Coast to Coast Paranormal Investigation: The Journey Back

By CAROLYN BENNETT

In The Journey Back, Leigh MacLeod and her team of paranormal investigators have struggled to come back after an investigation at a haunted asylum devastated her team and left her fighting for her life. Just as it seems life is returning to normal, a terrifying nightmare, cryptic message from her dead father and suspicious text messages make her wonder if she will ever be free of the demons of Greenhurst Asylum.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Aug 20, 2014
• ISBN: 9781490742809

CAROLYN BENNETT

Carolyn Bennett is a mother, author and paranormal investigator. The Journey Back is the second in-stallment in her Coast to Coast Paranormal Investigations series. Follow the continuing journey of Leigh MacLeod as she and the the new members of Coast to Coast Paranormal Investigations work to bring Coast to Coast Paranormal Investigations back to the top in their field. Along the way Leigh must learn how to deal with her growing connection to the spirit world and someone, or something, that refuses to let her forget the events of the Greenhurst Asylum investigation.

Book preview

Chapter 1

I shot up, threw the blankets off, and crawled down to the foot of the bed, gasping for air. My body was shaking and covered in sweat. I looked over at the other half of the bed and was disappointed to find it empty. Of course, it was. Aaron was at an investigation in Savannah, Georgia. Or was he? Was he even a part of my life?

It was a horrible nightmare. It wasn’t so much the part about being trapped with Jake, or the fact that he tried to kill me, again. It was the implication that the past six months had been nothing but a dream. I needed to know for sure. I scrambled back up the bed and reached into the nightstand for my cell phone.

I normally wouldn’t call Aaron on an investigation and we have an agreement that unless it’s an emergency we would not interrupt each other. Still shaking, I scrolled through the phone list and found his name. Well, that was a good sign; he is in my phone, so he wasn’t a dream or figment of my imagination. Then I stopped and my stomach sank. What if the dream was a premonition of something horrible happening to Aaron?

I quickly pressed the call button, and within two rings, he answered.

Babe? What are you doing calling at this time of the night, is everything okay?

Oh, Aaron, I’m sorry to call you. I’m fine, now. I just need to be sure you are okay?

Me, babe. Yeah, I’m fine. Why, what’s wrong?

I told him about the nightmare.

It’s odd you’d start having nightmares now. Did anything happen that might have triggered it?

I don’t think so. We just went Christmas shopping and finished decorating.

Maybe that was the trigger. Sometimes the holidays can do weird things to people, especially people who’ve had a traumatic event. I’m sure it’s going to be fine. You’ve had so many changes in your life this year. It was probably just stress.

Aaron, I … , I hesitated.

What is it, babe?

Nothing, I’m sure you are right. Just hurry up and get home. I miss you.

Miss you too, babe. See you December 23.

I ended the call, but uneasiness still swirled in my stomach. I had a feeling there was more to this than just nerves. Unable to sleep, I wandered through the darkness of my California bungalow. Walking through the living room, I stopped at the fireplace. On the mantle was a photo taken two months before, of Aiden and I in the desert. Good, that wasn’t a dream either. He really was a part of my life. My best friend, actually, and the thought that all of that might have been nothing more than a dream frightened me. Even though I am in love with Aaron, and Aiden is involved with Scott, we are connected, on a different level.

Ever since Greenhurst we’ve had the ability to sense emotions from each other. Fear was always the strongest. But had I come to rely on that connection too much? Maybe that’s what this nightmare was about. Perhaps it was a message that it was time to become less dependent on Aiden. Then the words of the young Wiccan who joined us at Greenhurst came back to me. If you lose that connection it will feel like a death that cuts down to your very soul. We learned that Aiden and I had been connected in several past-life experiences. He has always been a part of my life. The ones I know about, and probably some I don’t.

When I finally started to feel tired again I returned to the bedroom, turned out the light, and crawled under the covers.

You’d be wise not to ignore that dream, a male voice said.

Once again I sat up in bed and threw the covers. Who’s there?

Hello peanut, he said, in a soft, reassuring tone. My eyes finally focussed on the dark shadow that sat in the armchair at the far end of the room.

Daddy?

Yes, princess, it’s me.

But how? Why?

Are you telling me that, you, of all people are asking how this is possible? You’ve spent the last year trying to find proof of life after death, proof of the existence of a life in the spirit world, and now that you have it, you don’t believe it? And as for the why - because you have been sent a very important message, and I don’t want you ignoring it. Doing so could be very dangerous.

Daddy, I don’t understand. What does the dream mean?

I can’t tell you that princess. I’ve only been given permission to tell you not to ignore it. Lives may depend on it.

Daddy, wait?

I’m sorry, my dear sweet little girl. Sorry I wasn’t here to walk you down the aisle or to witness the birth of my grandson. It pained me I could not be with you to comfort you when your husband died. But most of all I am sorry I left you all those years ago, and that I have to leave you again. I can only tell you this one thing. Things are not always as they appear. And with that vague, cryptic message, he vanished.

Chapter 2

It was December 22, and I finally recovered from the nightmare I had nights before. I convinced myself that the dream was, in fact, a result of the stress of the last year and this being my first Christmas away from home. I reasoned that the image of my father appeared because I was afraid and looking for something comforting and safe to put my mind at ease.

Coast to Coast Paranormal had not gone out on any large investigations since the return visit to Greenhurst. We still needed to replace Mike and Jake and the doctors told me to take a couple extra months off to give the head injury time to heal completely.

The fans of Coast to Coast were very understanding and patient during the rebuilding but I was worried they would start to drift away if we didn’t get back to investigating soon. Chris, our videographer, and the one member of the team that stayed with me during my recovery, suggested it was time to pull them back in with a teaser. We would post a video to keep people interested until after the holidays. That was when we planned to look for new members and officially start investigating again.

We went to my basement, which was the home of the Coast to Coast evidence review room. I sat across the table from Chris as he prepared to start filming our first video in months.

Ready to start in three, two, one … Chris motioned, indicating he was recording.

Hello to all our fans. Well we are back, although a lot has changed for Coast to Coast.

Thank you so much to everyone who stuck with us over the last six months. I know you were disappointed that we couldn’t release the full video of the events that occurred at our investigation of Greenhurst Hospital. That was to protect the privacy of a member of our crew who was also an innocent victim of what happened that day.

It took a long time to recover from the injuries I suffered that day. But I’m happy to say that I am almost 100 percent again. What you didn’t hear was what happened afterwards, and how it brought us to where we are today.

I can’t go on without saying a huge thank you to my dear friend Aiden Lawson. You probably remember how my favourite singer showed up at the investigation to surprise us and we enlisted him as our special guest investigator. From that day he stood by me and helped with my recovery. Together we faced the demons and nightmares that haunted me. He helped me to get back on my feet and find the strength to rebuild Coast to Coast.

Aiden, I will always love you and be eternally grateful for everything you have done for me over the last six months. You will be a part of me forever.

The journey of recovery, rediscovery, and rebuilding was crazy. We had to deal with an evil spirit that followed me home and continued to torment me until we went back to confront it. Coast to Coast took a beating. Our team had been decimated, down to just me and Chris, with Aiden generously offering to help out occasionally. We couldn’t go back the way we were, we needed help. And we got it. Aiden contacted the Spirit Chasers and asked for their help with our return visit to Greenhurst.

It would be awful of me if I didn’t mention a very special thank you to Chris, the genius behind Coast to Coast. While I spent two months in hospital, Chris never left my side. He stayed with me, ready to get Coast to Coast up on running again in a moment’s notice. Thank you, Chris.

I also want to thank Andrew for coming back to Coast to Coast. I know it was not reasonable to expect the whole team to give up their lives in Canada and sit by my bedside for months. I get it. But I’m glad you’re back!

Soon we will be looking for two more teammates. Keep an eye out for more details on our fan page.

For now, we are sharing this video compilation from our two visits to the Greenhurst Hospital for the Criminally Insane. We are also including some footage Chris shot during my recovery and of our new lives, here in California.

To the awesome guys from Spirit Chasers, thank you for everything. I can’t wait to investigate with you again, or steal another one or two investigations out from under you.

Here is the link to the video, Merry Christmas everyone!

This is Coast to Coast Paranormal Investigations and we are back!

So who’s coming for Christmas dinner? Chris asked.

Well, there will be me, Aaron, Andrew, you, and Debbie. Josh will fly in from Ohio on Christmas Eve. Aiden of course, oh and he’s bringing Scott. I haven’t seen him since the car accident. I am also waiting to hear if Tristant is coming or flying home to see his family.

I heard he offered to have dinner at his place.

Yeah, he did, but it will be a long time before I go back into his house. We’re getting along really well now, but I’ll never forget that creepy, haunted basement of his. I still can’t believe I had one of my past life experiences there. I wonder if that’s why I was drawn out to the West coast to begin with.

Maybe, but what are you going to do about it?

WE are going to finish getting ready for Christmas! Aaron will be here tomorrow, and I want the house to look perfect for our first holiday together.

Chapter 3

It was mid-afternoon on Christmas Eve when Aaron and I drove to the airport to pick up my son. As expected the terminal was packed with people arriving from and travelling all over the country to spend a few precious days with their families for the holidays. We waited in arrivals for Josh, who flew in from Ohio where he went to University. As he sauntered through the gate with a gym bag tossed over his shoulder, I was stunned to see how much he had changed since the summer.

We made our way back to the house where the three of us sat in the living room while Josh filled us in on his new life in Ohio.

I’m going to give you guys a chance to catch up, said Aaron as he got up and gave me a quick kiss. I’ve got some last minute things to take care of.

You still haven’t said what you are bringing for dessert.

Because that’s the last minute thing I need to take care of, he laughed as he headed off.

As a group, we agreed, absolutely no gifts this year. With the ordeal of the last six months finally behind us we had a lot to be thankful for and that was what this dinner was about. Being thankful for what we had and what was yet to come.

It was late-afternoon when Aaron returned from his secret shopping trip with a mystery box, sealed shut, and snuck it into the fridge. No peeking, he teased.

As the boys talked, I walked into the kitchen, poured a glass of wine and quietly stood back and watched them. They seemed to get along really well. This was my first serious relationship since his father passed away. I needed to be sure he was okay with us being together. Josh had given me the, I’m happy if your happy speech, but I needed to be sure.

I grabbed my glass and joined them in the living room, sitting beside Aaron on the sofa. He gently draped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me closer. Josh looked over from the chair and gave me an approving smile.

With a big meal planned the next day, we decided on an early supper. Aaron called in our regular order of Chinese food and the boys left to pick up our dinner.

Sitting on the living room floor, waiting for them to return, I stared at the Christmas tree and began to drift back in time, to Christmas’ in Ontario with Josh and his father. I was finally at peace with myself and the past. I could finally allow myself to relive the memories of that part of my life and smile, instead of living with the constant feelings of grief.

A knock at the door reluctantly pulled me back from my thoughts. I opened it to a young delivery driver with a package for me. I signed the receipt and accepted the neatly wrapped gold gift box. On it was a card that simply said, "Do not open until Christmas. Love, Aiden."

Seriously, what happened to the no gift rule? I grabbed my cell phone and sent him a text. "Your package just arrived. Thought we said no gifts?"

"This is different, you will understand tomorrow. Got to go, the family’s here. I’m introducing them to Scott today. See you tomorrow. Merry Christmas, Love Aiden.

I smiled at the phone. "Merry Christmas, Aiden, see you tomorrow."

I slipped the lone present under the tree, turned on the lights, sat on the floor enjoying my wine until the guys returned with dinner.

What’s that? asked Aaron.

It’s a mystery parcel from Aiden. He said it will all make sense tomorrow but I can’t touch it until he gets here.

After dinner we relaxed in the living room, talking and laughing, had a few more drinks. Finally, at 11:00 p.m., we went to bed.

Before I joined Aaron, I did a final walk around, as I do every night. I stopped and looked out the front window. I glanced down our street of modest bungalows, each with an assortment of Christmas lights hanging off their front porch. It all felt odd. We’ve always had some snow at Christmas. Yes, there were years where it was lean, but in Ontario, you always had some snow on Christmas morning. I opened the door and walked into the bedroom.

What kept you, babe?

I was just looking at the Christmas lights outside, thinking about Ontario.

Hey, are you okay? Do you miss home?

I nodded, feeling a twinge in my gut. It’s just so different here, but I’m sure I’ll adjust. I smirked at him.

Leaning up on one elbow, he gave me his infamous raised eyebrow frown. You know if Aiden broke the no gift rule and got you something, I’m going to be seriously pissed at him.

I laughed, removed my robe, hanging it on the back of the closet door, exposing my newly purchased gold satin nightie, bought specifically for this occasion. I don’t need or want any gifts this Christmas. Everything I want is here, right now.

I crawled under the covers next to him and he immediately pulled me closer to him, wrapping his legs around mine. He reached down and slid his hand under my nightie, caressing my butt cheeks. He pulled me hard against him and the excitement of our bodies colliding pulsated through him. He moaned and slowly began to pull my nightie up higher.

Shhhhh, Aaron, we can’t! My son is here!

Oh, babe, I don’t plan on making any noise. Too bad I can’t say the same for you.

He kissed me, hard. Our tongues tangled together, probing, exploring. I squealed as he flipped me over on my back, reached across the bed and turned off the light.

The next time I looked at the clock it was 12:30 a.m. and officially December 25. With our bodies tangled in the sheets of my queen size bed, I laid my head on his chest. Merry Christmas.

Chapter 4

I woke on Christmas morning at 9:00 a.m. I could not believe that on today of all days, I slept in! I jumped out of bed, pulled on some clothes and walked into the kitchen. The boys were already getting a head start on preparing breakfast.

Merry Christmas, Mom, said Josh, as he kissed me on the cheek.

Merry Christmas, babe, said Aaron as he kissed me gently and held me for a moment.

We finished our breakfast, and Aaron leaned across the table and whispered to me. Do you have his gift?

I nodded, walked back into the bedroom and pulled a small box out of the nightstand. I sat beside Josh on the sofa and handed him the carefully wrapped gift. I watched him as he opened the it and looked inside, stunned.

A garage door opener?

Think of it as a puzzle.

His green eyes widened as he grabbed the remote, ran outside and hit the button. As the door slowly rose he couldn’t contain his excitement as the brand new royal blue Mustang slowly revealed itself in the California sunlight.

Oh my god, are you kidding me, seriously, you got me my own car?

It’s all ready to go, ownership’s in your name. Insurance is prepaid for one year then it’s your responsibility. I even had them install a GPS with my address and your address programmed in. So you won’t get lost.

Mom, please, I know today is Christmas, but can I please take it out for a drive?

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the keys and tossed them to him. Now, don’t get crazy with the car, the last thing I want on Christmas day is to get a call to bail you out of jail for speeding, okay?

Don’t worry, I won’t, he promised, kissed my cheek and took off.

I stood on the front step and watched him drive away. Aaron came out, wrapped his arms around me and nuzzled my neck gently. We should get ready, everyone will be here soon. We walked back into the house and prepared Christmas dinner.

Chapter 5

By 2:00 p.m. all of our guests arrived. We were busy checking on dinner and setting the table when I stopped for a moment and glanced over into the living room where Aiden and Scott sat together on the sofa. I could tell that Scott was still uneasy. He really didn’t know any of us that well. He first had to work up the courage to meet Aiden’s family the night before, and now he was here, with all these people.

Aiden leaned over and whispered something into Scott’s ear. He replied with a silent nod and a slight smile. Getting up from the sofa, Aiden looked toward the kitchen and grinned at me. He knew I was watching them.

Playfully he walked up to me and wrapped his arms around my waist, spinning me around. Thanks for inviting us.

You don’t think I could celebrate Christmas without you?

He gently gave me a quick kiss of the cheek, opened the fridge and grabbed two beers. Where’s Josh?

He’s out taking his Christmas gift for a test drive.

You got him a car? Geez my mom never bought me a car, Aiden joked.

Yes. But he better be back soon. I’ll be returning the damn thing if he misses dinner. As if