Ghost Hunting Diary Volume IV

Ghost Hunting Diary

Volume IV

T. M. Simmons

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Copyright © 2012 T. M. Simmons

Original New Release

Cover Design: Angela Rogers ©2012

Misadvmom @ yahoo.com

Dead Man Hand © 2012 by T. M. Simmons;

Original New Release

Smashwords Edition

All rights reserved. With the exception of quotes used in reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, or by any means existing now or in the future, in whole or in part, without the express written permission of the author, except where permitted by law. Piracy of copyright works is a crime.

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to where you purchased it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Some of the characters in this diary are real persons, who have granted permission to use their names. However, a few have asked for anonymity, which has been honored.

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Discover Other Electronic Books

by T. M. Simmons

Writing as T. M. Simmons

Winter Prey (Paranormal Suspense)

True Ghost Stories:

Ghost Hunting Diary Volume I

Ghost Hunting Diary Volume II

Ghost Hunting Diary Volume III

Ghost Hunting Diary Volume IV

Grave Yarns (Fictional Horror Short Stories)

Mysteries with Ghosts:

Dead Man Talking

Dead Man Haunt

Dead Man Hand

Writing as Trana Mae Simmons

Montana Surrender, Historical Romance (Sexy)

Bittersweet Promises, Historical Romance (Sexy)

Mountain Magic, Historical Romance (Sexy)

Forever Angels, Time Travel/Historical Romance (Sexy)

Witch Angel, Time Travel/Historical Romance (Sexy)

Spellbound, Paranormal Romance/Historical (Sexy)

Southern Charms, Paranormal Romance/Historical (Sexy)

Chrissy's Wish (Christmas Novella, Sweet)

Tennessee Waltz, Sweet Historical

Winter Dreams, Sweet Historical

Town Social, Sweet Historical

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Dedication:

This one's for you, Aunt Belle!

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Chapter 1 - Dear Reader Letter

Dear Reader:

Howdy again from Texas. I'm excited right now, because I have two books nearly ready to release. As I write this, it's the week before Labor Day weekend, and I plan to upload both starting Tuesday, September 4.

The book you are either sampling or reading right now is the fourth volume of my ghost hunting diaries: true, unembellished stories of my paranormal adventures. I've kept numerous ones during my years as a ghost hunter/ paranormal investigator, and I've already dropped some titles into Volume V. This current set contains some of my favorites, a mixture of old and new diaries.

I am continuing to release a volume of diaries to accompany a new book. Therefore, the first story in Ghost Hunting Diary Volume IV is St. James Jeepers Creepers, and the one I kept concerning mine and Aunt Belle's trip to the St. James Hotel in Cimarron, New Mexico. The St. James was featured on Unsolved Mysteries quite a few years ago, and there is absolutely no doubt in my mind this hotel is one of the most haunted buildings in the U. S. Our trip ranks high on my all-time favorites list. We were given free rein by the then-owner, and were the only guests in the huge hotel … living ones, anyway. I can still feel the icy glob of ectoplasm on my finger!

The other newly-available book is the third Dead Man mystery, Dead Man Hand. It's a story that languished for a long while on my computer, and I finally found time to finish writing it. I love the way it turned out, and hope my readers agree. The town and hotel where Dead Man Hand takes place are not Cimarron and the St. James. However, my visit there did inspire this book. Alice, Twila, Granny, Jack, Trucker and Miss Molly are up to their ears in ghosts again at the fictitious Red Dollar Hotel in Red Dollar, New Mexico — ghosts armed with six shooters! The weapon of choice for the living villains is black magic: very, very black.

In this book you are looking at on your e-reader, you'll find The Making of Barney the Believer, a story about how my husband became a believer in ghosts. It took him a while, but he now accepts the reality of those beings his wife communicates with.

That Pesky Portal is another part of the saga regarding the door between the two worlds at my friend Angela's house, hopefully, the conclusion. Closing that portal was a new experience for me, but I learned once again to trust my spirit guides. I've also learned never to say never regarding the paranormal, so we shall see.

Aunt Belle and I visited Prospect Place this past spring, a historical mansion in the tiny village of Trinway, Ohio. It's been featured on television, and I have a return trip on my Bucket List. I'd love to spend a night there, as Aunt Belle did. In the meantime, Possibilities of Prospect Place relates what happened during my daytime tour.

I always end with a diary about one of my scary experiences. Yes, there's evil out there, some nasty, malicious stuff. I'm not sure if the entity who scared the crap out of me in Hot Springs Heart Attack (Almost) was a demon, an animal ghost, or what. And I truly don't care if I ever uncover the truth about that experience!

You'll also find two short articles after the diaries. I periodically get questions from readers that indicate a need to enlighten others about the world I delve into so carefully yet eagerly. So I wrote The Four Areas of the Sixth Sense and How to Tell if You Have a Haunting, and What to Do. Although they aren't extensive, I hope they help others learn at least a little about some of the things I now take for granted.

Of course, the most frequent contact I get is from people wanting me to take them along with me to show them a ghost. I have to tell them, as Aunt Belle says, It ain't Dial a Ghost, folks. It just doesn't happen that way. You can read my blog and find that out. It also takes some training before I will allow someone to go with me. Ask my Psychic Development Class students. They talked me into teaching them, but I refused to take them to one cemetery until they had a few lessons under their belts. And then only if they agreed to wear one of my protection packets.

Last, you will find a short excerpt from Dead Man Hand. The covers on both books were done by the awesomely talented Angela Rogers. She makes you want to write more just so you can have one of her covers on another book.

I rather hope you have to enjoy my stories with the lights on. So, as always, read on … if you dare!

Boo!

T. M.

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Chapter 2 - St. James Jeepers Creepers

I'll admit it. There are times during ghost hunts when I even scare myself silly … er … sillier. In May, 1998, an occurrence at the captivating historical St. James Hotel, in Cimarron, New Mexico — a place with an extremely haunted reputation — turned into one of those incidents.

Aunt Belle still lived in Ohio then, and she came to Texas once — or if we were lucky, twice — a year. Then we ditched our responsibilities and chased some ghosts. She called me one morning after an episode of Unexplained Mysteries to enthuse, Did you watch it last night?

Dang, I missed it. But if you're this excited, it must have been good, I said.

Fascinating. You need to look it up on that computer you use and see what you can find out.

I sighed. You really would enjoy learning to use a computer, I repeated for the umpteenth time.

Don't want a thing to do with one of those. I love a pen in my hand, she reiterated for the same number of times.

We could email, I reminded her.

Then I wouldn't have anything at the post office. Are you going to see what you can find out or not?

Of course, I agreed. I'll call you back.

I almost didn't call as promised. The stories about the hotel enthralled me for a long while. Of course, that was in the days of dial-up internet service, but once I got through, I didn't want to leave the multiple web pages Google found.

You were right, I told her when I remembered to call back. When can we go?

We made our plans. I handled our reservations, then we waited … and waited … and waited. It seemed like the day to start this trip would never arrive. One reason for the delay had to do with another popular tourist event. The Roswell, New Mexico, Old-Timers Balloon Festival was scheduled the first weekend in May, and balloon rides were on our Bucket Lists. Therefore, I coordinated our travel to take advantage of the opportunity to cross that adventure off.

At last I drove to the airport and picked up Aunt Belle. The next morning, we headed out. After two days in Roswell, one day of which our ride cancelled due to tears in the silk from a misjudged landing in a field of mesquite the previous week, we crossed balloon rides off our lists. We also received our champagne showers. Yes, we were a bit hesitant that second early morning after we arrived for our rides, but the pilot assured us his repairs were successful. They evidently were, since the balloon twice carried us back to earth safely.

The next morning, we headed for Cimarron. We drove … and drove. There was nothing boring about the journey, however. Empty country, gorgeous scenery, and antelopes beckoned. Desert has its own beauty, especially in the late spring. There were flowering plants, high hills and mesas. We took an intense interest in the different flora and fauna with its variety of sizes and shapes and even bought a book on the local plants. Antelope herds included babies that time of year, cute and gangly but nearly as fast as the mamas when they fled from our intrusion the numerous times we pulled off to take pictures.

And as happens at times, the ghosts had already started to make their presences known … one ghost, anyway.

We both wore shorts, since it was beautiful weather in the lower New Mexico elevations. Something, though, kept pestering me. Time after time, I reached down to brush at what I assumed was a fly landing on my lower leg.

Why on earth do you keep fidgeting? Aunt Belle finally asked.

See if you can catch that darn fly and chase it out the window!

She frowned and stared around the car. There's no fly in here. None's bothered me.

Then I don't know what it is. It feels like a feather brushing my leg. You know, just like a fly feels when it lands on you, only not exactly. More like … well, a feather.

The confirmation of this as a ghost incident came through soon after we arrived at the St. James that afternoon. It was one of those experiences that defies explanation and cannot in any way be explained as other than a paranormal event.

Eventually, the road climbed through the hills and mesas, into a New Mexico range of mountains. Cimarron lies about a half-hour from Angel Fire, a popular ski resort in northern New Mexico, and approximately sixty miles south of the Colorado border. Even at the higher elevations, herds of antelope watched us pass. We also spied a few buffalo now and then. Other vehicle encounters were extremely infrequent; thus, I could drive safely and enjoy the awesome beauty, rather than keep an eagle eye on the highway. Elk and deer also thrived in the area, and I actually spotted a couple elk far up one mountainside, although Aunt Belle couldn't see them. No deer, though; at least, not at this point.

Late that afternoon, we arrived in Cimarron. It's a tiny blink on the map, population perhaps 1,000. The town's located on what was once the Santa Fe Trail, and the history is engrossing to someone who enjoys research, as I do. The name in Spanish means wild and unruly. The area was also part of a controversial Maxwell Land Grant, which spawned one of those western land wars: the Colfax County War fought in the late 1800's. Cimarron is in Colfax County.

History tells of this portion of New Mexico being lawless for decades, and there are numerous stories about the outlaws who wandered in and out of the territory. Among its visitors, the town boasts Kit Carson, Black Jack Ketchum, Clay Allison and his outlaw band, as well as Billy the Kid, Buffalo Bill, and Wild Bill Hickok. Some of these famous and infamous fugitives and lawmen inscribed the St. James' guest books, which the hotel still has. Tales of violence and gunplay associated with the hotel legend also flourish. Twenty-six deaths occurred in the St. James.

I loved reading and hearing about this area's past. It helped me immensely with the plot for my new book, Dead Man Hand, which is set in the fictitious New Mexico town of Red Dollar and drawn from my time in Cimarron. My ghosts, invented with the help of my weird but fascinating Muse, haunt the Red