The Fall of Autumn Read online

  *****

  The Fall of Autumn

  I See You

  A light but steady rain, almost a mist, fell as we stood by Emma’s gravesite; it was late autumn in 1958. It hadn’t been that long ago when I first met her, eight years ago to be exact. When we met, it seemed like I had known her all my life. As I paid my last respects, I laid a bouquet of daisies on her casket as she was being lowered into the ground. Daises were her favorite flowers. It had only been couple of weeks ago that I visited her in the hospital. Emma died in her sleep. The doctors believed she grieved herself to death over the death of her daughter, Ellie. I believe that as well because she never got over losing her; she was never the same after her death. I can relate because I know what it was like when I lost my son, Josh. Emma had a nice funeral even though there wasn’t many people there, just a few of her family and close friends. She was laid to rest next to her only child, her daughter, Ellie. I can still hear Emma singing Ellie’s favorite lullaby to her. As they started covering her with dirt, I held the hands of my wife and little girl and watched. I couldn’t believe she was gone. Barbara, my wife, and I had named our daughter Emma Kelly after her. The light but steady rain began to fall harder. We hurried to the car and headed home without much to say to each other.

  After I retired from the FBI, we bought a farm in Bakerton, Alabama located twelve miles south of Birmingham in Lincoln County. It wasn’t a big farm but it was more than enough for me to take care of. The farm was on Forrest Chapel Road and my land ran along Johnson’s Creek that wound its way through Lincoln County.

  As I drove home, I couldn’t help but think about Emma. In fact, if it wasn’t for Emma, Barbara and I would have divorced years ago. After we lost our son, Josh, it was hard for me to let it go; it almost drove me and Barbara apart. However, Barbara got pregnant in 1950 and the Lord blessed us with a beautiful daughter who has blessed us so. As I drove on, the rain became heavier. The wind blew hard against the car and made it hard to keep the car on the road. It was raining so hard, I had to pull over and stop until it let up. Once the storm let up, we made our way home.

  A few days later, Kelly started acting funny. She seemed preoccupied and kept to herself. When her mother and I would question her about it, she always told us she was fine. On several occasions, when we caught her talking to herself and asked her who she was talking to, she told us she was talking to her new friend, Alice Ann. We didn’t think too much about it, at first, because we knew how children were. We thought it was just a phase she was going through since we lived out in the country and there was no one around for her to play with. To us, at the time, it didn’t seem to be that serious of a matter. However, as time went on, Kelly told us that Alice Ann had taught her a new game called hide and seek; we still didn’t think much about it. But, as the days passed, Kelly spent the majority of her time playing the new game with her friend. I see you, Kelly would say as she played with her friend. We often asked Kelly to introduce her new friend to us. But, Kelly always told us her friend was shy and she didn’t want to meet us. Even though we were becoming concerned, we continued to play along with her game.

  It was a couple of months later when strange and odd things started happening around the house; things that started coming up missing and broken. We questioned Kelly about it but she always denied it and blamed it on her friend.

  “Why do you say it’s Alice Ann?” I questioned her.

  “Because I don’t want to play with her,” she replied.

  “Why don’t you want to play with her?” her mother asked.

  “Because she gets me in trouble,” Kelly answered.

  We knew then things were more serious than we thought and we should have done something about it sooner.”

  “Don’t you believe me, Mama and Daddy?” she asked. “If you don’t believe me, ask her. She’s standing right over there.”

  “I don’t see her,” I replied.

  “Me either,” her mother said.

  “Alice Ann, tell my mama and daddy that it is your fault. Tell them you are doing all those things, not me.”

  “Now, Kelly, don’t get upset,” her mother told her.

  “But, you have to believe me, Mama,” cried Kelly. “I didn’t do it; it was Alice Ann.”

  “It’s okay,” I told her as I took her in my arms and held her tight. “Don’t cry, honey. You don’t have to play with Alice Ann anymore if you don’t want to,” I assured her. “Barbara, what are we going to do?” I asked.

  “I don’t know,” she replied. “She really believes Alice Ann exists.

  “Maybe it will stop now,” I stated. “If it doesn’t, we’ll have to take her to the doctor.”

  “Do you think she will be all right?” Barbara asked. “Do you think she really sees Alice Ann?

  “I don’t know,” I replied. “But, if she keeps this up, we will have to do something.”

  As the days passed, things appeared to be getting back to normal. Kelly was more herself and she hadn’t mentioned anything about Alice Ann in a while. That is until a grease fire broke out in the kitchen. I was able to put it out quickly before it did any significant damage; thank God. I told Barbara she needed to be more careful because the house could have been destroyed because of her carelessness. However, Barbara swore up and down she turned the stove off before she left the kitchen.

  “Mama, Alice Ann turned the stove back on. She’s mad because I quit playing with her.”

  “Kelly, why would you say such a thing?” her mother questioned.

  “Alice Ann told me so,” she replied.

  The next day, we made Kelly an appointment with the doctor. We were able to get an appointment the next day but it seemed like forever. We explained to him how Kelly was before and after her friend appeared. He talked to her about what was going on and about her friend. When he asked her about the strange things that had been happening, Kelly told him the same thing she had told us, that it was Alice Ann. After several visits to the doctor, he informed us that in his professional opinion, Kelly was doing it to get attention and she was using her make believe friend to get out of trouble.

  “From talking with Kelly, she never gets in any trouble at school,” the doctor stated.

  “What does that have to do with her imaginary friend?” I questioned.

  “Well,” the doctor replied, “she has plenty of children to play with at school but she doesn’t have anyone to play with at home. Besides, a lot of children have make believe friends. I believe she will grow out of it. It’s just a phase she’s going through. Am I completely certain about this? I’m not sure,” he said as he leaned back in his chair. I do know, however, if it’s not a harmless game of make believe, we have a more serious problem on our hands.”

  “But, what do you think about the fire?” asked Barbara.

  “Are you sure you turned the stove off?” the doctor replied.

  “I’m very certain I did,” she said with a frustrated look.

  “Kelly blames it on Alice Ann,” I explained. “What about that?”

  “Like I said before,” he said. “She blamed Alice Ann because she knew you would accuse her of doing it like you did for all the other incidents. Do you understand where I’m coming from?”

  “Yes, doctor, I do. But, I’m still not convinced. Can we continue the sessions?” I asked.

  “Yeah, sure. In fact, I recommend it.”

  The sessions continued for several more weeks before we decided to end them since there hadn’t been any more unexplained incidents and things were back to normal. Kelly was back to her old self and she never mentioned Alice Ann again.

  As the days passed, I tried to forget about the past and focus on what lied ahead. However, at times, I thought about Emma. I missed visiting her at Birmingham Central Medical Center. But, I believed she was better off. Day after day, I worked on the farm raising tobacco and corn while Barbara worked at the house and Kel
ly took care of the chickens. All seemed to be going well for a change until one day when I was in the barn stacking hay. I found an old newspaper and a birth certificate in the barn loft. The paper dated back to 1946. I sat down for a few minutes to rest a bit and was thumbing through the newspaper when I saw an article about a house fire. I was shocked as I read the article because it was almost identical to what happened at our house. According to the article, the house caught fire and nearly burnt down. Apparently, the fire started in the kitchen and spread throughout the house. The man and woman, Ronald and Shannon Eldridge, was able to get out but they lost their little girl, Alice Ann Eldridge, in the fire. There was no way they could get her out because the flames spread to the upstairs and they couldn’t get to her because the flames were too hot. I couldn’t believe what I had read. I rushed inside the house to show Barbara the newspaper. When she read it, she was just as shocked as I was.

  “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” I asked her.

  “It can’t be Kelly’s friend,” she said, “can it?”

  “I don’t know,” I replied. “Maybe it’s just a coincidence or at least I hope it is.”

  “But, it is our house in the article. I’m sure of that,” she replied.

  “I’m pretty sure it is, too,” I said. “However, there must be some way I can find out for sure.”

  “Brandon, do you think Kelly really saw Alice Ann?” asked Barbara.

  “I don’t know,” I replied. “But, Kelly is very adamant that Alice Ann is real.”

  The next day, I went to town and started inquiring about the article. It so happens, I ran in to one of my neighbors who lived up the road from me. I showed him the newspaper article hoping that he might know something about it. But, he told me he hadn’t lived in Bakerton very long and had not heard anything about the fire. I continued to ask around town to see if I could find someone who was aware of what had happened. That’s when I saw my neighbor who lived across the field from me. I showed him the newspaper article and asked him if he knew anything about it. He told me he remembered the fire and the Eldridge family and their little girl, who died in the fire, very well.

  “The Eldridge family was a little strange but Alice Ann was a sweet little girl,” he said. “It was tragic news for the community. I felt sorry for the family; they never did get over it. After the little girl’s funeral, the family decided to stay here. They rebuilt the house and lived there for two years. But, the loss of their child was more than they could bear so they put the house up for sale. I believe it was the Carney family who bought the house. Yeah, it was; it was David and Cynthia Carney. However, they only lived there a few years. They had a little boy named Danny Lee. If I’m not mistaken, they adopted him. He wasn’t their biological child. They had a lot of trouble with their son,” he said. “He was always getting in trouble. They were strange people also, just like the Eldridge family.”

  I never mentioned to him about Alice Ann. But, he did say that after the fire, things around the Eldridge farm were not the same.

  “Numerous people have told me that David and Cynthia Carney could hear a little girl screaming at night. And, some of the neighbor’s children have said they have seen a little girl looking out the upstairs bedroom window when they passed by the old house. The upstairs bedroom facing the road was Alice Ann’s room. People don’t talk much about it anymore. Most of the people who live here now didn’t live here when the fire happened. All they know is what they’ve been told.”

  I thanked him and headed for home. When I got there, I told Barbara what I had found out. We both wondered if it was Alice Ann’s ghost Kelly had been playing with.

  “You know, Barbara, I believe Kelly did see Alice Ann and she was telling us the truth; she didn’t do those things.”

  “But, why?” Barbara asked. “What does Alice Ann want?”

  “I don’t know,” I replied.

  “Hi, Mama; hi, Daddy,” Kelly said as she entered the house carrying a cat.

  “Kelly, where did you get that cat?” I asked.

  “Alice Ann gave it to me,” she replied. “She said I could have it because she wants to be my friend. Ain’t she pretty, Mama? Can I keep her, Daddy? Can I, Mama and Daddy?” begged Kelly.

  “I suppose so,” I replied as I looked at Barbara with a puzzled look.

  “You’re going to have to take care of her,” Barbara said.

  “Thanks, Mama and Daddy. I’ll take real good care of her. I promise.”

  I sat up the rest of the night; I didn’t know what to expect. I tossed the information I had found out over and over in my head while Barbara and Kelly slept on the couch. I looked the birth certificate over and over. However, it was so faded and torn I could hardly see what was on it. But, the more I looked at it, the clearer it became. A chill shot up my spine when I was finally able to make out the names of the parents listed on the birth certificate. The boy’s real father was Gordon Lee Reels and his mother was Betty Ann Hall. My neighbor was right; the Carneys had adopted Danny Lee. I knew I had to do a little more investigating. I knew Gordon Lee Reels from when I worked for the FBI. The last I knew of him he was at the Red Hill Sanitarium in Jackson, Mississippi. Early the next morning, when Barbara awoke, I told her what I had realized from the birth certificate. She didn’t want me to leave but she wanted answers, too. I left that morning, early. I was planning to arrive in Jackson late that evening, get a motel room for the night and go to the sanitarium early the next morning so I could get back home to Barbara and Kelly. It had been several years ago since I had been to the sanitarium and I hoped Irene Stewart still worked there.

  I arrived in Jackson late that evening. I got a motel room and turned in for the night. I had driven nearly all day and I was worn out. I was startled awake in the middle of the night because it felt like someone was standing beside my bed watching me. When I rolled over, I saw a little boy standing there; I couldn’t believe my eyes. But, when I closed my eyes and looked again, I saw Josh, my son. I wanted to hold him in my arms so bad. Even though he appeared to be so close, he was too far away for me to even reach out and touch him. He told me that Ellie was trying to warn me. Before I could ask him about what, he was gone. Afterwards, I laid back down but I couldn’t go to sleep. I tossed and turned until I finally decided to get on up. I stared out of the motel window and tried to figure out what in the world was going on. I also wondered if Barbara and Kelly was all right. After I watched the sunrise, I got dressed, went to a little diner to get some coffee and then I headed to the hospital.

  Shortly, I arrived at the hospital and requested to speak with Dr. Irene Stewart. Luckily, she still worked there. I didn’t have an appointment so I had to wait about an hour before I got to see her. I didn’t mind because I had to find out some answers for the sake of my family’s safety. Finally, I got in to see her. I introduced myself and asked her if she remembered me. At first, she didn’t because it had been several years ago.

  “I used to work for the FBI out of the Birmingham office,” I said.

  “Oh, yeah, now I remember,” she replied.

  “I was hoping you still worked here and hopefully you can help me. I was worried that you might have retired or moved to another hospital.”

  “No, I love it here. They’re probably going to have to make me retire,” she said with a smile.

  “Well, I’m retired now,” I replied.

  “How do you like retirement?” she asked.

  “Most of the time I enjoy it. But, sometimes I wish I could have continued to work,” I said.

  “So, what brings you back to Red Hill Sanitarium?” she asked.

  “Oh, I was hoping you could give me a little information,” I replied. “Particularly this,” I said as I handed her the birth certificate. “Do you remember a Gordon Lee Reels?” I asked.

  “Gordon Lee Reels,” she said. “It has been a long time but I do remember him.”
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  “Do you still have his record on file?”

  “I’m sure I do but since it has been so long ago, I’ll have to go down to the basement to the old records room and see if we still have his file. It’s highly unlikely but I’ll see.”

  As we left her office and headed to the records room, I explained to her what was going on and that I felt my family and I was in some sort of danger. She understood and told me she would try to help me all she could. When we got to the records room, there were hundreds of filing cabinets and boxes of files. Even if they still had a file on him, I didn’t see how in the world she would ever find it in all those records. However, she had only looked in a few boxes when she found Gordon Lee’s file. According to his file, Gordon Lee Reels had fathered a child, Danny Lee, while he was in the sanitarium. The mother of his child, Betty Ann Hill, lived only a short while after giving birth to Danny Lee. The state put him up for adoption and he was sent to an orphanage in Montgomery, Alabama.

  “I’m not sure if he was ever adopted. You might check the orphanage to see if you can find out some more information or find out how you can get in touch with is adoptive parents; that’s if he was ever adopted.”

  “Is there a possibility that Danny Lee was anything like his father?” I asked.

  “It’s a possibility,” she said. “Danny’s father, Gordon, was a very sick man and so was his mother, Betty Ann. The poor child didn’t have much of a chance to be normal. Gordon was convicted of murdering his father. He suffered from schizophrenia. He was delusional and he lived in a fantasy world. Gordon or Gordy, as he was called, loved cats. Whenever his father thought he had misbehaved or done wrong, he would kill one of his cats right in front of him. Gordon’s mother tried to stop him but Gordon was so abusive and controlling he took an ax and hacked her to death. Gordon then took the ax and murdered his father. Gordy believed his mother’s spirit lived in the cats and his father was the devil. So, yes, I do believe Danny Lee could be like his father. You could be in serious danger, both you and your family. I have no idea where Danny Lee is but he’s out there somewhere and you need to be very cautious.”

  I thanked her for her help and I left for Montgomery. Fortunately, Montgomery was on my way home and I couldn’t wait to get back there because I was worried about Barbara and Kelly. On the way to Montgomery, I tried to put the scattered pieces of what Josh had said about Ellie and how it related to Alice Ann. But, I couldn’t figure out how it all fit together. Then, I thought about the cat Alice Ann gave to Kelly and wondered if it was a sign that she was trying to warn us, too. My mind was so boggled; I just couldn’t figure it out. Finally, after several hours of driving, I arrived at the orphanage in Montgomery. I went in and asked to speak with the director of the orphanage; luckily, he was in his office. I explained the situation to him but he told me he couldn’t tell me much about the adoption since it had been such a long time ago. However, he did remember a boy named Danny Lee Reels being there for a short time.

  “He was adopted by a family right here in Montgomery,” he said. “I don’t know if they still live around her but I know the woman had a sister who worked here at the orphanage. She didn’t work here very long but I’m sure I still have her address on record. If you don’t mind waiting, I’ll see if I can find it for you.”

  “Oh, no, I don’t mind. Take your time. I’ll just go out here and wait in the lobby.”

  “Okay, that will be fine. Let me take care of a few things and I’ll let you know as soon as I find it.”

  It was about forty-five minutes later when he called me back to his office.

  “Carrie Sue Jenkins is her name and here is her address,” he said as he handed me a piece of paper. “I don’t know if she still lives at that address but you can give it a try.”

  “Thank you for your help. I really appreciate it,” I replied.

  “I left the orphanage and headed to her house. I hoped and prayed that she still lived there. But more importantly, I hoped she would be willing to talk to me. As I pulled up at the address, it appeared someone was at home since there was a car in the driveway. I got out of my car and knocked on the door. A woman opened the door slightly and asked me what I wanted.

  “Are you Carrie Sue Jenkins?” I asked.

  “Yes, I am. Why do you ask?” she replied.

  “I was wondering if I could talk to you about Danny Lee,” I said.

  I thought she wasn’t going to let me in when she closed the door. However, she only closed the door to take the chain off the latch and then she let me in.

  “Come on in, sir, and have a seat,” she said.

  “Thank you, ma’am. I really appreciate this,” I replied.

  “If you don’t mind, what is your name, sir?” she asked.

  “Oh, I’m sorry for not introducing myself,” I replied. “My name is Brandon Hackett.”

  I told her what had been happening with my family and why I needed information about Danny Lee.

  “Danny Lee was a troubled child,” she said. “He stayed in trouble all the time. My sister and her husband, David, adopted him when he was about a year old. At first, he was a good boy. You couldn’t ask for a better child. But, as he grew older, he withdrew within himself and became a loner. As a teenager, he stayed in trouble with the law all the time. David and Cynthia did all they could to help him. But, he was so hard to reach. It seemed like he was living in a fantasy world of his own. David and Cynthia thought it might be better if they moved out of the city to the country. They thought it would help Danny Lee. They bought a farm south of Birmingham in Bakerton and tried to give Danny Lee a fresh start. Unfortunately, that didn’t do any good. He was still hostile and hard to control. The anger and hatred he had inside him had taken control of him. There was one thing, however, that seemed to have a calming effect on Danny Lee and that was cats; Danny Lee loved cats. As I recall, he had seven or eight cats at one time. Not long after they moved to the farm, Danny Lee found out he was adopted. When he found out, he was determined to find out about his real parents and his past. He became obsessed with it. It was a driving force that overtook him and drove him to look for answers. He was so out of control. David and Cynthia didn’t know what else to do. Danny Lee eventually found out about his birth family. He found out his mother died right after he was born. He also found out his father had killed his grandparents and was committed to a sanitarium but he didn’t know where. Right after he found out, he ran away from home and David and Cynthia never heard from his again. He’s out there somewhere and he’s a very dangerous and disturbed man.”

  With the information she gave me, I was able to put all the pieces together. I had a gut feeling Barbara and Kelly was in danger and I had to get home before it was too late.

  “Thank you, Carrie, for the information. You have been a tremendous help to me,” I said as I stood up to leave. “I need to get home to my family and make sure they’re safe.”

  “I hope everything is all right,” she replied as I rushed out the door.

  It was late in the day and it had started to rain as I drove back to Bakerton. It was raining so hard I could barely see to drive and night was approaching fast. I prayed the Lord would help me get home safely as quickly as I could. I was about forty-five minutes from home when I ran into a heavy, thick fog; it had stopped raining. I didn’t know which was worse, the rain or the fog. I had to slow down a little bit even though I didn’t want to because I knew every second and minute counted concerning my family’s safety. Finally, I made it home. But, I parked my car down the road from the house, took my gun out of the glove compartment and walked the rest of the way. I didn’t want to take any chances; better safe than sorry as far as I was concerned. I had no idea what I might walk in to. If my instincts were correct, I was walking in to trouble. I walked cautiously toward the house. I couldn’t see much because the fog was so heavy. However, I could see a dim light glowing in the darknes
s through the fog. I was startled when I felt something at my feet. When I looked down, it was a cat rubbing against my leg and chills immediately ran down my spine. As I walked a little closer, I saw three more cats on the porch and the light was on in the living room. I quietly eased upon the porch and peeped in the window. Barbara and Kelly were sitting on the couch; they were tied up. They looked like they had been beaten and they were crying. I looked around the room but I didn’t see him anywhere. Where is he, I thought. About that time, I heard something behind me and I quickly turned around.

  “I see you,” Danny Lee cried as he stuck a gun between my eyes.

  Within minutes, my life flashed before my eyes. He pulled the trigger. His gun clicked but it didn’t go off. I seized the opportunity and lunged at him. He wasn’t a big man but he was strong. We fought along the porch and then fell out in to the yard. After several minutes, I was able to overpower him and pin him down. I then reached for a brick laying close by, hit him on the head and knocked him out. I got up, weak and trembling, and thanked God in heaven the gun had misfired. I immediately rushed inside the house to make sure Barbara and Kelly were okay. Luckily, they were even though he had slapped them around a little. Overall, other than being frightened, they were going to be fine. When I went back outside to tie him up, he was gone. I yelled for Barbara to call the police. When the police got there, I filled them in on the situation and they searched the property for him but there was no sign of him. They put out an APB on him and made sure everyone was aware he was armed and dangerous. I praised the Lord that my family was safe. It had been a nightmare the last few days and I was glad it was finally over.

  That night, we were finally able to get some rest and a good night’s sleep until Barbara and I were startled awake at two o’clock that morning. When we looked about the bedroom, we saw Emma and Ellie standing at the foot of our bed. Emma was holding a bouquet of daises in her hand. Ellie told us that she had come back to warn us about Gordon’s son, Danny Lee, and to take Alice Ann back with her. Alice Ann was trapped between two worlds.

  “Hi, Mama and Daddy,” Josh said as he stepped out from behind Emma.

  “I’ll take care of Josh for you,” Emma said. “He can finally rest with all of us.”

  Tears filled Barbara’s and my eyes as we once again said our goodbyes.