The Supernaturals by David L. Golemon

cheeriness to this floor, and failed miserably, when it was cleaned up after Professor Kennedy’s visit.” Kelly turned the knob and opened the door. “Get with it; I can’t do this on my own.”
    Greg shrugged his shoulders and then stepped up behind Kelly to look into the large suite.
    The room was huge. The main bedroom was occupied by one of the largest beds any of the three had ever seen. It was at least sixteenth century, and was complete with a canopy and a bedspread that looked as if it were made of mink. The oil paintings on the walls were of the surrounding Pocono valley. The walls were papered in a satin-type rose colored print with fine stripes, the type seen in boudoirs at the turn of the century. There were three very large cherry wood wardrobes, with three Japanese silk screens at the side of each. The Persian rug was of the same quality as the others they had seen in the house, only this one was far more expensive in look and texture.
    Kelly walked to the opposite wall where a large window looked out and down onto the pool and the grounds beyond.
    “So far the only creepy thing around this place is the damn owner, and I very seriously doubt if we could fill eight hours with just him,” Greg said as he opened up one of the ornate wardrobes. He suddenly jumped back from the black sequined evening gown hanging in front of him. For a moment, he thought it was an apparition.
    “What?” Kelly and Paul asked at the same moment.
    “Jesus. Ah...it’s only a dress.”
    “Yeah, I suppose it’s a sequined evening gown?” she asked mockingly.
    “As a matter of fact, yeah, it’s black and it’s sequined. It’s also the only thing hanging in here.”
    Kelly lost her smile as she stepped in front of Greg and peered inside. Her brows rose as she pulled the dress out of the closet and looked at it in the light. Years of dust fell free of the gown and a small piece fell to the rug at her feet. Moths had had their way with the old dress for nearly a century.
    “Why would they leave that here? This can’t be the opera diva’s dress, that’s just a little too farfetched,” Paul said.
      “I doubt it,” Kelly answered him under her breath, and then she quickly hung the gown back up. “If it is or isn’t, I want shots of this thing on Halloween. That’s got creep factor.”
    She pushed the silk-screened door closed, checked her watch, and moved out into the hallway.
    “We’ll try and find the actress’ room later. We’ve got to start the set-up,” she said. She looked up the long hallway, staring toward the sewing room at the far end until a voice intruded on her thoughts.
    “Look at this,” Paul said. He was kneeling on one knee and probing the wallpaper with his fingertips. He slid his hand up the wall until he had to straighten. Then he ran his fingers down the wall again.
    “What are you doing?” Kelly asked.
    Paul finally straightened, then stepped back from the wall and tilted his head. He was still staring when Greg touched his shoulder.
    “Are you going to let us in on it?”
    “The glue for the wallpaper didn’t adhere in some spots. Look.” He pushed with his index finger, and Kelly and Greg both heard the soft crackle and saw the bulge dimple inward.
    “Okay, shoddy paperhanging, I’ll call the union,” Greg said.
    Kelly stepped back against the opposite wall and looked at the spot more closely.
    “I see it,” she said.
    “See what?” Greg asked in frustration as he stepped backward to join her.
    “The place where the glue didn’t stick to the plaster? It’s in the shape of a man,” Paul said. He stepped out of the way so that they could see it better.
    Kelly could see the torso, arms and legs. The head was slightly too large for the body, but it was there also.
    “Okay, now that is creepy.” Greg swallowed.
    “We need to get one of the cameras on this and make it look like an accidental finding during the show. We’ll test it tonight. Maybe it’ll get a rise out of