"Is everybody's audio set up and recording"? Calling out over the radio as the finishing touches were being done on the video array. One by one all the investigators called out over their radios, "yes, all set up and recording".
As I pressed the record button watching 4 cams start recording video, I checked the set up for each cam. Cam 1 is looking down the main level hallway where footsteps are said to be heard. Cam 2 is viewing the back bedroom where our clients have seen shadow people. Cam 3 is positioned looking at the top of the basement stairs leading into the kitchen. Cam 4, the finial cam, is in the basement trained to the right of the basement steps monitoring the client's work bench.
Rob, the owner of the house feels a ghost has been watching him claiming to have seen an apparition next to his bench on several occasions.
"Everything looks good" thinking to myself as I radio the team to gather at home base to have a brief meeting and to go over our plans for the night.
As I started to speak, a crashing sound originates from the basement.
Glancing at the video monitor showed nothing out of the ordinary.
Immediately two of us walk towards the top of the basement steps to see if we could tell what had made the noise being skeptical we would actually find something. So many times we hear these bangs and crashes only to be disappointed; finding nothing to explain what was heard.
This time was different!
Looking down the steps that are open on both sides, we are amazed to see what looks like a rifle lying sideways on the steps. Upon further review we notice several empty gallon plastic milk jugs that were neatly placed along the left side of several steps scattered throughout the basement close to the bottom of the stairs.
I immediately radioed the team asking if anyone knew where this rifle came from. Bill said he remembered it downstairs but was not sure of it's exact location.
The decision was made to pause the investigation and review our pictures that had been taken upon our arrival.
Knowing how important taking pictures of every square inch of the investigative site I am thinking,
"God I hope we have a pic of it".
As we review our pictures, careful documentation of this event was made. Finally, two investigators had a picture of this rifle and was immediately downloaded to a laptop.
Amazingly, this rifle was hanging on a wall exactly eight feet 7 inches away from the steps where we found it lying on the steps.
While all this is going on I'm thinking to myself, "What about the video"?
"Did we get it"?
We checked the video, disappointed we did not catch anything. The cam was positioned just to the side of the steps opposite where the rifle was located.
"Damn, two feet over and we might have caught something" I said to the team.
Thinking we would be ready if it happened again, the cam was repositioned to show the steps.
"The hunt is on" thinking to myself.
The investigation wears on, occasionally hearing a bang, a noise, a whisper here or ghost chatter there. Many hints and teases surround us, waiting patiently.
11:00 PM, "Break and save audio" I call out. "Does anyone have anything to report"?
After documenting anything unusual, we begin again for another one hour period. Normally we like to break things up into hour periods to save audio to a file then start a fresh one. It becomes more manageable to have several hour long audio files than to have a single eight hour file. This also gives us a chance to move around and stretch out legs. Late at night sleepiness sets in and it also gives us a chance to review or modifying our set up.
12:15 am, we save audio again and review our notes.
12:40 am, start again. We are hoping for some activity to show itself. We must be prepared for anything. Paranormal does not happen on demand.
1:45 am
THEN IT HAPPENS!
I was sitting in the basement by myself, keeping an eye on the stairs. "So dark down here" I thought to myself, using the ambient light from upstairs to watch the steps.
"It's getting late. If it remains dead should we……....."
Suddenly a huge bang resembling a shotgun blast rings out throughout the basement. So loud! Wow!
From upstairs, with my ears ringing, I hear people yelling "What the hell was that" What was that"?
After nearly jumping out of my skin and trying to gathering my wits, I ask everyone if they heard the noise. "Yes, what was that"? I was asked. "No idea" I respond.
Turning on the lights we immediately inspected the basement from top to bottom. Yes, the rifle was still hanging on the wall where we had earlier returned it to its original place. I almost expected to see it lying next to me.
Finding absolutely nothing that could account for the bang, we note it in our reports and continue on.
Another hour drags on with no activity, it was as if someone or something simply pulled the plug and the house went dead. You could feel the silence.
Eerily silent…. Too quiet.
3:45 am, on the way home for some sleep….
Tomorrows another day, another day of wondering what this is all about.
As my head hits the pillow I think to myself,
"What the hell could have caused that bang"? "There has to be a reason".
Silence………
The above excerpt is from an actual investigation conducted by IPART.
