The Haunting of Bonner Springs Read online

  Contents

  Prologue

  Farewell to the Big City Lights

  Farm Life

  Bye Bye Bertie

  In Jasper’s Eyes

  Dr. Price

  Secret Talents

  The Aftermath

  Connect With Riley Amitrani

  Books By Riley Amitrani

  Copyright Notice

  Prologue

  Bonner Springs, Kansas

  September 1955

  Even in the mid-1950s, in the midst of the economic and social expansion and wealth of what became known as the “baby boom,” following the pain and loss suffered from World War II, Bonner Springs seemed to lag behind. It was not that the small town in the northeast corner of Kansas was backward or haggard as was the case in many parts of the country as small to mid-size locales struggled to find a new identity as America began to thrive. Rather, Bonner Springs was just isolated and quite frankly, even by the residents own admission, content on easing into the new times of growth and prosperity. It was still primarily an agricultural economy, which was not unusual for its geographic location, but as other surrounding towns took on other business interests when they became available, Bonner Springs just sort of shrugged and collectively said, “no thanks.”

  It was not a local government decision to decline the opportunities per se, although the officials there were the ones to make those decisions in the end. The small size and close-knit nature of Bonner Springs just permeated the handful of officials in charge and without any sort of referendums or vote or even an unofficial survey. They knew the feeling of their constituents and politely declined, letting Bonner Springs go on as it had for generations. Not that they were stuck in time exactly, as established farming enterprises did expand as occasional new enterprises sprung up. About the only truly non-agricultural business to arrive in Bonner Springs in the post-war years was a short spur of Cimarron Valley Railroad that served primarily to allow the farmers a more efficient and less costly means of getting their crops to major markets in the Midwest and beyond.

  Bonner Springs itself as a town remained much as it had for as long as anyone who had lived there any length of time could remember. The town proper was just one solitary main thoroughfare, of course, called Main Street, which contained just a few ordinary and expected small ancillary businesses you might expect from any small farm-based town in those days. There was Annie’s Café, the central attraction of Bonner Springs that kept its name despite no longer being run by Annie McCullough. The McCullough family still operated the small but thriving eatery which was a major focus of early-morning gossip, political debates, and concerns over the current growing season. Terry McCullough was the current owner, the great-granddaughter of its founder and who out of respect and admiration refused to change the cafe’s label. It was with great pride that Terry did so, realizing that as unusual as it was for a woman to have her own business in 1955, it had been unheard of for this to have happened at the turn of the century.

  It might have been expected for the chauvinistic climate of the times to shun such a thing, but all of the farmers in Bonner Springs were so impressed with what Terry had to offer, that they soon became regulars and it never occurred to any of them that an issue should be made of a woman running her own business. In addition to the café, there was a post office, a combination hardware-clothing-farm supply store called…wait for it…The Bonner Springs General Store, and a gas station. And in 1955, that was it. Groceries, other than the sparse offering at The General Store, had to be obtained in either Lawrence or Topeka, but no one ever seemed to complain about the drive. Despite their small-town rural roots, most residents of Bonner Springs also seemed to revel in a trip to the university setting of Lawrence as well as a night out over in Topeka or even Kansas City.

  The majority of residents of Bonner Springs could be found scattered in the outlying plains from Main Street, small and medium-sized clapboard homes adjacent to their farming enterprises. The one viable exception to this arrangement was a bungalow-style home that sat just a half-mile off the town center, the residence of Dr. William Crisp and his wife, Rebecca. Dr. Crisp was the local physician who ran an office out of his home and provided general care to the locals, only referring them to larger cities when the need arose. Crisp was a beloved figure in Bonner Springs, known to everyone simply as “Doc.” As skilled as Crisp was as a medical provider, it was his warm and congenial bedside manner that endeared him to his patients. Despite the growing movement from the AMA on not performing house calls, Crisp simply turned a deaf ear. It was even not unheard of for Dr. Crisp to work with his patients on a bartering system when times were tough, and it was a bad crop year for the farmers.

  Rebecca came from a rural setting, as did her husband, and despite a formal education was content to be a stay-at-home mother to their only child, Charlie. Though this was the common arrangement of the day, people often wondered why the obviously educated and outgoing Rebecca did not strive for more. However, Rebecca seemed perfectly happy with her choice and never, not for even a minute, regretted her decision and what was her role in her family. The Crisps melded in well in Bonner Springs, and even though they were not integral components of the farming community, they were accepted readily. Charlie was a normal and typical kid of the day. As he grew, he could be seen out and about the Crisp property inventing his own games and appearing from all observations to be quite satisfied with being self-entertained.

  However, as is often the case, appearances can be deceiving. Despite all their education and even with Dr. Crisp’s intimate involvement with the people of Bonner Springs, their views on raising Charlie seemed oddly out of synch, even in 1955. When she had been a young girl, Rebecca, a farm girl as well, had an experience that had chilled her to the bone. She never revealed what the specific incident was, other than to William, but it had without a doubt been so horrifying and traumatic, that it remained with her well into her adulthood. William never pried, as it was obvious that to even remind her superficially of her childhood ordeal was enough to sink the normally cheerful and unflappable Rebecca into a dark funk that could last for weeks. They had made an agreement early on that she was to oversee the raising of Charlie, so he could focus on his practice, and though it was not how he might have advised his own patients, Dr. Crisp stepped back and let Rebecca hold those reins.

  Charlie’s solitary life as he grew became all that he knew, and though he longed for more, he could see, even as a child, that his requests outside the parameters that his mother had set only upset her. So in time, he just accepted the rules of the house and made the best of his situation. It was not that he ever lacked for anything, or that he was neglected or unloved by his parents, but Charlie, like any other average child might, yearned for more. Rebecca refused to allow Charlie to attend the school with the other children in town, instead using her university degree in education to home-school her son. Eyebrows were raised, and loose talk among some of the other mothers in town sprang up when this was discovered, but as is the case with most rural folk, they saw it as none of their business, keeping their opinions and judgements just among themselves. In the day, home-schooling was not unheard of, but in Bonner Springs it was a new idea never before seen.

  Charlie sighed inwardly as the chance to mingle with and befriend the other children in town evaporated before his eyes as he watched them all go off running and laughing when the school bus arrived in town to cart them off to class. Rebecca did offer a fine and excellent diversity of school subjects for her son. If you had been allowed to look from far above and compare the education Charlie received compared to the other kids in town, it would be obvious that he was the beneficiary of the supe
rior education. But as many observe, even with the preponderance of home-schooling that goes on today, there is often much more to attending public school than just the curriculum. It was just this that Charlie felt cheated out of. But like the sensitive and introverted boy he was, he just bit his tongue and went along…the last thing he wanted to do was to cause his mother any distress.

  When he was about 10 or 11, Charlie, though he was still smarting from his solitary life, took another stab at altering the situation. He thought to himself that if he was not to be allowed to go to the public school, then at least his mother might allow him to have some of the kids in town over. Or maybe he could just do the same at their homes. For a long time, he just mulled this over trying to decide how to best frame the request to his parents. He knew that his mother was not going to be the best one to approach on this topic, so Charlie cornered his father one evening in his study while Rebecca was preparing dinner. As best he could, considering his age, Charlie laid out his simple request to his father.

  “I would just like to have some friends, Dad…” the boy finished up as William listened carefully.

  He was impressed with his son’s logic and rationale, and deep down, he was touched with emotion. But then he recalled what Rebecca has endured as a child and how he had conceded the raising of Charlie to her.

  “Look, Charlie…” he began, as he looked deeply into his son’s eyes, “I know how much you want this. I really do. But you have no idea how dangerous our world is now. Not just from enemies outside our country, but within our country as well.”

  Charlie was well aware of what his father was referring to from the lessons his mother had ingrained in him on what was going on in current events following the end of the war in Europe and the growing concerns over what the adults called the “Cold War.” He was not sure what that was exactly, but he figured anything with the word “war” in it was not a good thing. He also knew, though only tangentially, about this conflict in a place called Korea. Charlie only knew of Korea from the maps he had seen, but he also knew from newspapers around the house that young men in Bonner Springs were being sent there to defend America against communism. The papers called it a “conflict” and a “police action,” but Charlie, even as young as he was, knew a war when he saw one. But what was his father talking about when he said there were enemies within the country? As far as he could tell, Bonner Springs was about as benign and peaceful as anyplace he could imagine.

  William saw the confusion on Charlie’s face and knew he would have to elaborate. There was no way the boy was just going to take this superficial explanation at face value…it was the simultaneous blessing and curse of having an intelligent and inquiring and perceptive child. He thought for a moment before going on.

  “Charlie…your mother saw some intense things growing up. Things that we both want to protect you from. It’s hard to explain, but can you trust me that we have your best interests at heart?”

  Charlie nodded reluctantly even though he was still as confused as to why this simple request was a problem. He knew only that something had happened to his mother when she was about his age that had caused her to be so overprotective of him. He knew none of the specifics, but he also knew well enough not to ask. The one time he had, it had thrown his mother into a dark space that had hurt him as much as it seemed to have impacted her. On some level, Charlie got that. But how in the world was him going to see some of the kids in Bonner Springs dangerous? Even more baffling was that if that was too dangerous than why could no one come to see him?

  It was depressing and disappointing to Charlie to get this information from his father, but he could see in the man’s eyes that there was no point in any further discussion. He sighed with resignation and left to go back to his room as his father ruffled his hair.

  “You do understand, right, Charlie?”

  “Sure, father…I get it. Thanks anyway.”

  Charlie, in fact, did not get it, and as much as he knew it was wrong to lie to his father, he also knew this was one of those lies that had to be said. There was just no other option. For a while, Charlie put the thoughts of his solitary existence out of his mind. He instead tried to shift his focus to his lessons with his mother and chores around the house with his father. He did have free time though, and he soon found his ability to amuse himself, which he had found to be oddly innate, adequate for most of the time he was not focusing on details with his parents. In his heart, he knew that a normal child should have kids his own age to interact with, but after that last pretty serious conversation with his father, he knew there was no point in trying again. That door, for whatever reason, was closed.

  Then one day, Charlie had a thought of a slightly different tack that he hoped might ease his desire for peer companionship without upsetting his mother. A pet. It seemed a simple enough request on the surface. They were, after all, living in farmland. It was not like there were the inherent limitations that a household pet might encounter in a city…traffic, no place to run and play, and all that. And God knew he sure had enough spare time on his hands these days to commit to the care and attention a pet would require. These were all the points he began to line up in his brain as a defense for the approval of a pet. After all, any boy of his age would naturally be viewed as having one…dog, cat…even a freakin’ guinea pig, Charlie thought to himself. At this point, he was not going to be picky. But when he worked up the courage to broach the subject with his mother, he stood shocked and stunned as her mouth dropped open and she paled as if all the blood had drained from her face before she ran sobbing to the privacy of the bedroom she and his father shared, slamming the door behind her.

  Of all the things he had done to upset his parents thus far in his short life, asking if he could have a pet for companionship had been far, far down on Charlie’s list of items to consider. He went to his room following his mother’s inexplicable reaction to try and figure out what had happened exactly. However, as hard as he tried, Charlie could just not come up with a rational explanation. So he waited for his father that evening assuming he might be able to fill in the missing pieces. As soon as the sun set late that afternoon, Charlie looked up as his father knocked gently on the door, asking if he could come in.

  “You talk to mom?” Charlie asked as he scooted over to make room on his bed as his father sat next to him.

  William just nodded.

  “So…no pet either, huh?”

  “I’m afraid not, Charlie,” William replied with a deep sadness in his tone. “I know it seems very unfair and trust me, I know how much you would like one.”

  “This all tied in with whatever it was that my mom saw when she was a little girl?”

  “It is.”

  “And you still cannot tell me what, huh?”

  “It’s complicated, Charlie. Maybe when you are a little older, your mother will tell you.”

  “But you can’t, huh?”

  “You know what a solemn vow is, son?”

  “Like a promise you have to keep it a secret?”

  “Just like that.”

  “And is that how this thing with Mom is? You promised her not to tell anyone?”

  “I know it sounds horribly mysterious, Charlie, but yes. Until she is ready to reveal this to you, I have promised not to talk about it to anyone. Even you.”

  Charlie nodded reluctantly again, just as he had with the issue of seeing other kids his age. At least this time, his father did not ask him if he understood, so he did not have to lie to him for a second time in such a short time span. William hugged Charlie, letting him know it was not that he was not loved, but more that this was out of his immediate control at the moment. He left the bedroom, and Charlie sat mutely, staring at the growing dark of the day more confused than ever. He was sure this request would be readily granted, and when it had fallen flat as well, he was utterly lost and sadder than he had ever been in his life. He had already begun to imagine a new pet in his life…maybe a puppy, his first choice. He had even begu
n to run through a list of names for his new best friend and how they would be friends forever. But just like the last rays of the sun on the horizon, his dreams slipped away and disappeared into the dark.

  ……….

  Charlie, despite his disappointment at being denied a pet, did his best to keep up a façade of happiness and contentment with each new day. He was young and not highly experienced in how to cover up his true feelings, but he also did not want to cause his mother any more undue stress or pain. Though he could not imagine what it might have been to make her so resistant on him having any interaction with the outside world, even just a simple puppy, he assumed it must have been something so insidious and horrifying. He was not sure he ever wanted to know, even if she should someday decide to let him in on this secret. For almost two years, Charlie was able, though it had required great effort and what he saw as personal sacrifice, to just put his desires aside. But as often the case, when true feelings are stuffed into a box, hoping they will just go away, disastrous consequences result. This is the way the subconscious mind works.

  One spring morning, Charlie awakened to what had felt like just another typical day in his life in Bonner Springs. But as he sat in the kitchen and went through the motions of the breakfast ritual in the Crisp household, he knew he could no longer just go along as he had for so long. He finished his meal and excused himself to head out back to do the normal chores he had been assigned before his father left to see a couple of elderly patients in their homes and before he was to begin his daily lessons with his mother. He washed out his cereal bowl and left it in the sink and then padded across the open area that lay between the house and the small storage shed that sat just on the other side of the semi-circular drive near the house.

  His father always liked to say goodbye to Charlie before he headed off to work, even if it was just to his clinic attached to the house. But when Charlie did not return after 15 minutes, William began to grow impatient, not wanting to keep his appointments waiting. Rebecca had not heard him return to the house and volunteered to go retrieve him from the yard so William could get on with his day. But just as William was gathering the last of his stuff for the trip around town, a blood-curdling scream from the yard caused him to drop his medical bag and go running. Rebecca was not prone to outbursts such as he had just heard, so a wave of panic shot through him as he raced toward her voice.