Meeting Place of the Dead. Richard Palmisano

know anything about this gun?”

      There was no reply.

      “This looks like it’s over a hundred years old,” Joanna said.

      “That’s what I’m thinking,” Paul said.

      “Have you seen this gun before today?” Paul asked aloud.

      “Did you do all the renovation work to this place?” Joanna asked.

      No reply.

      Peter set up an E. Probe in the living room under the watchful eye of the surveillance camera. (The E. Probe device is used to detect electrical energy in either very close proximity or by touch, depending on the sensitivity setting.) Then he placed his digital voice recorder on the table.

      The team prepared to leave the house. Everyone filed out the back door and Peter, being the last one to leave, called out, “We are going.” Then he pulled the door closed.

      We headed out, past a massive gnarled tree, to the ancient barn. Peter pulled the door open and chained it, and we all stepped inside. The main floor was divided into several areas. There were stairs to a root cellar and a fixed ladder leading to a large loft above. The team fanned out, taking photos while exploring the barn.

      It was interesting to note that we captured the meowing of a cat, and although we were in a country setting in an old barn, where one would expect to hear a cat, no living cat was seen. However, Peter discovered the mummified remains of a cat in the cellar.

      At that point, the team headed off to tour another location that was brought to our attention as possibly being haunted. Peter had arranged an introductory tour that would take us away from this location for about an hour. We were confident that our equipment left operating in the cottage would capture any activity in our short absence.

      Meanwhile back in the cottage …

      [From the surveillance camera microphone, the floor starts to creak in the living room as if someone is walking and shifting their weight. Then the E. Probe activates several times. The camera captures the little red indicator light come on and the alarm sound, but no other activity.

      Peter’s digital recorder picks up movement and a scratching sound, a light tap near the recorder, then a strange sound as if someone’s stomach is growling.

      After a few minutes more, there is movement near the recorder, and sounds as though someone is going through Peter’s equipment case.]

      During our absence from the building, there was an enormous amount of unexplainable sounds recorded within the house: banging, walking, the sound of fabric rustling, someone coughing and sneezing, and a very distinct sound of someone taking off either boots or heavy shoes and dropping them to the floor one at a time.

      The team returned and entered the house.

      Peter, Joanna, Victoria, and Marilyn headed upstairs. Paul and I remained on the main floor and checked the cameras.

      Paul discovered none of his LED flashlights were working, and when we changed the batteries they still would not work. I loaded the same batteries into my flashlight and they worked fine.

      “But they were just working before we left,” Paul stated.

      [Peter’s digital camera is still recording in the living room and captures two knocking sounds and something shifting near the recorder. The E. Probe activates, but the alarm is muted and neither Paul nor I notice the flashing red light on the device.]

      Peter came down and saw the E. Probe light and told us of the alarm activation.

      “I’ve never seen flashlights go like that before,” Paul said, a little upset.

      “I know,” I agreed.

      [Peter’s digital camera records a loud male voice, either clearing his throat or saying “uh-huh.”]

      Peter and Paul entered the northwest room. Paul called out, “Hello?”

      No response.

      “Do you want us to leave?” Paul asked aloud.

      [A desperate-sounding female voice says, “Yes.”]

      “Is there someone here with the surname Smith?” Peter asked.

      There appeared that a female responded “Yes,” but due to the sound of the refrigerator motor starting at that exact same moment it was unclear.

      Peter asked, “Do you want us to leave?”

      [EVP response: “Hell ya!”]

      We moved through the house and everyone ended up on the second floor.

      “The place seems so quiet,” Peter stated as we all sat around in the upper floor bedroom.

      [The recorder captures the sound of someone walking on hardwood, even though the floors are covered in wall-to-wall carpet on this level. A total of six footfalls are recorded.]

      The sound of a female moaning was heard by everyone in the room. Unnerved, the team moved out to check the floor. Nothing was found.

      There were loud knocks coming from the main floor, which were heard by Peter, Joanna, and Marilyn. Paul moved to the top of the stairs and confirmed he heard someone walking down on the first floor.

      Joanna moved to the top of the stairs. “Who’s with you?” she asked.

      No reply came.

      [As the team starts to move back downstairs to the main floor, the main-floor camera captures a male voice saying, “Win.”] Upon later analysis of this EVP we were at a loss as to what this may have meant. It would seem that a lot of what we recorded was not for our benefit, but rather communication between the spirits themselves.

      Paul walked over to the wall switch and turned on the large overhead light. This must have upset something within the house.

      [It is followed by an immediate EVP on the main-floor camera of a male voice saying, “Damn it, I’ll get you.”]

      Peter and Paul moved farther into the living room and spoke to one another.

      [The digital recorder captures unknown talking over their voices, the content impossible to understand.]

      Paul looked over at me. “I just heard a voice.”

      “What did it say?”

      “I don’t know.”

      On review it seemed that it was an agreement with what Peter was saying. It was simply a voice of an unknown male saying, “Yeah.”

      “We should head out to the barn and do some work out there,” I told the team.

      [As we prepare to head out, the surveillance system captures a male voice saying, “Yeah, Miriam,” and the sound of walking.] The camera footage clearly showed the team standing near the kitchen entrance, none of us were moving.

      We headed out into the frigid night air and made the short trek to the barn. I pulled the door open and latched the chain to an old, rusted piece of metal nailed to the side of the barn. The team entered, split up, and investigated the barn.

      Paul immediately headed up to the loft to investigate and take photos. He also wanted to make sure that it was safe for the rest of the team.

      From the doorway, Marilyn captured a photo of what seems to be a person near the loft ladder. Looking at the image on the camera view finder, it seemed quite convincing, however upon later review of this photo on the computer system it turned out to be nothing.

      Several of us moved down into the cellar for a quick look.

      [Peter captures a whisper on his digital recorder. Standing quietly in the stable area, he also records a shuffling sound and a male saying, “Break it up here,” or “Bring it up here.” Then wood creaking as something in the room moves.]

      We didn’t know about the EVPs captured in the barn yet, so we felt that it was very