Kendall suddenly noticed the bumper sticker on the man’s truck. “My Search and Rescue dog can find your honor student in the forest.” She cracked up laughing, and pointed at it so Daniel wouldn’t miss it. He read it and laughed.
The man smiled. “Yeah, always gets a laugh,” he said. “Are you both honor students?” he inquired.
Daniel nodded.
“Well, good for you!” the man said pleasantly. “Good grades are important.”
“And Daniel here is definitely directionally challenged,” Kendall said. “We lose him in the forest all the time.”
Daniel gave her a bewildered glance. “You do not.”
The man laughed at the exchange, and shook his head. He turned to go.
“Uh, Sir!” Kendall called.
“Was there something else you needed?” he asked.
“We were wondering if you have a minute to talk?” Daniel said.
The man checked his watch. “Sure thing, but you’ll have to follow me in here and watch me eat. Or, you could join me. I’ve got thirty minutes or so before I need to meet somebody, so not much time…”
“We’ll talk fast,” Kendall assured him.
He held the door and they entered the restaurant. Several tables occupied the space, as well as a counter lined with stools. “We’ve found the old timers,” Kendall whispered to Daniel, pointing at the line of elderly men facing the counter. Most wore flannel work shirts and caps. Two were in camouflage, while a lone man wore a suit.
As they passed, the men turned one by one, each calling out a cheery hello to the search and rescue guy. His name was John, and he held up his hand in a wave until he reached the end of the line of men. He found a table and dropped into a chair with a weary sigh. He nodded for the kids to sit down.
Daniel held Kendall’s chair for her, which didn’t go unnoticed by John. “Good lad,” he said with approval in his voice. He aimed a thumb at him, and told Kendall, “Hang on to this one. He’s a gentleman.”
Daniel took his seat then, and waited until the man had had a chance to check out the menu before speaking. He snapped it closed and declared, “I’m going to have the usual.” He turned toward the kitchen, “Usual!” he called out. His announcement was met with, “You bet, John!”
“How ‘bout you two? What sounds good?”
Daniel glanced at Kendall. “We’re not hungry,” she said, deciding they could wait until later to eat, despite the rumbling in her stomach. They had business to attend to. “Something to quench your thirst?” the man inquired.
“I think I will have a coke,” Daniel said, and John called out for a coke. He gave Kendall an inquiring glance.
“I’m just going to have water.”
“Water for the lady!” he called, and then folded his hands on the tabletop and gave them another questioning glance. “What can I do for you?”
Daniel glanced at Kendall, who gave a slight shrug. He turned back to the man. “Do you like your job?” he asked him.
The man nodded with a smile. “Yes, I do.”
“Is Search and Rescue your full time job?” Kendall asked.
“Oh! You think…? No, actually, I’m a volunteer. I’m an accountant by day, but when someone gets lost in these woods, I go out as part of a team.”
“Oh, okay,” she said. “We were wondering if you were involved in the search for Cassie…” Suddenly, she realized they didn’t remember the girl’s last name. She felt ridiculous. “Um, we don’t know her last name,” she admitted.
“Been talking to Thomas,” the man said knowingly. “That is one determined little man,” he said with both admiration and pity in his voice. “Staying up at the lake, are you?”
They nodded.
“Where abouts?” he asked.
“At my friend’s stepdad’s cabin,” Kendall told him. “His name is David Gray.”
John nodded his head in recognition. “Deputy Gray?”
“That’s right,” Daniel said.
A waitress appeared then and put a plate in front of John, a soda in front of Daniel, and water in front of Kendall. Turned out John’s usual was a hot turkey sandwich. “Looks good, huh?” he said. “Sure you two don’t want anything? Oh, shoot, I forgot to ask for coffee.”
The apparently clairvoyant waitress promptly put a mug of coffee in front of him. “Thanks, Sheila,” he said, and turned his attention back to the kids. “You were saying… Oh, yes, you wanted to know if I was involved in the recovery effort for Cassie Cooke.”
“But you didn’t recover her, right?” Kendall said.
He shook his head, a baleful expression on his face. “No, never did find her. Police figured she ran off with friends, but…”
“You don’t think she did?” Daniel asked.
John sighed. “I … never really bought into the idea. The girl apparently went out close to dusk. According to her parents, it got dark soon after she left. I just can’t fathom a young girl taking a jet ski down the Siouxon in the dark. Have you been back there?” he asked.
They both shook their heads ‘no.’
“Well, she would have had to either swim to the falls and climb, or tramp through thick woods to get to the trailhead. Either way, I just can’t see a young girl doing that in the dark.”
“Do you think someone snatched her, and left the jet ski as a diversionary device?” Daniel asked.
“To be honest, I’ve always wondered if that’s not exactly what happened. Seems to me, if she had gone off with friends and was still alive, someone would have seen her somewhere by now. And from what the parents told me, she wasn’t the type of kid to take off in the first place.” He glanced off into the distance briefly, but refocused. “I realize parents always say that, but what the police have to understand is this—much of the time, it’s true.”
“Do you think her body is out there, in the reservoir?” Kendall asked softly.
John sighed and met her gaze. “I wouldn’t be surprised, frankly. That water’s deep out there and with all the trees and debris, what better place to hide a body.”
“But didn’t divers do a search of the area?” Daniel asked.
“They searched the waterfall, the creek area, and almost to the bridge.”
“But no farther?” she said. “Why?”
He shook his head. “By that time, law enforcement had learned about Cassie’s fight with her mother, and the fact that the argument was over a road trip with her friends. They called off the search. Keep in mind, they’d been searching for a couple days at that point. And with the jet ski having been found in relatively shallow water…” He shrugged. “Law enforcement figured if there was a body to find, it would have been found near the jet ski.”
“But somebody could have discovered her there and carted her off…”
“Could have,” John acknowledged. “But again, if they disposed of her body in deep water, and did a good job of it, well…” He shrugged. “We’ll never find her.”
“So, the water’s just too deep and vast…” Daniel murmured.
The man watched him speculatively. “Why the interest, kids?”
Kendall spoke up. “I guess we’re kind of amateur sleuths. I hope to become a deputy someday,” she said.
“Well, good for you,” he said approvingly. “How about you?” he asked Daniel.
“I’d like to go into forensics,” he told him, and was being truthful. He hoped to work for the State Patrol someday as a forensic scientist.
Suddenly, John looked forlorn. “Thomas told me just the other day that he wants to be a detective, so he can solve his sister’s disappearance.” He sighed. “That little Thomas will break your heart,” he said. “He can weave a tale, too.” He glanced at Daniel, and then Kendall. “Kids, it might be best to discourage him from talking about his sister. I know his folks are trying to help him grieve and move on. Apparently, they were told to bring him up here to confront his demons, but I don’t know…” He shook his head. “Seems mighty cruel to me.”
Suddenly, he slapped the table with him palm. “Hey, we’re verging on the melancholy here. Maybe we should talk about something else.” He searched his brain for several seconds. “Hey, how is Deputy Gray liking the cabin about now? Has he made the changes he’d talked about?”
Kendall gave Daniel a sharp glance, and then glanced back at John. “Hasn’t the cabin been in his family for years?” she asked. “I guess I assumed it had been in his family for generations.”
“Well, it’s been standing for a long time.” John laughed jovially. “But, no. He bought the place… Let’s see…” He stroked his chin. “What, maybe ten months or so ago. Last time I saw him, he’d mentioned something about tearing it down and building new. I told him it sounded like a good idea to me. That cabin has a mighty crazy floor plan.” John checked his watch. “Well, kids, if I don’t eat my meal in the next few minutes, I’m out of luck.”
Daniel stood up and extended a hand to him. “Thanks for your time.”
“It’s nice to have met you,” Kendall told him.
Daniel reached into his pocket to grab a couple dollars to pay for his soda, but John waved him off. “I’ve got it, son. Hey, best of luck to you both in your future endeavors. Maybe I’ll see you around. I fish up on the reservoir fairly frequently.”
“Thanks again for the information,” Kendall said.
They started for the door, but she came to an abrupt stop and ran back to the table. “Sir,” she said in a rush. “Do you know who lived in David’s cabin before he bought it? Is the former owner still alive?”
“Sure, sure,” John said. “Cleve Walker owned the old place, before he hurt his back and decided to sell out. Lived there for years. But no. Cleve is dead now. Passed not long after he sold the old place. He used to own the gas station several miles north of here. ‘Course, with his back messed up, he had a kid running the place for him for awhile. Old station burnt down about six months ago. Not much of it was left standing. If you came from the lake, you probably passed the place, er, the charred remains.”
Kendall nodded. “I remember it. Thanks.”
Chapter Nineteen
Zack shut down the dinghy’s motor and rose to his feet. The action was so sudden, the boat rocked and he nearly fell into the water. Somehow, he remained upright, but quickly dropped to a sitting position, his hands holding firmly to the sides of the boat. He raked his eyes over the water, trying to see Holly. Where had Cassie taken her? Presumably, it had been Cassie who had just pulled her into the water.
Zack nearly rose again in panic. What if it wasn’t Cassie? What if there was another ghost inhabiting these waters? What if this was a malevolent ghost? What if Cassie was a malevolent ghost?
“Holly!” he shouted. “Holly, do you hear me? Oh, God, Holly, where are you?”
He panned the water with his eyes, willing her to break the surface. How long had she been down there? Only a minute or so, but still—she wasn’t a trained diver. She would die down there without air. “Holly!” He glanced around frantically. “Please, somebody help me!”
Suddenly, she broke the surface, sputtering. She did a quick turn in the water, her eyes seeking his, when to his horror, in a matter of mere seconds, she was pulled back down again.
“No!” he cried, keeping his eyes fixed on the location where he’d just seen her go under. He dove into the water and began swimming, but he couldn’t gain enough speed in the cumbersome vest. He paused, attempting to keep his eyes fixed on the spot where she’d gone down, while he struggled to tear himself free of the vest. He unhooked the clasps, his hands trembling and clumsy, but somehow, he shed it and then cut through the water with powerful, determined strokes.
He reached the spot where he’d seen her go down. He dove, forcing his body into deep water with powerful thrusts of his arms and fierce kicks of his feet. He had no idea how deep he’d gone when he stopped. He looked around him, trying to see some sign of Holly in the murky depths. The water was simply too clouded and he could only make out vague shadow shapes around him. Unfortunately, none of them were Holly, but instead only a couple of large trout.
Zack knew he needed to swim to the surface for air. He felt the unrelenting pressure of the water against body. His lungs felt as if they might burst and his ears were killing him. With frustration, he rose, fiercely kicking to propel himself upward. He broke the surface with a gasp, startled to see Holly only a few yards away from him.
He lunged toward her, powering through the water, but when he reached her, she was gone.
***
Holly felt like she was dying. The water pressure felt crushing against her ribs. Her ears were ringing, and her head felt like it might explode. Where was Cassie taking her? And if she didn’t take her back to the surface soon, she knew she would die.
Fortunately, Cassie apparently understood this, since she hoisted her to the surface long enough to take a breath. Holly gulped for air, and then she was down again. Soon, Cassie took her to the surface for another gulp of air. She allowed her a slightly longer respite above water this time, and then pulled her down a third time.
This time, Holly felt her body propelled through the water, her hand in Cassie’s grip. She suspected the experience felt much like swimming with dolphins, only she was not here of her own accord, and she was actually underwater, too.
Curiously, she realized she should be terrified, but she was not. If Cassie was trying to drown her, she would have done so already, and wouldn’t have bothered taking her to the surface for air twice. Wherever she was taking her, she apparently intended for her to survive the experience.
That second time she was up for air, she had spotted Zack. He was clearly terrified and had dove into the water after her. He had to care about her to do that, she realized. How many guys would jump into ghost-infested waters to save their girlfriends?
Girlfriend.
Was she his girlfriend? And what did it say about her that she was presently slicing through water like a ghost-powered torpedo and thinking about her relationship status?
Suddenly, Cassie came to a breaking halt. Holly felt herself hoisted up again, and to her surprise, found herself under the logging bridge. She glanced up, blinking against the sunlight that shone through the gaps. She made a grab for one of the pillars, holding on with all her might. She sucked in deep breaths of air, and then glanced around her. Where was Zack?
She spotted him a hundred yards away. He was still in the water, absent a vest, and turning in the water, probably trying to find her. She called out to him, waving frantically. She registered the instant he saw and heard her, since she could see the relief in his body. If it was possible to sag in the water, he did it.
Where was his vest? She searched the water, finally spotting it floating some distance away from him and the boat. Silently, she implored him to retrieve it. If a boat came along and hit him, or if he became tired from swimming, he was on his own without the buoyancy of a vest that could save his life. She felt her heart flip flop at the thought of him unprotected in the deep water.
She kept an eye trained on him, practically forgetting that she had been separated from him by a ghost. Suddenly, to her surprise, she saw the vest moving through the water, as if under its own power. It seemed to happen in the span of a blink, but suddenly, the vest was thrust at Zack. He scooped it up, understanding Cassie’s message immediately. “Put it on.”
Any real fear Holly felt abated at that instant. Any ghost who cared enough to retrieve Zack’s vest for him to assure his safety in the water was a friend of hers. “Thank you, Cassie,” she said aloud.
Holly watched Zack slip into the vest and begin swimming toward the bridge.
When Cassie suddenly appeared and clamped down on her wrist, Holly braced for a
nother plunge into the water and gulped for air. Cassie didn’t pull her down this time. Instead, she floated in the water just inches below the surface and inches away from Holly’s face. Holly attempted a smile, determined to show she wasn’t afraid. Cassie began motioning with her hands, but she could not understand what the girl was asking of her.
She gave a helpless gesture, and out of habit, and as a result of three years studying American Sign Language, Holly rapidly signed, “I wish I knew what you wanted from me.”
Cassie’s ghostly green eyes widened and a smile spanned her face. Holly could see she had been a beautiful girl—was still striking, with her perfect bone structure and beautifully formed lips. And despite its greenish hue, her hair was lovely as it fanned out from her face and floated on the water. When she raised her delicate hands and began signing back to Holly, she could not help the stunned, but relieved grin that spread across her face.
“I need your help,” Cassie signed. “But I think you’ve already figured that out.”
Holly nodded, grateful for the discovery that Cassie knew sign language. “Can you hear me speak?” she said aloud, but signed simultaneously.
Cassie nodded and signed back. “Yes, I can hear you, but I can only speak underwater.” She gave a resigned shrug. “I know, weird.”
“You need my help…” Holly prompted.
Cassie nodded and signed, “I’ve been in this lake for two years…”
Holly gave her a glum look. “I know you must want out…”
“No! No!” Cassie signed. “I’m happy here… Well, as happy as I’m able to be, under the circumstances.”
“So, you’re choosing not to leave?” Holly asked.
“Here, I can see my family when they come to stay at the cabin. I can see my brother. I can see they are all right.” Cassie gave a dismissive wave. “That’s not what I want to talk to you about. Not right now, anyway.”
Holly nodded. “Why did you come to me?” she asked.
Cassie’s eyes grew sad. “Although I do not want to leave this lake, my friends do.”
The Reservoir Page 14