The Lake House

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Lesley stood flabbergasted, emotions swirling intensely within her. Amidst the chaos, Todd was her only beacon of truth. She knew she had to contact him to uncover the reality behind Denise's alleged sighting of Nick.

"I'm calling Officer Todd." Lesley's hand trembled as she fished her cell phone from the pocket of her jeans.

Denise nodded, her eyes reflecting the gravity of the situation. "That's a good idea."

Lesley's fingers dialed Todd's number, and she pressed the phone to her ear, each ring echoing in the heavy silence. With a frown, she realized that Todd wasn't going to answer as the call sailed into the tone of Todd's voice, requesting the caller leave a message on his voicemail. She left an urgent message, her voice laden with desperation, informing him of Denise's sighting of Nick.

"Gosh, I can't even imagine what you're going through." Denise whispered, her face etched with sympathy. "It must be so tough for you right now."

Lesley nodded, her heart heavy. "It is."

As they continued down the winding trail, Lesley felt a pang of guilt gnawing at her. She needed to unburden herself to Denise, no matter how grim the revelation might be.

"Denise, I need to share something with you," Lesley confessed, causing Denise to halt her walk abruptly, her expression transforming into one of concern.

Lesley's voice quivered as she began, regret dripping from her words. "I saw your husband, Gary, at the bar yesterday. He was with a very young woman, and they seemed to be very close."

Denise's jaw dropped, and her features twisted in horror. "Lesley, that's his daughter," she confirmed, her voice tinged with relief. "I didn't mention it earlier, but he was married before, years ago. They had a daughter from that marriage, and she was visiting. They just stopped at the bar to grab a burger."

Lesley let out a sigh of relief, her shoulders relaxing. "Oh, thank goodness you told me! I was so worried he might have been cheating."

Denise chuckled, shaking her head. "No, he's definitely not cheating."

***

Later that evening, Lesley had settled down in her living room. Snuggled in a plush blanket and a cup of chamomile tea in her hands. She ruminated on her conversation earlier that day with Denise. Glad she had come forward with the news about Gary, if she had not, the worry and betrayal would lay heavy on her chest. But now she felt a huge sense of relief and thankful that everything was fine between the two of them.

Now, she had to focus on Nick. Though she was hopeful for his return, the thought of him being missing nagged at her. She was peeking at her phone every few minutes, it seemed like, anticipating a call from either Nick or Todd. She didn't know how much longer she could go on without having heard an update from Todd. Worry gnawed at her, creeping into her mind as thoughts of Nick being struck down by a madman or hit by a speeding drunk driver surfaced through her mind.

Cradling the cup of the tea between her hands, she took a sip. Contemplating on whether she should call Todd again or not. She left him a voicemail earlier, but that was in the morning. She decided she had better try again instead of sitting there, allowing the worry to consume her.

Setting her teacup on the coffee table in front of her, she picked up her phone and dialed Todd's number. She sat there, the phone perched on her ear. Each ring sounded like an eternity. Still, there was no answer, and the call quickly sprinted to voicemail.

Lesley had a better idea; she'd go to the station and unravel the enigma of Todd's consistent silence and get down to the bottom of why he hadn't responded to any of her calls.

Standing up from the couch, she quickly put on her tennis shoes, snatched her purse and keys from the hook by the door, and casually walked out. As she made her way to her car amidst the gusty winds, leaves twirling on the pavement, and tree branches swaying in the breeze, her mind spun with thoughts of Todd and if he himself were all alright.

She couldn't help but believe there had to be a reasonable explanation for Todd's silence. He understood just how concerned she was, and a simple call from him with an update would have gone a long way to ease her anxiety. It would, at the very least, assure her that they were actively searching and working on the situation.

Was Nick in jail as Denise suspected due to having spotted him in the back of a police vehicle? Lesley wondered.

Lesley couldn't help but doubt the credibility of Denise's sighting. It seemed implausible and didn't make logical sense. Why on earth would Nick be in the back of a police cruiser? He had always been a law-abiding, upstanding guy throughout his life, never even receiving a speeding ticket. Nevertheless, the sighting continued to gnaw at her, invading her thoughts as she mulled it over.

Driving through the twisty mountain roads, the howling wind echoed through her window. Lesley found herself unable to shake the thought that Leah might make another appearance, as she often did, seemingly with foreknowledge of the events that were constantly plaguing her mind. It was as if Leah possessed an uncanny ability to see beyond the present, aware of Nick's disappearance and the unfolding mysteries. Like a psychic with a window into the future, she seemed to know what was happening.

As she continued to drive, she tightened her grip on the steering wheel. She suddenly slowed down, pressing her foot on the brake. She spotted a white vehicle on the side of the road, stalled in the breakdown lane. Her eyes fixed on the driver. He appeared to be at all man, his head was nearly hitting the ceiling of the vehicle, and he had a scruffy beard growing from his chin. Her eyes widened as she realized it was none other than Todd himself. She quickly pulled over, maneuvering her car into the breakdown lane.

Stepping out onto the pavement, the wind howled into her ears as she strolled toward Todd's vehicle. She zipped up her jacket and strands of her hair flew into the wind. The force of the gusts pushed against her as she tried to maintain her balance.

"Officer Todd," Lesley called out, her voice battling against the wind's roar. She knocked on his window, and he swiveled his head, clearly startled by her presence. His face twisted with apprehension left wondering what had brought Lesley to him. The window descended at a glacial pace.

"Lesley!" Todd exclaimed, taken aback. "What are you doing out here?"

As Lesley's gaze wandered, she noticed a young man sporting dark denim jeans seated in Todd's passenger seat.

"I was just passing by on my way to the station to check in with you," Lesley explained. "I wanted to get an update on Nick."

Todd's eyes widened. "I've got a flat tire. I need to get that fixed first, and then we can head to the station."

Intrigued, Lesley probed, "Who's the young guy sitting next to you?"

"Oh, that's Greg," Todd gestured toward him. "My nephew."

Lesley's suspicion surged, and her heart somersaulted in her chest as she realized that Greg was the young man she was curious about, Leah's former boyfriend. Immediately, a horrifying thought plunged into Lesley's head.

Had Greg murdered Leah as others had suspected?