The Fine Line Book One Between Worlds Series (33 page)

Clear & Convincing
Evidence

As Robin stood in the parlor looking out the
window at the lane, she spoke on the phone with Jennifer
Zanderheart, the founder of the team, explaining everything.
Jennifer agreed she would come to the home the next evening with
the rest of her crew. She insisted Olivia be present.

At 7:00 in the evening, a caravan arrived;
vans and cars. Robin sat in the living room on the couch as Matt
greeted everyone. There were three women and two men. Jennifer
introduced herself and then introduced her team.

The other two women, Gabbie Zanderheart and
Alice Vanhoose, had been with Jennifer for 10 years. Gabbie and
Jennifer were cousins. Alice had been Jennifer’s co-worker at a
previous job.

Tall with a medium build, Gabbie had long
red hair and wore glasses. Alice, petite with short mousy brown
hair, had the most astounding gray eyes.

Jacob Zanderheart and Rodney Peaking made up
the technical team. Jacob, standing 6’5”, had brown curly hair and
a beard. He and Jennifer had been married for years. Rodney wasn’t
related to any of the team and had a stockier build with blonde
hair and a nice smile.

Jennifer explained Gabbie’s gifts first. She
was a psychic medium with the ability to make contact with spirits.
Alice and Jennifer concentrated on demonology.

After Robin and Matt explained all of the
history and experiences in the house, Jennifer acknowledged having
a clear picture and an understanding of things. Robin encouraged
Matt to show Jennifer the photos of the cemetery in the woods, so
he did. None of the team members seemed apprehensive or scared or
even surprised when they studied them.

Olivia sat quietly on the floor by the
coffee table working a crossword puzzle. Robin saw how drawn Gabbie
was to her.

“
Hi there,” Gabbie said
politely.

“
Hello,” Olivia answered
sweetly as she looked up from her puzzle.

Gabbie turned to Matt.

“
Your daughter has a gift
Dr. Gregory. She can see and hear things that most people can’t.
She has been through something very traumatic and because of that
event, the spirit world opened right up to her. Your daughter is
very special.”

Robin saw Matt’s unsure expression. She knew
he didn’t expect to hear that about his daughter from a
stranger.

Jennifer then turned her attention to
Robin.

“
From what you’ve told me,
you had the house blessed, but things didn’t get better. In fact,
they have gradually gotten worse. The three roaming spirits appear
off and on, but the dark entity seems to be overpowering things
right now. You’ve suffered a tragedy recently also which opens you
up to even more torment. Any type of negativity is something dark
forces of any kind feed off. The presence I feel here is dangerous.
There have been times that you two have fought; completely out of
character for either of you. The negative energy has been brought
on by the forces in this house.”

“
So what do we do?” Matt
asked.

“
We’re going to set up
some equipment tomorrow night and we will need you to leave the
house,” Jennifer answered. “At that time, we will take readings and
conduct research. The goal is to determine what needs to be done so
your family can find some peace. For now, we’re going to do a walk
through while Rodney and Jacob stay here with you, Matt. I want
Robin and Olivia to come with us. It seems that most of the anger
has been directed toward Robin. Olivia’s developing abilities might
be helpful,” she concluded.

Jennifer, Gabbie, Alice, Robin, and Olivia
made their way to the parlor first, then the dining room, then the
kitchen. No one felt anything unusual.

“
We need to go to the
basement,” Gabbie interjected.

“
Right this way,” Robin
said. She opened the door and led them down the stairs. Gabbie held
a sketch pad and pencil in her hands. As they stood at the end of
the stairs, Gabbie walked farther into the room. She drew as she
walked around the room.

“
What do you see?” Alice
asked.

She handed the paper to her. Alice’s eyes
were filled with sadness. She handed the pad of paper to Robin.

“
Does this mean anything
to you?”

The scene from Robin’s dream was sketched on
the paper, but one thing was different; an element she had only
read about. In the sketch a man hung from a beam in the
basement.

Robin’s eyes brimmed with tears.

“
I dreamt this. This is
the butcher. At least that’s the name I’ve given him. His real name
is…”

“
Sims,” Gabbie
interrupted.

“
Yes. Michael
Sims.”

They walked back up the stairs and then went
to the second floor. Jennifer led the way. She stopped
abruptly.

“
Oh my God,” she said
softly. “Can you smell that?”

Alice nodded. “Wow. It’s strong.”

Robin didn’t smell anything.

“
Smells like decay,”
Jennifer added.

“
Robin and Olivia should
stay downstairs,” Gabbie said.

Robin and Olivia left them. Twenty minutes
passed when the group came back to the living room. Alice stood,
Jennifer sat in a chair, and Gabbie sat on the floor.

“
You definitely have a
demon, which I’m sure you already knew,” Jennifer explained. “It
has always been here. Mr. Sims dabbled in the black arts and opened
the door for this demon to grow even stronger.” Her attention
turned to Robin. “It pushed you down the stairs. It still wants to
harm you. I sincerely fear for your safety.”

“
You need to have the
house cleansed,” Gabbie said.

“
To get rid of the demon,
you’ll need to cleanse the home and complete an exorcism,” Jennifer
added.

“
But we’re not Catholic,”
Matt explained.

“
You don’t have to be. I
know some very spiritual men who may be able to help and I also
know some tribal leaders who would be willing to help with this.
It’s whatever you prefer,” Jennifer said.

“
I have seen both rituals
work,” Gabbie explained, “It’s entirely up to you and your beliefs.
I sense that you were once religious, Robin, but now you are
extremely spiritual.”

“
I am. I lost faith in the
fundamentalist church and put my faith in a much broader
understanding,” Robin answered.

“
You don’t have to
understand the ritual of exorcism for it to work,” Alice
added.

“
So are you saying you
would recommend an exorcism over the, what was it you said,
‘tribal’ stuff?” Matt asked curiously.

“
Given the strength of
this presence, I would suggest it highly.”

Robin and Matt looked at one another. “Can
we have a moment,” Robin asked.

“
Sure, we’ll just do a
really quick assessment of the grounds while you talk,” Jennifer
concluded.

When the house cleared out, Matt looked at
Robin blankly. He couldn’t hide his confusion.

“
Again, I don’t understand
any of this,” he said sadly. “I feel completely clueless when this
stuff goes on.”

“
I understand it. I don’t
particularly like it. I really don’t know which ritual would be
better. I just feel that the religious rituals box the Creator in
and don’t give credit where it’s deserved.”

“
Let me ask you this,” he
continued, “didn’t you tell me that there’s a little truth in all
religious faiths?”

“
Yes.”

“
Then what if all it takes
is you believing in the little bits of truth for this thing to
work?”

“
I suppose that makes
sense.”

“
I just want this to end,
Robin, especially knowing that this thing wants to hurt you. We
can’t stay here knowing that. If that means that a priest or a
preacher or some religious leader needs to be involved, I’m okay
with that.”

When the team came back in from outside,
they had nothing new to report. Everyone stood quietly in the
kitchen. Robin walked toward Jennifer. “I think an exorcism is what
is best for our situation,” she said.

“
I will discuss this with
the gentleman I know, but you must understand that you all have to
be directly involved,” she said as her eyes met Matt and Olivia’s.
“Before we do anything, though, we need to collect data. We will
measure EVP’s and take photographs and video of the property. We’ll
set cameras up in the rooms where there seem to be the most
activity.”

Matt walked to the sink and looked out the
window into the blackened woods. “Please understand,” he began,
“I’m a man of science. What I can touch and feel is what I believe
in. That’s why this has been so difficult for me to accept. I have
watched my wife and my daughter suffer. I just buried a son. This
entire thing has just about broken every ounce of me. I have
reasoned and rationalized everything, but still, nothing makes
sense.”

Jennifer walked to him. “Dr. Gregory, this
is very real. I know it is very difficult for a man like you to
accept the paranormal, but it does exist, trust me. You can go to
my website and look at some of the research. What we do has its
roots in the scientific method. I’ve documented shadow people, I’ve
witnessed exorcisms, I’ve watched shamans contact the dead, and
I’ve been directly involved with this type of phenomenon for years.
The demon that occupies your home is one of the strongest I’ve ever
seen. It has a murderous spirit and it simply wants your wife dead.
Do you understand me? If you stay in this house your wife will
eventually die. It’ll seem like a simple accident, but it won’t
be.”

Gabbie spoke up, “Either the house will
catch fire while she’s in it or her next fall down the stairs may
not end up so well. This entity hates her.”

His face turned to Gabbie’s. “But, why
Robin?”

“
Her faith and her beliefs
are very powerful,” Gabbie answered. “She was raised in church; she
comes from a strong Pentecostal upbringing. She has been touched by
the Creator to help people. She has gifts. I think the most
profound thing is that she has researched her own beliefs, which
has made her even stronger spiritually. She is trying to do what’s
right and walk in the light and the demonic force knows this. To be
clear, Matt, you’re not much of a threat because you don’t believe.
Your daughter is often protected from the demon’s rage by the other
entities in the house and the ones that come to her for help
crossing over. On the other hand, however, Robin confronted the
demon and that angered it even more. When she showed she wasn’t
afraid and she stood her ground, the outrage became intense, which
is why you lost your son.

“
Please, just let us
gather data. If when you review the tapes you don’t feel there’s
anything to be worried about, we’ll reconsider
everything.”

“
That sounds reasonable,”
Matt agreed.

Wendy and Terri agreed to let Matt and Robin
to stay with them overnight with Cookie on Sunday. Olivia would be
staying all night with a friend from school. Sunday morning, Robin
got up and spent extra time meditating as Matt slept. She felt she
needed spiritual preparation. She sat quietly on the parlor floor,
her legs crossed and her arms outstretched. Through deep, cleansing
breaths, Robin thought about everything that had happened and
everything to come. She felt herself calming with each inhale and
exhale. Her inner voice offered peace and reassurance. Her spirit
guides felt so close she could practically touch them.

When Robin returned to the upstairs, she
heard Matt’s fingers hitting the computer keys. She walked into the
study and wrapped her arms around his neck, dangling her hands to
his chest. “Do you feel more centered now?” he asked sweetly.

“
Yes. I feel more
prepared.”

She stood up and then walked toward the
hall.

Matt looked up as Robin left the room, but
he saw something dart out of the bathroom. He walked to the doorway
of the study and saw a dark mist following Robin down the hallway.
“Robin!” he screamed.

She turned to see a wall of black in front
of her. Unable to catch her breath, she gasped as she felt the
chokehold around her neck. Her hands clasped her throat as her face
turned multiple shades. Cookie stood in Olivia’s doorway barking
loudly, but he wouldn’t attempt to come to Robin’s aide. Matt
rushed to her and tried to pull her away from the force that had
her in its grips. She still gasped frantically. Burn imprints
started to form on her neck. Matt’s anger fueled the dark entity
and the grip strengthened around Robin. Through tears, she saw her
husband helplessly watching as she choked to death. The dark mist
still stood firmly in front of them.

“
Let go of her!” he
shouted. He grabbed her shoulders and began pulling her, trying
desperately to break the grasp it had on her.

Olivia stood in the doorway of her room
watching in complete disbelief.

“
I can see you,” she
whispered.

The growl coming from the darkness startled
everyone. Robin knew her time grew short.

“
Oh my God, what do I do?”
Matt shouted.

Immediately the entity disappeared loosening
the stronghold. She fell to the floor still coughing, her husband
kneeling beside her. She felt his hand on her back as he gently
rubbed her.

“
Are you okay?”