Susan Ames’ family finally got closure. They got to know that the man who had taken their daughter from them was not free to roam the earth and do as he chose. That he finally paid the price for his crimes.
The town slowly returned to normal. The media attention dwindled away and people got to resume their normal lives. It took a while for the feeling of trust and confidence to return and people would always be a little more careful, lock their doors a little more. The notoriety that went with the murders became a slowly accepted thing, never a point of pride of course, but a fact of life none the less. Children went back to school and slowly their parents stopped feeling that momentary flash of panic as they went out of sight. Life went on.
Marie Jenning was not seen or heard of again. Her body was found buried under the tree behind the Reverend’s house in town and she finally got a proper burial. Her body was flown down to be buried beside her father’s body, much to the surprise of her half brothers and sister who knew nothing about the little girl who had died before they were ever born. Paul’s wife knew of her but was shocked herself when the call came in. Being a loving person she thought the little girl could, in some very different twist of fate, have been her own daughter and was happy to see her body find a peaceful resting place at last. She even held a service for her and Tina, James, Hailey, and Jamison all flew down for it. Hailey laid flowers on the gravestone and whispered something. Tina decided to tell Hailey about her visitations with Marie but not until later when all that had happened was farther in the distance. She wanted her daughter to know of the possibilities of the world and for her to remember Marie as a person, not think of her as a figment of her childhood imagination. Marie was finally free to move on, to leave the place that violence had tied her to and Tina hoped that she was at peace at last. She knew that she would always be grateful to Marie for helping them to get Hailey back.
Jamison parked on the street in front of her house. His hands were shaking and he was more nervous than he could ever remember being in his life. The house was neat and well kept, just as he imagined her house would be. He sat and stared at it for long moments before he finally managed to make himself get out of the car. The steps led up to a big front porch rimmed with flower pots, bright and colorful. He slowly walked up the steps and rang the doorbell. He stood by the porch swing and tried not to imagine sitting on it with her with his arm around her, drinking iced tea as the heat of the day slid into the cool of the evening. He didn’t want to get his hopes up, fearing the disappointment would be too much for him. He was overcome with the urge to run away but he didn’t because he simply had nowhere else to go any more. Then she opened the door. The years that she had been gone showed but he thought she was more beautiful than ever. She wore jeans and a pink long sleeved t shirt. Her hair just touched her shoulders. She just stood there and looked at him and he looked back at her with his heart knocking in his chest like a hammer. The moments felt like an eternity.
Finally, she smiled.
The End
Down in the Lake Page 17