The Lake House

34|| The Video

Jackie's unexpected arrival at her doorstep with such shocking news about an exemplary law enforcement officer only blindsided Lesley further.

Lesley stood there, frozen in time, like she was stuck in a nightmare. Her thoughts churned in her head like a never-ending storm, causing her to feel lost and overwhelmed. She couldn't bear any more news about the Leah Meyers case unless it provided a straight and narrow path to solid answers.

Why does Jackie appear to be so confident and fervent?

What did she have on Officer Todd?

"Wait a minute." Lesley furrowed her brows as she raised her hand, motioning for Jackie to stop. "What do you mean Officer Todd killed Leah, and you have evidence?"

"I mean what I said." Jackie kept the flash drive in the air. "You appear to be terribly shocked!"

"Um. Yeah." Lesley said with a sarcastic huff as she desperately tried to wrap her mind around the news. "Officer Todd has been such a great resource to me and this community. He's an upstanding man. Can you blame me?"

Shrugging off Lesley's response, Jackie continued. "Let's take a look at what's on this flash drive." Jackie declared, giving the flash drive a little shake while still holding it up. "Mind if I step inside?" She peered past Lesley and into the house, her eyes taking in the modern interior.

"Uh- um." Lesley stammered. "Sure." She swung the door open wider. Jackie stepped inside, wearing her usual attire- a business suit. This particular one was all black. Lesley figured she must've just gotten off of work, showing homes to clients as she normally did day-to-day.

Jackie brushed her black high heels against the gray mat lying on the hardwood floor, clearing away the dirt and debris that stuck to the bottom of the heels.

"We'll need to use your computer." Jackie began, her heels click-clacking against the floor as she strolled through the entryway, following Lesley's lead. "I want you to view the footage."

Lesley stopped and turned around. She gazed at Jackie."Have you notified Officer Grant?" Lesley inquired. "Or anyone down at the station?" Concern woven into her brows as she placed her hand on her forehead, rubbing it in distress.

"No, not yet. I just thought I'd have someone confirm this- you know, another set of eyes. The video is a bit grainy. However, it definitely looks like Officer Todd."

Lesley led Jackie back into Nick's office, where she flicked on the light. She strolled over to the desk where his laptop lay.

"Here." Lesley gestured to Nick's laptop that sat atop the chestnut-colored desk. She rolled out the black leather chair and took a seat in front of the laptop, the chair lightly swiveling. "We can use Nick's laptop."

Jackie handed the flash drive to Lesley, dropping it into the palm of her hand. Lesley folded it in her hand, gripping it tightly as if the answers she had desperately been searching for were all implanted in the tiny device. Lesley was suspicious as she uncapped the flash drive and placed it into the USB outlet. With a gentle push of her finger, she fully inserted it until it snapped securely in place.

The timer on the computer began to spin as it downloaded the data. A message soon appeared on the screen.

Data has been successfully downloaded.

The file was now stored on Nick's computer. Slowly, Lesley placed her hand over the mouse, her fingers touching the plastic surface. Her heart rate exceeded, going from a delicate pulse to a full-on pounding as it beat rapidly against her ribcage. Terrifying thoughts ravaged her mind. Images of Officer Todd in a precarious position causing harm to Leah were just too much for Lesley to stomach. That was, of course, provided that what Jackie claimed was true. Nevertheless, Lesley couldn't shake her profound skepticism, hoping against hope that when the video played, it would reveal someone other than Officer Todd himself.

Her fingers lay over the mouse as she clenched it in her palm. The clamminess spread in her hand, dampening it with sweat, causing it to feel slippery against the plastic surface. She hesitated to double-click on the file, dread gnawing at her. The images that might spill out onto the screen haunted her every thought.

"What are you waiting for?" Jackie asked impatiently, her brows furrowing as she peered down at Lesley. Her breath hung heavy in the air, hovering over Lesley like a suffocating presence.

"Give me a sec, please." Lesley kindly requested. Her fingers began to tremble, and her breathing intensified.

"What are you afraid of?" Jackie demanded. "C'mon, open the damn file!" Lesley could feel Jackie's impatience growing, and the energetic waves of anger she emitted filled the air with a palpable tension.

Jackie's continued restlessness pushed Lesley to double-click on the file. The timer icon spun, and then a dark and grainy video appeared on the screen.

"I can't see anything." Lesley complained. "It's too dark."

"Click on the play icon." Jackie instructed, her eyes glued to the screen.

Lesley's eyes darted around the screen in a frantic search until they finally landed on the small white button labeled "play." Without further hesitation, she clicked on it.

Together, they examined the video. It was Jackie's second time, as she wanted to ensure she didn't miss anything from the first time around when she had initially examined it.

The man in the video was tall, just like Officer Todd. He stood in the middle of the forest. The background consisted of tall trees, their leaves blowing in the air. The sound of the river could be heard as it flowed in the distance. The man even had on the same uniform Officer Todd wore. However, this provided little evidence, as every officer in Arcaden wore the same uniform.

"Is he going to talk?" Lesley inquired. "I can't hear anything?"

"Yes, is the volume up?"

Lesley checked the volume, and it was at max level. "The volume is all the way up."

Jackie replied. "Give it a minute. You'll hear him talk soon." Jackie hunched lower, leaning over Lesley as she took in the grainy footage on the screen. She eyed it keenly with a troubling grin plastered on her face.

Lesley looked up at Jackie, who stood behind her with a mischievous glint in her eyes that emitted a strange level of excitement. This enthusiasm appeared peculiar to Lesley, considering the circumstances. Shouldn't Jackie be overwhelmed with grief instead of exuding excitement? Lesley pondered. Perhaps it was merely a natural response to the situation. Lesley understood that people processed their emotions in unique ways. And Jackie was probably one of those people.

Lesley's eyes and ears soaked in the most horrifying scene she'd ever witnessed.

"She's dead!" Officer Todd exclaimed with a chilling chuckle. He casually tossed the lifeless body of a petite girl with long, dark hair over his shoulder and walked out of the frame. He was gone. Lesley's breath caught in her throat, heat prickling up her cheeks as a burning rage flamed within. Rising from her chair, she shouted. "That son of a bitch!"