by C. F. Fowler
“Folks like us?” Gordon asked.
“Folks that want the livin’ daylights scared out of them.”
“Oh! Yeah, that’s what we’re looking for,” Marion replied with a smile.
Josh laughed and asked, “Ever talk to anyone that was scared out of there?”
“Can’t say as I have. Heard a few people talkin’ about hearing voices, but they didn’t scare easy, I reckon.”
As the three stood up, Josh said, “Well, thank you, Lenny. You’ve been very helpful. We’ll just have to see what happens.”
Lenny lumbered out with a smile on his face. Josh, Marion, and Gordon walked around town looking for more feedback about the hotel. The word around town was the same that they heard from Lenny.
When they arrived back at the hotel, Marion felt the night would be long and fruitless. She was never happier not to be the face of the business. Josh usually had the long and tedious task of telling someone their claims could not be verified.
As Ken and Arnie moved around the hotel with cameras, audio recorders, and EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomenon) sensors, Marion moved from room to room searching for ghosts. Gordon sat with Josh in Josh’s room, watching laptop monitors.
About one in the morning Ken heard a voice in the second floor hallway. He alerted the others and stood still to get what he could on the recorder. Marion and Arnie joined Ken and listened intently to the voice. They moved from one end of the hallway to the other hunting down the origin of the sound. They gathered at the point where the voice was loudest.
Marion said, “I don’t see any spirits here.”
Arnie called up to Josh via walkie-talkie and asked for a ladder. These types of jobs required a lot of equipment and they found a stepladder came in handy.
Josh brought the ladder down, leaving Gordon in the room to watch the monitors. A few minutes after Josh left, the door opened and a maid entered with a stack of towels. Gordon stood up and the maid gasped.
“I’m sorry sir. I was just bringing some more towels for Mr. Daniels.” She looked nervous.
“That’s fine, go ahead,” Gordon replied as he followed her to the bathroom.
She put the folded towels on the shelf and nervously ran out of the room. Suspicious, Gordon looked through the stack and found an electronic device. He left it where it was and went back to the monitors.
Josh brought the ladder and Arnie crawled up and felt the ceiling in the hallway. As Ken started to lift the radar device to see through the plaster, Arnie shook his head.
“There’s a speaker here. I can feel it through the wallpaper.”
“Okay,” Josh replied, “Keep looking around. I’ll make a note of it. Marion, do you see anything.”
“Nope, not a thing.”
Josh shook his head and went back to his room. When Gordon showed him the device left with the towels he said, “Oh great, this is going to be one hell of a chore. Leave the device where it is and let’s see what they have in store for me.”
The night’s investigation yielded three more speakers but nothing legitimate. When Marion and Gordon went back to their room, Gordon filled Marion in on the device left in Josh’s room. They were awoken later that night by what appeared to be an apparition. Marion did not attempt to speak to the ‘ghost,’ so Gordon assumed it was faked. They found the same type of device left in Josh’s room. Marion flushed it down the toilet.
The next morning she and Gordon had their bags packed and in the car by seven. She filled Josh in on the night’s event and they took off toward Gold Canyon. They stopped for breakfast in Phoenix and Gordon convinced Marion they would be more comfortable staying at a hotel rather than with his parents. It didn’t take much convincing because Marion had been nervous about the prospect of staying with Gordon’s parents.
As they drove north Gordon asked, “How often does that happen, the hotel pretending to be haunted?”
“More and more often, people want vacations in haunted hotels. And those hotels can charge so much more and provide far less services for providing the experience. I’m just glad Josh handles the bad news part of it.”
Chapter 11
Gold Canyon is about 45 minutes east of Phoenix near Superstition Mountain. The desert landscape is remarkable to city dwellers, with the Giant Saguaro cacti flourishing in the dry, hot environment. The community is fairly new, most of it built within the last decade. They arrived about 10 a.m. and checked in at the local Best Western motel.
While Marion unpacked, Gordon called his parents to let them know they had arrived. His mother was upset to hear they had checked into a hotel instead of staying at the house but tabled the discussion until they came for lunch.
“They’re very nice and loving people, don’t be nervous.” Gordon seemed to be trying to convince himself as well.
“I’m not so much nervous as apprehensive. Why don’t we drive back to Phoenix and see some spring training baseball? I always wanted to see Camelback Stadium and Tempe Diablo Stadium.”
“No, we’re here now and we might as well get this over with. What the heck is there to be apprehensive about?”
“When you’ve lived the life I’ve led, you tend to be apprehensive when meeting people. Are you sure they don’t know what I do for a living.”
“Absolutely. They didn’t ask and I didn’t tell.”
“Did you tell them my name?”
“Of course. Was that supposed to be a secret?”
“No, but I guarantee you they Googled me.”
“My parents don’t Google. The most they do with a computer is play solitaire.”
“Okay, let’s just relax a little before lunch,” Marion said as she sat on the bed and patted the spot next to her.
“You don’t have to twist my arm, lady.”
After making love, they fell asleep and made up for the lack of sleep the night before. They woke late in the morning with little time to shower and dress for lunch. As they drove to the Baxter home, Marion continued to feel apprehensive.
Gordon patted Marion’s leg and said, “Don’t worry about it. Please! They are wonderful people. They raised me and I turned out just fine.”
“You turned out more than fine. You’re right, I’m fine.”
They pulled into the driveway of a one-story hacienda-style home. They approached the front door as it opened. Gordon’s mother came running out to meet them. She is a slender 5’6”, with short-cropped gray hair. She wore no make-up but looked radiant. She sported a flowered t-shirt, blue jeans, and sandals. Her toenails were painted the same bright red as her fingernails.
“Oh, I thought you’d never get here!” She ran to Gordon and threw her arms around him. She kissed him and hugged him tightly. “We’ve missed you, honey! Why don’t you visit more often?” She let him go and looked at Marion, “Oh, you’re the reason, aren’t you?”
Gordon smiled, “Mom, this is Marion. She is not to blame for my not visiting. I have a job.”
Before he could finish, his mother said, “Oh yes, yes, yes. You are a busy policeman. I get it, honey. Now both of you come on in.” With that she herded them into the house.
The home was small but perfect for a retired couple. The colors were muted earth tones and the furniture mostly wicker. An older gentleman was sitting at the dining room table reading the newspaper as they entered the house. He stood and greeted them with a smile.
“Hey, Gordon! How’s life?”
“Good, Dad, really good!” As he said this he put his arm around Marion’s waist.
“I can see that! Hello, I’m George.” He extended his hand to Marion.
“Hello, George, I’m Marion. It’s good to finally meet you two.” She shook George’s hand and extended her hand to Gordon’s mother.
Gordon’s mom took her hand and pul
led her into a hug. “Hi, Marion! I’m Joan. It’s wonderful to finally meet one of Gordon’s girlfriends! This must be serious!”
Gordon said, “Mom, Dad, we wanted you to meet Marion because we’re engaged.”
Hearing that, Joan let out a squeal of delight and hugged Marion again.
They drove over to the Fairway Grill for lunch. After they ordered, Joan brought the conversation to the upcoming wedding.
“Your mother must be tickled to plan your wedding with you.”
Marion hesitated. “Uh, my mom, uh, both my parents are deceased.”
“Oh, dear! I’m so sorry! Do you have any other family?”
“No, Mrs., uh, Joan. I have no family except the people I work with.”
“Oh, the ghost investigators?”
Marion looked at Gordon with that look that said I told you so!
Gordon exclaimed, “Mom! How did you know about that?”
“I Googled her name, honey.”
“Mom, please don’t ask her about that. She has to be as tight-lipped as I have to be. Confidential issues and all.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I should have waited to be told.”
George looked uncomfortable, “Joan has a lot of time on her hands these days. I told her not to look into the name. It’s best to meet people and look them in the eyes when they speak. That tells you all you need to know!”
“Never a truer word spoken, Dad.” Gordon felt vindicated.
“So when and where is the wedding?” Joan was eager to discuss it.
“We haven’t thought much about it yet, Mom.”
“No, we haven’t discussed the particulars. It won’t be a big white wedding. It will be a small affair.” Marion felt it best to lay it out now so Joan wouldn’t go nuts with wedding plans that would never happen.
“Have you been married before?” Joan needed facts.
“No, this will be my first, and my last.” Marion smiled at Gordon and put her hand in his.
He smiled back at her and said, “Mom, we are not big wedding people. We will invite you to attend and we’ll take you out to eat afterward, but that’s it.”
“Oh,” Joan looked completely dejected.
“Well that sounds great to me!” George tried his best to lighten the mood.
The waiter brought their drinks and salads. They started to eat and Joan rebounded.
“How did you two meet?”
“We met in the course of an investigation.” Marion hoped not to be quizzed about the particulars.
“His or yours?”
“Both, as a matter of fact,” Gordon replied with a smile.
“Oh, how exciting! Did you catch the ghost?”
“Mom, we can’t talk about it. It’s an ongoing investigation.”
Joan once again looked dejected. She started to look uneasily around the restaurant.
George took up the slack in conversation. “Gordy, have you been to any ball games lately?”
“No, but we’re going to go to a lot of Dodger games this year.”
Marion’s face lit up. “Oh, yes! Gordon bought me season seats to the Dodgers for Christmas! Isn’t that great?”
Joan looked more down than before. “Oh you’re into sports, too?”
“Oh, yes. Baseball, hockey, football. But baseball’s my favorite.”
“That’s great! I know why Gordy proposed. He loves sports.” George’s love of sports was evident as he spoke.
“It’s just not something I ever took to,” Joan said, looking ill at ease.
“That’s okay. Sports aren’t for everybody, Mrs., uh, Joan. Why did you two settle in Gold Canyon?” Marion tried to change the conversation to something Joan felt comfortable with.
“Oh, we visited here about 10 years ago as the newer home-building started. We loved the weather, and the desert is beautiful! George tried to teach me to golf but it never quite took.”
“Oh, that’s too bad. Golf is great!” Marion said without thinking. She regretted it immediately.
Joan asked, “So, you like golf, too?”
“Uh, yes, I learned to play in college.”
“Oh, what college did you attend?”
Gordon answered, “Mom, Marion went to UCLA.”
“My goodness, you two have so much in common! You were destined to find each other.”
“Mom, we don’t believe in destiny.”
“But Marion, you believe in ghosts. You must…”
“I don’t believe in ghosts, I speak to them because I see them,” Marion tried to clarify. “I believe in the teachings of Jesus Christ.”
“Oh…”
Marion felt things weren’t going great with Gordon’s mother. Thankfully the food arrived and George and Gordon started to talk about George’s projects and Gordon’s work toward the bar exam.
They finished eating, then Joan brought up the subject of staying at the house rather than the hotel. Gordon assured her they were more comfortable at the hotel. She looked to Marion for input, hoping she would overrule Gordon, but George cut in and agreed they should stay where they wanted. Then George offered to take them to the course to play 18 holes of golf.
Gordon and Marion eagerly agreed and made arrangements to meet George at the course in an hour. On the way back to the hotel, Marion felt uneasy about her impression on Joan.
“Maybe we should have spent more time visiting with Joan rather than running off to play golf,” she said.
Gordon disagreed. “Mom will be fine. We’ll be back at the house this evening for one of her fabulous dinners. It’s all good.”
They enjoyed nine holes and stood at the tenth tee when Marion’s phone rang.
Josh was calling to let Marion know that Jergins had called to request his file of the investigation. Marion asked Josh to personally be sure there was no information about Catherine. She also requested he text her the address to which Jergins wanted the file sent.
She was putting the phone back in her pocket when Gordon asked, “What’s up?”
“Jergins wants his file.”
“Where’s it being sent?”
“Visalia.”
Gordon looked concerned but said nothing else. They finished the round, then loaded the clubs into George’s car and made arrangements to meet at the house around five.
“What’s on your mind?” Marion asked as they settled back in their room.
“Let’s drive by that address on our way home. I just want to see where he’s living.”
“It’s far out of the way,” Marion said as she checked her phone for the address, “and I don’t want to antagonize him.”
“He won’t even see us. If he is living too close to parks or schools, I’ll contact the local police. He’ll never know who turned him in. We can leave early to give us time to make the detour.”
“Honey, it’s not a detour. It’s a side trip. But I can’t say I’m not concerned. Let’s do it.”
They returned to Gordon’s parents’ house for dinner. Marion was determined to make a better attempt at bonding with Joan. She accepted a glass of Joan’s favorite wine even though she did not particularly care for its taste. When asked to help in the kitchen she was enthusiastic about the opportunity. Joan watched Marion in the kitchen and realized she didn’t have much skill at cooking.
“Honey, if you’re going to take care of my boy and, hopefully, my grandchildren, you’re going to have to learn to cook.”
“I suppose,” Marion answered. “Gordon and I don’t eat many dinners at home. Just breakfast, and I can make coffee and toast.” After the words escaped her mouth she realized it sounded a little dismissive. “When I have more time I’ll start working on my kitchen skills,” she promised, hoping that w
ould take the bite out of her comment.
“You’ll have plenty of time when you’re pregnant, honey. I’m sure your career will be put on hold when you have children.”
At this point Marion elected to just agree with her future mother-in-law rather than make matters worse. She gulped down the wine in her glass and smiled. During dinner, Joan went on and on about Marion’s lack of cooking skill and the necessity for her to quit working when she had children. Marion stayed silent and smiled. At the end of the meal, Gordon offered to help his mother with the dishes while George escorted Marion out to the back patio. Marion sipped iced tea while watching the glorious desert sunset. George sat quietly, listening to the sound of voices being raised in the kitchen.
Ten minutes later, Gordon came out to the patio and asked Marion if she was ready to leave. Marion was up out of her chair immediately. They said a quick goodbye to George and left.
“I’m so sorry about that,” Gordon apologized as he drove to the hotel.
“No need. She has concerns. There’s nothing wrong with that. She’s your mother.”
“Yes she is, but you are going to be my wife, and I don’t want you to change to her idea of the ideal wife.”
“No?”
“No!”
“You don’t want me to cook your meals and clean your house and be the perfect mother to your kids?”
“No. I proposed to you knowing exactly who you are. I wouldn’t change one thing about you.”
Marion put her hand on his thigh and her head on his shoulder. “Thank you.”
The next morning they stayed in bed together, making love and holding each other. They spoke about wedding dates and plans. Gordon’s phone rang three times and each time he heard the sound alerting him a voicemail message was left by the caller.
