July 23, 1974
There's a picture of a church in the Raven Hills Chronicle. The church is a small white building with a tall steeple topped with a cross. Standing in front of the doors to the quaint building is a group of four people smiling and holding their Bibles. The caption reads: New Hope Church; July 19, 1974, just days before being consumed in flames. Pictured left to right – Debbie Millner secretary, Maxwell Hilder pastor, Susan Voss choir director, and Edwin Tunney associate pastor.
Debbie Millner, the secretary pictured, is now retired but still resides in Raven Hills at the Golden Days Home. The flaming red hair displayed in the photo is now silver, but her eyes are as blue as they ever were. She was at the church the day it burned down and barely escaped with her life. Maxwell Hilder, New Hope's beloved pastor, was not so lucky. "It's a tragedy," Mrs. Millner says. She has never forgotten the event in the time since it happened. There is someone else who also remembers that day: David Halsey. In 1974 David was just sixteen years old, a sophomore at Raven Hills High School. He recounts himself a rebel in those days, his blond hair—which used to trail below the collar of his shirt—now gone. When talking about the day of the church fire, his eyes water and his voice is filled with regret. He says that he ran with a group of other boys, their gang collectively known as the Hooligans. There were eight Hooligans in all, but on that day only three of them were walking around Raven Hills. David said earlier that day he and his girlfriend, Joann, had been walking the path that wound through the woods on the Davidsons' property. He says after their walk he wasn't feeling well.
David took Joann home and then began walking to his own house intending to rest. On his way he spotted fellow Hooligans Reese Morgan and Lemmy Wright. Upon seeing them he decided he wasn't feeling so bad after all and caught up with the other two boys. The three of them wandered about the town smashing random mailboxes until Lemmy remembered he had some stolen cans of spray paint hidden away. Excited, they went down Oak Street spray-painting three cars with obscene words and dirty pictures until Ray Teller ran out of his house screaming about calling the police. The boys ran off, laughing. They soon found themselves smoking behind a dumpster that smelled like dirty diapers. David remembers being mesmerized by the ember on the end of his cigarette. He held it in front of him, watching as the small glow slowly consumed and turned the cigarette to ash. That's when it came to him.
They should set a fire.
The others took no convincing at all, and Reese was the one who actually suggested New Hope Church, stating, "The Hooligans will teach this town—there is no hope here. New or old."
The boys bought a can of gas and walked the half mile out to the quiet lot where New Hope stood. Pastor Hilder's car was in his spot, but then, it always was. He lived a few houses down and often left his car there and walked home. According to David, the boys thought the building was empty, but he admits, "I was in such fervor, the others were too, that we might have done it anyway, even if we knew they were inside. I still, to this day, don't understand why. I don't understand why I needed to see it burning."
Lemmy took the gas and went around the building splashing it against the walls. The three boys then used their Zippos to get the fire started. "At first it didn't want to start," David remembered, "But when it did, it went fast. So much faster than I thought."
The boys stood back in the parking lot leaning against Pastor Hilder's Cutlass and watched as it burned away. They didn't have any worries until they heard screaming from inside. They looked at each other, but none moved to do anything, a silent pact to let what would be, be. A few moments passed and they saw a redhead running from the back of the church. They took off then, not wanting her to tell the police their names.
"We smelled the smoke first," Mrs. Millner later recalled. "And before we knew it we were surrounded by flames. The pastor and I, we tried to make it to the front door, but the steeple had caved in and the front was blocked by burning timbers. We turned around and made our way to the back door. Well, I did. I looked behind me, and he had collapsed in the hall. It’s ridiculous, I know, but I could have sworn I saw a figure standing over him. Later they told me the smoke had affected me and that no one else had been inside. They also said the smoke killed the pastor before the fire could. I thank the Lord for that. He was a good man, Pastor Hilder. He didn't deserve to feel the torture of flames. I tried to drag him with me, but I didn't have the strength. I was fighting to breathe myself."
Debbie Millner did see the boys before they took off. She was treated for minor burns and smoke inhalation, and told Cliff Bennett, now a detective, about the Hooligans. By the time the news reached the rest of Raven Hills, no one was surprised. The Hooligans had finally gone too far with their troublemaking. The boys tried to deny they had burned the church down and killed the pastor, but they were eventually convicted and sentenced to life in prison, with the possibility of parole.
Reese and Lemmy both died in prison but David was eventually paroled in 2017 due to overcrowding. No one heard much from him again.
Chapter Eight
David Halsey was now much older, and word around town said he lived alone as an outcast. He might've been released from jail, but the people of Raven Hills had neither forgotten nor forgiven what he had done to New Hope Church.
After finding out about the Hooligans incident, Lacey decided to find David and ask him a few questions herself. She didn't exactly know why adding this bit of information to her story was important, but so far she hadn't found any happy or redeeming qualities about Raven Hills. She only had the narrative of these strange, horrific incidents, and perhaps that's all she'd find. Still, she needed to pursue more, and having a little chat with David Halsey seemed like a good idea.
That is until she hiked through the overgrown grass, across the two-acre property filled with old, rusted trucks and piles of trash. It hadn't been easy getting information about David's whereabouts, but finally Diddie had relented and told Lacey he lived at the outskirts of town, practically in the woods, alone and miserable—"as he should be,'' she had added.
Ignoring the several no-trespassing signs scattered all over the property, she reached a worn-down trailer. Lacey walked up to the front door of the trailer, her brown leather journal in hand, ready to take notes. The entire surface of the trailer was rusted. She figured one swift kick would ram it in, but there was no need to be rude. She knocked on it a few times but no one came to answer. She heard a muffled sound, like shuffling, inside the trailer confirming that David must be in there.
"Mr. Halsey, this is Lacey Shaw. I just have a few questions." Only silence met her, and she pounded at the door, more forcefully now.
"Go away!" A male voice roared from the other side of the door.
"Mr. Halsey, I will only take a few minutes of your time. I am just trying to get your side of the story about what happened with you and New Hope Church. Then I'll get out of your hair." The trailer door suddenly swung open, revealing an old, unshaven face. Bright blue eyes glared at her under white, bushy eyebrows, unkempt just like the rest of him. "What the hell do you need to know about New Hope Church?" he barked. "And who the hell are you?"
"I'm just a reporter who's covering a story on Raven Hills," Lacey explained. "I know this is a sensitive topic for you, but please, I only need a few minutes of your time. As you know, developers are trying to tear down this town, so this story might make a difference."
"Maybe that's just what this town needs," David laughed in a raspy voice. Lacey sensed the contempt in his voice and figured that even after paying for the crime he committed years ago, he still felt isolated and shunned for what he had done. She almost felt sorry for the man.
"Surely you don't think every single person in this town deserves to be uprooted," Lacey said, hoping to get a more tender reaction from the man. "What about Joann?"
David shifted uncomfortably on his feet and chewed on his bottom lip. He seemed to contemplate what Lacey had just said, Joann'’s name causing but a sl
ight reaction.
"Joann is long gone anyway," David argued. "She didn't stick around long, not that I blame her. I got out of jail and rumor is she had left one night."
"She just left out of nowhere?" Lacey asked.
"I didn't expect her to wait for me,” David explained, poorly attempting to hide the gleam in his eye. "In fact, I prepared myself to find her married with grown children by the time I got out of jail.”
Lacey opened her leather journal and fished a pencil from her back pocket. She began scribbling inside the journal, trying to keep up with David.
"Any ideas where she went?"
"If she’s smart, far away from this hell hole," he spat. He turned around to leave, slamming the door in Lacey's face.
"Wait!" Lacey urged. "What was her last name?"
Over the screeching door closing, Lacey barely heard David's answer.
"Derby," he muttered, "her adoptive family’s last name."
Chapter Nine
"Welcome to Derby's Soap Shop."
Lacey stood in the wooden store, looking around the shop and taking in the large vintage posters hanging all over. They all reflected a common theme of children bathing their dogs in wooden tubs, mothers washing their babies, and a portrait of the Derby family flashing large grins and holding a soap bar in each hand.
"We don't get many visitors here in Raven Hills," the middle-aged man announced, as he nearly danced in excitement at the prospect of a new person in town. "Please look around, we have every scent known to man, perfectly infused in a heavenly brick of soap. What's your favorite smell, miss?"
"Not really sure I have one," Lacey admitted, trying her hardest not to pinch her nose as the hundreds of scents floating around the shop assaulted her senses.
"Nonsense! Everyone has a favorite perfume or smell. Do you like the scent of vanilla? Lemon ginger? Or maybe thunderstorms? Leather?" Mr. Derby practically flitted from one corner of the shop to the other, trying to find a soap bar to cram under Lacey's nose.
She attempted a smile and a way to hide the nausea building in her stomach. "Actually, I'm just here to ask you a few questions. You see, I am covering a story. I'm a reporter."
"Oh! I'm so excited you're here. I'd be glad to be featured in your story," Mr. Derby exclaimed. "This is fantastic! A real life reporter, here in my shop."
Lacey felt relieved for the warm welcome, surprised that at last someone here in Raven Hills appeared to be genuinely happy to see her. She opened up her journal, pencil in her hand, ready to jot down whatever information he'd be willing to dish out.
"Well, let's see, a little background first?" Lacey suggested.
Mr. Derby finally settled into a wooden chair, crossing his arms, and keeping a permanent smile on his face. "Of course, of course. It all started in 1921, with my father learning the soap trade from his own father."
Lacey gazed up from her journal, confused. "That's not what I meant."
"Got it. Well, I suppose I'll start with my taking over the business," Mr. Derby continued. "My crazy idea of infusing the two scents of licorice and blueberries into a soap bar was deemed foolish at first, but…"
"No, Mr. Derby," Lacey corrected him. "I'm here to ask you about something more personal than soap."
The man chuckled. "Well, what's more personal than a chunk of goodness you scrub all over your naked body?"
She pinched her eyebrows together, finding the man a little quirky. "So, let’s give you some guidance here. Can I ask you a few questions about your daughter Joann?"
The man's beaming smile suddenly fell. A frown appeared on his face, and it appeared quite ill-fitted on such a jolly man.
"I'm not sure I'd like to discuss that with you," he said and rose from the chair. He headed over to a bookshelf and picked up a bar soap. "But take a look at this. Surely this has to be your favorite scent."
Lacey shook her head, getting impatient. "Can you tell me about Joann as a child?"
The man dropped the bar soap back in its place and returned to the chair, defeated. "Joann was our adopted daughter."
"Was?"
The man interlaced his fingers together on his lap. Lacey didn't miss that he was trembling.
"We haven't heard from Joann for many years." Mr. Derby lowered his gaze. "It broke my heart and Madeline's when she left out of nowhere, so we figured she wanted to go find her biological family."
"Is Madeline your wife?" Lacey asked.
He nodded, a slight smile returning. "We couldn't have any children, so we were delighted when Joann came into our lives. I'd hoped she would take over the business one day, but I guess it was not meant to be."
Lacey sat down in a chair opposite of him. "Did you adopt her from a center?"
"No, no, it was actually quite a bizarre event. We had been so focused on having a child of our own, we hadn't thought about adopting. Then, our priorities changed after what happened to Virginia. The entire town was heartbroken about the murder of that little girl."
"Virginia?" Lacey asked. "The girl murdered on Halloween in 1953?"
"Yes," he confirmed. "Back then Route 39 was a main road that passed near Raven Hills, so we figured some deranged trucker had come into town and killed her. Anyways, we thought it a blessing when we could put that tragedy aside and help a child in need. The Highland boys had gone hunting that very next morning after the murder, and found Joann huddled in a corner, shaking like a leaf."
"She was alone in the woods? Where did she come from?"
Mr. Derby shrugged. "We never found out. The girl suffered from severe amnesia. She was never able to remember about her family or how she came to be alone in the woods. Of course, the story was all over the news. Somewhere, I still have the paper clipping from the newspaper that ran the story.”
Lacey made a note in her journal to remember to look into any old archives.
"Anyway, we decided to take her in, my wife and I," he continued.
Lacey smiled. "She must've brought you so much happiness."
The man attempted another smile, but it lacked its earlier heat. "She did, at first. But the poor angel must've had a really rough upbringing, for she was a troubled child. Lord only knows what she must've gone through before coming here. I imagine she ran away from an abusive home, or that she might have been dropped off by cruel parents."
"How was she troubled?" Lacey asked.
He sighed. "She was a very bright child, got good grades and all. She just had trouble making friends."
"Socially introverted?" Lacey asked.
The man remained silent while looking around the shop, searching for the right answers. "She must've gone through a lot, poor angel,” he just repeated.
Lacey cleared her throat. "And then she met David."
Mr. Darby scowled. "Figures, that the first person she actually warms up to is one of the town's troubled youth. I know the Halsey family well. They're good people. Their boy got caught up with the wrong crowd, popping tags, stealing a case of beer here and there, but nothing too serious. When we found out what he and his friends had done to the church, and killed that poor pastor, we could hardly believe it."
Lacey put down her journal and rested it on her lap. "Joann and David were dating. Did she ever tell you anything about his demeanor before he burned the church? The records state they saw each other before the incident."
"No," he admitted. "But we did ask several times. She didn't want to talk about it, and we didn't push the topic. We figured she was heartbroken."
"So Joann just left after David's trial? She didn't even say goodbye to you and your wife?" Lacey asked.
The man shook his head again. "Oh no, not until much later. But when she did leave she didn't say a word. Didn't even leave a note. We just hope she's okay."
Lacey picked up her journal again and opened it. "When did she leave Raven Hills?"
"December 1990," he remembered.
Lacey jotted the date in her journal and then closed it. "Well, hopefully she's all right. Who k
nows, maybe one day she will reach out to you again. Maybe she'll read my story and decide to communicate." She gave Mr. Derby a consolatory smile.
She rose from the chair and headed toward the door. Before leaving she looked over her shoulder, finding Mr. Derby still sitting, his shoulders droopy and his demeanor deflated.
"Popcorn," she said, shaking her head at her own silliness.
Mr. Derby gave her a confused look.
"Freshly popped popcorn," Lacey admitted. "It's my favorite scent."
She left the shop, happy to see a bright smile returning to Mr. Derby's face.
Chapter Ten
CASE #3 - THE FOUNDLING
November 1, 1953
Officer Cliff Bennett had been up all night and all day working the Jane Dearing case. He was tired and wanted to go home to his wife and new baby. He was nearly halfway there when the dispatcher call came over the radio and reported the Highland boys had found something a little ways into the Davidson forest.
It was getting late, the sun had already set, and this was route 39. There wasn't much out this way other than the Davidson farm. They had quite a lot of property, and they didn't mind hunters coming out and culling the deer herds.
Officer Bennett parked his car on the shoulder by mile marker 231 and started making his way into the trees. Even as he pressed the button to activate his flashlight, he didn't believe the Highland boys could have found anything of real importance. They were prone to pranks and if this was one of them, he was going to have them spend the night in a cell to teach them a lesson. Even as this thought finished forming in his mind, his light shone on a small girl sitting against a tree and hugging her legs to her chest.
"She won't say anything—we tried," a young male voice announced. "Maybe she's mute? Anyway, I sent Stephen to the Davidson house to use the phone, but I thought I shouldn't leave her here alone, you know?" Johnny Highland told Bennett, pulling his attention away from the girl.
Raven Hills- Unraveling Evil Page 3
