by Rick Kueber
“Can you hold the bucket like this?” I held the bucket at a downward angle over the hole. Jenn held the bucket as I had instructed while I scraped the last of the concrete from it. Using the little shovel like a trowel, I smoothed the concrete as best as I could. Reaching back into the bag, I removed the last few items: the borrowed diary in its leather pouch, a spray bottle filled with solution, a small nylon scrub brush and an eight inch by six inch metal plate with large threaded screws in each corner. While I pressed the plaque into place, I admitted my lack of a plan.
“Hil, I thought you might want to donate the diary to the historic society, or public library, or something like that.” I offered my idea. “Inside the satchel with the diary is the necklace. I'm not sure what to do with it though.”
While I wet the surface of the concrete slightly, I pressed the plaque a bit harder, until it was flush with the surface and patted the entire surface, smoothing it like a 'mud pie'. Katie removed the necklace from the leather satchel.
“I have an idea, if no one is opposed to it...” She said mousily. “What do you think about making it part of your little monument?” “I think that's a great idea.” Hilary was pleased with Katie's suggestion. Theo, Jenn and I agreed. Katie handed me the necklace. I could see everyone's concern when I took the necklace in my mortar covered hands. I laid it out across the cement, just under the metal plaque, with the pendant in the center. I truly believe everyone gasped when I began to push the silver chain deep into the wet cement. Every four inches, I pushed the chain a couple inches deep. Again I played like the cement was a 'mud pie'. When I was finished, it appeared to be just a mostly flat circle of concrete.
“But... what about the plaque...” Hilary seemed heart broken. “I mean... why go to all that trouble to cover it up?” “This is why...” I grabbed the spray bottle and soaked the surface, and when it began to dry, I soaked it again. Instructing my friends to slowly pour the water from the bottles over the new memorial. I snatched up the brush and scrubbed the surface gently in a clockwise circular motion. When I finished scrubbing, my friends flooded the surface with the remaining water and revealed an exposed aggregate finish, the moonstone pendant half buried in the concrete, bits of the silver chain here and there, and the metal plaque. It was then that the message that was stamped into it was seen by everyone.
ETERNAL BLESSINGS AND PEACE TO TAYLOR MADISON, JACOB AND ALL OF THE VISITORS OF THE COUNTY INFIRMARY AND POOR HOUSE, PAST AND PRESENT. YOU SHALL NEVER BE LOST OR FORGOTTEN.
We were pleased with our day, and felt our visit had fulfilled a purpose. Our chatter rambled on as we gathered up the bits we had brought with us and wandered slowly back to the parking lot.
“So now what? You guys headed back, or do you wanna grab a bite to eat together first?” Hilary asked with hopes we wouldn't leave so quickly.
“I'm okay with some dinner, so I'll leave it up to you all.” I said indecisively. Theo, Katie and Jenn shot glances back and forth and mumbled amongst themselves.
“I think we can make time for dinner before we head home.” Theo grinned. “Anyplace in mind?” Jenn asked, having to avoid gluten. “Long Branch Pizza, definitely!” Hilary's eyes lit up.
“I don't suppose they have gluten free pizza, or anything?” Jenn asked sheepishly.
“Not that I know of...” Hilary sounded disappointed. “But they have really good chef salads... or we can go someplace else.” “Chef salad sounds perfect.” Jenn smiled.
“I can't wait...” I said, nearly drooling.
“Yes! I'm starving!!” Theo may have been small in stature, but he could eat more than anyone I have ever met. Hilary gave Theo the address and we loaded into the car and truck.
As we pulled away from the Infirmary for what would likely be the last time, ever, emotions were mixed. We were happy to be closing the door on another case, even if the ending wasn't exactly what we hoped for, and we were saddened by saying a final farewell to such an amazing place. Theo pulled out onto the road and was entering the Long Branch Pizza address into his GPS while Katie and Jenn yacked away about the experiences we all had and gazed out of the driver's side windows at the remains of the building as we rolled down the road one last time.
I glared out the window to the sky over the cemetery, watching a few clouds gathering. Though I only caught a quick glimpse before the small patch of woods blocked my view, I could have sworn I saw a young boy who stood inside the fence and waved to us. Just as my view was blocked, the old cemetery appeared to be filled of the shadows of people, meandering around, and interacting with each other. I looked to my friends to ask 'Did anyone else see that?” but they were all distracted in their own ways.
“What?” Jenn asked. I must have had an odd look on my face. “Oh, nothing... I'm just gonna kinda miss that place.” I decided it was best to let everyone keep what little feeling of finality they had. I kept an eye out of the back window of the car until the Infirmary was no longer in site.
It was over a half hour drive to Long Branch Pizza, and when we arrived, Hilary was already inside and had pulled two tables together so we could all sit comfortably. We ordered our drinks and mulled over the menu, trying to decide what to have. When the waitress came back with our drinks, we ordered an extra large, Chicago style, supreme pizza and an order of bread sticks with cheese.
“I'll have a large Chef Salad with no croutons, please.” Jenn said politely.
“What dressing would you like?” The waitress scratched the orders on her pad. “Do you have gluten free ranch?” Jenn asked. “We actually do.” The waitress smiled. “Perfect.” Jenn smiled back. “I'll have extra dressing.” “Anything else?” The waitress asked. “Um, yeah...” Theo grinned. “I'll have a gyro.”
“Okay...” She jotted down the last item and tore the ticket off of the pad. “I'll get this order in for you right away.” She turned and disappeared.
Our mouths dropped when they brought out the monstrous pizza, and Jenn's salad looked like it should have come with a stack of smaller bowls and a set of tongs. We sipped our drinks, stuffed our faces, and carried on with loud conversations and laughter. Every other person in the place must have been jealous, wishing they were part of this phenomenal group of friends. Theo even admitted the gyro was actually pretty good, which is saying something, as Theo is a connoisseur of gyros and all Greek cuisine. We had spent more time than we intended, but we couldn't drag ourselves away from Hilary or the delicious food. Eventually, I grabbed up the last slice of pizza with 'oohs' and 'ahhhs' from my friends. We were all stuffed, but I just couldn’t resist.
“Oh my gawd... I think I'm gonna explode.” I said as I slowly nibbled at the pizza slice.
“If you finish that, even I'll be impressed.” Theo teased. “No way... I'm stuffed and I didn't even finish my salad.” Jenn leaned back in her chair and rubbed her belly. Katie and Hilary watched in disbelief as I took the last few bites. With my mouth still half full of pizza, I displayed my empty hands and spoke, just as the waitress came by.
“It... is... finished.” “Does anyone want dessert? We have some delicious cheesecakes...” She tried to coax us, but we all cried out in unison. “NO!”
Photo courtesy of Hilary Lee
Frost
&
Flame
Photos courtesy of Hilary Lee
EPILOGUE
As we left the Long Branch Pizza shop, I had one last request of Hilary. I removed one last bag from Theo's car and handed it to her.
“Can you do me a huge favor?” I asked as politely as I could.
“Sure... what do you need?” She accepted. “In about two weeks, can you go back to the cemetery and clean up the memorial stone and then mix this up and pour it over the top.” I pointed out that inside the bag was a quart of a resinous, selfleveling, clear-coat. “This will protect the memorial from the weather for several years... maybe longer.”
“It would be my pleasure.” Hilary said with a smile. We passed out hugs and fought back tears,
knowing we may not see each other for a very long time, and we had shared an experience that we would never be able to forget.
*** We talked more on the way home than we had in the past. Perhaps it was because our hearts had been unburdened and we felt we had closed this case, or at least it was closed to us. Though there was plenty of light and pleasant conversation, there was also more than enough time to stare blankly out of the window and just think.
Katie was just as enthused about paranormal research and investigating as she had ever been, but having a young child had shifted her focus. This was not a problem or a bad thing... this was all part of life, and I applauded her priorities. She has remained with the team and though our cases have become few and far between, she would still assist us and investigate whenever she was able, and that was more than I could ask or hope for. My team had been blessed by Katie's unique outlook and insight.
Decades ago, in another state and metaphorically in another life, Theo had studied theater, dance and other performing arts while in college. He had lost his partner and soulmate just before joining our team, and though I believe we were a comfort and distraction during one of his most difficult times, my team was a transition for him. Theo had recently begun to travel the Midwest and had regularly been a guest at a metaphysical seminar in Chicago and was doing well. Not only had he been spending time doing this, but he had also landed roles in several short and feature length independent films. His life was headed in a very positive direction and we were all more than happy for him. His plans included a future permanent move to Chicago. His presence would be missed at investigations, but we would also miss his unique personality at all of our social meetings too.
Jenn... well, Jenn was Jenn. She was the most faithful person I had ever known and we had stuck together through thick and thin. The team had been through its ups and downs, but she and I were the only real constants; however, Jenn had been planning a move to Texas, where her sister and many of her family lived. This had been something she had talked about for a couple of years, but I couldn't help but wonder if the date was drawing near... I was no psychic, but I could sense a change was coming. Jenn had been with the Team since the beginning, and if I asked her to stay, I truly believe she would.
I would never hold anyone back from their family, their future or destiny. Each member of EVP Investigations brought some oneof-a-kind element that made us a team that was well respected and at times even envied in our field. Each person had their own quirkiness and individuality, but somehow we managed to come together as one when we were called to help, and for that I was truly proud and grateful.
As the greenery of springtime flew by my window, I felt that this was truly an omen of new beginnings and new directions. I had no idea how many more times we would be together as a team. It was a trip of sobering moments and my mind drifted off to another, one of the few people I felt I could really call my friend.
I hadn't known Tabitha nearly as long, or as well, as I had wanted to. We had shared lots of laughs, but she was a guarded soul and I didn't believe she would ever let me past the protective wall she had built around her. Without choosing to, I had fallen for the intelligent, caring and free spirited person I knew, but the truth was that I didn't really know her. Try as I might, I would never get to know her as well as I hoped. We remained friends, but our visits and meetings over coffee had dwindled. We grew apart and that saddens me terribly. When I think of her, I think of a hundred memories, a thousand laughs and eyes that I had become lost in more often than not... but mostly I think, ‘I wish I had known her better’.
A beautiful landmark had been destroyed by a raging fire and the hopes of its restoration had been destroyed along with most of the structure. I closed this case without knowing what had become of the Infirmary souls. We were never able to discover Taylor Madison's final resting place, or offer her blessings and last rites. I wondered if there was some greater purpose for her broken necklace; we had been able to return a similar necklace to a young girl when we buried her remains. I had fooled myself into believing that we would find a way to honor Taylor that would feel as satisfying... something that just felt right... we hadn't.
In life, real stories rarely had happy, fairytale endings, and this was one of those stories... but my story had not reached its end.
All Team and Individual Bio Photos by Grace Kirsch
JENNIFER KIRSCH
Jennifer is a 40 something mom of three and with the recent marriage of her oldest son, is now the proud mother-in-law to one.
Jenn's interest in the paranormal began when she was only a small child. Her grandmother’s spirit would visit and comfort Jenn, while her father was away serving in the Vietnam War. Though as a child she didn't recognize it, Jennifer had a strong sensitivity to spirit activity.
Growing up in a Christian household, her interest in the paranormal was squelched as a child, but was rekindled as an adult when she found herself living in a house that had a wide variety of frequent paranormal activity.
While living in an actual haunted house, and EVP Investigations was still in its infancy, she contacted Rick Kueber to come investigate the house and was asked to join the group. Jennifer has been the Team's Lead Investigator ever since. Her interest in the paranormal has spread to her youngest child, who wants to follow in her footsteps.
KATIE COLLINS
Katie Collins was born and raised locally in southern Indiana. Her interest in the paranormal began around the age of 8,
when she had her first personal paranormal experience involving the spirit of her Grandmother. Katie joined the EVP team and quickly grew to be an integral part of the group. Known to be the "McGuyver" of the EVP team, she always has a backup flashlight, batteries or spare roll of duct tape in her equipment case (pink of course).
As a level headed and forward thinking member of EVP, she's always looking for an explanation behind paranormal happenings. Katie has also been known to be quiet at times and is an excellent observer, though she can also cut-up and infuse sarcasm in her rhetoric as well as any team member.
The mother of a young toddler, she has a maternal and sympathetic approach to investigating, and is readily aware when a situation needs to be handled cautiously and sensitively.
Like all of EVP’s members, Katie is a great asset to the team on many levels, such as paranormal, social, research, and planning, and she can be individualized by one obvious constant… Katie loves PINK.
THEO KOSTARIDIS
At 41 years old, and a sixth generation psychic with a long family ancestry of intuitives, Theo was born in
Athens, Greece. He moved to the United States at the age of 4 and lived in Florida until after college, when he finally accepted his destiny of intuitive arts, accumulating 20 years of professional experience in psychic readings. In 2001 Theo moved to Evansville, Indiana and now resides in Henderson, KY. He has worked various psychic fairs in numerous states as well as New Age and Spiritual Shops. Over the years, Theo started by honing his natural abilities, and then became very proficient in the use of tarot cards, psychometry, tea leaf and Greek coffee readings, and a variety of other tools. Theo has become the talk of the psychic world in Indiana and hosts seminars and workshops at Barnes & Noble and other locales. Theo has also worked missing persons cases with local police departments with phenomenal results.
Working with Evansville Vanderburgh Paranormal on several investigations as well as hosting seminars with E.V.P. as his invited guest speakers, Theo has become an integral part of the EVP family. Being a Trance Medium*, Theo specializes in communicating with those who have crossed over and channeling messages from your spirit guides and angels.
Terms and Equipment:
EMF: acronym for either electro-magnetic field, or frequency. EMFs are generated by many sources, both natural and man made. The human body emits a natural e.m.f., while a cell phone or microwave oven would emit a man-made e.m.f. EMFs are measured with several different devices, and can have a wide range of st
rengths and ‘speeds’. Much like a sound wave, an electro-magnetic frequency is measured by the strength and frequency of its waves. An e.m.f. detector registering a .5 would represent a wave that occurred .5 times over the set length of time and space, whereas it would take an exponentially stronger e.m.f. to register a 1.5 on the same scale.
Various EMF Detectors/meters used in paranormal investigating:
K-II Meter
MEL-Meter Cell Sensor
EVP: acronym for ‘electronic voice phenomenon’. Many times people experience hearing voices in a haunted location. An ‘e.v.p.’ is a voice or sound that is not heard by the human ear, but instead it is picked up by electronic means, such as an audio or video recording device.
Often times a paranormal researcher will use a digital recorder to perform an 'EVP Session'. This is a series of standard and site specific questions that will later be reviewed and scrutinized using high tech computer programs to detect any voice phenomenon that may occur randomly, or in response to the questions being asked.
Any type of recording device can be used for these e.v.p. sessions, but a digital recorder records the audio into files that can be easily transferred to a computer for analyzing:
Infra-Red Camera: often called I.R. cameras and 'night-vision',
these cameras can film in complete darkness by capturing infra-red light that cannot be seen by the human eye, the video or photos captured by these cameras often has a green cast, or will only be in black and white. While these images are not always the best for capturing shadow phenomenon, they are very helpful due to many investigations being done at night in complete darkness. Many times the un-natural movement of an object has been recorded using this type of camera. A series of infra-red lights can be seen surrounding the camera lens and though they are only seen when looking directly at the camera with the naked eye, the I.R. light allows the images to be recorded into a format that can be seen.
