by Rick Kueber
Instead of recanting the horrible story of Jennifer's own experience in this room, and the terrifying tale of 'Big Red' and his constable cousin stuffing bodies into the old boiler that once occupied the treacherous pit, she chose to leave an air of mystery to the e.v.p. that had been caught in the room, by explaining that the voice was creepy, but only mimicked our words, and one word in particular. She continued to say that the one word may have been a trigger of sorts, causing an emotional recollection and connection between our reality and the reality of the spirits who dwelt in this building. There were oohs and ahhs at the sight of the old wheel chair, and apprehensive gasps at the voice on our recording, as it played over and over, at the request of the visitors. Jennifer then turned the screen of the laptop towards the crowd, and displayed the photograph of the ghost-lady. Some of the guests immediately saw the ghost in the picture, while others were more skeptical until it was pointed out to them, and numerous other photos (taken in sequence) clearly showed only the brick wall behind her.
“What was that?” One of the young men who was near the back of the room shouted out.
“What?” I replied, excited to find out what caused him to raise his voice.
“Maybe it was nothing, but I swear I saw a shadow moving behind that wheelchair.” He explained uncomfortably. “Mrs. Bettiger, are you here with us tonight?” I asked nervously. “These wonderful people have come to hear your story, and the story of your family. We want to help your family find peace.” The room was as silent as an abandoned church as I spoke, and for a moment or two afterwards, while everyone waited for a bone-chilling response. The whispers began to speculate, and some began to doubt, but all were immediately silenced when the overhead light flickered erratically and then returned to its normal state of dimness. Several more minutes were spent in the room, discussing the entire story of the family and the haunting of the Owls-Nest, until we began to hear footsteps overhead, growing louder and more steady with each passing second.
“I think that's our cue. It sounds like the other group has finished upstairs, so, let's all follow Barb back to the stairs and we will take a few minutes on the main floor to take a break before we make the trek to the upper floor.” Before I could finish speaking, our guests had begun to exit, passing by the wheelchair slowly, some stopping to take photos, while others pushed past, ready to get themselves to a far less creepy location.
“Thank you all for coming. Rick and I will see you in the dance Hall after the tour if you are staying for the investigation tonight.” Jenn added to my instructions.
While Jenn and I reset our recordings, and prepared for the second half of the group to appear, Barb and the others made their way upstairs, and into the empty bar room. They all stopped for a moment and listened to the distant and growing sound of harsh footsteps. Soon, like a stampede of frightened gazelles, the second half of the guests busted into the bar area loud with conversation, and approached Barb's group.
“We thought you were already down here.” Barb stated with a puzzled tone.
“Nope... we came down the steps just now. Why did you think we were already here?” Theo asked. “Because we could hear people walking up here from the basement, that's why we came up when we did. Well... that and the tour downstairs was about over.” She replied.
“Wasn't us.” Theo smiled and looked over his shoulder to the group he had led down. “But there was some activity and experiences upstairs. I think everyone was ready to get out of there.”
“I don't think they are going to find it any less active, or creepy, downstairs.” Barb said with a wink. The two groups became one momentarily, and traded brief stories of the unexplainable, letting those in the other group about their incredibly spooky experiences, and wishing them the same activity on their tour. Water bottles were passed out to any who needed to quench their thirsts, while some folks just had a seat, and rested their legs. After a ten minute intermission, the ghost tour continued. Barb and Theo separated the groups again, and Barb brought the new set of enthusiasts down to the where Jenn and I patiently awaited them. Theo took his new group down the hallway, and up the stairs where he and Katie would tell them even more stories, and play more recordings of the ghostly voices of the past.
As the new group ascended the stairs to the upper story of the home, Theo saw and felt the presence of one of the malicious male entities rush past him, down the steps. Theo paused only for a moment, turning to view the visitors who were filing up the steps. Amanda and her brother were a few steps back, and he watched as she stumbled, grabbing the rail, and regaining her composure.
“Be careful Amanda.” Her brother prodded her from behind. “I know… I almost fell backwards.” She answered him, and trotted up the stairs to catch Theo. “I don't know if the steps are just uneven, or what, but I felt like I was being pushed backwards down the stairs. It was a creepy feeling.” She whispered to Theo at the top of the stairs.
He acknowledged her concerns, and leaning over the railing spoke to everyone below. “Please be careful on the stairs. Amanda almost lost her footing, and it could be that the stairs are just uneven, or it could be the malevolent spirits that sometimes occupy this area. Whatever the case may be, we don't want anyone to get hurt. Thanks.”
“Now, if you will all follow me into this room, we will begin telling the second story.” Popping through the doorway at the top right of the stairs Katie made a pun about the second half of the tour.
The group filed into the room, followed by Theo, making sure there were no stragglers. Katie had her laptop set up at the far end of the room, with her back to the boarded up window. Theo ushered everyone through the area, and stood next to the door where the e.v.p. 'exciting' was captured. Stories recounting the investigations were told by both investigators, and the tales were passed back and forth between them quite comfortably and casually, as if it had all been rehearsed. The guests might have never believed that it wasn't until just an hour before that the decision was made to have Theo and Katie be the tour guides for the upstairs area.
The spirit voices were played, and the two demonstrated where they were caught and under what circumstances. When Theo and Katie had finished, they let everyone wander around the rooms, and analyze the areas that most intrigued them until it was time to gather everyone up in the dance hall once again and say our goodbyes to those who were leaving, and prepare to begin our investigation with those who remained.
*** Del and Barb stood at the door, and thanked everyone for coming out as they left. They let in three people who had purchased 'Ghost Hunt Passes' in advance but weren't able to attend the tours. One of those people was a surprise visitor. When Del and Barb escorted the three newcomers into the room, Jennifer's eyes lit up, and with a big smile on her face, she crossed the room.
“Robby!” She screamed out. “Oh my god! I didn't know you were coming! How have you been?” “I've been good.” He answered, as I approached him, and shook his hand. “Rick said you guys might need some extra help here tonight, so...here I am to save the day... or night, or whatever.” We all collectively laughed at Robby's intentionally goofy statement.
Robby Denton was one of the E.V.P. Investigations team members who had been a great addition, but unfortunately, had moved to Indianapolis, and being nearly four hours away, had to resign his position with the team. I was fortunate to have talked to him online and requested his help that evening. It was a pleasant surprise to Jenn, who was the only current team member who really knew Robby.
“Well, where do you want me to start, or what do you want me to do?” Robbie jumped right in to help. “The DVR needs to be set up. I was thinking that if we could put it at the bottom of the stairs, we might get one camera that could cover the bar area, and the others spread out in the basement, we could cover a lot of square footage.” I barked the order out, like I had back in the days when Robby was one of my team, and one of the family. We all smiled, and it felt like old times. We were experiencing a reunion of our own, and it was
a great feeling to know, that even when team members had to leave, for whatever reason, that I could still count on some of them in our times of need.
“Right on.” He answered me, grabbing up the cases that held the DVR system. “Who wants to help?”
“I will.” Katie jokingly raised her hand, like a schoolgirl asking permission. “Let's go!” Robby said, and I pointed out the box that held the monitor and the extra cables. Katie was quick to grab them up and the two disappeared.
Theo sat behind a table, draped in a multicolored table cloth and adorned with a deck of tarot cards a crystal ball, and various gemstones and herbs, the lot of which gave that particular corner of the room a mystical appearance. Its appearance conjured thoughts of a traveling gypsy wagon's vivid interior. Sterling accompanied him and spoke to many of those who waited for a reading from Theo, explaining her own unique gifts to them. Meanwhile, Jenn and I powered up all of our hand held gadgetry, checking battery life, and explaining their functions and uses to a variety of paranormal enthusiasts. It wasn't long before I decided that the public investigation needed to begin soon.
“I'm going to see if Katie and Robbie need any help getting the DVR set up, so we can begin.” I leaned over and whispered to Jenn. “Do you mind getting everyone's attention, after I sneak out, and separating them into two groups again?”
“Well, of course, I'd love to...” Her sarcastic whisper drew a grin to my face as I found my way stealthily out of the dance hall, and into the bar room.
“There you are.” Robby exasperatedly called out from the hall way across the room. “Yeah...here I am. If you needed me for something, you should have just came and got me. I was just talking to people in the dance hall.” His statement puzzled me.
“But... I was just following you around the hallways.” He looked back over his shoulder and then over to the other hallway entrance. “I saw you over there, and followed you all the way around to here. I tried to catch you, but you kept moving faster than me.”
“Wasn't me. I just walked out here.” We both knew what was going on. Robby was being toyed with, and possibly, intentionally delayed.
“Nice!” He snickered. “I think we have the DVR ready to go. You can go check out the camera placement, if you want.” “I trust you and Katie. Go ahead and start recording, and then come up to the dance hall, and we will split up into two groups and get this thing started.” I gave him a cheesy, thumbs-up, to which he laughed and vanished down the stairs.
Reentering the room, I found it to be quiet and more orderly than I expected. There were two groups gathered neatly on opposite sides of the room. Barb and Del were speaking in a low tone to one group, while Jenn was encircled by the other.
“The group to my left,” I gestured with my left hand, waving it in their general direction, “Will be accompanied by Barb, Del, Theo, and Sterling.” I turned towards the other group, and motioning in a similar way said, “The group to my right will join Katie, Jenn, Robby and me.”
The entire room turned to stare silently as if some universal mute button was pressed for a brief second, and then suddenly there was a murmuring buzz between the would be investigators. I couldn't tell what the tone of the discussion was, but I hoped it was excitement.
“Midway through the investigation, we will switch groups, so that everyone has a chance to investigate with everyone on the team.” I added. The chatter quieted, and I could feel a sense of contentment come over the room, which also made me happy. “Most of the activity happens upstairs, and downstairs, so our two groups will go in opposite directions, and we will get less background interference and noises. Theo, do you want to take your group upstairs, and I will take mine to the basement?”
“Sounds good to me. It's about 12:30 now, what time do you want to trade off?” Theo responded. “How about 2am? ...and then one of the group leaders will lead the rest to the opposite group.” It was the fairest way for the guests who had donated money to the Owl's Nest to have the best experience possible.
Katie and Robby emerged through the doorway and using eye contact and hand motions I directed them to join my group. “Let's get this investigation started. I hope everyone has an experience they can take with them and a story to tell their friends and family when the sun rises tomorrow.” And with that, I began to pass out flashlights, and distribute some of the equipment.
Both groups went their separate ways, and the hunt for the paranormal began. Lights were systematically extinguished, and the atmosphere grew more chilling by the minute. Theo, Sterling and Katie began upstairs with their group which included Amanda, her brother and several others, including Karen Daugherty, one of the Owl's members.
Some of the stories were told, but mostly, my team mates did their best to introduce the spirits to those who had come out to meet them. Our main intent was simply to help them be more comfortable and not feel the need to hide...at least not from us. The group had shared our equipment, taking turns to try and get some interaction with the spirits' energy. In the gentleman's business room, Amanda and her brother were trying to invoke some reaction by using the K-II meter.
“Hello... is there anyone here with us?” Amanda began. “If you could touch the little gray box with the light on it, you can show us that you are here and acknowledge our presence.” They waited a few minutes in utter silence. Nothing happened.
“Hello. Can you do something to let me know you are here with us?” Amanda's brother asked, repeating her inquiry. Almost before the words had left his mouth, the meter lit up fully in response. Everyone focused their attention on the meter and awaited the next response.
“Are you one of the Bettiger family member's?” He asked, but no response was given.
“Did you do business in this room with Mr. Bettiger?” Amanda said cleverly, but also received no response. “Did you do business in this room with Mr. Bettiger?” Amanda's brother then regurgitated, to which he received an immediate interaction with the lights on the meter. Amanda's brother laughed, poking fun at her inability to get any reaction.
“This actually makes perfect sense.” Katie started. “This is the gentleman's business room. Women and children were not welcomed in here, so if this is the spirit of one of the businessmen, he might not communicate with a woman... no offense, Amanda.”
There was other minor activity, but most of the overnight hours were spent talking casually to the ghosts of the Owl's nest, and doing our best to make them understand that they are not only recognized as existing, but that they are accepted. When the time came, to trade groups, Theo asked Sterling if she would escort the group to the lowest level of the building. She cordially obliged, but when she approached the edge of the stairs, she had the uncomfortable and consuming feeling that someone, or something wanted to push her down the steps.
“Everyone, please be careful descending the steps. They can be tricky, and I want everyone to have a good and safe evening.” Sterling spoke, with a soothing and hypnotic voice that everyone heeded without question.
*** The activity in the basement had been relatively non-existent for the first half of the night, but things were not so quiet when the groups traded spaces. Even during the transition, the activity seemed to pick up. When the group from the upstairs made it to the main floor, Karen excused herself to use the restroom. As she reached over to flush the toilet in the ladies room, her entire ring of keys were somehow pulled from her pocket and thrown into the toilet, disappearing forcefully as the water in the toilet drained. She ran out of the restroom, and quickly found Del, to ask if there was anything that could be done to retrieve them. Although every effort was made, the keys remained lost forever.
After the groups had been traded out, we all found ourselves in the pool room, trying to connect with the lost Bettiger children. Speaking directly to them, and amongst ourselves, we attempted to interact with them as if they were just other people in the room. This seemed to work, as the boys, escorted by Ashley, made their way out of the corner of the room and bega
n to intermingle with us.
“Do you feel that?” Barb asked those close to her, reaching down to her side and spreading her fingers.
“Yes. It’s really cold all of the sudden.” Amanda noticed. “Uh huh... but it’s just down here around my legs.” Karen pointed out correctly. The coolness swirled through and around our legs, chilling each of us, as the children passed by. There were energy fluctuations caught by our gadgets, and the presence of the children was undeniable. Our emotions were touched by their interaction, and their acceptance of us, but to at least one of us, it was more than that.
“I have to go... it's too much right now.” Sterling said, almost crying. The sadness that had been suppressing the children was being transferred to her, and it was nearly unbearable to such a strong empath. Sterling fled the room, and up the stairs, finding herself unintentionally in the dance hall, where one of the gangsters had been hiding out, attempting to avoid human interaction after fleeing down the stairs, nearly pushing Amanda down them with the force of his energy. The decades had changed him and his companions. Though they were still angry with the children, they longed to leave the space that they were trapped in, where they had been made to relive the deaths of the family they had caused, and even those they hadn't. The sadness she brought with her felt like the decades of the torture he had been subjected to, suddenly condensed into one moment of sheer hell.
He rushed from the dance hall as she entered, and flew to the basement, where he encountered my group, and came face to face with not only the children, but with their new protector Ashley. He felt her unequaled power and immediately knew of her ability to travel freely. The envy nearly consumed him and he screamed out his jealousy with such fervor, that the room quickly became an uncomfortable place for us, and his desire was caught on our digital audio recorder.
