Dan's Hauntastic Haunts Investigates Read online

  The usual fare. I didn’t find any significant occurrences at the Goodman farm. Lara and Jane assured me that the entire enterprise had been in the family for generations. Even before they built the haunted barn.

  Yet Goodman Dairy never received mention. It seemed odd since many other dairies appeared in the archives. Higgs Dairy, Gaghan Acres, and Smythe Farms to name a few. But no Goodman Dairy.

  Not until after the Great Depression started. Chad was the one who found the profile on Goodman Dairy from the fall of 1933. Buried in a short article about the local state of the industry. It dropped a casual mention that Elmer Goodman had turned the failing Higgs Dairy around after inheriting the property from his deceased brother-in-law. That was it.

  We looked through the papers for mention of Higgs’ death. We searched back to 1932 to find a short obituary for one Frank Higgs. A single line of text stated his birth and death dates and that his wife, three daughters and a married sister survived him. That was all.

  Well, the fact he had no living sons explained his brother-in-law running the farm after his death. It also accounted for the change in name while the family insisted the operation had remained in the family for eight generations.

  I resolved to ask Lara about Higgs when I saw her. The possibility remained she hadn’t mentioned him because his death was unrelated to the farm. There were countless ways he might have died, on or off the farm property. His death could have no bearing on the haunting.

  I had a gut feeling there was a connection though. Call it intuition or experience researching these matters. But I was certain Frank Higgs was our man—or in this case, our ghost.

  FOURTEEN

  Chad

  Sunday morning I got to experience a major perk to Daniel’s set up—no commute. I had parked the van near the haunted barn when we returned from our research excursion yesterday. That left us steps away from out work site.

  After we delved into public records, we spent last evening interacting with fans on Daniel’s website. The final Miller House video was live, so there was plenty of activity to monitor.

  Today brought more dreary weather, but the drizzling rain of the past two days had ceased. As we stepped out of the van, an almost autumnal chill gave the air a bite I didn’t expect in early August. I shivered. Daniel glanced over at me.

  “Cold?”

  “A bit, aren’t you?”

  Daniel made a noncommittal sound. He reached inside the van to grab a hoodie from the overhead storage above the cab. He handed it to me along with the camera bag before he climbed out and circled around the back to get out the rest of the gear we needed for filming from storage.

  “You aren’t carrying any of that,” I scolded when he tried to sling a carrying case with lighting stands over his shoulder. “I’m not watching you screw up your leg more. Tell me what we need and I’ll get it.”

  Daniel wore a sheepish expression. “I can grab the carrying cases so long as my hands are free for the crutches,” he protested.

  “Nope, not a chance, I’ve got this. You’re here to look decorative, boss.”

  He shot me a smirk, like my words were an admission that I enjoyed looking at him. I flushed, keeping my mouth shut as I gathered everything we’d used to film at the Miller House.

  Daniel stood close enough to observe. He told me to switch out a few of the items I’d grabbed, then nodded his approval when we had everything. It was a lot to carry by myself, but I managed.

  Armed with our camera, tripod, and the lighting kit, we ventured back into the rundown structure. The dark confines made me wary. Daniel seemed excited to get started.

  “I want to get shots from all angles with the camera mounted in place, then a few shots where we walk through the main floor. Lara said she would check into whether the loft can support enough weight for us to get some footage up there. Since many of the incidents seem to involve that area. Otherwise we will have to improvise.”

  “You are not climbing up into that loft with a broken leg,” I said in a flat tone that brooked no argument.

  Daniel laughed, “Are you volunteering?”

  I most certainly was not, at least not until we got the all clear on what remained of the loft’s structural integrity.

  “I’ll ask Jane about borrowing a ladder that doesn’t look ready to collapse so we can at least get some shots up there,” I said to appease him. Daniel beamed at me and ruffled my hair.

  “That’s my problem solver.”

  I flushed at the praise, but it was dark enough inside the barn to hide my reaction. I busied myself setting up our camera equipment so we could get the shots Daniel wanted to cross off today.

  “So, you’re familiar with my format, right?”

  “We’re filming the unboxing today, right?” I asked, to confirm that I was.

  “We are,” Daniel smirked as he pulled a small oblong white box out of his pocket. I didn’t recognize the logo stamped in black on the front, but then I wasn’t as into the gear as some of his fans.

  “What’s that?”

  From the way he was watching me, it was obvious he expected a response to the object.

  Daniel chuckled, with a rueful shake of his head he answered, “I was beginning to think I’d run out of things to train you on already. This, my friend, is a new thermal camera from Paranormal Outfitters. Top of the line, expensive as heck, and nothing touches it on results.”

  “What does it do, exactly?”

  Daniel chuckled, “That’s what this video will be all about, so I’ll keep you in suspense until you’re ready to roll.”

  “I see how it is, you trying to bribe me to hurry it up with the grunt work?”

  “Yes. While you’re working, let’s run through the plan. This is our viewer’s first impression of the site for the month. It was Zack’s idea to do the unboxing like this, the fans responded well, so it stuck. We give a sneak peek of the site and reveal whatever product I’m reviewing.”

  “I know, I’ve seen the show.”

  “Right. So you understand we need to pick a spot that captures the haunting’s character without giving too much away.”

  “Shouldn’t we do that before I get everything set up?”

  Daniel waved his hand in dismissal, “If it weren’t for the leg, and safety concerns, we’d film in the loft. Frame the old rope swing on the screen edge. Since that’s not an option for today, I figured right here, with the old ladder up to the loft in the background is the next best thing.”

  “Hmm, what do you say to getting a bale of hay from Lara as set dressing?”

  “You mean those giant rolls out in the pastures?”

  I shook my head, “I mean, that would look rad. But I think the smaller bales I saw stacked near the stable where they keep the horses would make a better seat for you. That way you can show some Goodman Dairy flavor and rest that leg. Plus, it gives you a place to set the device.”

  “I like it, I’ll finish with the lighting. Why don’t you see how fast we can commandeer that hay?”

  Daniel took over fiddling with the tripods, screwing in the expensive specialty bulbs for the lighting. I pulled out my phone and dialed Lara.

  “Lara speaking,” she answered in a crisp tone.

  “Hey, Lara, it’s Chad. I was wondering if we could borrow some farm stuff to use as props.”

  “Depends what you have in mind.”

  “I saw some bales of hay in the stables, those would evoke the right mood. Maybe some leather stuff?”

  “The little square bales in the main stable are straw, not hay. We use it for bedding. But you can take as many as you need if you promise to store them properly. If you let them molder, the heat from fermentation and rot inside the bale can cause it to ignite.”

  “Good to know.”

  “I can set aside a few pieces of horse tack for you, too. Leon’s daughter, Stephanie, is coming to help muck out the horse stables this morning. She should be here any minute. I can have her pick out some gear and show
you how to take care of it. Steph can take the four by four to help you transport whatever you need out to the old barn. Ben is working today too, grab him to help if you need the extra muscle.”

  “That would be fabulous.”

  “Great, I’ll text you when she gets here. You can meet her in the horse stables.”

  “Perfect, thanks, Lara.”

  “Very good,” Lara hung up. I tucked my phone away and turned to see Daniel watching me as he finished tightening an adjustment knob on the camera tripod.

  “We’re good, Lara’s niece will help me go prop shopping.”

  “Great, do you have time to help me move some stuff before you go meet her?”

  Daniel gestured toward the old feed room and office. With our lights set up, the aisle seemed marginally less creepy. Still gross though. Now I had a clear visual of all the cobwebs clinging to every surface. Much as I didn’t want to poke around too much, I wasn’t about to leave my injured boss to drag things into position.

  “Sure.”

  I followed Daniel to the former office and helped him pick through years worth of discarded crap. He found a wooden wagon wheel with a few snapped spokes. Near it sat a huge block of smooth curved wood with thick rusty iron eye loops attached to it.

  “A yoke,” he declared with clear satisfaction. “This will be perfect, we’ll prop the wheel and the yoke up behind me. With this and whatever you and the kid find the shot should scream ‘haunted barn’, without us having to say a word.”

  “I suppose so,” I agreed, reluctant to touch anything in here. If nothing else, there were spiders making their home in the junk pile. I suspected there would be rodents nesting out here too, though, to my surprise, there was little evidence in the form of skittering claws, chittering voices or stinking droppings.

  Daniel grabbed the wheel and pulled. I sighed. No getting out of it unless I let him try to move this stuff alone. No chance of that.

  I gritted my teeth against the creepy crawly sensations the cobwebs on the curved wood evoked and carried it out to the area we had already lit for the shot. I left it propped against the wall in the camera frame. Daniel trailed behind me and fussed over the placement while I went back for the yoke.

  “Perfect, do you think this hook will hold that?” Daniel pointed to a metal spike set in the wall already.

  Staring at it, and considering the integrity of the building, I had doubts. But the yoke was light for its size. Made sense, considering. I figured it was worth a shot.

  I hefted the block of wood up to the correct height. Daniel helped me maneuver the metal loop onto the spike. I settled the yoke against the wall with care, letting the spike take the weight, but ready to catch the thing if it fell. It held.

  Daniel let out a triumphant whoop, fist pumping the air.

  “Yes! Perfect, I’ll check the framing and mark out where to place the bale of hay. We’ll get the shot just right.”

  Before I could volunteer to help, my phone buzzed with an incoming text. Lara’s niece had arrived. I left Daniel fussing over his cameras with an admonition not to overtax his leg. He was so into arranging everything to his satisfaction, I doubted he heard me.

  FIFTEEN

  Dan

  It took the better part of the day to get everything staged just the way I wanted it. That was fine by me, we were more likely to capture paranormal activity later in the day.

  The ambient noises I associated with old abandoned buildings were eerily absent from the barn. I considered that a promising sign. As though whatever lived there had taken an interest in our recording.

  The late afternoon held an expectant silence. I ignored it and signaled for Chad to hit record. Time to turn on the Dan Collins charm for the camera.

  “Greetings from Vermont! I’m Dan and this is Hauntastic Haunts. Any guesses about where I am filming this month?”

  I paused and gestured to the open area around me. It should be obvious that it was a barn. I was sitting on a bale of straw with two more bales stacked beside me to form a table.

  Not the most comfortable seat in the world, stray stalks poked my butt through the soft material of the sweatpants I was wearing. I was sure it would leave scratches if I shifted around too much.

  Jeans would have done a better job protecting my tender bits, but they wouldn’t fit over my cast. The stretchy sweats were my only option for a while.

  The floor overhead creaked. I paid it no heed in favor of keeping up my Dan persona though, upbeat and earnest despite personal discomfort. I got ready to geek out over my new IR camera.

  “That’s right. This month Hauntastic Haunts is down on the farm. I am investigating a haunted barn owned by a working Vermont family-run dairy. We’ll go into more detail about the dairy and its history in next week’s webisode.

  “If you are in the area, be sure to consider visiting once we reveal the name of the dairy. Two more hints, they are open to the public for tours and their homemade ice cream is to die for.

  “And speaking of the dying, I’ve got a great new goodie to share with you all this week. The people at Paranormal Outfitters Inc have sent me their latest gadget, the GhostCam version 3, and I cannot wait to take this baby for a spin at a real haunting.”

  I pulled out the narrow white box with a flourish and held it up with the company logo on prominent display. I was itching to get my hands on the new camera it held, but I could be patient if it meant getting the shot right.

  After ensuring Chad captured a clear image of the box, I set it down in front of me. The patterned kerchief we’d borrowed from Lara’s niece to cover the makeshift straw table made a sharp contrast with the plain white box.

  The teen had been wearing the paisley cloth over her hair—she claimed it kept the stink off when she helped strip the stalls in the horse barn bare. I didn’t want to think about what caused the stench she referred to. A farm-boy I was not.

  I talked up Paranormal Outfitters with the usual platitudes about the company and the quality of their products as I wiggled the box open to reveal its contents.

  The new camera sat nestled in a foam insert to protect against jostling. I described the packaging as I tilted it toward the camera to show off the tech. I gestured for Chad to start rolling on the secondary camera I’d zoomed in on the spot where I’d placed the box to capture the details. He gave me a thumbs up and I continued my review, picking up the device with care bordering on reverence.

  I monitored my assistant as I worked. He was doing a good job, keeping his cool although I could tell the barn freaked him out more than he cared to admit. I got the sense our spirit didn’t welcome interlopers.

  We should see strong activity, especially with us both spending most of the day in here for it to draw energy from us. The dead fed on the energy of the living. Not that I’d told Chad we were hanging around the barn all day to feed the ghost.

  I doubted he would have believed me if I had. For someone who seemed sensitive to the eerie presence here, Chad remained skeptical that ghosts were real.

  Chad shivered, drawing my notice to the sudden chill that had descended on us. Like an icy breeze, except there was no wind in the building.

  Footsteps pounded overhead, in the damaged loft. Dust fell from above us. Something moved in the murky darkness at the top of the ladder.

  “Chad, we should leave,” I said.

  Chad gave me an uncertain look. I lurched to my feet, stuffed the new IR camera back into the box, favoring speed over caution. If only I’d already had it ready to roll, and had a free hand to record with while using my crutches.

  There was no time to lament the missed opportunity though. We needed to flee, while we still could. The level of activity made me think I had underestimated the ghost’s strength.

  The doors at the end of the aisle banged shut. Chad shot me a panicked look, then he snapped the camera out of the tripod and swung the lens toward the sounds. Good instincts, but I needed to make sure my newbie assistant took care of himself.

/>   “We’re hearing strange sounds, and the door to the old office just slammed open,” I narrated.

  “Dan?” Chad sounded uncertain, but he kept filming even as the disembodied footsteps charged toward us.

  “Switch to night vision mode,” I said.

  Chad fumbled with the settings. At his current angle, I could just make out that the glowing screen had picked up a distortion in the otherwise empty part of the barn. I cursed not having the IR camera operational yet.

  It would capture much better images than the crummy night vision function on the older model camera. Still, I didn’t regret not entrusting Chad with my best DSLR device for his second day as a camera operator.

  My fingers itched to use the GhostCam nestled snug it its protective box to capture some footage. I knew risking damage to the new tech before I even got the review filmed would be bad form though. I shoved the box back into my pants pocket to avoid temptation and free my hands.

  “What the heck is that?” Chad sounded on the verge of panic.

  “Let’s go.”

  I knew better than to stick around and make myself a target for malevolent spirits. Feeding them energy was one thing, risking injury on the first day on the set was another.

  Chad’s anxiety and fear at his first paranormal encounter would only feed the ghost more. No question, the apparition was angry. It stopped near the damaged far wall. I hopped toward Chad with my crutches.

  Chad met me after the first step, sliding under my arm to assist me. He cradled the camera he was holding against his chest with one arm, using the other to support my weight as we fled from the approaching presence. Pity he didn’t aim the camera at the ghost as we retreated. Then again, filming while he half carried me to safety might have been too much to ask.

  The doors at the far end slammed, open and shut. Footsteps pounded on our heels as the barn’s chill intensified until my teeth chattered with it. Chad and I didn’t stop until we reached Vanessa and scrambled inside.