by Kevin Guest
* *
Thirty minutes later, the two vehicles exited off I-35 and turned east onto Bear Creek Road. They entered a sparsely populated area of Red Oak, the southernmost suburb of Dallas County. Dr. Anderson rented the chauffeur-driven vehicles so no one would be tempted to leave the manor, for any reason. They were to be dropped off and then picked up at the same place five days later.
After a long and silent trip, Amy put her hand on Jessie’s knee. “I can feel why you’re here. I’ll watch after you.”
Jessie looked at her as if she was some sort of freak. “Ok.” She moved her knee as Amy drew her hand back.
Fletcher turned. “I would appreciate it if you would concentrate on the here and now.”
“I’m just trying to lighten the mood,” Amy scowled.
Fletcher, feeling as if he was second in charge began assuming the role. “If you plan to be asset to this investigation, I would advise you to keep your attention where it belongs,” he scolded.
Jessie shifted into her seat, “Where are we going?”
Fletcher lit a cigarette and slightly rolled down the window. “I don’t know.”
The driver grunted over the cigarette but decided to let it pass, hoping for a bigger tip.
Fletcher continued, “Wherever we are going, it has to be somewhere special. What I do know is I have been paid to do a job and I intend to see it through.”
Amy sat back in her seat and admired how pretty Jessie was. She felt obsessed with the emotions and visions she was receiving. Amy looked at her costly clothing, and with her eyes, drew a line from the top of her head, down her midsection, and along her legs. Jessie caught her staring and gave her a weird “stay away from me” look. Amy raised her eyebrows and looked at Fletcher. “We’re going to Reindeer Manor.”
Jessie snickered, “Why do they call it Reindeer Manor?”
Fletcher was growing tired of the young girls already. He flicked the butt against the window, spraying the outside with ashes. Though he was listening, he pretended not to.
Amy looked at her. “Actually, that part is not a mystery. Reindeer Manor was named from the road, Reindeer Road. The name is for the haunted attraction only. When the house was used as a residence, as far as I know, it was unnamed. Today, the entrance to the park is off Houston School Road, which does intersect Reindeer. Though the entrance has changed, the name remains.”
Jessie was intrigued. “So exactly who haunts the house?”
The driver spoke up; as long as one of the investigators knew where they were going, he no longer had to keep quiet. “The house is haunted by a number of spirits. Of them all, in my opinion, Alfred Helm is the worst. His cowardly act of lawlessness destroyed a prospering family. Sad really, but that’s a part of the legacy.”
In the lead car, Anderson sat back with his secretary nuzzled against him. “I hope this house is not too private,” she whispered.
Anderson rolled his eyes. “No my dear, we have a full crew and a mission to attend to. Let’s keep the rumor-making behavior to a minimum, shall we?”
She pouted but knew she would have her chance. After all, how many people got to live in a haunted house?
The driver of the lead car turned off Bear Creek and onto Houston School Road. The second car followed as Jessie noticed a sign. “Dangerous intersection?”
The driver glanced at her in his rear view mirror. “This part of Dallas County has seen a fair bit of tragedy. Signs like that that remind us of where we are and keep our nerves up.”
As the cars made their way down the road, the sun ominously peered through the trees. The dust, kicked up by the tires, filled the air with an orange fog.
A few moments later, the cars came to a stop. The occupants of the second car watched as Dr. Anderson exited the car and walked out of sight, obscured by dust. A few moments later, he emerged from the cloud and walked toward them. As he approached the passenger’s side, Fletcher and Amy rolled down their windows. “I have unlocked the barricades. This is the entrance to the property. Everything should be in place.” Anderson turned as a van drove up. He looked back at Fletcher. “It’s the owner; I’ll only be a minute.”
Andy rolled down his window as Anderson approached him. “Dr. Anderson, I’m glad you’re on time.”
“I’m always on time.”
“Well, I’ve done my part. The property is ready for you, now do you have my money?”
Anderson handed him a brown envelope. Inside he found a check for one hundred thousand dollars. Andy grimaced. “Our agreement was expenses as well!”
Anderson nodded. “Yes, once you have restored the house to an attraction, contact me, and I will send out another check.”
Andy did not like this arrangement, but there was little he could do about it. He rolled up the window and drove on.
Anderson turned and saw Mary standing outside of the car. He also noticed all the bags and equipment were stacked up on the side of the road. He yelled out, “Hey! What the hell are you doing?”
The driver of the second car turned, but Amy was already out of the car. He looked at Jessie. “You better help her.”
Jessie looked at the driver. “Oh no, I don’t help, I hire help.”
Fletcher grunted, knowing he would have to take charge. He stepped out of the second car and proceeded to walk toward the first. As he did, the driver of the second car quickly got out and ran to the back, where Amy was already unloading the bags. He looked at her. “How did you know?”
She looked back at him. “I know a great deal, and while you’re intending to strand us outside the gates, your wife is back home enjoying the company of your neighbor.”
He looked at her as he squinted his eyes. “Mierda, ¿cómo sabes eso? Tu eres una perra mentirosa!”
She looked at him with disdain. “Go home and find out.”
Fletcher walked past Anderson. “Hey! All you have to do is take us to the house, that’s all!”
The driver quickly started the engine and sped off, almost immediately followed by the second driver. The women all covered their mouths as the dust filled the air. Anderson shook his head and looked at Mary, “How are we going to get all this into the house?” He pointed at the entrance of the park. “It’s a mile down that dirt road.”
A moment later, Andy drove back. Luckily for Anderson and his assistants, Andy was not the type of man to hold a grudge. He helped load the equipment and suitcases into his van, then drove the crew inside the park.
It was a bumpy, potholed trail. On the right side, a bank of trees separated them from a pasture. To their left was a tall grass field that seemed to go on forever.
A quarter of a mile down, the road took a sharp left turn. The trees were scarred and disfigured. Fletcher thought, How many people have run off this road?
After the sharp left, the road dipped into the trees and came to a three-way fork. Andy sat there a moment as he decided which way to go. The passengers looked out the window and saw a dilapidated building to their immediate right.
“That’s where they used to keep the horses,” Andy said.
Moments later, as Andy drove along the hayride road, he came to the iron gate. He looked at Anderson. “We’re here.”
The crew stepped out of the van and was face to face with the large iron gate. On top was an arch that read, “Reindeer Manor.”
Andy got out and began unloading the equipment and suitcases. “I assume you don’t need help from here.”
Anderson shook his head. “No sir, and thank you for your help.”
“One thing--someone has to ride back to the front and lock the barricades. Unfortunately, that person will have to walk back.”
Fletcher looked at Andy. “I’ll do it.” Anderson nodded at him.
Fletcher rode back to Houston School Road with Andy. After Andy drove past the barricades, Fletcher got out. Andy looked at him. “If you sense any trouble, leave. I don’t know what the professor has promised you, but it would be better to leave aliv
e than in a body bag.”
Fletcher was unnerved by the warning. Without saying anything, he shut the van door and Andy drove off. As Fletcher pulled the large yellow barricades, they creaked and groaned. He then wrapped the heavy-duty chain around the bars and locked it. He fiddled with the ‘closed’ sign to ensure it was properly placed.
The moment he was done, he felt a cold shiver run down his back. For a mere moment, he was frozen, as if something was standing directly behind him, breathing on him. To his relief, the sensation passed. He shrugged it off and walked back to the house without any further disturbance. When he arrived, he found the rest of the crew standing in the midway, admiring the park and the surroundings.
As Anderson saw Fletcher round the corner, he motioned for everyone to go back to the iron gate. To keep everything equal, he did not want to start this investigation with separate perspectives. Everyone would see everything together for the first time.
As Fletcher rejoined the group, Anderson smiled. “Let’s look around, shall we?” He pushed the iron gate open and entered. To their immediate left was the snack bar with a note pinned to the door. Mary retrieved it.
