by Scalzo, Russ
Just then, there was a knock on Jack’s front door. “Okay, see you then. I gotta go. I have a meeting with my pastor. I think that’s him now. See you when you get here.” Jack hung up and opened the door.
“Hi Eli. How are you this morning?”
Jack and his pastor were good friends and had been for a number of years so in private, it was always just first names.
“Hey, Jack. I hope you’ve got the coffee on.”
Jack laughed and nodded. “Always.”
Pastor Eli went on to tell Jack about a strange family he met during an outreach last week where he and some others went door to door handing out postcards, inviting some of the neighbors to the church picnic and letting them know about the new church meeting at the school. He went on to say that when, what he perceived as the father came to the door, he felt a spiritual presence there that was not of God. From what he could see, the house was in disarray. He told the man that if he needed help or anything to contact the church, but the man said he wasn’t interested and closed the door in Pastor Eli’s face.
Jack started to put two and two together.
“I think this might be the same house that Frank just called me about. The neighbor reported objects flying around the backyard and hearing strange noises at all hours of the night. We are supposed to go there and check it out.”
Eli finished his coffee and said, “If possible, I would like to accompany you. I have been in prayer all morning about it. I couldn’t get it off my mind.”
“I can’t think of a better person to have with us, but we have to document our investigation, and they only want authorized personnel involved. It’s an official federal investigation at this point. Frank will be here in a half hour and, if you don’t have another appointment, we could spend some time in prayer together. I would really like Frank to see how we prepare before we go out on these missions. Afterwards, I can get you involved in the follow-up since, as you know, there will be follow-up.”
Eli shook his head, “Good idea. It would be a privilege to pray with you guys. Isn’t it wild that the U.S. government is getting involved in all this?”
Jack looked poignantly at him and said, “That’s just the tip of the iceberg, Eli. Just the tip of the iceberg.”
The two men bowed their heads and began to pray, and as they did, the time seemed to fly by. Jack lifted his head and saw a car in the driveway, but didn’t know whose it was. He thought for a second that it might be Emily’s, but Frank walked up and tapped on the door.
“Hey, Jack. You ready to go?”
Jack opened the door. “Hey, Frank. You’re right on time. Pastor Eli is here. We have been spending some time in prayer waiting for you. Come in.”
“Hi Pastor,” Frank greeted Eli.
“Hey, Frank. Good to see you again. Jack tells me you have another case to go on today.”
”Yeah, another strange one for sure.”
Frank came in and sat down. “You have been praying, huh?”
Pastor Eli stood up and said, “I think we should take a few more minutes and pray together before you and Jack head over there.”
Frank looked at Jack a little hesitantly. “Okay, I’ve never actually prayed with anyone before, but I guess there’s a first time for everything.”
“You can pray out loud or to yourself. It doesn’t matter. God hears it all,” Jack reassured him.
They stood together and prayed for about ten minutes, then decided it was time to move out. Pastor Eli drove off, said he would continue to pray for them and asked that they let him know how things turned out.
Jack jumped in Frank’s car and off they went. It was only about a twenty-minute drive to Edgewater Drive where the house with all the strange activity was. They walked up to the house of the woman that filed the complaint and knocked on the door.
The door opened and a large woman about fifty years old stood before them.
Frank introduced himself, then Jack. “Hello, my name is Special Agent Frank Lederman and this is Jack Bennett, Consultant for the FBI. Are you Katie Warren?”
“Yes, I’m Mrs. Warren,” the woman responded.
“We are here to investigate a complaint you filed concerning the house next door.”
“Well, it’s about time someone took this seriously. Those first two officers just breezed in and out and did nothing. Nothing at all. I hope you two gentleman are prepared to conduct a proper investigation.”
Frank glanced over at Jack who was trying to keep a straight face.
“Yes, ma’am. Is this the house in question?” Frank indicated the house next door.
“Yes, that’s it. Strange goings-on over there, I’ll tell you. When they moved in, there were three of them – a man, a woman, and a young child… a girl. But I never see them come out of the house. I know they’re in there, because I can see them walking around upstairs late at night.”
“It appears you keep a pretty good eye on things.”
“That’s right. I got a right to know what’s going on next door to me. That doesn’t make me a bad person,” Mrs. Warren retorted defensively.
“No ma’am, it doesn’t. We’ll check it out and let you know what we find out.”
“You boys better watch yourself. That place is evil. It’s got the hooey on it.”
The men started down the sidewalk and Frank looked over at Jack who couldn’t contain himself any longer.
”The hooey? And what’s with all the ‘ma’am’ stuff? I feel like I’m watching Dan Aykroyd in Dragnet.”
Frank gave him a sideways look and said, “When I’m on official FBI business, that’s how I roll.”
Jack tried not to smile. “That’s how you roll? All I can say is watch out for the hooey!”
Jack’s smile quickly wore off as they approached the front door of the house next door. It was a two-story building in desperate need of repair with a small front porch that looked like it could easily fall down at any moment. He could sense something immediately; it was a feeling he knew all too well. Frank knocked on the door and they could hear footsteps. When it opened, a tall thin man appeared before them. He was in his forties with a full beard and long hair. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days, if not weeks.
“What do you want?” the man practically shouted at them. “I ain’t buying nothin’ and I don’t want nothing so get the hell off my porch!”
Frank spoke first, “Sir, are you Raymond Hillerbrand?”
“Yeah, what about it?” the man snapped back.
“We are here because of a complaint that was filed with the FBI. May we come in and talk with you for a minute?”
“The FBI? We haven’t done anything wrong. Who complained? That old lady next door? She ain’t nothin’ but an old busybody. Always snooping around looking for trouble. She better watch it. It just might come her way one day if you know what I mean.”
Hillerbrand glanced at Jack. His face twitched slightly. Though only for mere second, Jack picked up on it.
Frank continued, “Sir, just the same, we need to ask you a few questions.”
“Any questions you have, you can ask me right here. No need to come in my house unless you got a warrant.”
Frank took a more serious tone. “Sir, if you make me go and get a warrant, I will come back here and search every nook and cranny in this house. Is that what you want?”
Frank knew he would probably have a hard time getting a warrant in this situation, but he hoped this guy didn’t know that.
Mr. Hillerbrand peered at Frank for a few seconds, then back at Jack. This time, his eyes appeared darker and bigger than before. Finally he said, “Alright. You can come in for a minute and then I want you out of here. You got it?”
Hillerbrand stepped back and opened the door. The front room of his home was in complete disarray. With clothes all over the floor, disregarded food containers scattered all around and the smell, it was pure filth top to bottom. Jack and Frank thought it better to remain standing.
“The
clock’s ticking. What do you want to know?” Hillerbrand asked aggressively.
Just as he was ready to ask his question, Frank heard a rustling noise coming from upstairs. He turned to Jack to see if he had heard it as well, but then he heard it again. This time, they were both certain they heard it.
“Who else lives in the house with you?” Frank asked.
“Just my wife and daughter. They’re not here right now.”
“I hear someone upstairs. Who is that?” Frank pressed.
“It’s just my cats. We have two of them.”
Frank and Jack looked at each other doubtfully. They both had a bad feeling there were no cats.
“Would you mind if we looked upstairs?” Frank probed.
Hillerbrand’s face changed abruptly. “I told you a few minutes, then out! You ain’t goin’ upstairs without a warrant. You’ve asked enough questions, now get out!” he shouted at them.
Jack knew what was inside this man and he couldn’t leave without at least testing the waters.
“Sir, I belong to an awesome church not far from here. If you ever need anything, we would love to share the love of Jesus with you,” Jack spoke with sincerity.
At that, Hillerbrand twitched again, this time more violently. Then a voice came out of him that wasn’t his own.
“I know who you are,” the deep voice roared. “You are one of His followers. I was invited in. This man is mine!”
Hillerbrand lifted his arm and a lamp from the other side of the room lifted off the table and flew violently across the room, nearly hitting Frank in the head. Jack ducked, stood back up and held out his right hand.
“In the name of Jesus, The Christ, The Son of God, I command you, spirit, to come out of him and leave this place!”
The spirit slammed Hillerbrand’s body to the ground and proceeded to go into convulsions, rolling around on the floor as Jack and now Frank began to pray.
Jack could feel an overwhelming power come over him, like a fire burning from deep within. He looked down at the man and spoke again to the spirit. “The Lord God Almighty commands you to go!”
The demon shrieked and then suddenly it was completely quiet. Hillerbrand’s body lay perfectly still on the floor. Jack walked over to him, bent over and checked his pulse. He was still alive.
“Frank, get me a glass of water. I believe he’s going to be all right.”
Hillerbrand’s eyes slowly opened as Frank came back with the glass of water. Jack helped him sit up and gave him a drink. The man’s eyes were now clear and normal. His pulse was steady and slow.
Frank glared down at him and asked, “Who’s upstairs, sir?”
He looked up at Frank and answered, “My family - my wife and my little girl.”
Frank dashed up the stairs. There were three bedrooms, but only one door was closed and it was locked. He could hear someone inside.
He yelled through the door, “I’m with the FBI. If you can, move away from the door. I have to break it down!”
He stepped back, kicked the door in and couldn’t believe his eyes. There they were… his wife and little girl gagged and chained to a large hook screwed to the floor. They were sitting on the floor surrounded by piles of paper plates with bits of dried food still on them. They looked like they had been in the same clothes for forever. He ran over, immediately removed the gags from their mouths and hollered down to Jack.
“They’re here and they’re alive, but they need some medical attention! Call 911! Ask him where the key is to unlock these chains.”
Jack stood up, grabbed his phone and called 911. He looked at Hillerbrand who was still sitting on the floor. “You heard him. Where’s the key?”
He pointed to a small jar sitting on a shelf. Jack went over and pulled it out. “I got it. I’ll toss it up to you!”
Jack used Frank’s name to call 911. It saved him a lot of time and explanation. “This is Special Agent Frank Lederman with the FBI. I need an ambulance at 95 Edgewater Drive immediately. I have a woman and a little girl who need medical attention.”
Jack tossed Frank the key. He caught it, walked back into the bedroom and unlocked the large bolt that was binding them to the floor. The mother grabbed her daughter and hugged her, kissing her head over and over again.
Frank, still kneeling on the floor in front of them, introduced himself. “My name is Frank Lederman. I’m a special agent with the FBI. The ambulance will be here in a minute and they will take you to the hospital to get checked out.”
The wife, with eyes as big as saucers, asked frantically, “Where’s my husband? Keep him away from us! I don’t want him around my daughter! Do you understand? Get him out of here! I don’t want her to see him again!”
Frank helped them up and sat them on the bed. “Don’t worry, ma’am. My partner has him. You are safe now. I will stay with you until the ambulance gets here, okay?”
She nodded her head, still holding fast to her daughter.
Within a few minutes, two police cars pulled up in front of the house. Pulling in right behind them was the ambulance with the first aid squad. They came in and saw Jack standing alongside Mr. Hillerbrand.
“My partner is upstairs with the little girl and her mother. They both need medical attention,” he told the EMTs. He turned his attention to the police officers and indicated Hillerbrand, “This guy needs to go with you. Special Agent Frank Lederman will catch up with you later at the station.”
The two cops took Mr. Hillerbrand out in handcuffs. It would be hard to explain that the reason for all this was that he had been demon possessed. Frank would take custody of him eventually and they would have to deal with all that at a later date. The two first aid workers, a woman and a young man, escorted Mrs. Hillerbrand and her daughter to the ambulance. The two cop cars drove away with the ambulance following close behind. Jack and Frank stood in the middle of the room, somewhat dazed.
“Wow. Can you believe that?” Frank said, rubbing his forehead. “How crazy was that!”
Jack looked around the room and observed their surroundings. “This guy was into some nasty stuff. There are stacks of porn magazines, videos and books on how to summon your person spirit guide, the whole works. There is one over there called Be Your Own God. Really new age - I mean, the full deal. Let’s get out of here. I haven’t eaten all day. Let’s decompress over some food. I know this great little place with the cutest waitress.”
Frank put his hand on Jack’s shoulder. “Now you’re talking my language.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
It was one thirty in the afternoon when Jack and Frank walked into CJ’s. Emily didn’t see them come in because she was waiting on a table at the other end of the café. They found their usual spot vacant, so they sat down and waited for her to notice them. Emily was back towards the kitchen, pad in hand, when she saw Jack out of the corner of her eye. Her face lit up. She quickly placed the order with the kitchen and walked over to their table.
“Well, Mr. Bennett and Mr. Lederman - what a pleasant surprise. I didn’t expect to see you gentleman here today,” she said with a broad smile. She bent over and gave Jack a kiss on the cheek.
Frank chimed in, “Well, I never thought I’d see the day. Jack Bennett with a girlfriend.”
Jack smiled, “Times they are a changing.” He turned to Emily and asked, “How’s your day going? Been busy?”
“It finally just slowed down. We have been jammed since seven this morning. What can I get you two? I know you don’t need to see a menu.”
Frank laughed, “No, I’ll have a turkey club and a cup of coffee.”
Emily fixed her big blue eyes on Jack and said softly, “How about you, Mr. Bennett?”
“Well, I have to ask you - do you ever date your customers because I would like to ask you to dinner and a movie at my place tonight. What do you say I pick you up at six?”
“I usually don’t,” she feigned shyness, “but I think I could make an exception in your case. You seem like a very interesting ma
n.”
Frank sat there listening in disbelief. He couldn’t take it another minute.
“Okay, what have you done to my partner? I can’t believe you two. You have only gone out twice and look what’s happened. Let’s get back to talking about food. I’m starving.”
Jack smiled and said, “I’ll have one of those black Russians and a decaf coffee. I’ve had all the stimulation I can handle for one day.”
Emily raised her eyebrows, said “Really?” and walked away.
Frank laughed out loud. “You gotta watch what you say now, buddy. You’ve got a woman in your life.”
They both laughed. Frank was eager to get into a serious discussion about what had happened today and about everything that had been going on since the Oslow House. He still had plenty of questions for Jack about all the demon and spirit stuff.
“So what am I going to do with this Hillerbrand guy? He seems like a different person since,” he paused and looked around wondering if anyone was within hearing distance, then continued, “that demon thing left him,” he finished quietly.
Jack took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, “Well, he’s still the same guy who got himself into all that. I’m sure he wasn’t the best husband or father before that unclean spirit entered him.”
Emily came over to the table with their coffee. She could see they were in a deep conversation, so she put the coffee on the table and approached her other table, not wanting to interrupt them.
Frank poured a cup of coffee and took a sip.
“I will find out a lot more once I interview the wife. I’m sure she will shed some light on things. She must have some wild stories to tell.”
“No doubt. So I guess you’ll have to let him go through the system. I’ll hook him up with Pastor Eli. He’ll make sure he gets the opportunity to see a good Christian therapist. I doubt his wife and daughter are going to want to see him or that house again. They’re the ones who are really going to need therapy. I know Pastor and the whole church will want to reach out to them and offer to help them recover. They’re great like that,” Jack said.
