Don't Lie

Not all investigations are positive, but each is a new lesson learned. After moving to North Carolina, I joined the paranormal investigation team Haunted North Carolina. Through HNC I have been to some amazing historic locations and I have also been to some very questionable, off-the-beaten-path residences. It is not an investigator’s job to judge the client, but it is often necessary to delve into the client’s personal life to get to the core of the situation.

A few years ago we were called in by a young couple to investigate their home in the foothills of northwest North Carolina. Home was a rundown modular on a dirt road many miles from modern civilization. Adjacent to the modular is a dilapidated 100-year-old farmhouse that has been left to the elements since the mid-70s, complete with a rusted out Dodge Charger yard ornament. We pulled our vehicles into the overgrown yard and then made our way through the debris and tangle of weeds and vines to the front door of the modular, expecting to hear strains of banjo music at any moment.

The interior of the house was devoid of furnishings except for a worn plaid couch, a plethora of toys, and the largest TV to ever be squeezed into a 10x15 space. Despite our requests, the TV was muted but remained on the entire investigation, pulsating blasts of energy through our equipment. The noise from the television was coupled with a very energetic two-year old whose favorite toy was a slightly dysfunctional See & Say. To this day I believe that child still thinks a cow goes “baa.”

Years of cigarette smoke permeated every inch of the house. The windows grayish tint barely allowed the early evening light through the bare windows and a single shadeless bulb tried it’s hardest to push through the shroud of clinging smoke into the corners of the room. Aside from the abundance of toys in the living room and the impossible battle against chain-smoker residue, the majority of the house was tidy and the child seemed happy and loved. Barely 19-years old, the couple had a two-year old son and a newborn. A cousin with a two-year old was also living in the house, but had gone out for the evening.

It’s often best to interview people separately and then together to get a true sense of the activity in the house. I walked through the bedrooms with the mother while the father stepped outside with the two-year old and the other team members.

In the child’s room, the mother proudly pointed out the Winnie-the-Pooh mural she had painted and the bedding she had made for their son’s new “big boy” bed. It was a cheery room and, since they mentioned their son had nightmares, I made a recommendation to move the child’s bed away from the side of the room that shared a wall with the massive pulsating TV.

Then we crossed the hall into the bedroom occupied by the cousin. The room was in complete disarray. Clothes were strewn everywhere. A crib served as a receptacle for fast food containers and dirty laundry…and hopefully not a child. Full ashtrays littered the floor and dresser tops and a cereal bowl with fresh ashes sat on top of the unmade bed.

The young mother was quickly apologetic for her houseguest’s neglect. I commiserated with her and then seized the opportunity to move into some more personal questions about the family situation.

The girl’s father, distraught over his failed marriage and a terminal illness, had committed suicide the previous year and she believed he was still visiting her. Given her politeness, her efforts to maintain her home, her pride in her children, and her embarrassment for the messy guest room, I knew she had been raised with solid family standards. On a hunch, I asked her if her father would approve of her current living situation, thinking the whole time “Please tell me the truth.”

Avoiding eye contact, she paused and finally admitted “No.”

We concluded the investigation in a couple of hours and climbed back into our cars for the three hour drive home, promising to review the evidence and get back with them as quickly as possible. Given the ever present television and active toddler, none of us had high hopes that we had caught any evidence. Our premature conclusion was a very tired couple of kids looking for something to spice up their lives.

Since it was going to be a long drive, I popped on my headsets and began reviewing my audio recorder. About six minutes into my interview with the mother, a distinctly male voice said “Don’t lie.” I rewound the tape to listen again.

While I had been mentally willing the girl to be completely honest with me whether her father would approve of her current living situation, the recorder captured a male voice telling her to not lie. We were the only two in the house at the time and neither of us heard the voice while we were talking.

I have discussed this piece of evidence with numerous paranormal investigators. The obvious deduction is the EVP (electronic voice phenomenon) is her father; however, because I was mentally beseeching the girl to not lie, did I somehow generate the EVP? It is one of the few pieces of evidence I have captured that I cannot explain.

One thing I do know is it was not normal and therefore it is paranormal – though some could argue it is abnormal.