“Hello? Is everything okay in there?” he yelled.
They waited for a moment and then the door slowly opened. It was Victoria Oldman, and she appeared to be hiding her distress. “Come on in,” she said. “Everything’s fine.”
“We heard a scream,” said Brenda. “We were just being concerned neighbors and just wanted to check up and make sure everything’s okay.”
Dan said nothing, but stood there with his hand on the side of the door, looking at his wife to answer. “Come on in,” Victoria finally managed, and led the way into the living room, where they all took a seat on couches.
Something clearly was bothering Victoria, and she didn’t hold it in for long. “Can you tell us anything and everything there is to know about Mr. Jenkins?” She had unintentionally called out for Carter and Brenda to come over to their house in the early evening hours after dinner. Her husband sat on the couch a little less shell-shocked, but he misses most of the commotion since he works all day. Victoria was the one shouldering the strange goings-on in the old Jenkins household, and she couldn’t wait another day before she got some answers, or at the very least spoke to someone about what had been going on.
“We’ve been experiencing unusual things in this house,” said Victoria. She looked over at her husband, but then realized that she was pretty much in this alone. That’s because it only really affected her. Actually, it affected their six-year-old son, Bradley, too, but he doesn’t speak much about it, if at all. Victoria was feeling alone and struggling very hard. She couldn’t let it go another day, and that’s why the four of them were sitting in the living room of Mr. Jenkins’ old house. She could only fake it for so long, but she was quickly beginning to resent her choice of this house real fast. It was Victoria and Bradley fighting the forces, and Dan wasn’t face-to-face with so much as a whisper.
Boxes were still piled up against the walls of the living room, and the house was cluttered throughout. Not much had been accomplished since their last visit. As the two couples were chatting away on the couches, the two boys were chatting on the floor. They had played together a few times now, so they were communicating better and getting along just fine. Upon arrival, Bradley showed Adam his little car set and Adam sat down with him right away.
With the kids occupied, their parents could speak freely about them if they chose, but tonight’s main topic focused on the previous homeowner who had passed on. Victoria was not so sure that he had. She was telling Carter and Brenda how she believed he was still walking the halls and tending the garden and speaking to her son about things that need to be taken care of in and out of the house. She looked a lot paler than normal and appeared as though she hadn’t slept in weeks.
Victoria sat forward on the couch and began to air her concerns. “The day you came over, Brenda, was not the day the strange occurrences began. The strange has been here ever since we moved into this house. I’m not even sure we can stay here…that’s how bad the strange has been. I haven’t even been able to sleep at night.”
Her husband put his arm around her in a friendly kind of way. They had just purchased this house, and his wife had already made plans to move on. He wasn’t getting the full brunt of what was going on because he was at work during the day, so it was hard for him to understand the magnitude of what was going on. She refused to unpack boxes because she believed the spirit was not happy they had moved into the house, so that’s why the boxes remained stacked up in the living room.
Carter and Brenda could clearly read Dan’s body language. Her husband wasn’t exactly buying what she was selling; acting like he thought it was a ploy to just get out of the house because it was too old for her, or some other materialistic reason. She knew what she was stepping into. It’s not like she didn’t do a tour and final walkthrough. However, the difference would rear its head after the move. It was their taking possession of the house that seemed to rile the previous owner.
“Brenda,” she said, “I feel a presence in this house, and I know Bradley feels it too. I see it in his eyes, sometimes…that faraway look, when he isn’t really connected to this world. I can snap my fingers in his face and he won’t even react. He gets pulled away from this house. There’s something strange going on. It’s just…not…normal. I know that I tried to play it down while you were here, but I didn’t want you to think I was crazy.”
“No, Victoria,” said Brenda, “I would never think that of you. I understand that strange things like this can happen and there’s not one thing that you have said that I didn’t believe. I’m with you. We do not think you’re crazy and we’re certainly not going to judge you for this. We’re dealing with some strange issues ourselves.”
Victoria sat back on the couch and exhaled deeply. She began to fidget with her large diamond, nervously sliding the ring off her finger and back on. Her eyes kept shifting from her ring to the room and back again. “The incident with the boys and the mud the other day was not a one-time event,” she began. “This type of thing has quickly become the norm around here. The things that I’ve noticed are not extreme, by any means. They didn’t start out that way, anyway, but now it’s incorporating my son into it. Now my son is being pulled from the house in the middle of the night by who knows what. It scares me! That was the final straw, and Dan…you’d better wake up and smell the coffee because now our son is involved, and soon he’ll be coming for you. Now sit up any take notice, dammit!”
There was nothing but silence after this verbal assault by Victoria on her breadwinning, non-believing husband. You could clearly see the venom pouring out of her eyes as she stared at her husband with a deep scowl on her face following her statement. Carter and Brenda remained silent, at first, surprised by being invited in for this domestic dispute. They looked at each other, and then back at the arguers, but they didn’t have anything to offer. They both came up empty.
“Honey, I’m sorry that you feel that way,” said Dan, taking his arm from Victoria and creating a distance, enabling him to talk and look at her. He was as shocked as his guests. “Please tell me that you forgot to take your medicine, babe. I really hope that’s all this is. You don’t invite the new neighbors into the house to have them witness another melt…”
“Fuck you, Dan!” she retorted. “Fuck…you! You always have to make it about my medicine! I can’t just be angry with you. Nobody can be angry with Dan Oldman. Dan Oldman does nothing wrong. Nuh-thing wrong! If you want to go there, let’ go. The cat is out of the bag, Dan!”
Carter and Brenda melted further into the couch. They were thankful that the kids had migrated into another room.
“Victoria, I work very hard during the week to provide for my trophy wife and our son. I make enough money so you can sit home and paint your nails if that’s all that you want to do. Now, I’m getting tired of you complaining about life when it gets a little hard. I’m tired, Victoria. I’m tired. You’re right…maybe I’m not there for you guys twenty-four seven, but I do my best. I do what I can do, and nobody’s starving or cold. For Christ’s sake…you can’t even unpack the boxes like I asked!”
Victoria continued to look at him after his final word. She had that I don’t believe you look in her eyes. Carter and Brenda continued to stay out of it, but couldn’t get themselves to get up and go home. First of all, it would be even more awkward to just get up and leave the house. After all, it could just be a little spat. They would look ridiculous if the argument ended then and there. They sat still, said nothing, and watched.
“You don’t see it, Dan!” Victoria continued. “You just don’t even see it. Do you know what it’s like to stay home with a six-year-old boy who is out of control, likely because there is something spiritual or ghostly going on in this house? Nothing seems to happen when you’re home, but quite frankly, you’re never home. That’s what pisses me off the most. You’re
ne-ver home to notice. Wake up, Dan!”
“But Victoria, I…”
“But Victoria nothing. You make it sound like I do nothing all day long and I should be able to handle weird coincidences. Your son is involved. Do you not care about your son? You never really did, Dan!” she hissed. “You never really did!”
“Do we have to do this in front of Carter and Brenda?” asked Dan. “And the ki…”
“We don’t have to,” said Victoria, “but they all happened to be here.”
Carter and Brenda both rose from the couch, embarrassed, and
Brenda said, “No, we really gotta run.”
“Sit down,” said Victoria sternly. “We invited you in here for a reason, and we’re not going to lose sight of that reason because this dope doesn’t think his wife and child are important enough to matter.”
Dan got up and walked away toward the bedroom. He had enough for one day. Carter felt bad for the way Victoria treated Dan, but he wasn’t sure if what she was saying was or was not the truth. Maybe Dan is oblivious to what’s going on in his house and more concerned with his wife’s appearance. She looked good. There wasn’t a question about her trophy looks, but she kind of knew what she was getting herself into, and he wasn’t in the dark either.
Carter and Brenda sat back down after the angry couple convinced them to stay and that they would finish their discussion in private. Victoria had calmed down, and Dan was usually calm, so things did settle down. Victoria was definitely out of line in her approach and should never have chosen to lash out in front of company, but Carter could definitely see both sides. Dan was not very concerned about the potential danger he was putting his family through. As long as his dinner was on the table when he got home, that’s all that mattered to him.
Victoria kept apologizing for her outburst. She began to rationalize it with the gravity of the stress she’d been under. “There’s something to this house,” she began. “I didn’t know who lived here before us, but that Mr. Jenkins fellow apparently didn’t want to leave.” She grabbed her purse and pulled out a little makeup mirror and blended in smudges around her eyes, and then continued on. “I hear footsteps at night when Dan’s asleep. Things are moved to different places in the house. Bradley acts all crazy and does things that are out of character. The noises…the strangest noises can be heard at all times of the day and night. All this, and the only one who notices is me.” As Victoria was reciting the strange events that happen when she is alone with Bradley, Dan returned to the living room and she eyed him with daggers.
This was Brenda’s time to enter the conversation, and Carter looked at her to see if she was taking the bait. “Victoria, I’ve been in your shoes…believe me.” She took the bait. “I’ve lived through my share of creepy situations. I kind of understand where Dan is coming from as well, especially if he has yet to see or hear anything. Now that doesn’t diminish the fact that you and Bradley are bearing the brunt of it…by any means, but just understand his perspective as well.”
Carter sat forward and added, “The positive thing here is that nothing evil or satanic seems to be involved. Just document everything that happens, time and date, and look for patterns. If Dan is at work and you and Bradley are scared, feel free to head on over to our house.”
“Absolutely,” said Brenda, “or give us a call and we can help you get through rough patches. Sometimes it helps if someone else experiences what you’re experiencing.”
Victoria got up from her seat and walked over to Brenda and gave her a big hug. “Thank you so much, Brenda. You too Carter. That will make a world of difference to me. You have no idea.” She again glared at Dan.
Dan sat back and said nothing. He just watched his wife do her thing from where he was sitting on the couch, happy that she was not attacking him anymore. He smiled, knowing that the neighbors were willing to intervene in the tough times, especially if he was at work and unable to help.
Victoria let go of Brenda and bent over and gave Carter a great big hug too. She put her face about two inches away from Carter’s and said, “I’ll be sure to call if I’m ever in trouble.”
“Yeah, yeah, sure,” said Carter. He snuck a sideways glance at Brenda and noticed that she did not enjoy that display one bit. Victoria continued to hold onto him firmly, but after an uncomfortable moment, she strutted her way back to the seat next to her husband.
CHAPTER 19
Evan was walking his dog near the Spence household on Saturday morning when Carter drove past him and tooted the horn lightly so as not to scare him. It appeared that he was walking home, but several minutes after Carter got home, he saw Evan and Skippy approaching the front door.
“Evan, my man,” said Carter. “What are you up to today?”
Evan climbed through the door and into the house, sitting down with Carter at the kitchen table. “I was just in the neighborhood walkin’ the dog. You know, I think he likes coming here. I don’t know what it is.” Evan took a seat, and Skippy circled around and accepted a biscuit from his master with a slick underhand offering. “There’s something you need to know about your new neighbors,” he said.
“Oh,” said Carter. “What about them?”
Evan looked around and returned to Carter. Skippy here was built with extrasensory senses. That’s why he got the job on the force. Over the years, I noticed that he was especially skilled in picking up on things you and I can’t see.”
Carter looked at him closely. “You and I can’t see? You talking about ghosts?”
Evan looked at Carter, carefully reading his face before responding. “Yes. That’s what I’m talking about. Spirits, ghosts, or any strange phenomenon. He sees and hears things, senses things…that I can’t. That’s why they asked me to take him into haunted situations to verify whether or not there was an otherworldly presence in the house. We’ve done a lot together. This is a special dog. More special than you could ever imagine. You have no idea. That’s why I had to take him with me when I retired.”
Carter was fascinated by Skippy’s skill. He knew dogs had sensitive ears, but he didn’t know that they had the ability to detect an otherworldly presence in a haunted house. “It’s amazing that dogs have the ability to do that.”
“Not dogs,” said Evan. “Skippy. Skippy has the ability to do that. That’s why he does it. I don’t know about any other dog. He not only saved my life a couple of times, but he saved a lot of humans as well. He has an extraordinary ability to pick up on things. He can tell us if there’s something going on somewhere, and we know to pursue it from there. He just can’t tell us much of anything.”
“I wouldn’t think so,” said Carter. “It’s interesting that he can pick up on that, though.”
“Sure can. Every time I pass by Mr. Jenkins’ house, Skippy goes crazy. There’s new people in there and he still goes crazy. With or without people, the dog erupts whenever I pass by to go to your house. I’d like to step foot in that house and have Skippy give it a good sniff.”
“Actually,” said Carter, “Today might be your lucky day.”
“Yeah? Why’s that?”
“Brenda and I were over there last night and apparently they’ve had some issues. Dan and Victoria Oldman live there with their son, Bradley. There’s something strange going on in that house and it’s scaring Victoria out of her wits. Whatever it is…it’s messing with their six-year-old boy now. Maybe I can get permission from Victoria when her husband’s at work…have you and Skippy wander around and see what you find. It would even be better if she wore her bikini. She’s a trophy wife with a lot on the main floor, but not much in the attic.”
Evan thought about it a minute, but didn’t have too much time to think before saying, “Okay, well, let me know when’s a good time.”
Carter looked over at the Oldman’s house and said, “It’s Saturday, but I’m not sure that Dan works today. I don’t even have their phone number, but maybe I’ll go over there and ask them a question, and check on the whereabouts of Dan.”
“You do that. I’ll stay back,” said Evan.
“Okay, but I may motion for you to come then and there, so be in a spot where you can see me.”
Carter and Evan stepped outside, but Evan remained in the driveway with his dog. Carter cut across the yard to the front door of the Oldman’s house. They had a garage, so it’s possible that Dan’s car was in there. If Dan was home, Carter knew that he wouldn’t buy into this spiritual crap and probably wouldn’t let them in the house to even sniff around. Carter walked to the house prepared with a different question if the wrong person opened the door.
When he rang the doorbell, he took a step back and could hear footsteps descending the stairs. The door opened and Victoria was standing there in skimpy blue cutoffs that couldn’t have been shorter, along with a half shirt. There was plenty of cleavage for both Carter and Evan, but that was the way Victoria rolled. Neither of the Oldman’s were perfect, by any means. They both had their issues. Dan had a trophy wife who didn’t work, but stayed home and took care of their son. Victoria had a sugar daddy who made enough money for the two of them, but he sacrificed his family in the meantime.
“Hey, Victoria,” said Carter. “I was just wondering how things are going today? Any issues last night after you went to bed? Anything strange?”
“Oh,” said Victoria. “I thought you saw that Dan wasn’t here and wanted something else.” She then winked at Carter.
Carter chuckled through his embarrassment.
Victoria grabbed Carter by the collar and pulled his head to within inches of her lips. “Do you like what you see? I work hard on this piece all day long. That’s how you get to look as good as I do.”
Desert Son Trilogy: Desert Son, Wayward Soul, Spiritual Intervention (Books 1-3) Page 61
