Reign of Silence

by Tony Martin

  “We use these to record what is known in the trade as EVP – electronic voice phenomena. We’ll do spot recording with this equipment. You may remember this phenomenon from The Sixth Sense. The recording picks up background voices, inaudible to the ear, that have a non-human source. You may struggle trying to get past the Hollywood version of how this works, but I can tell you that there have been literally hundreds of verifiable accounts of this methodology working.”

  “Ooohhh,” Christine moaned. “That’s way too creepy.”

  “Christine,” said Precious, “there’s no reason to be afraid, honestly. Granted, we’re doing something a bit out of the mainstream, but most science starts out as something, well, inexplicable. I often wonder what Mr. Geiger’s critics thought of his invention when he first was able to measure radiation.”

  “I’ll take one,” said Joshua.

  “Hey, I’ll be brave,” said Christine, trying to be at ease, and took the other.

  “That leaves Meredith and me,” said Precious. “Now, Meredith, I want you to be responsible for this.” He unfolded a tripod and set it beside the front door. Next, he unpacked a small video camera with a large infrared lens.

  “Meredith,” said Precious, “this is a camcorder with a night vision lens attachment. I am going to start taping in just a little while, and I’ll let it run all night. Your job is to check every four hours and replace the tape – actually, it wouldn’t hurt if you checked more frequently than that. You don’t have to worry about refocusing or the battery – I’ve got a ten hour power source for it.”

  “I wonder how much money he has sunk in all these gadgets,” Bethany whispered to Joshua. Joshua put his finger over her mouth.

  “Behave,” he said.

  Precious either didn’t hear or chose to ignore Bethany. He had the look and bearing of a child at Christmas. “Now, I’ve got some other items, such as a thermometer, but I won’t use it, yet – there hasn’t been any incidence of a cold spot anywhere in the house, has there?”

  “No,” said Meredith. “At least, not that I know of.”

  “Fine,” said Precious. “I’ve got one other piece of equipment that I’ll use.” He pulled a small rectangular device from its case and held it up for everyone to see. The black metal instrument had an analogue meter and five or six buttons with LEDs. “This is a tri-field natural EMF detector, EMF meaning electromagnetic field. Typically, these tools are used for detecting wiring in walls, any magnetic radiation from electric motors, mundane things like that. But our use is a little more esoteric. While far from being a constant, research has shown that the appearance of an apparition often causes flux in the ambient electromagnetic field of an area, and this device can register it.”

  “Huh,” grunted Jimmy.

  “I’ll show you,” said Precious. He turned on the device. A red LED sprang to life, and the needle on the gauge twitched feebly.

  Holding the device about two feet from his body, Precious pivoted on his heels in a slow circle. The needle fluctuated ever so slightly. “As you can see,” he said, “I can detect even the slightest variations in the EMF in this room. There’s always background ‘noise.’ Now, watch this.”

  Precious walked slowly toward Jimmy Tracy, his EMF detector at arm’s length. About six inches from Jimmy’s chest, the needle swung slightly to the right.

  “All of us run on electricity, so to speak,” said Precious. “This detector is calibrated to measure the most miniscule variations imaginable. Yet, in the presence of an apparition – even one not visible – you’ll get an immediate and obvious change in readings. I’ve seen variations in electromagnetic fields so extreme that even ordinary compasses failed to work properly.”

  Jimmy shook his head. “Well, Precious, I’ll give you credit for trying to do this right.”

  “I feel my integrity is at stake every time I conduct an investigation,” said Precious. “So I owe it to my clients and myself to do the most thorough job I can. Now … let’s spend some time in the parlor, shall we, and I’ll give you instructions for the evening.”

  Precious took one other equipment case and led the group to the parlor. After everyone sat, Precious pulled his chair in close. No one spoke.

  “Now, does everyone have a notebook and a flashlight?” he asked. Everyone nodded.

  “Good,” he continued. “I’ll ask that each of you keep fairly detailed notes of the evening, making an entry every thirty minutes. During that journaling time, I’d like you to record any sensations you experience – any sights, sounds, smells, touches, whatever. If you’re aware of the source, make a note of that. Now, if nothing is happening at all, simply write ‘nothing.’ Work independently of each other. And if something does happen apart from your normal rounds, make sure to get it in writing, with the time noted.

  “At no time during the evening do I want any of you wandering off alone. I know this will feel like kindergarten, but even if you go to the bathroom, I’d like someone to be aware of where you’re going. Understand?”

  Everyone nodded. Jimmy could barely cover his disdain.

  “I’ve got two walkie-talkie style headsets,” Precious said, opening another case. “I’ll wear one set. Bethany, if you please, I’d like you to wear the other. We will stay in our groups of four, although I’ll float around over the course of the evening. But I do want upstairs and downstairs to be in constant contact.”

  “I’m feeling a little like I’m in special ops,” said Bethany.

  “In a sense, you are,” said Precious. “If the world at large were to see us, we’d be ridiculed. But I’m in deadly earnest about what we’re doing.” He looked at Meredith, and for once, his unflagging good cheer seemed to pale. “Meredith, we want you to be able to have total peace about your house – indeed, your life.”

  Meredith managed a wan smile. “Precious, I know you all want to help me. Joshua, thank you for making this possible.” She looked at him, her eyes luminous. Joshua stirred uneasily.

  “Wow, a real moment,” said Christine wickedly. “And what else do we need to do?”

  “You can all relax for a little while. I’ll set up my video camera,” said Precious. He rose and looked out the window. “It looks like it’ll be an hour or so until dark. I’m going to get some ambient EMF readings. As soon as it gets completely dark, I’ll turn off the electricity to the house and get another set of readings.

  “Those of you who are my audio recorders – each half hour, on the half hour, I want you to record five minutes, each time in a different location. Just act normally (“Ha!” snorted Al), and don’t speak in whispers. You won’t scare anything off. Note in your journals anything you actually heard during each recording segment.

  “Now, for our camera crew – I want you to be willing to burn some film. I want you to take a lot of pictures. Take some photos of each other, and take an equal amount of pictures of empty rooms – just humor me. And, for you ladies downstairs, I’d like some photos of the gazebo and the family cemetery. I’ve got a time and date stamp programmed for each camera, so you won’t have to worry about noting each photo in your journal.

  “Here’s the important thing,” said Precious, and he paused as his audience, to the person, leaned forward. “If anyone sees or hears anything out of the ordinary – and I think you know what I mean - you are to call me immediately. You are working as a team. Anything out of the ordinary, I want photos, I want recordings, I want the whole works. What we’re after is redundancy. I want an apparition verified by more than one witness, and I want any sightings verified using our instrumentation. Understand?”

  The group mumbled their assent.

  “And finally –and I can’t stress this enough. Don’t panic. When people panic, people get hurt. We’re here to find ghosts – I don’t want any of you becoming one.”

  Everyone laughed uneasily. Then Jimmy spoke.

  “Precious, you realize by now that I’m the voice of reason here,” he said. “It’s my job, I guess, to keep at
least one foot grounded in reality. Now, having said that, I want you to understand that as hard as it is for me to accept all this mumbo-jumbo, I support what we’re doing.” He shrugged. “I just felt I needed to say that.”

  “Your feelings are noted,” said Precious. “And, realistically, the odds are that absolutely nothing will happen tonight. As active as the manifestations seem to have been, I do believe that if there is anything paranormal afoot, we’ll know it before daybreak. But if nothing does happen, then we won’t count it a failure. We’ll just change tactics and try something else. Any questions for the whole group?”

  No one responded. “Of course, feel free to ask me anything in private,” said Precious. “Now, I’m going to set up some equipment. The rest of you can visit, watch TV for a while, whatever pleases you. I’ll reconvene us before I turn off the power.”

  With that, Precious left the room, singing his little tuneless song. The remaining seven simply looked around at each other.

  After a moment, Meredith spoke. “I think I need to tell you all something,” she said quietly. “And I think Precious needs to hear this, too.” She called to him.

  Precious returned, took a seat, and Meredith collected her thoughts. “You know I had the chance to talk to Bernadine after she woke up,” she said quietly. “I think y’all need to know what she told me.” And with that, Meredith told what Bernadine had experienced – the appearance of the woman who was identical to Meredith, the man standing in the door, everything.

  “Good God,” said Jimmy, after she’d finished. “What are we to do with that?”

  Precious, however, seemed to understand everything he’d heard. “That’s quite interesting,” he said. “There is, in paranormal experiences, the tradition of the doppelganger, or double. Supposedly, a living person is able to project an exact replica of themselves to a different location – you may have heard it referred to as an out-of-body experience, or astral projection. Meredith … have you experienced anything like that?”

  “No,” said Meredith firmly. “No, not at all.”

  “So, then,” said Precious, “it is probably safe to assume that Bernadine saw someone who completely resembles you. I discount the doppelganger idea, simply because the apparition Bernadine saw was not wearing contemporary clothes. Plus, you have the matter of seeing the man in the back door.”

  Meredith spoke, her voice very small. “Precious, I’ve seen both of these people.”

  Christine abruptly rubbed her face. “Oh, y’all,” she said, “I’ve seen that same man.”

  “What?” Lydia went very pale.

  “I did,” said Christine. “The day Meredith and I came over here to get her car, I saw a man, dressed in old-fashioned clothes, looking at us from an upstairs window as we were leaving. He was laughing at us.” Her voice broke. “I didn’t want to tell anyone, especially you, Meredith – I didn’t want to upset you any more.”

  “Girls, this is all very helpful, and thank you for telling us this,” said Precious. He was the only person in the room who showed any sign of being upbeat. “This gives us something more specific to work toward. As I now understand it, there have been two actual sightings … of a young woman, the other of an older man. Both of them seem to be wearing period clothing – your descriptions lead me to believe that these are clothes from the late 1800’s. And, male and female voices were heard. My initial assessment – based on what you’ve told me – is that we are dealing with two distinct entities. I’m not prepared to say that with any assurance, but it does give us a bit of a foundation to build on.”

  “I’ve seen a woman, too,” said Bethany, looking toward the window.

  “I understand,” said Precious. “Well. We’re all so strung out now that it’s going to be hard to relax, but I’d encourage you all to try. Meredith, my dear, I’m sure you have some cards or games available. Or you may watch television. Whatever pleases you.” With that, Precious bustled off to the great hall.

  Chapter Fourteen – Work Begins

  “Christine, princess, why didn’t you say anything before now?” asked Jimmy.

  “I just couldn’t see any good coming from it,” Christine said, dropping her eyes. “Please don’t be mad.”

  “I’m not in any way mad at you,” Jimmy said, crossing to her and hugging her. “I don’t want you to keep things to yourself that are upsetting, that’s all.” Christine didn’t answer, but returned her father’s embrace.

  Joshua stood and stretched. “Well, now that we’re all total wrecks, maybe we’d better try to work some tension off. Bethany, want to go for a walk while it’s still light?”

  “Sure,” said Bethany. She linked her arm with Joshua’s, and they walked out on the veranda through the French doors.

  “What did y’all do with Mark tonight?” Al asked Lydia.

  “He’s staying at a friend’s house,” said Lydia. “We tried to come up with some explanation as to what we’re doing, but we finally just told him that we had some adult business to tend to overnight, and that Christine and Meredith were spending the night out here. I don’t think he has a clue as to what’s up.”

  Meredith, who’d been rummaging in a closet in one corner of the room, emerged with a box. “Anyone want to play Clue?” she asked. “Seems sort of appropriate.”

  “Me!” said Christine brightly, and Lydia joined them. Al and Jimmy contented themselves with TV. The gathering looked like a casual neighborhood get-together.

  Joshua and Bethany strolled to the back of the house. Bethany led them to the family cemetery.

  “It sure is peaceful out here,” she said. “Just being out here takes me back a hundred years. Don’t you think we’re missing something, in the worry and bustle of our time?”

  “Maybe so,” said Joshua. He’d opened the gate and was crouching down, examining the epitaph on one of the stones. “There’s a certain quality of life these folks had that we don’t. I know we’d miss proper medical care and things like that, but their pace of life was so different. Back then, family meant something. People spent their whole lives within a few miles of their ancestral home.”

  Bethany squatted next to Joshua. “Finding anything interesting?”

  “No, not really,” he said. “Wouldn’t it be something to hear each one of these folks tell their stories? I’d bet they’d have tales to tell. Meredith said that her family – like all families – had plenty of secrets, secrets that never saw the light of day. I guess that’s typical.”

  “When did you and Meredith talk about that?” asked Bethany.

  “The Friday we --” and Joshua broke in mid-sentence.

  “The Friday y’all what?” asked Bethany. Her tone wasn’t threatening, but there was an edge to her words.

  “Come over here and sit with me,” said Joshua, feigning ease. “Let me catch you up on something.”

  The two sat on a marble bench, underneath one of the massive cedars. “You have my full attention,” said Bethany, regarding him with a deadpan stare.

  “OK,” Joshua began. He knew he had to choose his words carefully, without giving the appearance he was being evasive. “Last Friday morning I rode out here all alone. I had a key from when we came out here to get some of Meredith’s things. I just wanted to have a look around without anyone disturbing me. Nothing more.

  “So, I explored the house, and just like tonight, everything was perfectly normal. I would have never guessed that anything abnormal had been happening. Then, just as I started to leave, Meredith showed up. She was alone, too.”

  “So the two of you were out here alone,” Bethany said flatly.

  “We were,” said Joshua matter-of-factly. “Pure coincidence. She came out here to get some more of her things, I guess. We probably weren’t here more than ten minutes before we left going back to town. That’s pretty much it.”

  “Joshua,” said Bethany, “did anything happen that I need to know about?”

  “Absolutely not,” said Joshua. “Bethany. Listen to what you
just said. Don’t you know me better than that?”

  “I thought I did,” said Bethany. “But you need to know that I honestly don’t know what to believe.”

  “What?”

  “Joshua, we’ve had this discussion. You haven’t been you. You’ve been distracted and distant. You’re obsessing over all this. I thought that it was just the circumstances that had you intrigued. Now, I’m not sure. I’m trying to decide why you should wait so long to tell me about last Friday – or even if you were going to tell me.”

  Joshua glared at her. “Is this a little breach of trust I’m hearing? Because if it is, I’m not sure I like it.”

  “I don’t care if you like it or not,” said Bethany, matching his tone. “I’ve got one question, and you’d better be truthful to me, because I’ll know if you aren’t. Are you being unfaithful to me?”

  “I am not.”

  “Then what kind of relationship do you have with Meredith? And don’t tell me there’s not something, because I can see it in your face even now.”

  Joshua processed several different responses in the space of a few seconds. “Bethany,” he said finally, “I don’t like what I’m seeing in me.”

  Bethany shook her head. “Now you’re going to have to explain. And you need to answer my question in the process.”

  “I am not romantically attracted to Meredith Dubose,” Joshua said. “But she has been in my thoughts a lot since all this began.”

  “Keep talking.”

  “Bethany, I will never, ever be unfaithful to you. My faith, and our commitment to each other, has settled that.” Joshua sighed. “But it’s almost as if someone else was motivating me … I’m struggling to focus on anything but Meredith and this whole situation.”

  Bethany scowled. “I don’t think I understand.”

  “I don’t think I understand,” Joshua said. “You’ve called it an obsession. I guess it is. Problem is, I’m not having any luck moving past how I’m feeling. It’s like my rational mind has tripped off. It’s like I’m possessed or something.”