Shadows of Eternity: The Children of the Owls (Frost and Flame Book 2)

by Rick Kueber

  “Pshhh... I wish!” she laughed. “No... Allison Bettiger!” She paused and awaited my reaction, which was probably exactly what she expected.

  “No freakin' way! Are you serious...How?”

  “The blonde lady from our reveal, Linda, actually knew her, and had her call me.” “No kidding! I remember Barb introducing me to her when we first went there. Doesn't she own the building or something?” I asked.

  “No, she and her husband live next door... which just happened to be the former home of Allison. The only problem is she wants to talk in person, and she lives just south of Indianapolis now.” Jenn's voice went from elation to dispirited.

  “That's great though. I mean, seriously! How awesome is it that we might actually get to talk to her. That has to be the closest thing to a first-hand account of the Bettiger family's life and tragic deaths, if she is willing to talk about it.” I tried to reassure her. “We made it to West Virginia twice; I think we can make it to Indy.”

  “Keep in mind that she is over 90, so we don't know how long she will be with us.” Jenn said soberly. “True enough. I have a thought, let me make a phone call or two and see what I can do.” I actually had a few thoughts, but there was one that jumped to the front of the line, and I was very optimistic about the possibility.

  “Okay, just call me back if you figure anything out... remember, I am free on Sundays.” and with that, the call was ended, and I quickly made another call.

  As I searched through my contact list on my phone, I ambled my way through the maze of my apartment. I found my way back to the couch and, sitting down, sent a call to my dear friend, Psychic Medium Rick Hayes. The phone on the other end was ringing and I thought about the voicemail I would leave.

  “Hello, this is Rick.” The voice on the other end answered. “Rick! It's Rick Kueber. How are you?” I was thrilled that he was able to take my call, and not in the middle of a session or something. I had always tried to send him a message and ask that he call at his convenience, but I was far too anxious to wait.

  “Hey buddy! I'm super! How have you been?” I could hear the happiness in his voice. There was something about Rick Hayes that was always uplifting. He had a certain aura about him that simply brought everyone around him up to a higher level of peace and happiness.

  “Pal, I need your help. I know you have already committed to coming down to help us at the Owl's Nest. This is related, but different.” I opened with a request for help. Rick is one of those compassionate people who would rarely, if ever, turn down a plea for help.

  “You know I'll help you if I can. What do you need?” He answered honestly. “We have a chance to talk to one of the children of the family that used to live at the Owl's, back when it was a residence, but she lives just south of Indianapolis. Did you tell me the other week that you were giving some life classes in Indy?” I threw it all out on the table.

  “Yes, I am...next Friday and Saturday evening. What can I do to help?” He asked genuinely. “Could you meet Jennifer about twenty miles south of Indy on Sunday, maybe mid-morning?” I cringed as I asked the question, and hoped that Jenn would be okay with traveling alone.

  “You know what… I have to check out of the hotel by 11am. Can I, maybe, meet her at noon?” He asked. “I'm sure that would be fine. I'll email you Jennifer's phone number and the address where to meet, if that's okay?” I was incredibly relieved. “Thank you very much, in advance, for all of your help, brother!”

  “That'd be fine, and like I always say, 'Us Ricks have to stick together'.” and then he chuckled a very cheery chuckle and said, “Okay, well... I'll keep an eye out for the email. Keep living life supernaturally and I'll talk to you soon.”

  I sat my phone down for a moment, and breathed a sigh of relief. Once I absorbed the idea that Rick Hayes would be able to meet Jennifer, I felt immensely better. I took a few breaths, picked my phone up once again, and called Jenn.

  “Hey there E.V.Prick, now what's up?” She sounded less down than earlier. “Okay, here is the deal. I have my son this weekend, so I am completely out for making a trip to Indy, or anywhere. I don't know what Katie's plans are, but if you are able to go, I can help cover the gas, and Rick Hayes said he would meet you there to talk to Allison and get her story.” I had hoped that she would find comfort in not having to interview a complete stranger alone, even if she had to make the drive by herself.

  “Really? You aren't just saying that are you?” Jenn quizzed me. “No seriously...he said he was in Indy this Friday and Saturday and would be glad to meet you around noon on Sunday. I am going to give him your number and the address where to meet you, with your permission, of course.” I felt like I could hear her smile through the phone and that gave me a warm feeling inside.

  “Of course that's alright.” she said.

  “...And if Katie can make it, I'm sure that would be fine too.” I added “I'll call her and see if she can, and I'll call Allison to make sure she is able to have us visit. Thanks for setting that up. This is going to be great, I can just feel it in my bones!” and as the words left her lips, she was immediately pulled back in time, remembering the chilling vision of the skeletal remains in the basement of the Owl's Nest, and then like a rush through time and space, the memory of finding Ashley Sue's remains flashed in mind.

  “I gotta go. Thanks.” Her tone had gone dead, and I was a bit concerned, but I knew if there was a problem, or if there was anything I could do, she would have told me. As a team, and as friends, we held nothing back, and that helped us to work together more like a family, solving problems and having the genuine desire to help each other in any way we could.

  I sat there silently for a moment, contemplating the fact that I would not be there once again for the discovery of more answers, much like when the girls researched the local libraries. It was a rare occasion that I would miss any part of an investigation.

  I thought about compiling all of the pieces of information and putting this puzzle together. Up until now, we had been taunted by the apparition of Ashley and the shadow children, rushed by three seemingly malevolent shadow spirits, caught at least three different voices on our recorders, and nothing seemed to make any sense at all. If Ashley wanted us to 'Help the children', why would she say 'You can't find us'. The confusion had set in from the first experience and grew with each additional encounter and discovery. Why was there no date of death for Amelia Bettinger, and why was it so hard to find that there was a Bettiger sister named Allison... and who was this man in the yellow shirt? I could only hope, and pray, we would find these answers and be able to help all of these spirits find peace. It was an overwhelming task, to say the least, but that was our collective goal.

  I reached up and turned on the television, and mindlessly scrolled through the channels, hoping something would grab my attention and distract me long enough to put these mysteries out of my mind for a while. I had surfed through many of the channels when I realized that I had planned on a Harry Potter movie marathon tonight. 'Well crap!' I thought to myself, I had totally forgotten about my pizza, but cold pizza was better than no pizza. I thought about warming it up in the microwave for a brief moment, but I found it to still be slightly warmer than room temperature, and that was good enough for me.

  I filled my plate with a couple of healthy pieces of pizza and headed for the couch. I sat the plate down long enough to put the DVD in and press play. I plopped down, stuffed my mouth with the biggest bite I could take, and as the flavors began to tantalize my taste buds, my phone rang once again. Was I never going to get to eat? I looked at the display to see that it was a call from Rick Hayes and so I chewed and swallowed as quickly as I could and answered the call.

  “Hewwo...” I mumbled through the half swallowed mouthful.

  “Hey Rick! Did I catch you at a bad time?” He asked and I could hear the laughter in his voice.

  I took a drink of my Dew, and responded. “No, just had a bite in my mouth, is everything alright?” “Oh yeah, yeah... I w
as just trying to get my things together for this weekend and I kept being distracted. Does the name Charles or Charlie mean anything to you?” He asked nonchalantly.

  “Yeah, it means a lot. It's a key person in the latest investigation. What does it mean to you?” I couldn't wait to hear his reply.

  “I keep seeing this man, in old styled dress clothes, and I'm pretty sure his name is Charles. It feels like he is lost and looking for someone, maybe family.” I could tell by his distant sound that he was deep in thought.

  “I wish he were at our next investigation at the Owl's. I have a feeling it might be good to have him there.” I said to him, hoping he would have a positive reply.

  “Once I've connected with a spirit, it makes it easier to make contact again...but I also see him being trapped there at his home, reliving the deaths of his family over and over. For some reason, I think he feels responsible.” Rick spoke sincerely, and honestly. It wasn't exactly the answer I wanted, but it wasn't a bad answer either. “I know this is going to sound crazy, but can we get into the Owl's Nest tomorrow night for an hour or two after they close.”

  “I'll have to ask, but I bet we could, if it’s just for a look around, and to get the feel of the building. Hey, does the name Allison mean anything to you?” I asked even though she was still alive, I thought perhaps Charles was also looking for his daughter that hadn't passed yet.

  “Maybe... but I was getting the name Amy, or Amelia, which is kinda similar, but Allison doesn't feel right. I feel like either Charles is looking for Amelia, or she is looking for him. Does that make any sense to you?” He explained.

  “It might... Amelia was his wife's name. The records we have don't have a date of death on Amelia, which is a conundrum. Allison is the name of the woman you will be visiting with Jenn on Sunday. She is Charles and Amelia's only daughter and the only living family member.” I informed Rick of the basics, but he had always asked to keep the facts to a minimum. It helped him to focus on what he sees and feels if he wasn't distracted by what he thought he should be seeing.

  “That is all very interesting, and I will keep that in mind when, and if, I reach Charles again.” Rick said, though I wasn't encouraged by the way it sounded.

  “So far, with this investigation, I'm a bit overwhelmed.” I wasn't proud of the fact, but I was always honest to a fault. “There is so much going on there, and so many unanswered questions. I hope there isn't so much going on that it's confusing to you when you join us.”

  Rick Hayes laughed a genuine, belly laugh, and when he finished, he said, “There is almost always confusion. Don't you worry about a thing, Rick. If we can't figure it out, it isn't meant to be figured out. You just have to believe.”

  “You're right, and I do believe.” My confidence and surety grew as the words left my lips. “Theo Kostaridis is going to be joining us too. He is on my team, and comes out with us on a lot of our investigations. He is also a psychic medium. I figured between the two of you, we'd have to get some answers.”

  There was a silent pause before rick replied with, “Is he Greek, by chance?”

  “Do you know him, or was that your psychic intuition?” I was impressed by his accuracy.

  “That name sounds familiar... but mostly, it just sounds Greek.” He said with an obvious tone. “Oh...yeah, I guess it does.” I was glad it was a phone conversation because I'm sure my face was beet red from embarrassment.

  “Okay buddy, I gotta go and try to get back to preparing for this weekend. If you need anything, send me a message or call me.” Rick not only had to pack, but had a lot of mental preparation that he needed to do before a long weekend of seminars and readings.

  “Alrighty pal, talk to you later.” As I sat my phone down, I realized I had a lot of good people who were ready and willing to help me. I had genuine friends, and that was worth more than anything in the world. I also realized that I had missed a good bit of the movie and my pizza was freezing cold... oh well, I could live with that. I could restart the DVD if I wanted, and I owned a microwave. It wasn't tragic, but it was kind of 'par for the course' that evening, in fact, I was almost afraid to pick up a slice and take a bite because I knew if I did, someone would call. 'Oh Yeah', I thought, 'I have a call to make.

  “Hello?” said the voice on the phone.

  “Del? It's Rick Kueber.” I said.

  “Oh, hey Rick. What can I do for you?” He asked politely.

  “Funny you should ask...what are the chances that Rick Hayes and I could get into the Owl's Nest tomorrow night after closing, for just an hour or so?” I nervously awaited his answer.

  “Sure, that's not a problem at all. Barb and I are here to close up tomorrow night anyway...and since it's a weeknight, we will be closed by eleven.” Del's answer was perfect.

  “Okay, thanks! Rick and I will show up about a quarter till if that works for you?” I was relieved.

  “Yep, that's fine. I'll see you then.” Del said and with that we ended our conversation. I sent a text message to Rick, letting him know that we were 'on' for tomorrow night, and what time to meet me. Within seconds I had a reply that simply said, 'super, I'll see you then'.

  I lounged on the couch, propped up with over stuffed pillows and nibbled at my cold dinner, not even half watching a movie that I already knew by heart. Almost in a daze, I began to contemplate the haunting, the mystery, and the enigma that my life had become. The encounters and the investigation of the spirit of Ashley Sue Helmach, our last investigation, had taken us completely by surprise. It had crept up on us and, with only a glimmer of clues, ambushed us. We had walked blindly into a situation we would have never expected, or even dreamed of. This time, we had learned a great deal of the history first. We thought we knew what to expect, and we walked in with our chins up and our hearts, eyes, and minds wide open, and still these spirits caught us completely by surprise. We found ourselves in a mystery that would be much easier to walk away from, with some amazing experiences, than it would be to continue on. Hours and days were spent searching and researching, and digging up the past like a crew of supernatural archeologists, but that was something that was beyond our control. The history simply is. It cannot be altered, nor can it be completely known. The best we could hope for is to uncover enough of it to explain the haunting, and possibly help those misguided souls to find their way.

  The field of paranormal research and investigating was a passion that none of us could deny. We spent countless hours driving to and from 'haunted' locations, reviewing photos, video, and audio evidence, and researching histories...not because we thought it was 'fun' or because it was cool, but because we needed to, and we wanted to help people who truly needed it. Sometimes those people no longer had a physical body like we did, but to us, they were people just the same.

  Some of our friends, family and complete strangers thought we were weird, or eccentric at the least, for staying up all hours of the night and spending all of our spare time immersed in something they did not even believe in. They couldn't figure out why we would sit, or search around, in some dark, dismal abandoned place, and be 'anti-social'. Truth of the matter was that we were very social. What they failed to understand was that sometimes we preferred the company of the dead more than the living. The dead were far less scary and certainly less dangerous... for the most part.

  There were four of us on the team, plus Del and Barb helping us investigate and research, and now Rick Hayes was fully committed to the cause...seven in total... lucky number seven. Now if the clues would continue to surface and come together as well, we just might have a shot at solving this one, and helping several others in the process. It was a long shot, but I always enjoyed being the underdog. It made our victories ever so sweet.

  *** The next day and evening flew by. Once again I found myself standing in the Owl's parking lot, and waiting on a friend to show up. I had always been accused of having a bit of OCD, which is probably why I arrived everywhere no less than fifteen minutes earlier than planned. My mind wan
dered as I waited. Where was all of our investigating leading to? Had we been thorough enough with our research? Could we help these spirits? Who was that cute girl who just left the club? ...as I said, my mind wandered.

  Just as I watched the attractive woman pulling out of the parking lot in her shiny red convertible, I saw Rick Hayes pulling in. I got out of my car and walked over to greet him.

  “Hey pal!” He exclaimed.

  “You ready to get a blast of activity?” I asked him bluntly. “It's very blatant activity.”

  “Let’s go check it out.” He smiled. We found our way into the empty bar room, and ordered a couple of cokes. Sitting at a table, we discussed having a public event, and what our options might be. While the staff closed everything down, and punched the time clock on their way out, Barb joined us at the table. Del had followed the crew out to lock up behind them.

  “Do you want us to start turning the lights out?” Del asked upon his return. “No. We just want to talk a walk around and give Rick a chance to pick up on anything, before he and the girls meet up with our elusive Ms. Bettiger.” I explained.

  “Okay, that works.” He said. “Lead the way.” I prompted. “Alright, how about we tour upstairs first.” Barb suggested. Rick agreed, and once upstairs, he began to name the rooms we entered.

  “I think this room,” He said, speaking of the odd rectangular room, “is where the children slept” Rick stopped close to one of the windows, and stood in silent meditation for a minute. Del, Barb, and I stood by in anxious anticipation. The seconds seemed like hours, as we watched his every move and expression that crossed his face. “There was a bed here.” He placed his hand out, palm down, towards the wall. “I get the feeling a child died in his bed here.” We listened intently, and half wondered, half knew, how precisely accurate Rick was. “But...I'm also getting the same feeling in a couple of different places. There may have been several children who actually died in this very room.”