The Girl and the Cursed Lake (Emma Griffin FBI Mystery Book 12)

by A J Rivers

  Vint, a tech member of the team, came up as Jeremy turned to follow Elsie with the camera.

  "I got the radio in the little truck to work and got in touch with a ranger. He's going to contact the police who set up the perimeter around the park and get them here," he said.

  "Not on camera? Fine. Okay," Ken said, nodding. "Good."

  "What do you think's going on?" Vint asked.

  "The curse is back," Ken said. "It's the only explanation. And we're here to witness it."

  "Ken, Elsie is down at the water and wants to do a Spirit Box session," Jeremy called.

  "On my way."

  Ken's heart raced as he made his way down toward the dark lake. Water made black by the late hour slid up onto the shore like oil, dragging bits of pebbles and sand back with it. Elsie stood close enough that the water touched the tips of her shoes when it moved.

  "There is a belief that water holds onto energy," he said as the camera turned to focus on him. "Places with a lot of water are often hubs of spiritual activity. The water may make it easier for the spirits to manifest, or it could act as a form of transportation, bringing the spirit energy to different areas. When it comes to a place like this, a campground where families spent some of their happiest times, but where people were also tragically lost, could the water be holding onto both? The good and the bad battling to see which has the influence over the land?"

  He seemed to feel his voice shaking, but he didn't want to show it. The audience was still watching. The broadcast was live, streaming into homes and onto devices everywhere. It wasn't like one of their regular specials in which he could simply stop filming and edit the pieces together later. He had to keep this going, carry it while they waited to find out what was going on.

  But the fear was creeping in. His job was inherently frightening. The locations he went to were creepy and unnerving. He spent his time researching and telling stories about horrific deaths, brutal murders, tragedies, accidents, and plagues. All the things that left dark marks on the world.

  He went against popular belief, against science, against what people told him was rational, logical thought, to pursue what he believed. He wanted to find out more about what happened on the other side. There had to be another side. At least, he wanted there to be. He wanted to think his last breath wasn't really a last breath, but rather, a transition.

  And that was what he did. He followed what happened after that transition. He tried to communicate with those who are stuck in places, and those who choose to remain. He tried to put himself in between the innocent living and the demonic forces that infected homes and businesses.

  But in the end, it was also entertainment. There were viewers he had to keep interested through commercial breaks. Commercials that paid for the equipment and the location fees and the insurance. But he had never faced anything like this. The investigations he did for his specials, and even the private tours, were done in a controlled manner. He always knew at any point he could simply walk away.

  It didn't feel like that now. He wasn't just dealing with lingering spirits. Something or someone had left those bones in the cavern, and no matter how much he tried to distract himself and keep the audience engaged by talking, he felt eyes on his back. He felt his skin tingling.

  The glow of the police lights washing through the campground was a relief. One car rumbled along the old gravel access road and came to a stop near the crew van. Ken started toward them with Jeremy right behind him.

  "Hello," he said, approaching the officer who got out of the car. "I'm Ken Abbott."

  The man didn't look at him with any kind of recognition but gave a single nod.

  "The monster hunter," the officer said.

  The disparaging tone was nothing new for Ken, and now wasn't the time to be offended.

  "Paranormal investigator," he clarified. "We're doing an investigation for a television special."

  "All right, well, while you're up here chasing the bogeyman, the emergency call lines are blowing up. Then we get a radio transmission from the rangers saying there's something going on up here and we need to get here. What the hell is going on?" the officer commanded.

  Another officer climbed out of the other side of the car and came around toward him. "Mr. Abbott, I'm Cynthia McVey. We got a report that you found a body."

  "Bones," Ken clarified. "We found them while we were investigating further in the woods."

  The other officer, who hadn't bothered to give his name, rolled his eyes, but Ken ignored him.

  "Where in the woods?" Officer McVey asked.

  "The cavern where Violet Montgomery's body was found."

  "That place is supposed to be off-limits," the other officer said, his voice suddenly taking on a note of anger. "When I was put on this nonsense assignment, I was told no one was allowed near there."

  "That wasn't the agreement," Ken said. "The park signed off on it. We were not allowed to show the audience how to get there. Everyone was well aware that we were going to be there as part of our investigation."

  "I wasn't," he grumbled.

  "Then I suppose you didn't need to be."

  The two men glared at each other and Officer McVey took another step closer.

  "You need to show me where you found the bones," she said.

  "Cameras off," Ken said to Jeremy. "Same rules. Where's Elsie?"

  "She wanted to do a solo session down by the lake," Vint said. "She has her camera and some equipment. She was saying she wasn't feeling great, and the air around the water was making her feel better."

  "I don't know if that's a good idea," Ken said. "We should stay together."

  "We need to go," Officer McVey said.

  They started into the woods, but Ken took out his walkie-talkie to reach out to Elsie.

  “Elsie?”

  "Hey," she said after a too-uncomfortable beat of silence.

  "You shouldn't be down there alone. The police are here, and I'm showing them to the cavern."

  "It's fine," she said. "This isn't the first time I've done solo investigating."

  "I know. But this is a little different."

  "Ken, it's going to be okay. The audience can watch me while you're going to the cavern. Besides, another cop car just showed up. I'm not completely alone. Which is going to make it harder to sift through the audio recordings, but at least you'll know I'm not by myself."

  "Alright. But message me if anything happens."

  "I will."

  The disquieting feeling got stronger as they made their way back through the woods toward the cavern. Something moved in the trees to one side and he paused, trying to see what it was before moving on.

  "It's up there," he said when they finally got to the rock outcropping, and he gestured for Jeremy to start recording again. "The bag is inside."

  "Bag?" the officer asked.

  "The report said the body was found in a sleeping bag," Officer McVey explained.

  "Not a whole body. Just bones."

  "You touched the bag?" the officer demanded.

  "When I went into the cavern, I saw what looked like a hand sticking out of the bag. I wanted to see what it was, so I lifted the corner of the bag," Ken said.

  "Show me," Officer McVey said.

  Ken climbed up the rocks with the officers behind him. He stepped to the side when they got to the opening of the cavern and gestured for them to go in.

  "It's toward the back," he said.

  Both officers shined their flashlights into the cavern and announced themselves before stepping in. Ken didn't follow, wanting to allow Jeremy the space to record the officers finding the bones.

  "You've got to be kidding me," the officer said a moment later. "Is this your idea of some kind of joke?"

  "What?" Ken asked, shocked by the reaction.

  He went into the cavern, pushing past Jeremy to get to where the officers were standing. They both had their flashlights pointed at the ground and the man looked ready to snap. Officer McVey turned her mouth to
the radio on her shoulder.

  "This is McVey up on Hollow River Mountain. Responding to reports of a body. Everything's fine. False alarm."

  "What do you mean false alarm?" Ken snapped, but when he looked down, he saw what they illuminated with their flashlight beams.

  Rather than the old, torn up bag that had been there no more than an hour before, now lying on the ground was a pristine red bag, unfurled like someone was getting ready to climb in.

  Chapter Fourteen

  It's a good thing I'm sitting because I just rolled my eyes so hard if I was standing, I would have lost my balance and fallen over.

  “You have got to be kidding me,” I comment.

  “What happened to the bones?” Xavier asks.

  “There never were any,” I say. “This is all a bunch of bunk, just like I told you.”

  "I don't understand," Ken Abbott says on the screen. "They were there."

  "You found them?" Officer McVey asks.

  "No, my co-host Elsie did. She came up here into the cavern first and found them, then I went up to see them. They were right there. It was an old, torn up, dirty sleeping bag, and there were bones in it."

  "Are these your bones?" the other officer asks, using the tip of his boot to kick a walking stick and a pile of kindling for a fire.

  "No," Ken says, shaking his head. "No, those weren't there. There was an old sleeping bag that was torn up and dirty. It looked as though it had been here for years. And there were bones sticking out of it. A hand. Then when I looked inside, I saw a leg and ribs, at least."

  "You said you're doing some sort of special?" snaps the officer, who looks like he's ready to snap Ken in two.

  "Yes," Ken nods. "We're a paranormal investigation team. We travel around investigating areas that are known for paranormal activity or that have been the sites of human tragedies."

  "So, what you're telling me is that you run around chasing ghosts and you scared yourself," the officer deadpans.

  "No. That's not what happened," Ken insists.

  "I think that's exactly what happened. You got yourself all worked up because you're here thinking you're going to find something mystical and amazing, got spooked in the dark and ended up letting your imagination get the best of you. You decided it would be edgy and interesting to come up here, ended up finding somebody's camp, and freaking out. Now you are ruining the sanctity and solitude of these woods, and this place in particular, for your little ghost show. You came up here looking for something and convinced yourself you found it."

  "That isn't what's happening. This is a legitimate investigation. It is the thirteenth anniversary of the disappearances of those four guys…"

  "Don't start lecturing me on that," the officer snaps. "Don't you think I know exactly what day it is? Do you know where I was thirteen years ago? Right here. In this damn park, looking for those idiots. And the year before that I was searching for three others. And the year before that, two others. And the year before that I was a rookie who got dragged out here to search under every leaf and rock in this damn forest looking for a little girl. I found a shoe that didn't belong to her. I listened to her mother crying. And then two months later, I watched them take what was left of her and put it in a forensics van. This isn't a game for me, you little prick. I think it's bullshit you're even allowed to be out here, and if I find out that this is some kind of asinine stunt you did to get extra ratings for your special, I will find every single law I can throw at you so I can make sure you don't see the light of day again for a long time. I have half a mind to throw you in jail right now for filing a false report. Do I make myself very clear?"

  "That police officer is getting really worked up," Sam notes.

  "This guy is wasting his time. He got everybody calling the emergency number and they radioed for help for absolutely nothing being wrong because he's so convinced there's something on that mountain," I say.

  "What's your name?" Ken asks.

  "Excuse me?" the officer asks through gritted teeth.

  "What's your name? You didn't bother to give it when you came here accusing me of doing something I didn't do."

  "Roland Davis," the officer says.

  "Well, Officer Davis, I don't know what it is you have against me, but I didn't do anything wrong. I don't fake evidence, and I don't get so out of control during an investigation I hallucinate. And remember, I'm not the only one who saw them. My co-host did, too. She's the one who brought them to my attention."

  "And where is she?" Officer McVey asks.

  "She stayed down at the lake to continue her investigation," Ken says.

  "We need to speak with her," Davis says. "And this so-called investigation ends now."

  "There are people watching," Ken argues. "They tuned in to get the information they want. Because they're curious about these woods and this campground, and what it is about them that causes these things to happen.”

  “Nothing causes things like this to happen but the people who do them,” Officer Davis says. “That is the reality every time something happens. Call your friend and tell her to wrap up whatever nonsense she's doing so we can ask what she supposedly saw. I cannot believe you would come out here and be broadcasting this place live to other idiots."

  He starts away from Ken, making his way toward the most accessible portion of rocks that will lead him back down to the makeshift path.

  “So, you don't believe in the Arrow Lake curse?” Ken asks.

  The officer stops and takes a breath, his shoulders lowering as if he's fighting to keep himself calm. He turns around.

  "Turn off your camera. This is over," he says.

  "No. My investigation is still going on. I came here for answers. A lot of people believe that there's a dark force at work around here. I feel it is my responsibility to dig deeper and find out the truth."

  "There is no curse. It's a lake and very deep, very dark woods. Bad things happen. That's the end of it. Turn off your camera and call your friend."

  "I'm not going to turn off the camera. I have permission to be here and the right to record," Ken says.

  "I'm sure that's going to go over well," I mutter, adjusting my position on the couch as I watch the disaster on the screen just getting worse.

  "Yeah, that wasn't the best," Sam says. "But he's right. He can record the officers. It just takes a bit of an ass to pull that card in this kind of situation."

  Ken climbs down the rocks and takes out his radio to call Elsie. She doesn't answer.

  "She probably turned her radio off. She does that sometimes when she's really into an investigation. The equipment can interfere and if there is any sound, it can contaminate the evidence," he tells the officers.

  Officer Davis scoffs. "I'm getting really sick of this. My time is being wasted and my time is actually worth something. I need you to find her, pry her out of her little trance or whatever hocus pocus stupidity she's got going on, and tell her to give us a statement so we can leave."

  "Straight to the point there," I say.

  Sam hushes me, his eyes glued to the screen.

  Just as they are getting to the spot where they've cut off the camera during each trek to and from the cavern so far, which feels like about thirty times at this point, the officers, Jeremy, and Ken encounter Vint. He's lingering at the side of the path, a single little ball of creamy yellow light at his feet from his flashlight.

  "What is it?" he asks. "Who is it?"

  "Hey," Ken says. "Have you talked to Elsie? I've been trying to get in touch with her."

  Vint shakes his head. "No. She was down by the lake the last time I talked to her. Saying she wasn't feeling good. But she was still investigating. Why?"

  "We're heading back to the campground. You're not going to believe this shit. The bones aren't there. It's a new sleeping bag. Now the cops are trying to say either we got the living hell scared out of us by nothing because we're crazy, or we made this whole thing up because of the show."

  "Which is over," Offic
er Davis says. "Turn off the camera."

  Ken looks directly at the camera.

  "Everybody out there, if the feed has come back to us from Elsie, you know the drill. We have to switch off for a bit to get through the woods, but we'll be back with you. We're going to figure out what's going on here."

  The screen briefly goes black the way it did each of the other times it switched between the perspectives of Ken and Elsie or moved over to archival footage to fill in gaps. It comes back up on an image of the lake. The angle is strange, as though the camera is tilted to the side. I'm sure it's supposed to mean something, but I'm missing it.

  It stays just like that for several long, silent seconds. I hear a voice somewhere in the background, but I can't make out any words. The camera angle makes a sudden shift as the camera is picked up and raced down the edge of the water toward a row of small cabins on the other side of the water. Something dark appears to the side of one of the buildings, then darts into the darkness behind it. There's a gasp and the camera starts to whip around just as the screen goes black.

  "Well, that was abrupt," I observe.

  "Just wait," Sam says.

  We continue to stare at the screen, but nothing happens.

  "Nothing's happening," I say.

  "Just wait," he insists.

  "Emma," Xavier says.

  "Sam says wait," I tell him. I hold the bowl in front of the computer again. "More popcorn?"

  A few more minutes pass, then the image flashes to a commercial. At the end of the commercial, another show starts.

  "What happened?" Sam asks.

  "Are we still waiting?" Xavier asks.

  "Nope," I say. "That concludes the paranormal portion of this evening. And with that, I'm going to bed."

  "Wait," Xavier says.

  "What is it?" I ask, turning the computer so I can look at him. "What's wrong?"

  "It's just the special was supposed to last for another hour. My evening is all structured around being virtually at your place until then. I even told Herman I wouldn't be back until then."