Читать книгу Occult Investigator - Bob Psy.D. Johnson - Страница 6

Paul Vasquez was cheating on his wife Norma for nearly two years and like most low lives he thought he’d never be caught – especially not by his father-in-law who had died four years before the couple was ever married.

The young Bronx mother of three knew that Paul was having a torrid affair with another woman, ruining her marital relations and causing her family great distress. The problem was that each time Norma confronted her husband he flatly denied any wrongdoing, and when pressed on the issue either completely ignored Norma or became so agitated that she became fearful that he might become violent. In fact, the situation got so out of hand that she could no longer ask him anything about his life outside of their Bronx apartment. He would flail his arms in the air, scream at her and throw things around their cramped apartment at the mere mention of his private life. But Norma’s accusations were not unfounded. On many occasions she found love notes in his clothes, and he’d often stay out late hours smelling of a woman’s perfume when he returned. Norma lost count of how many times the phone rang and as soon s the other party heard her voice they would hang up. All classic signs of philandering, albeit sloppy ones. But despite Paul’s uncaring for his family, or his arrogance about being caught, he never bargained for his wife’s major ally to be her father. Not so out of the ordinary one would think, but Norma’s father died of a massive heart attack before the couple had ever announced their engagement. And he returned from the dead to set matters straight.

CRY FOR HELP

In a fit of panic one Friday evening after a particularly nasty argument with her husband Paul that left Norma bruised both physically and emotionally, Norma ran to her closest relative in her Bronx neighborhood on East Tremont Street. Aunt Carmen always took a liking to Norma since she was a chubby child in their middle class world. Carmen knew how the other children’s teasing affected little Norma who, although slightly overweight for her age, had classic Latin features and flawless skin that blended into a stunningly pretty face. She would tell Maria not to cry about being teased and that one day she would grow up to be a beautiful woman who all of the men in the world would want to date. She told Norma that one day she would be married to a wonderful man who would care for her for the rest of her life. But Paul, Norma’s high school love and eventual husband, was not that man, and in fact was nothing but a constant source of her misery. So Norma’s cry for security once again turned to her aunt Carmen whom she knew would make things right in her life.

Despite Norma’s repeated attempts to make things work with her husband, he couldn’t be reached. She was at the end of her rope when she visited Carmen one Friday evening to ask for help. Norma knew that Carmen wise a wise woman for sure, but she also remembered the many neighborhood stories about Carmen’s “powers” – her ability to use the magic of Santeria spending hours at the neighborhood Botanica watching her aunt console the locals with sage advice, special instructions for the use of charms and powders and of course the candle magic offerings to the Catholic saints that most of the faithful knew could right almost any ill.

Norma was sure that Carmen had a potion or candle that would help make Paul change his ways, or at the very least let her find out who this other woman was who was running her family life. She could at least then confront the other woman and have some closure.

And Carmen didn’t disappoint her niece. She provided her with her strongest talismans and mixtures. She used the reading of animal parts and bones as she performed her most powerful candle magic, offering many devotions to the Roman Catholic saints known to aid in family and marital problems of all kinds. But nothing worked. Paul continued to play around, Norma was abused and their children suffered. Carmen told Norma she had only one last chance, “We must ask for help from the other side my child,” she told her. “We must seek the advice of the dead – they can see all on this earth. You must ask them or your life will continue in pain. It is your only resort.”

THE HAUNTED HUSBAND

Our telephone rang at X-Investigations just before 7PM on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving holiday of ‘99. My Czech assistant, Silvana had already left for the weekend and I was gathering the paperwork I was planning to look over during the holiday to prepare for my lecture on using occult magic in the business world at the Borough of Manhattan Community College the following week. I hurried to answer the phone in hopes that it was a telemarketer or not very important so that I could begin my holiday. But Carmen Garcia’s urgent plea in broken Spanish to assist her and her niece using the “eyes of the dead,” was too intriguing and fascinating to blow off for anther turkey day. “This is X-Investigations?” Carmen asked after a moment. “You are knowledgeable about the afterlife and how we can summon the dead to help us?”

It was a good 30 seconds before I could get a word in edgewise. Carmen at least let me answer that this was in fact X-Investigations, but the moment I said that I understood her plea, she cut me short and began to ramble about her niece Norma’s domestic predicament and that they had exhausted all known regular and magical aids. I managed to discover that they wanted to conduct a séance to contact someone that Norma trusted to help uncover why Norma’s husband Paul was cheating on her and with whom. “It is very important to my niece and her children that we take care of this problem soon,” Carmen said. “I have used all of my magical knowledge but nothing is working for us.”

I laid down my briefcase and sat back in my chair, resigning myself to the fact that I wasn’t going anywhere this Thanksgiving eve. I discussed at length Carmen’s knowledge of the occult, especially the ways of Santeria, and what spells, talismans, etc. she had tried to overcome Norma’s problem. Carmen was indeed an expert in the ways of her craft, citing ancient tribal remedies and ceremonies that I knew were authentic from my prior research into the field. She told me of the Orishas – the gods of Santeria – and the offerings she sacrificed to them. She also hinted at the ways of Voodoun and the necromantic powers of controlling the dead. But what struck me most was how defeated Carmen sounded. She was obviously concerned with her niece’s welfare, but she was also frightened of something else. I later discovered that Carmen had a twofold reason for wanting to conduct the séance that involved her own occult powers as well as Norma’s requests. This made the case that much more interesting to me so I decided on the spot that X-Investigations would assist Carmen and her niece and attempt to reach the “other side.” What I didn’t bargain for was that my decision would put Silvana’s and my sanity in jeopardy - and thrust our very lives in danger.

I asked Silvana to call on Norma the Friday after Thanksgiving at her home in the Bronx. I thought another woman would make Norma feel more comfortable in this delicate situation as well as a smoother entrée to begin the investigation. When Silvana visited Norma she expected to find a worried mother and wife, but she didn’t expect to see and hear the strange occurrences in the apartment that we later found was a primary reason for the séance request. The interview began as normal with the standard questions and answers. We typically ask about any religious beliefs, mental illness, superstitions, etc., so we can weed out any preconceived prejudices the subject might have regarding our work. Silvana then began to ask Norma why she requested the séance when there are many regular investigative techniques available to nab a philandering husband. Or she could have opted to use our regular clairvoyant means of tapping into realms unknown. But Norma reminded Silvana that her aunt Carmen had tried all of her magical skills to no avail, but then curiously enough, Norma became reticent and just stopped in the middle of the conversation. “What is wrong Norma?” Silvana asked. Norma raised her head and in a teary voice and said, “Very strange things are happening here. It is my father who died many years ago. He comes into my room at night when I am sleeping and he is very angry with me. He always hated Paul and now he is punishing me for his lustful behavior. I am very frightened. His cold hands touch me and the dark closes in on me.” At that very moment Norma began to scream, clutching the area just below her. “Aye Dios mio! My neck, the marks are coming again,” Norma yelled. Silvana was stunned to see stigmata-like welts being raised on Norma’s skin right above her breasts that appeared as though they were finger marks squeezing he flesh. “He does not want me to talk to you. He doesn’t want you to help me. My father is very angry because I did not heed his warnings about Paul when he was alive.”

Silvana tried calming Norma then immediately called me on her cell phone. She recounted what had just happened and said that Norma not only wanted to contact her dead father for help but she needed to be released from his ghostly grip. Norma was haunted on earth by her husband’s misdeeds and by her father’s spirit. “Robert, we must act quickly…Norma will become possessed. I felt a very powerful presence in the room with us. It is deep and very angry with anyone near Norma. She is in danger. We also will be in danger. You must know this before we begin,” Silvana said in her heavy Eastern European accent. I told her we would discuss it further in the office and asked if she was safe at the moment. “He knows I am clairvoyant…this one knows I am one to reach him and to force him to us. He has touched me already Robert,” Silvana said in a disturbingly unfamiliar voice. I knew by that tone that Silvana was very worried.

We later learned that there were other strange things happening at Norma’s apartment. Personal items always related to Norma and Paul’s marriage were missing; pictures of the family would mysteriously develop spots or be blown off of the mantel and Norma’s engagement ring simply disappeared. But the strangest of all was Norma’s recounting of the last time she had sex with Paul. She said it was normal intercourse - Paul and her were making love in their bedroom and Paul was true to form -never a very considerate lover…prone to jumping on Norma in a missionary pOccult Investigatortion and stroking until just he was satisfied. But this night, at the very moment when he entered her, Norma oddly took notice of the old 8 x 10 black and white photo of her mother and father on her dressing bureau. She said her father’s face seemed to enlarge at first as Paul pushed, and then exploded off of the photo as Paul entered her. The giant face shot out of the photo like a Hollywood special effect with bulging red eyes and sweating brow. It undulated and circled the room, peering down at the couple as they had sex. The gruesome head slobbered and spewed forth vile comments that burned Norma’s ears. Although embarrassed at the bizarre tale, Norma forced herself to explain to us how her vagina began to burn as though some caustic chemical was poured into her. The more Paul pushed the more she burned from the inside. The photo came alive and screamed at Norma,” You are getting what you deserve. He is evil. He will burn your soul!!” the entity screamed. Norma put her head down as she told the story and cupped her face in her hands, frightened, worried and near the end of her rope.

We knew we had to help, but I was troubled by the facts, or I should say the lack thereof. Things just didn’t add up in my mind. Carmen’s magic didn’t help, yet she wanted us to conduct a séance, something she would have certainly been prepared to do herself considering her occult prowess. And Norma’s father, with whom she had a good relationship until Paul’s arrival, was turning into a malevolent haunting that from all indications was seeking to harm the young wife. And yet, both women wanted us to conduct a séance to contact Norma’s father and help indict the husband. Something was fishy in spook world.

When I mentioned my concerns to Silvana she said that I was the “occult expert” and she was only the medium. “I can feel things Robert, but you must do the brain work,” she said. “Well, what did you feel about the two women? Anything out of the ordinary?” I asked. Silvana shot back almost flippantly, “Oh yes, the dead, they already speak to Carmen about this problem.” “What?!” I was stunned that Silvana hadn’t mentioned this before, but then this was our first real analysis of the case and I had to admit that I was preoccupied by Norma’s grief over the damage to her family life. But Silvana’s comment raised suspicions again about the women’s request. It also sparked an idea in my mind. We would interview Carmen again, this time with Silvana in a trance under the guise of us wanting to contact the deceased father. Silvana could use her clairvoyant powers to “feel” Carmen’s association with the afterlife and perhaps give us a clue as to the real motives behind the séance request.

THE SÉANCE

The statues of at least a dozen Catholic saints were eerily illuminated by the red and yellow, tall glass supermarket size candles that sat on the kitchen table of Norma’s apartment the following Friday evening when Silvana and I arrived. The firelights flickered, giving the statues’ faces’ the illusion of expression. A fitting atmosphere I thought, for the “other world” events that were about to unfold. Norma offered us refreshments but we were eager to get right to work. Our group assumed the standard séance pOccult Investigatortions, holding hands in a circle around the kitchen table. The room was dark except for the candlelight and it had a faint odor of breakfast cooking mixed with the smoky scent of the candles. Supermarket candles typically don’t have cotton wicks and they tend to give off a distinct odor. I often “pick up” on odors in our cases as a regular investigative technique. In the past I was able to “smell evil,” so to speak, so I’m acutely attuned to any odor out of the ordinary.

Silvana prepared for her trance by bowing her head and placing her chin down against her chest while laying her hands flat on the table in front of her. I could see Norma and Carmen glance at each with a look of apprehension that I wasn’t at first sure was just nervousness about Silvana’s serious demeanor or if they were afraid of what we all would learn from the séance. Although the two women thought we were about to contact Norma’s father, our real motive was to discover if Carmen was indeed already in touch with the spirit world and more importantly, why?

Silvana drifted slowly into her trance. We were instructed by her before the séance to quietly chant the words “Miguel,” and then “Junior,” Norma’s father’s name and nickname, in rhythm, almost humming. We began the chant and within seconds Norma’s eyes began to water. I could see that she was becoming extremely agitated and frightened, yet her aunt Carmen was curiously distracted, peering over to Norma repeatedly and then looking at me. Despite the expected “TV haunted house” séance atmosphere expected at these types of rituals, this setting was very different and much more disturbing. The air was clogged with fear and anticipation. The odor changed from the Bronx apartment familiar to something rotting – like spoiled milk. We were about to touch another realm of reality. It wasn’t in our minds. We could see it, touch it and smell it. It was real – and we all knew it.

Silvana’s body became rigid in the metal kitchen chair and her dark eyes rolled back into her head expOccult Investigatorng only white orbs that shone like large shiny marbles. Her skin turned waxen with a pale almost translucent appearance, while guttural grunts and moans erupted from deep within her chest. The sounds bothered me. I saw Silvana in séances before, but these sounds sounded like noises made when someone is hurt or in distress. My instinct was to shake her out of the trance, but I was committed to finishing our job no matter how disturbing.

After a few moments Silvana raised her head and began to speak. We expected to hear a male voice, that of Norma’s father Miguel who would cross over and speak to us. But we were shocked when Silvana spoke to us in her own voice. She said, “I cannot contact the spirit you seek. The witch Carmen has conducted necromantic blasphemies; the guardians will not allow the tortured one to communicate his true words.” Before we could respond Carmen stood up breaking our circle, and ran out of the front door of the apartment. Norma also stood and yelled for her aunt. “Aunt Carmen, what is wrong? What is the matter?” She turned to me and asked, “I don’t understand what is happening. Why did my aunt leave? What does this all mean? Is my aunt evil? Is she an evil witch?” Norma asked one question after another sobbing pitifully.

Silvana released herself from her trance and rested her head in her hands. Her blouse was wet with sweat but I noticed that the color was returning to her face. I asked if she was all right and she shook her head up and down as she grasped my wrist. “Robert. I have found our problem. Carmen has done black magic with the dead. She wants to make Miguel her slave on earth. I feel she has chained his spirit to do her bidding.” I was shocked at what Silvana was saying, but it explained Carmen bolting from the room. I wasn’t aware of any Santeria spells that would bind ghosts, but Santeria is a close relative of Voodoun or Voodoo, and the possibility that Carmen was an evil sorceress in disguise – a boko - was surely a possibility. I remembered her mentioning Voodoun in passing during our earlier discussions. I then suspected that Carmen could have conducted a soul spell, or kou nanm to capture Miguel’s spirit, or worse, she could have conducted a voye lamo spell that send dead spirits to inhabit a victim. I asked Silvana to stay at the table because I wanted her to enter her trance state again, this time without Carmen in the room. I asked Norma to indulge us again despite her anxiety explaining that I may have some important answers to her problems. The young girl now exhausted from the ritual could only moan, “Yes, yes. Do what you will.”

We once again began the ritual, me holding hands with Norma as Silvana crossed over. This time Silvana was more relaxed and in control, but when she began to speak my suspicions were realized. This time her voice was that of Miguel’s, Norma’s departed father. Norma’s entire body shook and once again she began to cry as she heard the voice of her father speaking to us. “That is him! That is my father,” Norma shrieked. To those who have never experienced a legitimate séance, the presence in the room is indescribable. It’s not simply a familiar voice or a shadowy movement. A pressure in the air begins to surround the table and the darkness expands around the participants. This episode was no different – except for the tears. Not Norma’s this time, but the tears of her father. Silvana’s ghostly voice began to speak to Norma directly…Norma stood up at the table, her hands shaking as Silvana spoke. “My little sparrow, I am with you always. But there is bad magic causing me to say and do things that I would never do. I have been the cause of all of your pain. Paul is also a victim. Find it in your heart to forgive him,” the voice within Silvana said. Then the strangest phenomena of the evening occurred. Water…tears, began to fall onto Norma’s outstretched hands, dripping onto the table and glistening in the glow from the candles. There was no leak in the ceiling and her hands were outstretched far from her body to have been become wet by her own tears. Norma’s father’s tears were falling from beyond touching the girl’s skin…and her heart.

The séance ended and Silvana and I immediately knew we had hit pay dirt. We looked at each other acknowledging what we had just experienced. Norma’s aunt Carmen had manipulated the spirit of Miguel through Voodoun magic and bound him with her power. It explained why none of Carmen’s magic worked to expose Paul’s indiscretions. It was all a front, a diversion to trick Norma. When Miguel’s spirit asked Norma to forgive her husband Paul we reasoned that Carmen had forced Miguel’s spirit to possess Paul and possibly make him become the philandering person that was ruining Norma’s life. Carmen knew that she could control Miguel through Paul. She could indirectly hurt Norma in any way she pleased by using Paul. He could be a cheating husband or he could be a murderer. What could be worse for a father, even a departed one, than to be the tool to cause his child’s pain? Carmen worked her diabolical magic and blackmailed Miguel’s spirit into performing for her. There was only one thing left to do…release Miguel’s soul from Carmen’s Voodoo grip, but it could be dangerous.

THE EXORCISM

Because we knew Carmen would not cooperate, claiming we were charlatans and simply out to steal Norma’s money, we had to resort to our own knowledge of voodoo curses and spells to counteract Carmen’s black magic. Fortunately Norma believed we had her best interests at heart and at this point distrusted her aunt. There are a number of ways that a boko can arrest the spirit of the dead, but I decided that we would attempt to release him by reversing the usual and typical methods used by the bokos. Traditionally, the sorcerer will contract or “buy” an evil Voodoo god or Lwa with sacrifices and offerings. This becomes an angajan or engagement for life – a powerful agreement that the sorcerer knows can never be broken voluntarily. The bokos will do almost anything to prevent the pact from being broken. In the case of summoning the dead, the boko will also conjure the assistance of the god Baron Samedi, the expediter of the dead and offer gifts to the saint associated with Samedi. It requires an awesome amount of skill, ceremony and sacrifice to control the dead. I knew we were up against a master magician, and we were well aware that breaking the black spell would be dangerous. Bokos are adept at throwing curses on their enemies in the form of evil spells, charms and even unleashing demonic monsters so we were prepared for the worst.

The first step in the X-Investigations plan was to contact the Lwa Kafou, the godfather of Voodoo black magic and bind him to our will. We didn’t know what god Carmen made her deal with, but we knew Kafou could influence all other evil entities. If we could control Kafou we could release Miguel’s spirit. We also had to protect Norma. We decided to use the traditional method of protection by creating a gad, a Voodoo charm that Norma could wear during the séance. The gad is usually prepared in the form of a tattoo drawn with the sign of a saint that protects the wearer from evil. It is applied as a paste made from herbal powders bought at local botanicas. I also contacted a professor of anthropology colleague of mine at New York University who was an expert in Haitian Voodoun. I recalled that he had recorded actual Voodoun ritual drumming and I asked if I could borrow the chants to use as a backdrop sound. Using the drums would enhance the ritual setting and help Silvana enter the proper trance state.

We then headed to St. John’s Cemetery in Queens, New York where Norma’s father Miguel was buried. The cemetery is not easily accessible – especially at midnight. But it’s where we had to go to get the necessary grave dirt required in the ritual to summon Baron Samedi and gain entree to the Lwa Kafou. The only good thing about the evil Lwa is that they can be bought – with gifts and sacrifices. And although they usually require lifelong devotion, the “right price,” usually in the form of giving them information about a boko with whom they already do business, can sway them to do your bidding. Norma agreed that we could reveal that Carmen was a Santeria priestess – a “conflict of interests” for a Voodoun boko and something the Lwa Kafou could use to keep Carmen loyal to him for the rest of her life.

We managed to enter the cemetery through a bent gate on the main access road on Metropolitan Avenue. Although Norma had given us the exact plot location of Miguel’s grave, finding the spot in such a large cemetery at night with just a flashlight was quite a chore – and a potentially criminal act on top of it all. Silvana was complaining of how cold it was (she always opts to dress sexy rather than warm) - I was more concerned about “disturbing the dead.” But we both agreed that the entire excursion was creepy, and the sooner we got out of there, the better.

After an hour of misdirection, we finally found Miguel’s grave deep inside of the cemetery’s center plots. Silvana and I cleared the dead plant leaves that covered the headstone and began our work. We dug a small hole at the foot of the headstone. The ground was surprisingly soft for early December in New York City so we were able to dig deep enough to get our ingredients. We had to get the grave dirt from at least a foot so I dug the hole wide enough to insert me hand and thrust it into the damp earth. As I fished around I was pleasantly surprised to smell the fresh earth, not decay, and I envisioned Miguel’s spirit smiling at our work. When my arm was into the grave up to my elbow I grabbed a handful of dirt and brought it to the surface subconsciously expecting a corpse’s hand to grab out at me. Silvana was pleading with me to hurry again complaining about the cold wind and concerned that we would be caught. The cold night winds were indeed blowing all through our adventure, but the second I had the dirt at the surface and depOccult Investigatorted into our plastic baggie, the wind suddenly stopped. The night had become calm. Silvana mood suddenly changed and she said calmly, “Miguel’s spirit is pleased.”

Our exorcism began the very next evening. Norma, Silvana and I were again seated at Norma’s kitchen table. The procedure was to anoint Norma with the protective gad, summon Baron Samedi and have him give us entrée to Kafou, whom we would bind to do our bidding by offering him knowledge of Carmen’s dual allegiances.

With the Voodoun drum music beating in the background we prepared Norma for the ritual by having her read a standard Catholic prayer bought from the local Botanica that’s written specifically for the saint Radegonde, the counterpart of Samedi. As she recited the words in the prayer over and over…”Protect me holy saint, protect me from the dark and evil that manifests itself in hell,” we mixed the special herb powders into the paste that’s used to paint the protective tattoo. Norma continued to recite the prayer as we painted the magical sign or vever of Samedi on her arm. Norma was apprehensive, remembering the trauma she felt at our last meeting, but she realized the exorcism had to be done.

I then instructed Silvana to enter her trance state, which she accomplished in seconds with the help of the pounding drum recordings. Silvana was no stranger to Voodoun ritual having spent years in Haiti as a research assistant, so she knew how to enter the special altered state required to be the conduit to contact Kafou. I reminded her that if she sensed any trouble she should exit the state immediately. I suspected that Carmen was casting spells against us so if we let our guard down and became vulnerable, the spirits could enter our lives and wreak havoc. She nodded to me and closed her eyes.

With Norma’s protective gad complete and Silvana in her trance we were now ready to contact Samedi. I offered traditional sweets and wines to Samedi as ice-breaking booty until I was sure Silvana had made the connection. The drums continued and although Norma was protected she appeared as though she too was in a trance, focusing on the ceiling of her kitchen and swaying to the beat of the drums. I was the only one in the room at this point who was in a normal state of consciousness and I realized that I had to overcome any fears about the unknown in order to complete the work at hand. I felt fine until Silvana began to groan.

My partner now had Samedi’s spirit within her. And although what were coming from her mouth were not words, I could tell by her contorted body movements that she was truly possessed. I immediately offered Samedi the gifts and asked him to hear Norma’s prayers and put us in contact with Kafou – the king of evil Voodoun gods. Silvana continued to writhe in the chair, uttering undecipherable sounds. I asked Samedi repeatedly to answer our request. Norma was now writhing along with Silvana as the room became disturbingly heated and filled with humidity. I was now sweating myself although the heat in the apartment was turned off and the outside temperature was well below 40 degrees. The rhythm of the drums and the women swaying caused me to begin to swoon as well, but I managed to maintain my composure and relentlessly pressed Samedi to give us what we needed. All at once the music stopped (the machine was still rolling). Silvana straightened in her chair and my jaw literally dropped as I saw a black bile-like drool leak from Silvana’s mouth as she whispered, “Who dares summon Kafou?”

My hands were shaking and I felt very alone at this point. I knew the only protection I hade from the spirit world was my knowledge of how to manipulate evil entities. Any curse Carmen had thrown would be nothing compared to what could have happened to my mind and soul if this exorcism failed. I challenged Kafou immediately saying that I was aware of his boko Carmen and that I had information about her that he needed. Sillvana's mouth opened and she said, “What is this knowledge?” I managed to gather my courage and said I would tell only if he would release Norma’s father Miguel from his boko’s command. There was no response. But within seconds Norma rose from her chair and moved toward Silvana. I was shocked to see her then kiss Silvana passionately on the mouth, turn around and sit back in her chair as if nothing happened. After the initial sock wore off I realized it was Kafou’s way of “feeling” Norma’s soul so he would know who her blood relation Miguel. It was my sign that he agreed to our arrangement.

I then explained to the entity of Kafou, through Silvana’s trance, just what Carmen had done and shortly thereafter, with all three of us totally spent from the episode, I ended the ceremony. Silvana was so exhausted she actually lost consciousness for almost 10 minutes. Norma said that she had fallen asleep, not recalling the kiss or even Silvana speaking to us at all. She simply asked if everything was OK? I told her we had reached the other side and it was now in the hands of the Voodoun gods and of course, her father.

EPILOGUE

Silvana and I were pleased to hear from Norma a few weeks later on Christmas Eve< she sounded exuberant and calm mentioning that she, Paul and their family were looking forward to a wonderful Christmas day. She politely asked me about the fee for our services but I said we could talk about it after the holidays. She then explained that Paul was in the room with her and that she just wanted to thank us for our help. She added that there was “a remarkable change” in Paul’s behavior. “He is playing with the children right now and tomorrow we are having a large family dinner,” Norma said. I couldn’t help but ask if her aunt Carmen was going to be present at the gathering. “Well no,’ Norma said, “We have heard that Aunt Carmen has left town. We think she has gone on vacation to Haiti for the holidays…or perhaps longer.”