1 Faith in the Dark
"Do you have to keep talking like that?" Miranda asked with obvious irritation. She turned toward Declan in the dark cab of his truck and scowled. He grinned maliciously and gave Mole a satisfying scratch behind the ears. The moon was the only source of light in the dark driveway. Declan leaned forward to better see the house that stood a short distance from the truck. He looked at his smoldering passenger and sighed.
"Okay, Miranda, but this case just makes me think about that great radio show. This is kind of eerie. Who knows what that apparition is doing in the house. ONLY THE SHADOW KNOWS…"
"That's it Declan! Stop saying that! Enough is enough! Besides, you weren't even old enough to have listened that show on the radio. Cut it out." Miranda turned away from him, swung her door open, and jumped from the truck. Declan joined her seconds later and they headed toward the dark house.
The front door opened as they reached the two steps that lead to the low front porch. The front door opened as the pair approached. A woman appeared in the doorway of the dimly lit home. She ushered them inside and quietly shut the door. Declan sensed the woman's anxiety as she stood looking at them with wide brown eyes. Ann Douglas was an attractive woman, in her mid –thirties, with shoulder length brown hair that framed an unlined face.
"Thanks for coming, Professor Dunn. I'm still skeptical about this. Davey is so young and I just don't want to encourage him to believe in things that…aren't, you know….normal." She ran a nervous hand through her hair. Taking slow steps, Mrs. Douglas led them into her living room.
Declan stopped in front of the sofa but did not sit down. "How's Davey doing?" he asked, "Is he sleeping?"
"Yes, we spent the day rollerblading and cruising an amusement park. He fell asleep while he and I read his favorite book together. We're determined to enjoy our summer off this year."
Declan smiled. Ann Douglas was a special education teacher at Davey's elementary school. When Declan first met her, nearly two weeks ago, she insisted that they talk at the local playground. He was surprised to find her coaching Davey's little league softball team to victory. They stayed on the field afterward while her son went for ice cream with members of the team. Two days later, he got a chance to talk to Davey and was very impressed with the boy's acceptance of the shadow in his room. He insisted that the apparition was his dead father.
"If' it's okay with you Mrs. Douglas…"
"Oh please call me Ann. Only kids call me Mrs.," she interrupted him.
"Alright…Ann, if it's okay with you, Miranda can set up the sensory equipment in Davey's room." Declan introduced Miranda to Ann Douglas. They shook hands and Miranda left the house quietly. Declan continued. "We're going to hopefully identify what is causing this…shadow image. More than likely, there's something outside that you just didn't find yet that is casting that shape in Davey's room." He stopped talking as he watched the worried mother's face frown in concern. It was important to find out what was going on in the boy's room. Declan attempted his most reassuring smile and laid a comforting hand on Ann's forearm. "Don't worry. I don't think it's anything scary. Davey's not afraid of the shadow so it's okay so far."
"You're right. When I heard about your work from my pastor, I was afraid to call you. I just couldn't let myself believe that this thing could be…you know….spooky. It sounds crazy. If this is a hoax or something I didn't find outside, then let me apologize now for wasting your time, Professor Dunn."
"Call me Declan, and no matter what this turns out to be, this is not a waste of time." Miranda returned with her camera bag and a few other small pieces of equipment. She waited expectantly at the bottom of the stairs that lead to the second floor and silently cursed Declan for insisting that they investigate this shadow. All of her childhood nighttime fears flashed like neon signs while butterflies danced in her stomach.
Ann quietly led them upstairs to her eight-year old son's room and slowly opened the door. Davey slept in a long twin bed in the center of the room. His entire room was decorated with plastic planets, stars, alien spacecrafts, asteroids and various other outer space objects. Many glow-in- the-dark stars hung from the ceiling by barely visible strings.
"Cool," Declan whispered with a smile. Miranda couldn't help but nod in agreement. The room was a child's fantasy.
Mrs. Douglas pushed the door open slowly to reveal the wall farthest from the bed and the window facing it.
"Whoa…" Miranda murmured. She tiptoed forward with a small camera. She stopped halfway across the room in terror. Declan and Mrs. Douglas moved behind her to view the wall. A large shadow, in the shape of a man with box square shoulders slanted its way across the sky blue painted surface.
Ann Douglas could only stare in shocked silence as she had many nights since the appearance of the shadow almost a month ago. With only the moonlight illuminating the room, the large shadow looked three-dimensional.
Declan motioned Ann to follow him from the room. A nervous Miranda quietly began taking pictures.
"Interesting… that's quite a …I don't know what to make of it yet." Declan sought to respond to the sight upstairs but fell short. He and the boy's mother were standing in the living room once again. "We're going to search for a possible source that could make that shape. When Miranda's done taking pictures, we'll look outside and all around your property. Do you think your neighbors would mind us walking around their yards a little?"
Ann rubbed her forearms nervously and glanced at the stairs. The Tilllards and the McDonalds, her neighbors on both sides, had helped her search the property several times. They were driven by curiosity and concern for the young widowed mother. Ann had not told them that she was bringing in an "investigative team" and now felt embarrassed at the thought of Declan and his partner poking around in other yards.
"If you can look around quietly, they might not mind. I'll call them now so they won't have the police flying out here." She headed toward the kitchen telephone. Several minutes later, she returned. "It's okay with them. I have to warn you though, Tom McDonald is an ex-navy seal and he's going to follow you all over tonight. He's going to have Bob Tillard all excited in a few minutes and both of them will question you like Holmes and Watson. Good luck."
Declan smiled and shook his head. "No problem. They should be concerned about you and having strangers roaming around at night." He saw that her face held no humor. "Anything else I should know?"
Ann turned and sat on the sofa behind her. "No. I guess I'm just worried about this whole thing. I've searched outside of this house night after night." She rubbed her temples for a moment. "Davey thinks that the shadow is his dad. The shape...looks like Jimmy…so tall and broad. I don't like this going on in my son's room. He's not afraid because he's so sure it's Jimmy. I moved here two years ago to get away from the sad memories of the little house in the city. We both liked Lake Fall as soon as we moved in. Now…I don't know." Ann swallowed back the obvious pain of remembering tragedy and loss. "Do what you have to do, Declan."
He sat down quietly beside her. Again, he noticed the vulnerability of the young mother and the attractive way she tried to appear cool and collected when he joined her on the sofa. ::Great. Thinking of hittin' on a grieving widow. You're a pig, Dunn:: Declan shook his impure thoughts away and watched her staring at the photos on the mantelpiece. He sought to comfort her. "Don't worry. No harm has come to Davey so far. It has to have a source. We'll find it. Another associate of mine is a psychiatrist, Dr. Peggy Fowler, and I think it's a good idea for her to have a talk with you and Davey about this. I consult her on almost all of these investigations because sometimes---"
"...the subjects are stark raving mad, right?" Ann finished for him with a smile. Declan started to nod but stopped himself before agreeing. He laughed nervously and stood up. "No, not raving mad. Maybe suffering from stress or some suppressed trauma. Peggy has found this to be true in some cases. I'm sure you and Davey are quite sane."
They both noticed Miranda standing in the doorway at the same time. Neither was sure how long she had been standing there. "Ready to go outside now." She said. "Nothing came up on the infrared or the other scanners. It truly is just a shadow. Davey is stirring so it was time to stop."
Declan joined his partner and Ann followed them to the front door. Once they were outside and walking down the porch, Miranda placed a light punch on Declan's left forearm. "While I'm upstairs in the chamber of horrors, you're downstairs movin' in on the terrified widow. Nice going, Declan." She walked hurriedly past him and around the house. He stood on the bottom step trying to answer her accusation. "Hey! You're wrong. It never crossed my mind." He whispered loudly. :: You pig::, he thought to himself as he jogged to catch up to Miranda.
"Do you have to keep talking like that?" Miranda asked with obvious irritation. She turned toward Declan in the dark cab of his truck and scowled. He grinned maliciously and gave Mole a satisfying scratch behind the ears. The moon was the only source of light in the dark driveway. Declan leaned forward to better see the house that stood a short distance from the truck. He looked at his smoldering passenger and sighed.
"Okay, Miranda, but this case just makes me think about that great radio show. This is kind of eerie. Who knows what that apparition is doing in the house. ONLY THE SHADOW KNOWS…"
"That's it Declan! Stop saying that! Enough is enough! Besides, you weren't even old enough to have listened that show on the radio. Cut it out." Miranda turned away from him, swung her door open, and jumped from the truck. Declan joined her seconds later and they headed toward the dark house.
The front door opened as they reached the two steps that lead to the low front porch. The front door opened as the pair approached. A woman appeared in the doorway of the dimly lit home. She ushered them inside and quietly shut the door. Declan sensed the woman's anxiety as she stood looking at them with wide brown eyes. Ann Douglas was an attractive woman, in her mid –thirties, with shoulder length brown hair that framed an unlined face.
"Thanks for coming, Professor Dunn. I'm still skeptical about this. Davey is so young and I just don't want to encourage him to believe in things that…aren't, you know….normal." She ran a nervous hand through her hair. Taking slow steps, Mrs. Douglas led them into her living room.
Declan stopped in front of the sofa but did not sit down. "How's Davey doing?" he asked, "Is he sleeping?"
"Yes, we spent the day rollerblading and cruising an amusement park. He fell asleep while he and I read his favorite book together. We're determined to enjoy our summer off this year."
Declan smiled. Ann Douglas was a special education teacher at Davey's elementary school. When Declan first met her, nearly two weeks ago, she insisted that they talk at the local playground. He was surprised to find her coaching Davey's little league softball team to victory. They stayed on the field afterward while her son went for ice cream with members of the team. Two days later, he got a chance to talk to Davey and was very impressed with the boy's acceptance of the shadow in his room. He insisted that the apparition was his dead father.
"If' it's okay with you Mrs. Douglas…"
"Oh please call me Ann. Only kids call me Mrs.," she interrupted him.
"Alright…Ann, if it's okay with you, Miranda can set up the sensory equipment in Davey's room." Declan introduced Miranda to Ann Douglas. They shook hands and Miranda left the house quietly. Declan continued. "We're going to hopefully identify what is causing this…shadow image. More than likely, there's something outside that you just didn't find yet that is casting that shape in Davey's room." He stopped talking as he watched the worried mother's face frown in concern. It was important to find out what was going on in the boy's room. Declan attempted his most reassuring smile and laid a comforting hand on Ann's forearm. "Don't worry. I don't think it's anything scary. Davey's not afraid of the shadow so it's okay so far."
"You're right. When I heard about your work from my pastor, I was afraid to call you. I just couldn't let myself believe that this thing could be…you know….spooky. It sounds crazy. If this is a hoax or something I didn't find outside, then let me apologize now for wasting your time, Professor Dunn."
"Call me Declan, and no matter what this turns out to be, this is not a waste of time." Miranda returned with her camera bag and a few other small pieces of equipment. She waited expectantly at the bottom of the stairs that lead to the second floor and silently cursed Declan for insisting that they investigate this shadow. All of her childhood nighttime fears flashed like neon signs while butterflies danced in her stomach.
Ann quietly led them upstairs to her eight-year old son's room and slowly opened the door. Davey slept in a long twin bed in the center of the room. His entire room was decorated with plastic planets, stars, alien spacecrafts, asteroids and various other outer space objects. Many glow-in- the-dark stars hung from the ceiling by barely visible strings.
"Cool," Declan whispered with a smile. Miranda couldn't help but nod in agreement. The room was a child's fantasy.
Mrs. Douglas pushed the door open slowly to reveal the wall farthest from the bed and the window facing it.
"Whoa…" Miranda murmured. She tiptoed forward with a small camera. She stopped halfway across the room in terror. Declan and Mrs. Douglas moved behind her to view the wall. A large shadow, in the shape of a man with box square shoulders slanted its way across the sky blue painted surface.
Ann Douglas could only stare in shocked silence as she had many nights since the appearance of the shadow almost a month ago. With only the moonlight illuminating the room, the large shadow looked three-dimensional.
Declan motioned Ann to follow him from the room. A nervous Miranda quietly began taking pictures.
"Interesting… that's quite a …I don't know what to make of it yet." Declan sought to respond to the sight upstairs but fell short. He and the boy's mother were standing in the living room once again. "We're going to search for a possible source that could make that shape. When Miranda's done taking pictures, we'll look outside and all around your property. Do you think your neighbors would mind us walking around their yards a little?"
Ann rubbed her forearms nervously and glanced at the stairs. The Tilllards and the McDonalds, her neighbors on both sides, had helped her search the property several times. They were driven by curiosity and concern for the young widowed mother. Ann had not told them that she was bringing in an "investigative team" and now felt embarrassed at the thought of Declan and his partner poking around in other yards.
"If you can look around quietly, they might not mind. I'll call them now so they won't have the police flying out here." She headed toward the kitchen telephone. Several minutes later, she returned. "It's okay with them. I have to warn you though, Tom McDonald is an ex-navy seal and he's going to follow you all over tonight. He's going to have Bob Tillard all excited in a few minutes and both of them will question you like Holmes and Watson. Good luck."
Declan smiled and shook his head. "No problem. They should be concerned about you and having strangers roaming around at night." He saw that her face held no humor. "Anything else I should know?"
Ann turned and sat on the sofa behind her. "No. I guess I'm just worried about this whole thing. I've searched outside of this house night after night." She rubbed her temples for a moment. "Davey thinks that the shadow is his dad. The shape...looks like Jimmy…so tall and broad. I don't like this going on in my son's room. He's not afraid because he's so sure it's Jimmy. I moved here two years ago to get away from the sad memories of the little house in the city. We both liked Lake Fall as soon as we moved in. Now…I don't know." Ann swallowed back the obvious pain of remembering tragedy and loss. "Do what you have to do, Declan."
He sat down quietly beside her. Again, he noticed the vulnerability of the young mother and the attractive way she tried to appear cool and collected when he joined her on the sofa. ::Great. Thinking of hittin' on a grieving widow. You're a pig, Dunn:: Declan shook his impure thoughts away and watched her staring at the photos on the mantelpiece. He sought to comfort her. "Don't worry. No harm has come to Davey so far. It has to have a source. We'll find it. Another associate of mine is a psychiatrist, Dr. Peggy Fowler, and I think it's a good idea for her to have a talk with you and Davey about this. I consult her on almost all of these investigations because sometimes---"
"...the subjects are stark raving mad, right?" Ann finished for him with a smile. Declan started to nod but stopped himself before agreeing. He laughed nervously and stood up. "No, not raving mad. Maybe suffering from stress or some suppressed trauma. Peggy has found this to be true in some cases. I'm sure you and Davey are quite sane."
They both noticed Miranda standing in the doorway at the same time. Neither was sure how long she had been standing there. "Ready to go outside now." She said. "Nothing came up on the infrared or the other scanners. It truly is just a shadow. Davey is stirring so it was time to stop."
Declan joined his partner and Ann followed them to the front door. Once they were outside and walking down the porch, Miranda placed a light punch on Declan's left forearm. "While I'm upstairs in the chamber of horrors, you're downstairs movin' in on the terrified widow. Nice going, Declan." She walked hurriedly past him and around the house. He stood on the bottom step trying to answer her accusation. "Hey! You're wrong. It never crossed my mind." He whispered loudly. :: You pig::, he thought to himself as he jogged to catch up to Miranda.
