text: 12 October 2012 The Gorda Springs Inn is a popular resort in Big Sur, California; its spectacular beach, with its white sand and blue water, attracts campers, hikers, and musicians and movie stars trying to escape civilization. Leonardo Flores, the manager of the holiday resort, probably thought that his day was going to be the same as the rest, but something told him all was not well: two guests still hadn’t checked out of the apartment when they should have. ‘What the hell is wrong with them?’ he asked himself and started walking up towards the two women’s rooms. He didn’t know what was waiting for him beyond the door. A week before, the two women checked into the $250, one-bedroom, wooden, ocean-view vacation home. Upon booking, they oddly asked the owner not to rent out the room next door. However, the resort was unable to comply with this request. They refused daily cleanup. Regardless, the two women appeared perfectly normal to witnesses at the hotel, with no signs of anything out of the ordinary. However, One evening a man who was next door with his family complained that something was wrong with the couple. He said that they were making too much noise and that it was keeping his family up at night. During the night, there was a loud banging on the wall of the house and a man knocked on Tapia and Toves’ door. ‘Could you please stop making noise?!’ - the man shouted at the door but there was no answer. When one of the women opened the door more than 15 minutes later, he didn’t say a word; she simply shut the door in the man’s face. Abigail Tapia, 27, and Jacqueline Toves, 26, who lived together in a Long Beach apartment, were lying side by side on their backs on a double bed in the room. Their hands were bound together with duct tape and their heads were covered by black plastic garbage bags, which were also taped down. Tapia’s hands and feet were tightly bound, while the rope tying Toves was much looser. One of them wore a grinning Halloween mask placed on the bag, while another mask lay on the bed. The same mask, incidentally, was later discovered by police on the door of the two women’s home when they visited it. The Monterey County sheriff said it was a double suicide and that’s how the case was being handled. There was no sign of burglary, robbery or violence. The room appeared to be clean and no signs of a struggle were found. What was found in the room, however, were two letters - one typed, the other handwritten and dated late September. ‘The letters, addressed to family members, indicated that the women planned the double suicide together,’ authorities said. ‘It was clear from the letters that they were both desperate and wanted to carry this out,’ said Monterey Sheriff’s Commander Fred Garcia, who led the investigation. Garcia, however, declined to elaborate on the contents of the letters but revealed that Toves, who was unemployed, owed $63,000. ‘I spoke to my daughter every week and she gave me no cause for concern the last time we spoke. I want to find out what happened and I want to know the truth. My daughter is a happy and spirited girl,’ Toves’ father said when told of the sheriff’s suicide theory. The only flaw in the story is that the father said his daughter apparently suffered from depression two years ago and had to be hospitalized once because of it - could it have any significance? The two women checked into the $250, one-bedroom, wooden, ocean-view vacation home on October 3. Upon booking, they oddly asked the owner not to rent out the room next door. However, the resort was unable to comply with this request. The daily cleanup was specifically refused. On Wednesday, they ordered pasta and a bowl of clam chowder from the inn’s Whale Watcher Cafe and took it back to their room. Regardless, the two women appeared perfectly normal to witnesses at the hotel, with no signs of anything out of the ordinary. The autopsy results only raised further questions. Neither woman suffered any external injuries, with no signs of bruising or stabbing. Traces of alcohol and intermittent recreational drug use were found in their blood, but not in amounts that could have been dangerous. The suicides seem to be quite common in and around Big Spur. While many attribute this to the depression and loneliness that seem to plague the area, some suspect the presence of mysterious forces at work. Over the centuries, hikers and tourists have reported sightings of shadowy people in the region. Some say that these figures are the spirits of those who have taken their own lives. Others claim that they are something more sinister. Whatever the case may be, the presence of these dark entities has made Big Spur a place of fear and mystery. Some people overcame a sense of helplessness and despair and they can’t explain it. They feel as if they were being watched over by some higher power. But there are reports of an unknown creature appearing from time to time at the nearby Fernwood Campground, appearing to wear a mask. The creature is associated with the Essenes Indian tribe, who is believed to still have a presence in the area due to their anger at being subjugated by settlers in the past. These stories do not explain this death, but they are worth noting. The creature is said to be tall and lanky, with a long face that is half-hidden by a mask made of leaves and twigs. The eyes of the creature are said to be black and piercing, and it is said to have a voice that is both calming and frightening. Some say that the creature is a spirit guide, come to help those who are lost. Others say that it is a demon, that comes to claim the souls of those who have died. Others, however, have reported several recent deaths in the area: in August, a 38-year-old man and a 34-year-old woman were reportedly found dead in an SUV in an isolated area far north of Gorda. A hose from the exhaust pipe led to the rear window, and the couple is believed to have died in June. Also, in recent months, a man was found hanging from a tree a few miles south of Gorda, according to several Big Sur residents. Several suicides also occurred at Camel Middle School following the incident, but also on the Bixby Creek Bridge. In addition, there have been mysterious deaths on the roadside. If we look at the case more closely, however, we can see that the picture does not quite add up. Police say that Tapia first tied Toves’ hands and feet together, then his own, and then pulled the bag over his head and died peacefully next to his partner. This is possible but unlikely. It is the basic instinct of all living things that if suffocation occurs or an obstruction in the airflow of the lungs, we will struggle to breathe. It is impossible to suffocate without calmly allowing life to escape. It is sad that tragic events are happening in such a gorgeous and attractive place. The sun always seems to be shining here, and the sky is a deep, rich blue. The flowers are so vibrant and the trees are so tall. It’s almost as if this place is too good to be true. Supernatural or not, something makes people meet their doom. There’s a feeling in the air like something is watching you. And when the wind blows, it seems to whisper secrets.