AMERICANWAY

studio. There, former director Rita Wheeler uses dowsing rods to communicate with an assortment of ghostly inhabitants, includ- ing two boys and a 12-year-old girl named Patricia. "Boys, are you ready to play? " she asks, holding the long L-shaped copper rods away from her body. They immediately begin to spin like helicopter propellers. "Come on," I think, rolling my eyes. Does she really expect us to believe she's not some- how manipulating them with her wrists? I recall reading somewhere that dowsing rods aren't supernatural; they move through un- conscious micro-muscular movements and are controlled by a powerful subconscious. Then she asks if I want to tr y, and I re- luc t a nt ly ag ree, i f on ly to d iscred it her performance. I clasp the rods tight, lock my arms, plant my feet and ask Patricia if the boys drive her crazy. The rods immediately fly open like a barn door, the spectral sign for yes. No one is more surprised than I am. I feel sheepish for doubting W heeler, who then asks Patricia to give me a hug. I'm concerned about how this will go down and flash to that scene in the movie Ghost, where the spirit of Patrick Swayze inhabits Whoopi Goldberg's body. I'm not sure I'm up for possession, but thankfully that doesn't happen. Instead, the rods rest on my shoulders in a light embrace. I'd just been hugged by a ghost — but I soon learn that not all spirits are friendly. In fact, some can be downright antisocial. Later that night we head to The Washoe Club, once a swanky gambling house, for an investigation. It has a reputation for harbor- ing angry ghosts and attracts paranormal investigators from around the world. It 's also been featured on the Travel Channel's Ghost Adventures and SyFy's Ghost Hunters. Before we begin, Bender and her business par tner, Tom Cruz, along w ith volunteer members of the Nor thern Nevada Ghost Hunters, unpack their paranormal power tools — K-II electromagnetic-field readers, temperature gauges and something called a Spirit Box that transmits voices from the other side — in a dank room off the down- stairs bar. Cruz then gets down to business. "[T he ent it ies] may t r y a nd pu l l you r energy," he says, "so if you start feeling dizzy or nauseated, don't try and fight it because it will only get worse." A A .CO M/A M E R I C A NWAY O C TO B E R 2 01 4 5 1 4 10 3 5 7 8 9 6 1 2

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