The Lake House

4|| Unsettled

Lesley lay on the couch, wrapped in her pink robe. The remote control was clutched in her hand as the voices from her favorite cooking show blared through the television speakers. However, her mind was consumed with yesterday's event, so she consciously tuned out the sounds.

On the other side of town, not too far away from Nick and Lesley, Jackie and her husband, Charlie, decided to take their boat for a lake trip. This was Jackie's effort to reassure Lesley there wasn't a girl lurking in the depths of it.

"Charlie, we have to take the boat out onto the lake," Jackie informed as they stood in their Farmhouse-styled kitchen. "The Livingstons, the new owners of 5560 Gillian Place, witnessed a girl drowning behind their home."

Charlie's mouth hung agape. "What?!" he asked in disbelief, struggling to process the words that escaped his wife's lips.

"I'll explain more in the car," Jackie headed for the front door. "Grab your scuba gear, and let's get going!"

Jackie and Charlie stood at the dock before the lake, where their boat was moored alongside those of numerous Arcaden residents. As they stepped onto the large white vessel, Charlie unhooked the boat's rope from the dock, setting it in motion. It gently swayed beneath their feet, and they slowly sailed away.

Bright green lily pads floated on the lake's surface. And the sun's rays glistened against the waters.

As they ventured further away from the dock, the Livingston's residence soon came into view.

"Charlie, that's it!" Jackie exclaimed urgently, pointing her finger to the area of the lake that met the edge of the forest. "That's where Lesley saw the girl drowning."

Charlie immediately steered the boat in that direction, heading towards the point where the waters met the lush, green hills of the forest. He was an expert swimmer, having gone scuba diving on multiple occasions during his overseas vacations in Mexico, Aruba, and Australia. These scuba diving experiences allowed him to venture far beneath the ocean's surface.

With his scuba mask securely in place, he plunged into the waters. He was swimming into the depths of the lake. A few trout and bass swam past him. As he dived deeper down, he was graced with the colorful aesthetics of the aquatic vegetation- fresh green pondweed and hydrilla stems with serrated leaves.

After searching for over thirty minutes, Charlie decided it was time to give up. As he emerged from the lake, he lifted himself, holding onto the ledge of the boat. He removed the scuba mask from his face, and water dripped from his soaked brown, partly gray hair.

"Jackie, there's nothing down there." He began. "I don't see anything that even indicates a person was down in the lake."

That evening, Jackie called Lesley to relay in detail the specifics of Charlie's expedition into the lake. She shared the results, explaining that Charlie had found nothing.

However, beneath the surface, Lesley didn't find solace in Charlie's venture into the lake. She believed it was time to assemble a team of professionals to launch a comprehensive investigation, leaving no stone unturned. Only then would she be genuinely content with the results.

"Nick?" Lesley called out, "Did you at least call the police so they can send a search team out?"

The thoughts of the drowning girl circulated in her mind, giving her no sense of peace.

"Yes, I called. They're sending two officers out straight away to investigate the area," Nick explained, "They'll let us know if they find anything."

Lesley took a deep breath and stood up from the couch, making her way upstairs to take a nice hot shower. It had been a long day, and she was exhausted, both mentally and physically, as the memories of the event flowed effortlessly through her head.