loreen moves out of the booth and Mass stands up. In the small café in downtown Radisson, mere steps from Divining Woman, my priest kneels down on one knee on the floor. He withdraws a small white box from the pocket of his jeans and presents it to her.

I gasp and squeeze Patrick's hand.

"Will you do me the great honor of marrying me, Loreen Woods?"

She opens the box and puts her hand to her heart. I don't know how she can focus on the glittering diamond nestled in the red velvet.

Mass actually seems nervous as he awaits her answer. "Well?"

Laughing through her tears, Loreen says, "Of course I will!"

Phew!

He slips the dazzling stone onto her finger and she slides off the bench and onto the floor with him, where they kiss in celebration. Patrick releases my hand and then hugs me to him, giving me a quick peck in honor of our friends.

"Okay, you two," I say kiddingly.

"Sorry," Loreen says, blushing.

"So, I guess this means you're ghost hunting with us after all?" Patrick asks with a laugh.

"All right, all right," Mass says.

They both get up and return to the table, gripping each other. I've never seen two people so happy, so in love, and so meant for each other.

At least
something
good is happening in this town.

T
HAT NIGHT, OUR TEAM SHOWS UP
at Farnsworth House. Great trepidation trills underneath my skin, but I tamp it down and force my feet toward the ancient building. No one other than Patrick seems particularly disturbed by tonight's investigation, but then again, they can't sense and feel what we can. Patrick is quiet as we walk in. I know he's concerned as well, though he's trying to hide it to keep me calm. Celia's got on her ghost-hunting vest and has every piece of equipment in her arsenal. She looks totally ridonkulous and adorable at the same time.

"What are those?" I ask as we unload everything from our cars before going inside.

"Oh, these are my new devices from
Digitaldowsing.com
." She holds up a small device with a couple of switches and a speaker on it. "This is a PX, which is an array of sensors that sample environmental data, sum the values into an integer, and associate that integer with a word from the device's dictionary." Another black box with a silver switch. "And this is the EM Pump. It creates a man-made magnetic field that's thought to be a catalyst for spirit manifestations."

I hold up my hand to keep her from going off the scientific deep end. "These are all great, Cel. I don't think I need to know more. Just tell me the results."

She smiles at me and tucks the tools back into her vest.

Shelby-Nichole is toting a digital camera, a video camera, and three infrared cameras to set up in the house. Becca's got her recorders and her computer with speakers and the software program Audacity to review any EVPs.

Me, I've got my pendulum, a bottle of holy water, my Grandma Ethel's cross, and a sensible pair of tennies on my feet.

"You ready for this?" Patrick asks. He spent the past two hours meditating in preparation for whatever we encounter tonight. He's about as relaxed as one can be, I would think.

"As ready as possible to delve into the unknown." I'm a bit uneasy, but I no longer fear the spirits, no matter how snarly they are. I dealt with my anxieties at Oliver Bates's retreat and I know that no matter what, God will protect me, especially since I'm doing what He wants me to do.

Father Mass and Loreen arrive, and we're ready to roll.

"You kids are in charge," he says. "But I'm here if you need me for anything."

We proceed up the walkway that cuts through the perfectly manicured lawn. The last remnants of the April sunset streak the sky in a fiery orange. By the time we've got the base camp set up, it'll be pitch-black outside. Just the right setting for a ghost hunt.

Mr. Pfeiffer scowls heavily as he lets us into the manor. "It's about damn time," he says gruffly. "My wife had to put dinner in the oven."

"We told you we'd be here after sunset," Celia says.

He lets out a harrumph and begins gathering his things. "You have access to the house, as promised. But leave everything exactly the way you found it."

"We promise," Celia says. She holds her hand out. "The keys, please?"

"Right, right." The man digs into his suit-coat pocket and produces a knot of silvery keys. "Leave them in the flowerpot on the porch when you're done tonight. Make sure you lock everything back up."

"We will, Mr. Pfeiffer," Celia says. Then she adds, "Thank you, sir."

I let out a sigh as I watch him disappear into the darkness. "Okay, let's get started."

With that, we disperse to wire the house with cameras and recorders. Celia sets up the computer monitor that allows us to see the IR cameras placed throughout the mansion. She and Becca walk around with the EMF detectors getting base readings on the property. Loreen, Patrick, and I go into the great room and take a seat on the couch to do some deep breathing. My palms are itchy, and my blood swooshes through my veins like raging river rapids. That nagging little psychic headache is starting to flare, letting me know that there will definitely be spirit activity here tonight.

I hear the floor creaking over my head, but it's just the team exploring up there. Shelby-Nichole and Father Mass were going to try to do some EVP sessions while Celia and Becca completed their walk-through. I'm just sitting here waiting for the spirits to start coming to me. Remarkably, the airwaves are silent for the time being.

Until...

"No way!" Becca stands to my left in front of the massive fireplace that dominates the room. "What the hell? Look at these EMF spikes I'm getting." She waves the device in front of the brick hearth and it lights up like the Las Vegas strip at midnight.

"There aren't any wires in there that could cause that," Celia the scientist says.

"Something's making it go apeshit," Becca says. "Kendall, are you sensing anything over in this area?"

I'm skeeved out in general by this whole house, but I can't pinpoint anything yet. "I don't know" is all I can respond.

Celia jots down the EMF-device information in her notebook. "I've made a note of it and we'll come back to it later."

She plops down on the antique marble coffee table and shows me her drawings of the floor plans. "So here's what we're looking at. Kitchen, downstairs bedrooms, which were more than likely the slave quarters, considering how small they are and how many of them there are. Upstairs is more bedrooms that would've housed the sixteen Farnsworth children. And right here—this must be Xander's suite," she says, pointing out a corner room on the second floor. She reaches for the keys. "Reckon one of these opens Xander's room?"

"Maybe so," I say. However, I'm not ready to see the doll yet. Not until we can connect with the spirits that might be—

Whoa...

It's as if a stiff lake-effect breeze blows straight through the room swirling up into the fireplace. The temperature around me drops at least thirty degrees. A chill walks up my back, and the hairs on my arms poke out under the goose bumps. A spirit is definitely here.

She appears right next to me. "It's about time y'all came over. Wait'll I show you the things I know about this place," the feminine voice says.

Farah Lewis still wears her red RHS cheerleader uniform, and she has her hands on her hips like she's about to start cheering. She walks right through Celia to take a seat opposite me.
Holy crap!
With everything going on, the fact that Farah is still earthbound slipped my mind. I haven't told anyone other than Patrick about her.

Told me what?

Farah is here.

Where?

Over there.

You didn't tell anyone else you saw her before?

It was such a quick contact, and I hadn't heard from her since.

And she's here now?

Yeah ... in the gold chair.

I don't see her.

Well, I do.

"Are you okay, Farah?" I call out.

Celia jerks her head around. "Farah's here?"

Farah leans forward and tries to poke Celia in the back. "Yeah, Nichols! Right here. Behind you." Then the ghost glances at me. "She really can't see me?"

"No, she can't see you," I say.

"I can't see her," Celia says dejectedly.

"No way." Farah's beautiful white smile dazzles me. "You really
can
see spirits, Kendall. Courtney was wrong to treat you like she did. And I was wrong to go along with the queen beeyotch. Forgive me for that, will you?"

"No worries, Farah. It's all water under the bridge."

"Good, 'cause now that I'm on this plane, I'm all into happiness and light and doing the right thing. It's quite refreshing," she says with a dreamy smile.

Becca moves her digital voice recorder over and sets it in the empty gold chair.

Farah giggles. "Should that have tickled me?"

I grin. "Did it?"

"Sort of."

"So, what are you doing here, Farah?"

She moves her eyes around, getting a good look at the room. "I'm not really sure. After my funeral, I sort of wandered around town, and I ended up here. I guess I was seeking out that silly doll that I ticked off. He's upstairs in his case, you know. I had a long talk with him, and we've been setting things straight."

"What things?"

"You know, like I'm sorry I took his picture, didn't mean to disrespect him, blah, blah, blah." She stands and circles the area. "You have
no
idea the secrets this house has. More than anyone in this town could ever imagine."

"Why don't you tell me?" I ask.

Farah smiles and laughs again. "Now, you know that's not how it works, Kendall."

Just then, Shelby-Nichole and Father Mass come bounding down the stairs. "We got
the
most amazing class-A EVP," she says.

"I'll admit it's pretty impressive," Father Mass says.

Farah closes her eyes and waves her hand. "Go ahead. I wanna hear this too."

We all gather around and Shelby-Nichole presses the button on her recorder. I listen closely to the convo as it plays out:

S
HELBY
-N
ICHOLE
: Are there any spirits here with us? Okay, that was a dog barking outside.

F
ATHER
M
ASS:
Are you suffering? May I pray for you?

V
OICE:
Yessss ... please do.

"Wow," Celia says. "That's clear. Female voice, definitely."

"Shhh!" Shelby-Nichole says. "There's more. Listen."

F
ATHER
M
ASS:
Do you know the nature of your condition?

V
OICE:
Deeeeeeecccccccceaaaasssssed.

"Deceased?" Loreen asks.

"That's it," Becca notes. "I can clean that up later."

"Here it comes," Shelby-Nichole states.

F
ATHER
M
ASS:
Do you know why we're here? Do you have a message for us?

V
OICE
:
... go down ... underground.

We all jump back. "Whoa!" is the collective opinion of the group.

"That was amazing," Celia says.

"Unbelievable," Patrick adds. "One of the best EVPs I've heard."

Farah is right next to me. "Yep. That's her. The lady I've been hanging with."

"Her?" I ask the ghost.

"Yeah, she's really nice. We bonded about how my grandparents are from Ghana. She was originally from Ghana, but then she was put on an African slave ship and sent to the West Indies."