The Hidden Lives of Dick & Mary Read online

  Kane, Xavier Poe, 1975-

  The Hidden Lives of Dick & Mary: Two Novellas of Supernatural Suspense / Xavier

  Poe Kane.

  1. Paranormal – Fiction. 2. Missouri – Fiction 3. Domestic – Fiction.

  Copyright © 2021 Xavier Poe Kane

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  ISBN: 978-1-08794514-9

  ISBN: 978-1-08794530-9 (e-book)

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication has been applied for.

  Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. All other names, characters, and places are products of the author’s imagination.

  Edited by Kayla Randolph

  Cover Design by Richard Turylo

  Interior Layout by Haley Chung

  C2 Visionary Press, LLC

  St. Louis, Missouri

  For Mom, while not the type of book you would’ve ever read, I could not have written it without your love and support.

  NOVELLA ONE

  Haunted Houses

  Gateway to the West and the Beyond

  NOVELLA TWO

  The Tale of Mary Deacon

  Contents

  Novella One: Haunted Houses

  Prologue

  Season One: Episode 20

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Interlude

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Interlude II

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Six Month Update

  Novella Two: The Tale of Mary Deacon

  Part One: The Many Abductions of Mary

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Part Two: The Romance of Mary Deacon

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Epilogue

  Based on a true story…

  Coming May 2023

  The Last Bride

  Part I: The Three Serpents Pub

  Acknowledgments

  Haunted Houses

  Gateway to the West and the Beyond

  Prologue

  Second Floor, Building 1

  Jefferson Barracks Air National Guard Base, Missouri

  Shadows began to darken the office of Lieutenant Colonel Mickey “Logan” Delaney. He checked his phone: 6:25 p.m. The Missouri Air National Guard officer had put in a long day. He took a minute to finish the last email before standing and stretching his six-foot-two-inch frame, which he frequently insisted was not built to be hunched behind a desk. He unzipped his flight suit and changed into jeans and his leather riding jacket.

  Winter was surrendering to spring, and the weather had been beautiful. Today’s high had reached 72°, so he rode his Harley into work. However, the temperature would not cooperate for long after sunset. He grabbed his helmet and stepped out of his office.

  Standard operating procedure was for the last one in the building to secure the exterior doors and ensure all the lights are turned off. As he had countless times before, he started with the second-story fire escape. From there, he checked the three doors on the first floor. He pulled out his phone and used its flashlight to navigate to the basement. He could pop out the single subterranean fire escape to complete the security check. As he started down the stairs, he heard a door slam.

  “Hey, sorry. I thought I was the only one left.” His voice carried in the empty hall as he paused to greet the other airman working late. “Hello?” He shrugged as his second greeting proved fruitless.

  He once again started down the short flight of antique stairs. As he stepped onto the basement floor, a stair creaked behind him. He turned to see who was sneaking up on him, but the bright beam from his cell played over an empty staircase. The air took a sudden chill, causing him to shiver.

  “I’m imagining things,” he said out loud, trying to convince himself.

  He turned on his heel and started down the hallway that ran the length of the building. He could see the soft, red glow of the flickering EXIT sign that hung above the door. The sound of footfalls on the tile floor echoed behind him. He quickened his pace as the sound grew nearer. He took off running. The sound of his helmet clattering to the floor startled him anew. When Delaney turned to pick it up, the hair on the back of his neck stood on end. He thought he heard a soft laugh.

  “Fuck it.”

  He turned back to the exit door. He extended his hands toward the brushed aluminum push-bar. It made a loud click as he pressed against it, the door giving way. As he pushed through the exit, he felt someone’s breath on the back of his neck.

  It was pitch black as he emerged into the chilly air. The door exited to a void under the stairs leading to Building 1’s southern entrance where a set of concrete stairs led to ground level. He took the stairs two at a time, pausing only when he emerged into the silvery light of a full moon. He took a deep breath as he gathered his composure.

  “You’re being ridiculous,” he chided himself. He started fumbling with his keys and turned to go back in and retrieve the abandoned helmet.

  The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end and his skin goose-pimpled at a puff of cool air that kissed the back of his neck. He thought he heard something, but it was too soft and quiet. He moved toward the steps into the void. The puff of air caressed his neck again and tickled his ear; this time the voice was louder.

  “That wouldn’t be a good idea.”

  He closed his eyes as fear gripped his heart, no longer worried about riding without his brain bucket. He sprinted to his Harley and frantically started it and roared off. He didn’t care that in just over 12 hours he would have to explain why he sped through the main gate on a motorcycle without a helmet.

  Season One: Episode 20

  Gateway to the West and the Beyond

  “When I was 10, I started hearing voices. My parents thought I was crazy, so they took me to a psychologist. I told him I was speaking to my grandfather who was telling me about fighting in the Vietnam War. I was talking about things that no one else in the family knew about. When my grandmother reached out to one of his friends, he confirmed everything I was saying was true. I was not crazy. I have a gift, and I use that gift to help people, living and dead, find closure. My name is Dick Fisher, and I am a medium who, with the help of my wife Mary, helps dead people.”

  “I retired from the FBI where I investigated some of the biggest financial crimes in our nation’s recent history. Places, institutions, families, and people have history buried in their closets that they do not want uncovered. I was a skeptic, thinking that mediums were con men. Then I worked with Dick as a crime victim on a case where a pyramid scheme cost him his 401(k). He knew things about the case that the FBI was not releasing to the public. Now we team up helping people across the country find closure for whatev
er haunts them. My name is Special Agent, Retired, Jackie Bierman, and I investigate the hidden histories of haunted houses.”

  - Intro to Haunted Houses

  Chapter One

  Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent (retired) Jacquelyn Bierman recorded part of her voiceover for a television show she was doing with Dick and Mary Fisher. The recording equipment was operated by Dan Uebel, who doubled as sound recorder and cameraman. Her words would be dubbed over video of her driving down I-270, turning onto Telegraph Road, and passing through the somber beauty of the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery and St. Louis County Park.

  “Today we are visiting St. Louis, Missouri, home of Jefferson Barracks, the oldest U.S. military installation west of the Mississippi. The airmen and soldiers stationed there lovingly refer to it as ‘JB.’ It was established in 1826 and named after President and Founding Father Thomas Jefferson. We were called in by Lieutenant Colonel Mickey ‘Logan’ Delaney, a high-ranking officer in the Missouri Air National Guard. Over the course of his 15 years of service at the base, he reports having experienced several encounters with the paranormal.”

  The next scene was of her shaking hands with a tall officer in a flight suit standing by a naval gun captured off the Spanish cruiser Almirante Oquendo during the Spanish-American War. The mighty Mississippi River rushed through the background, heading south toward the Gulf of Mexico.

  “Lieutenant Colonel Delaney, it’s a pleasure meeting you. It’s always an honor speaking to our country’s best and bravest.”

  “Thank you for your support and your service,” Delaney replied.

  “Before we get started, military and first responder nicknames have always fascinated me. How did you get the nickname Logan?”

  Delaney smiled and gave a soft chuckle. “Well, it is a comic book reference for a football reference.”

  Jackie cocked her head questioningly.

  Delaney continued. “I used to play college ball for the best state school in the country: The Ohio State University. We had a rivalry with the state school to our north. I won’t even mention the state’s name, but their mascot is the wolverine. Since Logan is the alter-ego of the superhero Wolverine, people thought it would be funny to make that my callsign.”

  “All right,” Jackie said, “now you said that you have experienced some supernatural occurrences on base?”

  “Yes, ma’am. I was single and just started working at the unit full-time, hired directly from active duty. I did not have a place to stay just yet, so I had a cot set up in my office. The sound of these heavy doors opening and closing over by the breakroom would wake me up. The first couple of times I went to go check and no one was there. What’s more, the lights were off when I got near them.”

  “Did someone not turn on the hall lights as they snuck around?”

  “Nope. The lights are motion-activated, so if someone had opened them, the lights would have been on.”

  “Anything else?”

  “I would hear people walking around when I knew I was the only person in the building. Needless to say, I decided to speed up my house hunting.”

  “Are you the only one in your unit to experience anything paranormal?”

  The officer laughed. “Oh no. I have a sergeant who once was sitting at his corner computer station, the only person in the room. He said he heard the sound of a cubicle’s overhead bin door being opened and then clattering closed as if dropped. He turned to see who else was in the room with him when he heard his CAC card being lifted—” Logan paused before continuing. “Oh, sorry, I mean our ID cards that we use to log into our computers. Sometimes I forget to translate into civilian! Anyway, it sounded as if it were lifted out of the reader and reinserted. He swung back to his screen and saw that he had been logged out of his computer.”

  “What did he do?”

  Delaney laughed again. “Well, he got up as quickly as he could and went to the master sergeant who had an office next to mine. I heard him telling his story and stepped over to tell him mine. But we’re not the only ones. If you randomly pick out 10 guardsmen stationed here, five or six will have ghost stories of their own. There is another lieutenant colonel who once saw a Confederate general working late at night at Building 1.”

  “So, are these the places we’ll be visiting?”

  Delaney shook his head. “Unfortunately, those are actively in use so Mr. Fisher will not be allowed in those. However, there are a few buildings that are not currently in use by either the Air or Army Guard, so he will be given access there.”

  “Have you ever had any experiences there?”

  “I have not had many experiences outside of my own building.” He put his hands on his hips and stared across the base as he thought about where to begin.

  “There are stories for most of the buildings. For example, there’s Building 78 which we call the White Elephant because it is the largest building on base, and it is painted white and not the red brick of the rest of the base’s buildings. A few of the Army’s guardsmen have stayed there from time to time. Many claimed to see things, but it’s been empty for the past few years.

  “There’s also Building 28. It used to be a barracks for the men who were stationed here. Your night crew will have access since it is empty, having been closed for over a decade.”

  “Do you know of anything that has ever happened at Building 28?”

  “In the early ‘80s, there were some NCOs—sergeants—leaving after working late. The chief master sergeant in the group noticed a light was on up on the third floor. He sent the lowest ranking NCO to run upstairs and turn off the light. The guy ran upstairs and turned it off. When he came back down, the light was on again. I think they sent this guy upstairs like three times before they decided to just leave.”

  “Was the light back on when they left?”

  “According to the story, no one looked back. But also, the original JB was 1,600 or 1,700 acres. Now the base sits on less than 200 acres. Over time, the base was partitioned into the National Cemetery and Veterans Administration hospital. After World War II, the base was deactivated from active-duty service and turned over to the Missouri Air National Guard. We were cut down to our current size at that time, and the rest of the land was turned over to the St. Louis County parks department. The theater became a Catholic church, and the hospital was converted into use by a school district.”

  “Wow, a lot of history here,” Jackie observed.

  Chapter Two

  Tonight had gone well for Jared Pucket, the cameraman for Dick and Mary Fisher. Usually, he would have to leapfrog the show’s stars as they drove to the shooting location, but tonight he had an assistant.

  Senior Airman Jeremy Dunn had volunteered to help with the filming. The airman thought he was going to be shooting video all night. His mood soured when he found out he would only be helping capture the drive to the Air National Guard Station. After that, he was just there to provide escort—to be a babysitter.

  It was night when Dick and Mary arrived at JB. The final shot happened when the couple pulled into the main gate of the base. Unlike Dan who remained in the background, Jared had an important role to play in the show. He made sure there were not any objects that would indicate who inhabited the buildings currently or in the past. He also sought to hide clues that would indicate the function of the buildings; this gave Dick’s description of his interactions with the spirits more credibility. Jared would set up a camera to show him doing this, making him a minor part of the show. After this, as Dan did for Jackie, he would record Dick’s voiceover.

  “I have no contact with Jackie until after the investigation is over. This way I cannot be influenced by the things she uncovers. Before I do, Jared usually precedes me and cleanses the place of any personal effects that could give me clues as to who lives here. He got lucky today and did not have to do any cleaning. From what we were told, the buildings should be empty due to renovations taking place. The first building we are going to is Building 78, wh
ich is lovingly called the White Elephant by the soldiers stationed at Jefferson Barracks, often simply called JB.”

  The voiceover ended with their rental car pulling up to the building. Airman Dunn, having told Jared there was nothing of value to guard in the building, opted to stay in his car.

  Mary, armed with a small camcorder, got out and recorded her husband exiting the vehicle. The footage would be spliced in post-production for maximum dramatic effect. The medium held a flashlight in one hand.

  “My wife, Mary, accompanies me on the walk. She helps me focus and silence all the background energy that could interfere.”

  Dick walked around a staircase leading up to double doors.

  “This is not good,” he said, shaking his head. “Something bad happened here. I can sense their despair.”

  He headed up the stairs and tried the double doors. They opened for him, and he entered the dark building. He turned on the flashlight to see through the darkness, as all power to the building had long been cut. The beam sliced across the abandoned space, catching the movement of a mouse scurrying across the baseboards at the far end of the foyer. To his left, he could see the remains of a kitchen and a lounge. Furniture from the 1980s or earlier was rotting, torn apart by various rodents searching for nest-building materials.

  “I don’t sense anything up here, but we are close. Like something bad happened above us.”

  He took off, searching for a staircase leading to the next floor. He spotted it in a windowless hallway. They wound their way to the third floor. Dick headed straight to a door that would be difficult to see if one were not specifically looking for it.

  “Here. Whatever it was . . . happened here.” He opened it, the empty space was about the size of a large closet. Dick’s gaze drifted to the ceiling. “No one knew this room was here for a while. Someone died in here, but no one knew right away. It took weeks . . . maybe months to find the body.”

  “Was the person murdered?” Mary asked, her uncanny sense of when it was okay to interrupt with questions having been perfected after years of marriage.