The Haunting of Reindeer Manor

by Kevin Guest

Later in the day, a gorgeous woman with blonde hair and deep blue eyes walked into the office. Mary eyed her. She was obviously wealthy. Her clothes were designer and her purse looked as if it came from one of the high-end stores at Northpark. Mary found her figure threatening. She looked as if she had been hand-sculpted by a master craftsman. She glanced at her chest. Fake, she thought and instantly hated her.

  The woman walked up to her. “I’m not sure if this is where I am supposed to be.”

  Mary thought, In college or in this office? She smirked. “Well, who are you looking for?”

  “Dean Schulz gave me this envelope. He instructed me to bring it, unopened, to this office.”

  Mary rolled her eyes. “Uh-huh, well, give it to me.”

  The woman handed her the yellow envelope. Mary opened it and sighed. She feared she would be spending time with this woman. In a snotty tone of voice, she said, “Congratulations Jessie; it seems you have won the position of observer.”

  Jessie gleefully responded, “Yes I know! So, like, what are we gonna do?”

  Mary looked at her and thought, We are not going to do anything. “Just have a seat. Dr. Anderson is in class; he should be back shortly.”

  Twenty minutes later, Anderson walked in. He saw the beauty sitting, waiting for him, or at least he hoped so. He accepted the yellow envelope from Mary, then looked at the young woman. “Follow me, Miss.”

  Jessie stood and followed him into his office. Mary glanced at the young woman’s body. Slut, she thought. But she also thought, Why can’t I be spoiled like her?

  Jessie stood as Anderson sat down. He laughed, “You can sit, you already have the job; this is only so I can meet you.”

  She sat down. “Ok, so what do you need me for?”

  “Well, you read the flyer, it’s an off-campus investigation into paranormal activities.”

  “Yes, that part I got, but as an observer, what will I need to do?”

  Anderson sat back. “Well, what can you do?”

  “Besides the required writing, I can cook.”

  “Well that’s a start. What are you in college for?”

  She smiled. “Elementary school education.”

  Anderson wanted to laugh and say, No—you’re here to find a husband. He could tell by her behavior that becoming a teacher was not her true goal. However, he held his tongue and smiled politely. “Your goals are admirable. So let me ask you, why do you want to do this? You’re a very pretty young woman, and I’m sure Spring Break is very important to you.”

  She nodded her head. He was right. Spring Break was important. The last two were spent at Padre Island, not all of which she remembered. “Well, like you said, I already have the job, yes?”

  “That’s right.”

  Jessie sighed, “Well, honestly it’s for the money. I lost a bit a while back and I don’t want to tell my father about it, so I’m here to earn it back.”

  Anderson eyed her, wondering if this was a joke from the dean. “You know you will not be getting paid until after the project is completed?”

  “Yes, but I am ok ‘til then.”

  He sat back. “Ok, what I expect of an observer is to keep your mind open to the possibility of unnatural events. Absorb everything around you and try to rationalize it in your own mind. Don’t worry if it does not make sense, only note that it happened. Recognize it, remember it, and confirm it without a reasonable doubt.

  “Because you have no skills in psychology, it is likely that your report will be the most important of the three. Without knowledge of the intricacies of the human mind, you can provide insight that I or one of the other investigators may miss or disregard. Do you think you can handle that?”

  She looked at him. “Basically keep my eyes and ears open and my mouth shut.”

  “That’s a cruder way to put it.”

  “Yes, for the money, I can do that.”

  Anderson sighed. This was the only pick he did not care for. “Ok, well, if there’s nothing else, be in the parking lot outside at 9 am, Monday morning, first week in March.”

  Jessie smiled and stood. As she was leaving, Anderson reminded her, “Remember, you’re under contract; do not divulge anything!”

  She nodded her head as she walked out. Mary glanced at her, jealous of her wealth, and Jessie could tell; she knew the look. She walked past her like she was not even there.

  Later, that afternoon, Mary went into Anderson’s office to pick up the graded papers. As she entered, she found him staring out the window. He turned. “What did you think of that girl?”

  Mary smirked. “Little miss prissy?”

  “No,” Anderson laughed, “Amy.”

  Mary looked at him, wondering if something about her sparked a memory. “Why do you ask?”

  Anderson looked at her. “She was a very odd individual, not easy to forget.”

  Mary thought, But you did forget her.

  Over the next few months, Anderson visited several audio/visual suppliers to pick out the exact cameras and sensors he needed. The equipment he used in his prior investigations was not good enough for this investigation; only the newest equipment would be used. Every single detail was pored over with absolute precision. He wanted to make sure that both his equipment and his team complemented each other and the project. Though at times he was exhausted, Mary knew he was having the time of his life.

  Day 1