Carter was a little bit of a different story, but he was a major player in the circle. It wasn’t that Martin was in control of his resurrection, but when he roused Shirley’s spirit in the form of Brenda, a counter reaction resulted. It roused Carter’s father’s spirit in the form of Carter. Martin was not keen on this particular resurrection, either.
Now that Carter and Brenda had a child, Martin had another opportunity, but he evidently wanted to change it up a little. He was always trying to stay ahead of the curve and be as incognito as he could, but he just wasn’t very good at it.
“He needs to stay away from Adam,” said Brenda. “He needs to stay away. We need to figure out a way or talk to someone who can help.”
“That will be hard to pull off,” said Carter. “Maybe there’s a way, but we certainly have our work cut out for us in order to get Martin away from us for good. I mean, he not only wants his wife back and will follow her to the ends of the earth to make that happen, but he also has it out for me for finding my way back to you in another form. In a way, I’m much like him, but more successful because I did it in the physical sense. He must see it as me continuing to have an affair with his wife.”
“That’s right,” said Brenda. “He’s killing two birds with one stone by working us the way he is, and he is doing exactly that by messing with our son. He’s trying to drive us over the edge, and Carter, I’ll be damned if I let him win…especially when our son is involved.”
“Let’s not waste any more time,” said Carter. “Where should we begin? Should we search online or contact a priest or a therapist?”
“I don’t think Evan would be our answer because he certainly would have announced that he could help further with the investigation. I think his area of expertise ended here, but we were fortunate enough to have that much.”
Since they didn’t know where to begin and Evan had some experience with hauntings, they figured that it wouldn’t hurt to consult him further. He did his nightly walks, which now passed their house ever since Adam’s disappearance. When they saw him passing by the house that evening after dinner, mindful of his timing and keeping an eye out, Carter called to him to stop by for a visit.
“Howdy folks,” said Evan as he and Skippy passed through the front door. “How you folks holdin’ up?”
“Could be better,” said Brenda, “if you’re looking for an honest answer.”
“That’s my policy,” said Evan. “I think I might have a suspicion about what it is that’s bothering you.”
“You’re probably right on, Evan,” said Brenda, “since you did such fine work in finding out about the spirits. The problem is…now that we know they’re here, how on earth do we get rid of them?”
Evan chuckled and said, “Well, I can find them…me and the pooch here, but that’s where our area of expertise ends. Can’t do it all. I was a cop first, remember, and a paranormal investigator…if you can even call it that…second.”
“Evan,” said Brenda, “when you did find that there were spirits, what did you do then? You didn’t just tell families there were spirits and then tell them to have a nice day…did you?”
Evan laughed and said, “No, of course not. I had a…lady…partner…who would take over. She wasn’t an investigator or medium or anything like that, but she helped people and was well-known and liked by everyone she helped.”
“Do you know how to get in touch with her?” asked Brenda.
“Oh boy,” said Evan. “If she’s even still alive. It’s been years since we worked together, and she must be retired by now. We sort of lost contact.”
“You don’t know how to get in touch with her,” asked Carter, “or know someone who can?”
“Let me think on this,” said Evan.
“Let’s start with her name,” said Brenda.
“The name was Niland. I’ll never forget that much because after her first husband died, she would always say No man is a Niland…you know…after that expression. Of course, after he passed, no man was a Niland. In fact, she was the last one left outta both families…last living relative, but only by marriage. Evelyn was the first name.”
This was a start, but not a very reliable one. It was something to work with, though. They had a woman who was not a paranormal anything, but who knew things about it and made people happy, but there was a chance that she would no longer make people happy due to her age. If she was alive, they needed to get ahold of her. She was local, and she may have helped the police department out, so maybe they could locate her by searching online.
CHAPTER 21
Since Carter and Brenda had exhausted Evan’s capabilities, they had to take what they were given and hope that it leads them somewhere. As soon as Evan was out the door in his attempt to get home before dark, Carter and Brenda were putting Adam to bed and sitting in front of the computer. They had some investigating of their own to do. They had a name and a partial description, but that was about it. The computer either knew Evelyn Niland or it didn’t. Evan wasn’t too eager to share any more than what he’d given, but it could well be the passage of time and the fact that he only handed off paranormal duties to her as part of a casual work relationship. Perhaps that was the extent of it.
If an online search knew anything about Evelyn Niland, then it would be sure to reveal it to them right away. They were resigned to the fact that there might not be a lot on this woman. There would hopefully be other resources available online because this was their son they were trying to save.
Brenda took the helm and typed in Evelyn Niland. They waited patiently for their slow computer to figure out what they were asking and produce a proper response. The spooling went on for what seemed an eternity, but when the spooling ceased and the search results displayed, they began to view them.
There were no headlines about Evelyn Niland, but there were bits and pieces of her name associated with stories. It just so happened that she was not the star in any of the articles. Many of the results that they clicked on just mentioned her as a consultant, but there was nothing recent. They couldn’t even be sure that they had the right person. The latest story referencing her was in 2003, so she disappeared from the news in the last seven years. The only thing they could find on Evelyn Niland was what Evan had told them.
“Why don’t you put her name together with Evan’s and maybe there’s some other online connection or reference that will pop up.” Carter came up with this terrific idea. It was terrific because as soon as they put the two names together in the search criteria, there were more references that didn’t come up the first time. There was a cross reference with Evelyn DiNallo, so they used Evan together with Evelyn DiNallo.
Several of the listings mentioned their paranormal connection from the time that Evan was a police officer, but there was one listing that caught their eye. There was no doubt that they had a relationship that was professional, but Carter and Brenda were shocked to uncover a link that Evan most definitely did not want them to find, and most definitely was the reason for him being so vague about Evelyn.
Evelyn was not as old as Evan let on. She was 55 years old when the article was written nearly seven years ago, and likely still very much alive. Apparently, Evan had an affair with Evelyn that became headline news because Evan was a police officer who was very much married. Evelyn was also married, and her second husband, a Mr. DiNallo, became a suspect in the hit-and-run death of Evan’s wife and child. However, there was not enough evidence to convict the jilted man.
There were no further details about this incident, but they believed that Evelyn was probably still alive since she was younger than Evan had stated. There was a new can of worms in the life of Evan. The woman of his dreams, his wife of 20 years, the one he lost to a hit-and-run and talked about incessantly
, could have been run down as Mr. DiNallo’s way of exacting revenge on the man who tried to steal his wife away. The motive was certainly there, but the sufficient evidence was not. Regardless of whether or not Mr. DiNallo was responsible, they still needed to contact his wife.
They did exhaustive searches in an attempt to come up with a phone number or address for Evelyn. They couldn’t find any contact information, but there was an address for Mr. DiNallo, so they started there. In an act of desperation, they headed over to the address they had found listed for him online, and they boldly knocked on the door. An older man answered the door and said that he wasn’t interested.
“We’re not selling anything,” said Brenda. “We just need a moment of your time and may even have the wrong place.”
“You do,” said the man.
Carter stuck his foot in the door to prevent it from closing. He tried to come up with a response and suddenly blurted out, “Are you Mr. DiNallo?”
The man looked at the two of them strangely. He was apparently having a trust issue with the situation on his doorstep. Carter and Brenda needed to cut to the chase and explain themselves in the name of Adam.
“Who’s asking?” said the man.
“I’m Carter, and this is Brenda, and…” Carter stopped speaking right then and there as he didn’t know if they were still married or Evelyn was even still alive. Brenda’s instincts kicked in and she finished his sentence.
“We’re looking for Evelyn,” she said bluntly. “Would you know where we can find her?”
Now the ball was in his court and the hard part was over. “I’m Mr. DiNallo.” He eyed them suspiciously, making Carter and Brenda nervous. They needed more. They needed to break the ice a little better than they had, and without blowing it. Otherwise, they could kiss their sweet contact goodbye.
“Who…may I ask…is…”
“Brenda…my name’s Brenda Spence, and this is my husband, Carter. We really hate to bother you about this, but my son…he’s six years old and…he’s in trouble.” Brenda did her trademark sideways pout that was adorable, and she was hard to refuse. That’s why Carter let her go for it. “We got some information about an Evelyn DiNallo who was a consultant, or…paranormal…helper…for families.”
She was breaking up, so Carter jumped in. “Sir, does Evelyn live here?”
Mr. DiNallo was somewhat taken aback by the sudden surge that had just approached the front door in the middle of nowhere. “I beg your pardon,” he said.
“Honey, who’s at the door?” This voice came from behind, and then a slightly younger woman appeared behind him.
“Oh,” said Brenda, “That wouldn’t happen to be…”
“No,” said Mr. DiNallo. He then turned and whispered to the woman, “I’ll handle this from here. You run along now.” When the woman left, he stepped outside the front door with a scowl on his face as he closed the door behind him. “Now look,” he began, “I don’t know who you are or what you want, but you need to get off my property or I’m gonna call the police.”
Brenda took a step closer and said to him, “Listen, Mr. DiNallo…we just got finished introducing ourselves, so you do know us. Also, I’m not so sure you would want to call the police. You don’t need them to come back into your life. Lastly, my son is suffering from something paranormal, and we heard that Evelyn could possibly help us. We will knock down walls to get the help my son needs.”
Mr. DiNallo looked defeated when he said, “Okay, listen…Evelyn doesn’t know that I know where she lives, so if I tell you…I just need you to keep it between us. Please.” He kept glancing back at the house as he spoke.
“We can do that,” said Carter, “and we really appreciate you helping us out.”
Mr. DiNallo went back into the house and returned with Evelyn’s address written on a piece of scrap paper. “It’s about 30 minutes from here,” he said. “Don’t tell her I told you.” He then turned and went back into the house.
As Carter and Brenda were pulling out of the driveway, they could see the woman looking out the window at them, making no effort whatsoever to disguise herself. They pulled out of the driveway and moved their way down the road and away from the DiNallo residence. It looked like there was a divorce as a result of that traumatic period of time in their lives, and Evelyn was now gone from the house. Mr. DiNallo had moved on too, but remained at the house. It was killing Carter to know if this was the man Adam had seen at the Red Sox game.
They hopped on the Mass Pike for a short bit as they made their way to Evelyn’s house, following directions to an affluent neighborhood. They walked up to her house and rang the doorbell, and it was one of those endless, cathedral-like gongs, and you would know to knock the next time. Carter and Brenda were ready to face Evelyn, and a woman came to the door who fit her description. She looked out at them and said nothing, but opened the door a crack to hear their request.
“Are you Evelyn?” Brenda asked with a smile.
“I am,” she said, “and you are?”
“Brenda, and this is Carter.”
“How may I help?” asked Evelyn through a puzzled look. She appeared to be in her early sixties with her black and gray hair up in a bun, and strands hanging down to her shoulders on both sides. She made a real effort to try to look thirty. She was just hanging around the house, but dressed as if she was going out clubbing. The fake, black leather pants went with a silky white blouse unbuttoned one button below the office-appropriate level.
“We heard that you help families with hauntings in their house,” said Carter. “Our son is in trouble and we need you to…”
“Used to,” said Evelyn. “Past tense. Haven’t done that in years. How did you find out about me now?”
They were not ready for that one, but it was the most obvious question that she would have. They both stared at Evelyn like deer in headlights, and it looked as if Evelyn was losing patience with them.
“Evan,” said Brenda. “Evan mentioned that he used to work with you and that you used to help families such as ours who are going through tough times with hauntings.”
“He just mentioned your name,” said Carter. “He said that he didn’t know if you did this anymore and that he’d lost contact with you.”
“Yes,” said Evelyn, “that he did. Please…won’t you come in and we can chat.”
Carter and Brenda made their way into the kitchen as the coffee pot burped up some fresh java. It appeared that she lived alone and was retired, but she retired in style as her house was big for one person.
“So how did you meet up with Evan?” asked Evelyn as they all took a seat in the living room.
“We’ve had a lot of issues with our son,” said Carter.
“Hauntings,” added Brenda. “Evan helped us with the disappearance of our son, and thankfully we got him back, but the spirit that took him in the night is messing with him again. Evan mentioned your name, but said that he hadn’t been in contact with you since he retired from the police department and wasn’t sure how to get ahold of you.”
“So how did you get ahold of me?”
“The computer,” said Carter. “We got ahold of you through a lot of searches.” He laughed when he said this, hoping it was enough to cover up the half-truth.
“Well, I haven’t been doing this type of work for years,” said Evelyn. “Not since the accident, anyway.” There was a scared, concerned look in her eyes as she stared into the air and slowly rubbed her hands together. As she sat, her shoulders were hunched over as if she was trying to stay warm.”
“The accident with his wife?” asked Brenda.
“Yeah, it happened almost seven years ago, right before he retired from the force.”
> “So what happened?” Brenda pressed.
“Oh, I guess you could say that we were both unhappy in our marriages…me more than he, but we always heard each other’s complaints over the years, and then we grew a fondness for each other. Our affair went on for years, but one day we were discovered by my husband, and…he went ballistic.”
“What did he do?” asked Carter.
“He actually followed Evan’s wife and child in his car. When they got out of their car in the middle of town, he ran them down with his car, killing them both.”
“Was he arrested for the crime?” asked Brenda.
“Nope. He knew a lot of people. That’s how it works around here. If you know a lot of people and they happen to be the right people, then your money is no good and you’re above the law. It’s always been like that, and he even trumped an officer’s family. He’s a bad man. He’s a very bad man. That’s why I did what I did. I wanted to be away from that man so badly.”
“Oh dear,” said Brenda. “I had heard that Evan lost his wife in an accident, but I hadn’t heard about the son. He never talks about the son. Why do you suppose that is?”
Evelyn DiNallo paused for some time, but soon realized that she had regurgitated this much, so she might as well release the rest.
“The child belonged to Evan and I. Nobody knew it. Everybody thought the child was mine and my husbands, including my husband. That scenario makes it sort of taboo, don’t you think?” Evelyn took a dry gulp and related the rest of the story. “Then when Evan and I were seen in a compromising position by my husband, suddenly I was banned from seeing my own son. You see…when my husband found out that the child was not his, he wanted nothing to do with it. I ended up having to give my child to Evan because he couldn’t’ stand the sight of it. The sight of the child repulsed him. He pretty much kicked my six-year-old child out of the house and he was forced to live with Evan and his wife. My husband loved the child, but like an on-and-off switch, he hated the child when he found out it was not his.”
Desert Son Trilogy: Desert Son, Wayward Soul, Spiritual Intervention (Books 1-3) Page 64
