Chapter 1
Stewart, Massachusetts
Halloween Night, 2002
“Doctor Williams!” an overly perky voice called out.
“Oh, brother, here we go,” Shawn muttered, watching the bubbling blonde race towards her. The cool autumn air had assaulted her as soon as she stepped out of the rental car, and she pulled her navy blue parka closer around her. She brushed an errant strand of dirty blonde hair out of her hazel eyes and tried to sound friendly. “Ms. Larsen.” Lanie Larsen can’t be her real name. Of course, I doubt those breasts are real, either.
“Hey, call me Lanie.”
“Sure, and I’m Shawn.”
“This is going to be terrific.” Overly exuberant, Lanie blabbered on while Shawn retrieved her equipment from the back of the car. “A real ratings grabber.”
Shawn simply smiled at Larsen, who ranted wildly as they trudged up the hill. Shawn noticed that the woman with big hair, whose ego seemed to match the size of her breasts, failed to offer her assistance with her heavy equipment.
Shawn glanced around the environment where she would be spending the night. She could see that the brick, Whispering Pines Mansion, covered with ivy and overgrown bushes, must have been quite spectacular in its day. Now it was run down, giving it an ominous look. The grounds were almost barren due to the change in season. The cemetery lay off in the distance; the layer of fog covering it added to the creep factor. All in all, the place looked like a typical assignment for the young paranormal investigator.
The stairs leading up to the weathered entry porch creaked beneath Shawn, and she chuckled. “I can see why the locals think this place is haunted.”
Lanie snorted. “It better be, or we’re just wasting film. And the other teams are going to try to show us up. No way am I letting Phil Rogers get over on me with his Winchester Mansion schtick. If half the stuff people claim to have seen in and around this mansion actually happened, we should kick some serious butt.”
“What kind of stuff?” Shawn asked.
“The usual. Lights going on even though the electricity is off, seeing some old guy walking towards the woodshed, the figure of a woman standing in the window.”
Shawn simply shrugged, since the events that Lanie had just described were pretty common in her line of work.
“Shawn!” a familiar voice called.
She smiled when she saw the slender ebony woman exiting the house. “Hi, Althea,” Shawn said as her friend and current employer approached her. Althea instantly relieved Shawn of some of her burden while Lanie brushed past them without a second glance.
“I take it ‘Wonder Woman’ didn’t offer to help.” Althea grunted, lifting the heavy equipment.
“Of course not,” Shawn replied with a smirk.
As they stepped inside and set Shawn’s belongings down, Shawn shivered slightly and the hair on the back of her neck prickled. Her eyes brightened slightly and then fluttered shut. She relaxed into the feeling. Oh yeah, this is good.
“Do you feel something already?” Althea asked enthusiastically. “Oh, this is going to be good,” she echoed Shawn’s thoughts.
“So what’s the setup this time?” Shawn asked, being a last-minute replacement for another psychic.
“You get to spend Halloween night in a house that may, or may not, be haunted. We’ll be airing the special at midnight. We have teams set up in suspected haunted houses across the country,” Althea explained. “Anything extra we get after midnight, we’re using for a second special that will air later. I think The Travel Channel wants to pick that up. But we’ll be offering it around to all the syndicated markets.”
“Midnight on Halloween sounds perfect.” Shawn felt as if there were something Althea wasn’t telling her. “What are some of the other sites?”
“We’re here at Whispering Pines. Then there’s the Winchester Mansion in California, the New London Light House in Connecticut, that farmhouse in Alton, Iowa, and the Myrtles Plantation in St. Francisville, where a slave murdered the wife and kids. We tried to get the Amityville house, but the owners refused.”
“There’s nothing going on at Amityville,” Shawn said. She had visited the famed house and was disappointed to discover it was all an elaborate hoax.
“We’ve already wired the place with cameras and sound equipment. You just need to set up your own equipment. Lanie, Jasper, Kyle, and I will be outside in the van keeping an eye on you.” Althea rubbed her hands together, practically frothing at the mouth. Still, Shawn sensed that there was more she should know, and Althea wasn’t forthcoming with the details.
“I’ll be by myself?” Shawn asked, thinking it was odd.
“Well, not all alone.” Althea’s zeal suddenly abated.
“Other paranormal investigators?” Shawn tried to shake off the strange vibes she was feeling. “A film crew?” She still didn’t get a response from Althea. “A debunker?”
“Yes,” Althea finally said.
“So it’s just me and some blowhard who will swear up and down that it was the wind and creaking floorboards,” Shawn said with a smile. “Nothing unusual about that. Makes the show more interesting.”
“I hoped you’d see it that way,” Althea said with a sigh. “After Milo pulled out, I was in a panic that my unit would be cut from the program.”
“Who’s the professional naysayer I get to spend the night with?” Shawn asked. No sooner had the words left her mouth than she sensed her. “Faith Charles.” Her body warmed, and she turned to see the dark-haired woman approaching her from the staircase.
“Well, if it isn’t little Shawn,” Faith Charles said in a condescending tone. Shawn shook off the remark. She knew Faith had only said it to get some kind of reaction out of her. “What happened to Milo?”
“You happened, Ms. Charles,” Althea responded curtly. “Dr. Williams was kind enough to join the team at the last moment. So play nice.”
“I’m always nice,” Faith Charles said and walked away.
“Relax,” Shawn told Althea. “She’s not that bad, once you get past the condescending attitude and that stick she has wedged up her ass.”
“I heard that,” Faith yelled from the other room.
“Of course you did, with those big ears,” Shawn replied. It was a familiar game between them. They took turns taunting each other, to see who would blow a gasket first.
Althea laughed lightly. “Just between us, what kind of vibes do you get off of her?”
“None,” Shawn responded with a frown. At times she tried to see whether she could get any signals from the stuffy, albeit attractive, Faith Charles. She received nothing. It happened that way occasionally; some people were easy to read and others offered nothing.
“Nothing?” Althea pouted. “Come on, you always get a little something.”
“Not always,” Shawn said dryly while she began unpacking her equipment. “Some people are very good at shutting me out, or I simply can’t tap into them. I kind of enjoy being around people like that.”
“Why?” Althea inquired as she assisted Shawn. “I’d love to know what’s going on in people’s heads.”
“No, you wouldn’t.” Shawn sighed heavily. “It can be quite disturbing having all that inside information. Like knowing that someone’s husband is cheating on her,” Shawn added, causing Althea to wince.
“You did me a favor,” Althea said. “If you hadn’t shaken my now ex-husband’s hand, I would have never known about that bimbo he had on the side.”
Shawn wished she could explain the alienation she felt at times, and the way people shied away from her once they learned about her gift. She had to give Faith Charles credit; she simply blocked her out, although Shawn doubted that Faith was even aware of what she was doing. F
aith was a professional debunker who scoffed at the paranormal. But then again, it was her job to do just that.
Faith was there to cast doubt upon anything Shawn discovered. That’s how this type of show worked. Shawn was a psychic by birth and had chosen to make it her profession. Faith was a reporter who specialized in debunking psychic phenomenon. They would both go to places that were thought to be haunted and take part in a documentary or television special. They debated for the camera, and afterwards, both wrote books about it.
Much to the crew’s disappointment, at times Shawn would agree with Faith when she could find nothing but overactive imaginations. Faith, on the other hand, never agreed with Shawn. On camera, at least. On a few occasions when it was just the two of them, Faith admitted that she had no explanation for what she had seen or experienced.
Normally, on camera, they would fight tooth and nail, giving the viewers some entertainment. Off camera, they took great pleasure in exchanging barbs, and Shawn enjoyed their banter. That, and she couldn’t help but notice Faith’s physical attributes.
“What happened with Milo?” Shawn continued to set up her equipment. She had decided to use the large parlor as her center of operation.
“I don’t know,” Althea said. “He was about to start setting up and checking the place when he and superbitch got into a row. He just packed up and drove off.”
“Any coffee around?” Faith grumbled as she strode into the room like she owned the place.
“Kyle set up some supplies in the kitchen,” Althea said. “There should be a couple of thermoses of coffee.”
“No power?” Shawn looked down at the cable for her camera equipment.
“No,” Althea confirmed. “We’ll run your cables out to the van.”
“Having fun with your toys?” Faith asked. Shawn smiled at the double entendre.
“Yes,” she teased in return. “Didn’t you bring any?”
Faith released a hearty laugh as Shawn flashed her a saucy smirk. “You’re the psychic,” Faith said in a husky tone. “You tell me,” she added with a purr.
“Cute.” Shawn was enjoying their teasing.
Faith’s sexuality wasn’t a secret, and truth be told, anyone with a pulse would be attracted to her. Shawn brushed her hand across Faith’s forearm.
“Naughty,” she said. “But I hope you brought some extra batteries for that. I don’t think the van’s generator can handle it.” Shawn was shocked when Faith blushed and pulled her arm away.
“I was just teasing,” Shawn said. “I thought you didn’t believe in any of this.”
“No comment,” Faith muttered. “Between us, I’m glad Milo pulled out. That guy drives me nuts with all that clutching objects and humming.”
“That’s his specialty,” Shawn said. “He can touch objects and get a sense or image of the past or future.”
“And you do people,” Faith said.
“That’s because I seem to be able to see things or feel things about people, living or dead.”
“Whatever.”
“Yeah, well, sometimes it’s like being caught in between stations on the AM dial.” Shawn ignored Faith’s brush-off. “And growing up, it sucked the life out of Christmas.”
“Bummer,” Faith noted dryly. “I guess you don’t get thrown too many surprise birthday parties either?”
“What’s the point?” Shawn said.
“Shawn,” Althea said, “We need to get some shots of you outside and down at the cemetery before you finish setting up. Jasper’s waiting for you.”
“I’m on my way.” Shawn left her equipment behind and stepped out into the crisp autumn air.
Once outside of the run-down mansion, Shawn sensed a strange unease. As Jasper followed her around with a camera, she walked the grounds, giving a short spiel for the intended audience.
When they reached the cemetery, Shawn’s pulse started beating rapidly. Her having this sort of reaction in a graveyard wasn’t unusual. Too many souls could reach out to her. She understood that they reached out to everyone, but she was one of the few gifted with the ability to hear them. “They’re missing,” she said absently.
“What?” Jasper asked.
“They should be here, but their graves are empty,” she said in a distant tone, her mind wandering. Jasper looked pale as he peered out from behind his heavy camera.
Towards the center of the cemetery stood a large, dilapidated crypt, obviously built to house generations of the same family. Yet Shawn sensed that only one person had been laid to rest in it. She felt anger emanating from the cold marble.
Off in the distance, on a small hill, she spied a second crypt that cast a warm feeling over her. It was filled with a loving family. Yet something was telling her that two people were absent from it. She could sense bitterness passing between the two marble structures. She shook her head as the different feelings passed through her.
“What is it?” Jasper squeaked.
Shawn smiled at him. He worked on many of these films with her, but he still seemed edgy about the subject matter.
“Well...” When she motioned that they were done, Jasper seemed relieved to be exiting the cemetery.
“It’s just that it always amazes me that families can carry their dysfunctions into the afterlife,” Shawn explained in a wry tone.
“Great,” Jasper grumbled. “You mean I might end up spending eternity listening to my parents bitch at one another while they remind me that my older brother was captain of the football team?”
“It can happen,” Shawn said. They walked back up towards the crumbling mansion. “Usually it takes more than that.” She turned again towards the cemetery and pointed. “See the crypt in the center?”
“Yeah.”
“It was obviously built to house several generations of the same family,” she continued. “But I got the feeling that there’s only one person buried inside. See the second crypt up on the hill? It was built so that it would literally look down on the first. Someone buried on the hill feels that two members of his family are missing from his crypt, and he blames whoever is buried in the first crypt for their absence.”
“You got all of that just by walking around?” Jasper sounded amazed.
“Yes,” Shawn said with a smile. “That, and someone named Greta blames her sister Beatrice for stealing the only man she ever loved. Beatrice thinks Greta should shut up about it, since Boyd was lousy in bed. I think I have to agree with Beatrice on that one.”
“You made that last part up,” Jasper teased her as they stepped up onto the entry porch of the old brick mansion.
“No,” Shawn answered. “Greta and Beatrice are buried closer to the edge of the cemetery, and they probably passed on only about sixty years ago or so.”
“Do you think they have something to do with whatever’s going on in the house?”
“No,” Shawn said flatly as she felt a chill pass through her. “I think it has to do with whoever’s buried in the first crypt.”
“How was the family cemetery?” Althea inquired as they reentered the mansion.
“Ooh. Can I tell her?” Jasper asked.
“Go ahead. I need to finish setting up.” Shawn laughed at the young man’s excitement as he began to fill Althea in on what Shawn had said in the cemetery.
As Shawn continued to set up her equipment, she didn’t miss that Faith followed her around, watching her every movement. The house was devoid of furniture and filled with dust and cobwebs. Shawn couldn’t help the uneasy feeling that was surrounding her.
“Something very bad happened here,” she whispered.
“What about me?” Faith suddenly asked. “Do you get any impressions from me?”
“I can’t get any feeling from you. Happens sometimes. I think you’re very good at blocking me out.” Shawn and Jasper set about connecting her cables. “Jasper here, he reads like a cheap novel.”
Jasper snorted. “I think I should be insulted. Maybe I’m just a lot more interesting than some p
eople,” he said with a slight wheeze.
Shawn ignored Faith’s scowl and Jasper’s sad attempt to flirt with both of them and went about setting up the rest of her equipment as Kyle, the second cameraman, entered the room.
“Hey there, Kyle,” Shawn greeted the young Asian man. “I’ll be ready for the preliminary shoot around the inside of the house in a few.” Kyle and Jasper were sweet boys who were damn good at their jobs. However, whenever a pair of breasts was within a twenty-mile radius, they both acted like a couple of high schoolers. When she and Faith worked with them, they would practically do handstands to get their attention. Basically, the boys needed to get out of their editing bay a little more often.
Shawn bent over to pick up her bags. “Stop staring at my ass,” she said to Kyle, who was standing behind her.
“Sorry,” Kyle muttered. “I keep forgetting about that psychic thing.”
“Yeah, I’d have to be psychic to know that you were ogling my ass.” Shawn rolled her hazel eyes in amusement.
“Shawn,” Althea said, “we need to film your intro. Just the usual: background on yourself, what you do and why you do it kind of thing. Lanie will interview you while Kyle films. You can do it while you finish setting up your gadgets, and then you can explain how they work. We’ve already shot Faith, so that’s out of the way. Then I want a shot of Lanie’s intro in front of the fireplace, which Jasper is going to light a fire in.” Jasper grumbled before stomping off in search of wood. “After that, it will be just the two of you until midnight. If nothing interesting is happening, we can pack up after the airing. If we get lucky and something does happen, the two of you can sleep here and we’ll get you in the morning.”
“Cozy,” Faith said.
“We’ve all done this before. Nothing new, except that neither of you has been told the history of this place,” Althea ignored Faith’s comment and continued. Truth be told, Shawn preferred not knowing the history; it made her job much easier when she didn’t have preconceived notions.
“We’ll fill you in on all of that when we shoot Lanie’s narration,” Althea said. “Hopefully, we’ll have something that the network and viewers will like. Our equipment is set up. We’ve already gotten the shots of the cemetery and the house. All we need now is Shawn to do her thing.”
Whispering Pines Page 1
