A Big Piece

They mean the world to me

Ed's POV

The next morning we drove to the Perrons house again. Our assistant Drew and Brad, the new police officer, were meeting us there at ten o'clock. We'd had a little less sleep than we would've liked to have. After Lorraine showed me all her research on the farm house, at precisely 3:07- we know it was at that time 'cause our clock on the desk stopped- the tape recorder started playing again. From the start, even though none of us had touched it or rewinded it after I let Lorraine listen to "my monologue" -since Carolyn's voice hadn't been recorded. An eerie howl answered my questions, and it felt inhuman. I could see the hairs on Lorraine's arms standing upright.

Upon our arrival Drew and I set up our gear. Cameras with thermostats, microphones, even something as simple as bells were being strategically placed to help us investigate and gather evidence.

Lorraine's POV

While the men were setting up, I shared what I'd found with Carolyn. "How could a mother kill her own child?" She asked me when I told her about Bathsheba. I explained that the baby never was a child to her, she just used her god given gift against Him. The ultimate offence so that she would receive more praise and elevate her status, in the eyes of Satan. As a mother I couldn't understand it either, but the last few years I had learned a lot about witches and devil worshippers. This was not even a big sacrifice.

I was helping Carolyn putting their family pictures back up the mantle piece, when I touched her hand, grabbing the same picture frame. I saw all seven of them at the beach. Smiling, running around, playing, enjoying the sun... " Hmm, wow! That's a nice day at the beach, huh?" I asked her, smiling. Amused she asked, "How did you know?" Nothing in that picture gave a hint to the beach... "It's an insight, it's like a peek through the curtain in
another person's life." I explained. I could feel the love she felt for her family, "That day meant so much to me. We're driving along the coast. Nancy pointed out how pretty the view was. I thought this is the perfect opportunity for a photo. We're gonna starts fresh, you know. A new house, a new beginning. You should've seen Roger and the girls. I've never seen them so happy. They mean the world to me." I smiled as I held her hand.

Roger and Carolyn have such a beautiful family. Five lovely daughters, each a different mix of the both of them. I wonder, if Ed and I wouldn't have taken this path, would that be us? Judy, having a few siblings? A normal job with free time to spent with the kids, to create memories? I must say, the thought warmed me from the inside. But hen I thought of all the people we had helped over the years. Giving them an opportunity to be a family was just as important, however that sometimes meant putting others first. And leaving our baby girl with nana every time, still breaks my heart. I touch the locket, it makes Judy feel close to me.

After a false alarm from Brad, at 9:18pm we- Ed, Brad and me- were off to the cellar after the door opened on it's own. In the dark the cellar was even more terrifying. Ed was going around with the microphone, when he noticed me bending in half. It was making me feel sick. "Everything alright?" He asked me. " There's definitely something here," I said pointing to the spot where I was standing. My hands were freezing. Ed tried to provoke whatever was down there, but it didn't work. The entity I felt was gone.
We went back upstairs. "Well, like I said, it doesn't always work when you want it to." Ed said as we came into the hallway. "Yeah, maybe the camera picked something up." And just like that, the door slammed shut. We were all baffled. Roger and Carolyn went of to bed, Brad and drew manned the mics and Ed and I sat in the kitchen to hold the fort. However the clocks didn't stop at 3:07 that night... I sighed, realising this was going to be a long night!

We had only slept for a few hours, but in the morning we all felt bright! The kitchen was buzzing. The girls were happy, chatting with all of us. Roger was making pancakes, and the air smelled so sweet! Little April handed Ed a plate with a couple of pancakes on it. It warmed my heart, she was adorable. "I think I might take the girls for ice cream later on. What do you say about that?" Roger kinda yelled to get over the noisy girls, who were immediately enthusiastic about the idea. "Honey, you wanna come?" He asked Carolyn, but she looked even worse then she did before she went to bed last night and answered, "No, I'm exhausted. I'm just gonna take a nap. The late nights, they're getting to me."
Ed, being a total gentleman, said "That's probably a good idea. Why don't you get some rest, Lorraine and I watch over things for a bit." Carolyn turned to to him "Really?" He nodded. Brad, who was still eating his pancakes, almost yelled, " I better take off, my shift is starting in an hour." And he stood up. 
"Oh, the house doesn't felt like this in a long time. I think the girls feel a lot safer with you around." Carolyn told Ed. I didn't really know how to feel about that, but I kept quiet and drank my tea.

After Roger left with the girls, and Carolyn went to her room to rest, I decided to do the laundry. I'd never been a sitting type, always had to do something. Today wasn't an exception.

As I was hanging the laundry, Ed snuck up on me, "  I can get used to this." "What, me doing laundy?" I asked, shaking out a sheet. "You're funny!" He put his arms around my waist and I chuckled as he kissed my cheek. "No this place. Nice, fresh country air..." Ed held me close, I love moments like these. "Hmm. They have such a beautiful family, don't they?" Ed smiled, "Yeah that little one, April? See her bringing me pancakes?" I turned around and put my arms around his neck, "Yeah!" And I smiled.

He touched my nose as I looked him deeply into his eyes. "We have to help them," I nodded. Ed answered, "Yeah, I'll start with the Chevy," he said in all seriousness. I giggled, kissed hem and lovingly pushed him away by his cheek. He walked off to the Chevy. That's my Ed, a real goofball. And oh, do I love him for it! He makes though cases like this one, more bearable.

I'll leave this chapter here. Hope you enjoyed reading the story so far? Any tips or requests sure are welcome! Also sorry for writing mostly from Lorraine's POV. It's easier for me to "crawl into her head", for some reason. 🙈