Claire Norman
Background
Claire Norman works for the Historical Preservation Society in Seattle, Washington. Her mother is Mrs. Norman. Claire is friends with Eva Lingstrom.
During the events of The Changeling (1980) played by Trish Van Devere
John Russell meets up with Claire and they drive up to the Chessman Park House, which was last occupied twelve years ago. They enter the house and after seeing the size of it and wondering how much it takes to maintain, Claire tells him they have a man named Mr. Tuttle that maintains the houses. Claire then shows him the piano that was left in the house. While at a charity event for the local symphony, John runs into Claire, who introduces him to Mrs. Norman. Mrs. Norman asks him how he is liking the house and as they are talking, an announcement is made introducing Senator Carmichael and his son Eugene Carmichael. Carmichael gives a speech and John and Claire toast each other. Claire stops by John's home to drop some things off and as she is looking at some of the furniture she finds Kathy Russell's ball. John and Claire go riding together. John goes to the Historical Society and asks Claire if anyone else has reported anything weird in the house. Minnie Huxley tells Claire that she has a call and Claire leaves. John brings a music box downstairs from his home and plays it for Claire and mentions how it is the same melody as the one he was writing. He tells her he thinks something wanted him to find the hidden room. John and Claire go over the deed records for the home and discover Carmichael donated the house to the Preservation Society, but the earliest deed records are missing. Minnie tells them that a doctor sold the house in 1909 after a family tragedy. They to the library where a Microfilm Clerk pulls out the record for the 1909 Seattle Daily News. Claire and John find an article about a Dr. Walter Barnard who had a daughter named Cora who was struck and killed by a coal cart. They go to the cemetery and find Cora's gravestone and John wonders why something in the house is trying to contact him. John holds a seance with Leah Harmon and Albert Harmon, while Claire and Mrs. Norman watch. They record the seance and Leah tells him the house is reaching out to him and she starts to write on pieces of paper. The entity reveals itself to be Joseph Carmichael and asks John for help. A glass suddenly flies into the air and shatters against a cupboard. John Calls Claire and collapses after he asks her to come to the house. Claire listens to the recording of the seance and after John tells her he started writing on the paper Sacred Heart, she tells him that there used to be an orphanage by that name that closed down. They read about Joseph Carmichael who suffered from an illness, but was miraculously cured when he returned from Switzerland. John then figures out that the real Joseph was replaced by a changeling from an orphanage after being murdered and secretly buried. John tells Claire that he found out if Joseph died before 21 years of age then all of the money from the Spencer estate would be given to charity instead of Joseph's father. John and Claire go to the Grey house and Mrs. Grey tells them that three nights ago when they had their seance, her daughter, Linda Grey woke up from a nightmare and had seen a boy climbing out of the floor. She tells him she knows he wants to tear up her floor, but she will have to think about it. Mrs. Grey calls John who with the help of Tony Grey start digging in the well. Claire goes to the house and eventually John finds the remains of Joseph Carmichael. A Coroner continues to dig, but doesn't find anything besides the remains. Sergeant Durban starts questioning John and John lies about not knowing who the remains belong to. John shows a medallion he found in the well to Claire and she suggests he show it to the police, but he doesn't think the police will care. Claire comes into John's house and before leaving, Captain DeWitt threatens to come back with a warrant to get the medallion. Claire then tells John that the Historical Preservation Society have cancelled his lease and have forced her to resign. Claire calls John and tells him she just saw a crashed vehicle with DeWitt dead inside of it. Claire tries to call John, but gets no answer. Claire arrives at the Chessman Park house and goes looking for John. As she is looking for him, she is chased by the wheelchair around the house. John gets to the house and pulls her outside. John leaves the house and drives away with Claire. They return to Carmichael's home and see Senator Carmichael's body being wheeled into an ambulance.
