Free Possessed by Kathryn Casey Page B

or the other was on the road. On the weekends, the two families waved when they pulled into their driveways to unload groceries, or flowers to plant in their yards. “At first Ana seemed very nice,” said Jon Paul’s wife, Ruth. “But before long, a little odd.”
    One day, when Jon Paul asked Jim where Ana worked, he explained that she had just quit her job at Coke to become a licensed massage therapist. Saying that she had a traveling table she could bring with her, Jim said Ana was making appointments in private homes and offices until she had a studio set up. Jon Paul liked Jim Fox, and little Arin, by then nine, who rode her bike on the street and seemed a happy, friendly girl. Both the girls were pretty, young images of their mother. Quickly after they all moved in, Jon Paul began feeling uncomfortable around the woman next door. “Ana was very attractive, but it was like she knew it,” Jon Paul said. “She was a flirt.”
    Before long, Ruth, too, began wondering about her neighbor. One day, Ana stood outside in a see-through shirt, without a bra. “Did I just see that?” Jon Paul asked when they walked inside.
    â€œI don’t trust her,” Ruth responded. “I think you should stay away from her.”
    When Jon Paul was outside, however, Ana made itdifficult to avoid her. At times, it was as if she lurked, waiting for him, ready to approach him asking for favors, like moving objects in the yard too heavy for her to carry. He helped, but then quickly walked away. Ruth’s suspicions only increased that October. For Halloween, the girls and Ana elaborately decorated the house then answered the door in costumes. For the occasion, Ana dressed all in black and wore makeup and a pointed hat, portraying a sexy witch. “The word seductive came to mind,” Jon Paul said.
    â€œI didn’t like the way she dressed around my husband,” Ruth said. “I didn’t get a good vibe.”
    When the Espinozas welcomed their first baby, a little girl, Ana’s daughters came over often. Siana and Arin appeared fascinated with the infant, wanting to hold her. Ana’s girls were sweet and kind, and Ruth at times worried about them, wondering about their mother. The longer they lived next door to Ana Fox, the stranger she seemed to Ruth.
    One day, Ruth stood at a window and watched for what seemed like a very long time as Ana walked in circles in the street in front of their houses. Wearing a spaghetti-strapped top and a long, flowing skirt, in sandals, Ana flounced over the concrete, twirling, holding her skirt in her hands, as if she were dancing. “It just looked so odd,” said Ruth. “She did that for a while, went inside, then came out and did it again.”
    On Sundays, the Espinozas saw Jim take the girls to church, without Ana. When Jon Paul, a deeply religious man who holds weekly Bible studies at his house, mentioned it, Jim explained that Ana had been raised a Jehovah’s Witness and had fallen away from practicing religion. What Jim didn’t mention was what he’d found his wife doing in the house, laying out tarot cards, attempting to read them and predict the future. When he’d asked her not to do it in their house, that it was against his Christian beliefs, Ana agreed, but soon he discovered she hadn’t truly stopped.
    Meanwhile, Ruth grew increasingly annoyed with the behavior of her next-door neighbor, watching through awindow as Jon Paul cut the grass and Ana stood nearby, waiting to talk to him. When he stopped the mower, Ana rushed over, said something to him, then gave him a hug. Taken aback, Jon Paul quickly walked away.
    â€œWhat was that about?” Ruth asked, once he was inside.
    â€œShe asked me for money,” he said. “She said she lost her wallet. I told her I didn’t have anything on me.”
    â€œPlease stay away from her,” Ruth said, yet again. “I don’t have a good