Questions and Answers
Monday, August 3.
"Are you sure, Detective Mathews?" I inquired.
"Sure as pie." He replied. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"I don't know, it's just that why would someone want to do this to us? Why would someone put on a false name? We have nothing extremely valuable we have nothing that they could take! Do you think that the incidents are linked?" I exclaimed with exasperation.
"Maybe a grudge against your mother? You just moved here so it can't be against you. And I'm not sure about them being linked and so far in our investigation there is no evidence to suggest it. All we need is that little piece of evidence." He sounded like this is what his answer was for everything.
"Sure. I will talk with my mom. Thanks for everything Detective." I didn't care that I sounded forlorn.
"Don't mention it. You can mention it to Mrs. Finn but were going to come back out soon to question some more. I don't know why these things are happening to you but you just hold on tight, we'll get it strait in a jiffy." He sounded reassuring.
"All right, buh bye now."
"Bye, Miss." He hung up the receiver and I put mine on the hook. I breathed a sigh and Molly came in.
"This is pretty scary," She said. She stood uncomfortable in the door way.
"I'm scared too, Molly. I want it to end." I looked at her.
"Yea, no offense to you or anything, but I really can't wait to leave." She looked sorry.
"I don't blame ya," I said and I trudged into the living room to sit on the couch.
Detective Mathews just called to tell me that Caroline Hopper didn't exist. He told me that they searched everywhere, even out of state, and they couldn't find her. The cops had searched in the direction I had pointed to where her house was supposed to be and they didn't find anything. This was a very scary piece of information. I really didn't know what to do about all the events that were happening. I wanted to do something.
After coming home I had sat in my room for a while just sitting. I knew that I had some kind of a problem with this entity that was following me. I had come to this conclusion after an hour of sitting.
I debated getting one of those Ouijas boards and calling for him, but thought better of it. I didn't even know if he was a ghost. It felt stupid to do something I did when I was little at sleepovers for something so serious.
When I went over to a friends house when I was little we got out the board and called for Bloody Mary. Of course she didn't show up. It felt stupid to do the same thing to call this boy if that's what I could call him.
I couldn't tell one bit if I was dealing with two situations or three. There was the break-in, fake Caroline Hopper and the boy. The boy couldn't have anything to do with the other events but the other events could also be linked.
Just then mom came in the door and I must have looked horrid because she asked what was wrong.
I told her about Caroline and she covered her mouth with wide eyes.
"Don't open the door when I'm gone anymore, all right?"
"I've already thought of that and I'm not gunna." I said.
It was already five so we cooked up some dinner and I was beat from my run in the forest. So I watched some TV until eight and went to bed.
. . .
I was running, running to meet up with the boy in the quilted coat. I was thirsty and dripping with sweat but the boy was so close and if I reached him I would get a drink.
This time I reached the boy and I grabbed his shoulder to spin him around. He smiled at me and I smiled back. I could feel a static in the air. Pop!
"I finally reached you." I wasn't thirsty anymore.
"I guess you have." He laughed and his eyes twinkled. His voice only intensified the electricity that I could feel tugging at my hair.
"What's so funny?" I asked ignoring the strange sensation.
"I thought that meeting you would be harder, but it's just so easy that I feel like laughing." And he did laugh. I could have laughed with him it was so nice.
"What do you mean? How would meeting me be hard?" I asked.
He looked at the ground and said, "I don't know, I just haven't been able to." He looked up and shrugged.
I searched his face, drinking it in. He was so beautiful it was hard to look away. What a peculiar dream. Than again, a lot of peculiar things have been happening to me lately.
"Not able?" I asked. I was tired of asking so many questions.
"It's hard to explain. I don't exactly know how it works, I just couldn't."
"How what works?" I asked yet another question.
"I don't know," He admitted.
"Why are you following me?"
"I think I need your help."
"I can't help you much." Finally I didn't have to ask a question.
"I know. I just feel like I should be around you. And I feel like I should warn you." He looked hostile.
"What can you even do for me? I tried to see you in the woods and you kept going." I sure hoped I sounded accusing enough but it was hard because he was just so calming and beautiful.
"I'm sorry, I was angry and you only saw me for part of the time."
I almost asked him what he was mad about but thought better of it.
"Did you make the clicking noise?" I asked.
"Yea, I did, and scared that man away. The one in the black gloves and mask." he looked proud of himself.
"Thank you. I don't know what I could have done without you."
"Don't mention it. Now you know that clicking is me. Don't be afraid." He took a step forward and held out his hand.
. . .
Tuesday, August 4.
I was about to take it when I slipped into consciousness. A light was hitting my face and it had woken me up.
The dream! The boy in my dream! Was there really a boy? Was my mind making this up?
I sat up quickly and whispered, "Are you there?" It felt silly but I listened for something, a clicking. Nothing happened. Ugh, I'm so stupid.
I got dressed and went downstairs. My mom was eating breakfast and she pointed to a chair so I would join her. I ate for a while than she broke the silence.
"I have another surprise for you." She said evenly, smiling.
I let my expression ask a question.
"Come out here," she got up and walked to the front door. When she opened the door outside it sat a red truck with a big blue bow on top the hood.
I stood gaping at it for a moment and I could see my mom out of the corner of my eye waiting for my reaction. I registered that the whole truck was for me and I gave a shriek of delight.
I stumbled a few steps to her and hugged her. "Thank you, Thank you."
"It's all yours," she beamed.
I felt someone watching me from behind like the time in the woods, and I now realized, the time before I had entered my house for the first time. I whirled expecting to see a red coat.
Instead I got Detective Mathews. I had been spoiling for a confrontation and my face wasn't showing the welcoming signs. I changed my expression
"Hello Miss, good to see you. Were you expecting to see someone else?" His handsome features buckled as he frowned.
"No, no. I was just – you too. Come on in." I let him in and he sat down in the armchair. Mom sat on the couch. Molly strode in. I remained standing. We looked at him expectantly.
"Mrs. Finn," he began. "Do you have anyone who might want to harm you?" he asked my mom.
"Well no. why?" She looked puzzled.
"Because, we don't know who committed this crime and there is no leads. We have interviewed the neighbors and looked for Mrs. Hopper. We have nothing. Not a scratch of evidence. I'm sorry to say this case will come to a dead end if we have no new information." He looked tired at that moment and I felt sorry for him.
There was a pause as my mom chewed over this information. "I have no enemies. I only have friends." She finally said.
"Than I'm sorry to say that the investigation will be closed shortly and unless we get more information we won't continue." I liked Detective Mathews for his sincerity and he seemed like he genuinely cared.
"Than we won't waste any more of your time." I said hastily. I wanted him gone so he wouldn't suspect me of anything.
"I'm really sorry. I can't do anything else to help." I believed him. Leave, I thought.
"It's all right, thank you." I said and got him out the door.
My mom looked at me apparently ignoring the fact that I just shooed Detective Mathews out the door. "Guess we won't catch em' than. Huh, Triss." She said.
"Guess not," But I had other ideas.
That night I came up with a game plan.
Wednesday, August 5.
I slept dreamless and when I woke up mom was gone on more errands leaving me free to my plan. I locked everything up and started walking toward Bobby Long's house. Phase one.
"Hello, I'm Beatrice." I said with a smile.
A man in his forties or fifties had opened a front door to a trailer in a yard of brown grass that was much too tall. He was tall and he had a receding hairline of graying brown hair. He had brown eyes that might have been friendly at one time and he was wearing overalls. He needed a shave, too.
"Hello." He said it so simply that I gave a little start.
"I'm the new neighbor. I live over there." And I pointed toward my house.
"Okay." I could tell he wasn't a chatty one.
"Can I ask you some questions?" I asked since apparently he wasn't going to let me in.
"What kind?" He asked.
This man was starting to get on my nerves.
"The police already asked me some." I was surprised that he already knew what I was going to ask questions about. He struck me as a man who wasn't educated but wasn't stupid either.
"I know but I have some more for you that could further the investigation." He looked at me like he would slam the door any second. He just stood there so I proceeded.
"Do you remember seeing a short older woman wearing floral clothing about three days ago?" I asked.
He paused for a moment then said, "Yea. Parked on the end of your driveway. Then walked up to your house with somthin' in 'er hands." I was so exited to have some information that I almost giggled.
"What did her car look like?" I asked. He looked at me kind of funny and thought for a moment. It looked painful.
"A van kind, Black one. Said somthin' on the side." He continued.
"What did it say? Was there windows?" I said quickly, eager. What an amazing jump in discovery! If he knew what it said than I would know how to find her!
"Said 'Francine's Supernatural Finds'. No windows." He said. I was so close to finding her. I only needed an address and I would confront her.
"Francine's Supernatural Finds'," I mumbled. I almost thanked him and turned to go but there was still a few more things to discuss.
"Did you ever see a boy in a red quilted jacket?" I asked. This wasn't originally part of the plan but I decided to ask anyway. It couldn't hurt.
I was surprised that the police didn't get this information already. Then it hit me that they didn't ask these particular questions. They were asking Bobby if he had seen anyone breaking into our house. Of course Bobby wouldn't have been able to tell! You can't see out house until you're halfway down our gravel driveway! The police never thought to ask who he saw going down the driveway or parked on the end of it.
Then it hit me that these people never had asked questions about Caroline. They were not linking the two incidents. I still thought they were linked. Hell, the police thought it was just some crazy old lady that had evaded the police records and computers all her life for all I knew.
"I never seen a guy in a red jacket." He said. Darn.
"And before any of this ever happened did you ever see a man walking down the street to my house wearing a black mask and gloves?" I asked.
"No," He said and slammed the door in my face.
Poor guy was crazy. I was surrounded by crazy people. I was lucky that I had gotten his information and I turned to go back to my house.
I got in my car and sped away toward the City of Silverton Library.
When I typed Francine's Supernatural Finds on the computer search engine only one site popped up. I clicked and scanned the site.
It seemed to be some sort of fan site but what were they fans of? I searched the website some more and found a little blurb about Francine's. It wasn't very nice and I'm sure it was put there to warn people to avoid this woman. She was really creepy after all.
Francine's Supernatural Finds: One of the less known supernatural shops. Owner was a weird old lady in a weird old shop. She claims to have seen ghosts.
6734 Faraway RD S Silverton, OR.
For more places that deal with the supernatural click HERE.
I almost clicked on the link but thought better of it.
Apparently someone doesn't like this woman. It didn't diminish my wish to find her. It was evident that her profession, if that's what I could call it, was a – a ghost hunter. I couldn't wrap my head around the word and believe it. None the less, the evidence was in front of my face, I had a ghost.