But wait! That’s where I always sit!

Mrs. Crouch and I have been saving this afternoon for several weeks now for our date with Brandon,  a video producer from Fox13 News in Seattle.  He emailed that he was working on a story for a Halloween special about haunted places in Washington and my name was given to him by our Visitor’s Bureau.

“Sure!” said I.  I love talking about Mrs. Crouch and her villainous husband, the erstwhile Preacher Josiah Crouch.  So far, of course, there is no evidence that Josiah is hanging around this house that was once the Parsonage.  And certainly, he hasn’t set foot in the once-upon-a-time Baptist Church across the Road.  But still…  he’s definitely story-telling material!

The plan, Brandon had said, was for him to get some footage of the house and perhaps some of the church across the street.  Then he would interview me for 10 or 15 minutes in the room of my choice.  I had decided that I’d sit in my “usual” place — in the rocking chair in the library.  It seems a cozy spot for telling ghost stories.  But…

TV producers have their own ideas… the library was fine and so was the chair though he placed it on the opposite side of the room — no books in view, no fireplace in view, no cozy atmosphere.   His camera took my “usual” place. I was a tad disappointed; Mrs. Crouch was silent on the matter.

Brandon warned me that he would only be using bits and pieces of what I said.  I went ahead and told about my first encounter with Mrs, Crouch, about researching and writing about her unfortunate end in the Willapa River, and how the news stories at the time of her death led to my writing Gh0st Stories of the Long Beach Peninsula.  Mrs. Crouch remained silent.  And THEN Brandon asked me about shipwrecks on the beach — apparently another story he’s working on!  Fortunately, I’d just been working on my own story involving the Rescue Stallions and the wreck of the Strathblane or it would have been my turn to be silent!

After that little detour, I went right on and told about Josiah-the-Unrighteous and how getting his 1897 mug shot from San Quentin Prison prompted me to write a second book about local ghosts — Historic Haunts of the Long Beach Peninsula.  Still not a peep from Mrs. C. and, of course, not a whisper from the Reverend,  (But then, I’m pretty sure he isn’t here.  I can’t imagine that he’d come back after all the bad press he’s had.)

 I don’t expect that there will be much footage devoted to the Crouches and me.  I am already disappointed.  I wonder if she is, too.  Perhaps she’ll weigh in on her opinion when the program airs.  Brandon said he’d let me know the date and time and I will certainly pass on the information to Mrs. C. and to all of her friends and admirers.  Unless, of course, we end up on the cutting room floor…