Hazy View: Souls of the Vanished (13 page)

“
Yvonne, please... get one
of the deputies deal with it. I need you to run a search of
activities on Martin’s social security number and bank cards.
You’ll find all you need in his personnel file. While you’re busy
with that I’d like you to do the same with Janet’s. I need it as
soon as possible. Phone the phone company. I need phone records for
all calls received and made from all the lines in the office.
Especially get the records for the phone in Martin’s office from
the last two weeks. I need you to also find a forensics lab in the
city. I’ll be at the office just now, still need to make a few
stops.” Andrew instructed and ended the call before dialing a new
number. “Are you still at the lake? Did you find anything yet? I’ll
be there shortly...” He ended the call and turned to
Helen.

“
I have a few stops to
make. I’ll speak to the investigator in a moment. Maybe it’s best
if you’re not in the house for a few days? Especially while the
investigators busy. I mean it’ll be best for Olivia’s sake, just in
case something goes wrong?”

Helen wrote on a piece of paper.
“We’ll stay here until the investigators done set up, and then
we’ll go to the guesthouse. I’m giving you this number in case you
need to get hold of me.”

“
I’ll call you
soon.”

Andrew greeted and left the house
hastily. Just outside the property he stopped suddenly, his eyes
filled with tears, his hands shook and his heart was too heavy to
breathe. He released a screamed so deeply and sorrowful that he
broke down and sobbed.

*~*~*

*VII*

Martin walked through the house like a
person in search of something. Outside rain hammered the old
farmhouse roof, wind ripped at the large trees surrounding the
house and property. Inside an imaginary heat made sweat pop out on
his skin and streamed down his face. His body trembled from the
cold. He lit a cigarette and smoked it hastily before he stomped it
out in one of the many empty plates scattered throughout the
lounge. His eyes were bloodshot from tiredness and alcohol abuse.
Stubble dotted his face, his clothes creased and untidy. It seemed
like he wore it for more than two days. He looked tired and his
feet drag as he walked.

He bumped into the doorway as he
stumbled into the kitchen. He collected a six-pack of beer cans
from a shelf in the fridge which mainly held backup beers and
leftovers. Martin was so drawn into himself he had stopped caring
about how he lived. He’d been staying at the house only a day but
it looked like he’d been there weeks.

He grabbed a box of yesterday’s
leftover pizza from the center counter. He pulled a fresh pack of
cigarettes out of a drawer beside the sink that held with few
dishes and a burned pot. Water dripped into dishes, filling some
and overflowed into others. Flies swarmed around the dirty
dishes.

He stumbled into to the lounge where
scattered clothing draped the furniture. The rest of the house
remained dark, dusty and disused.

Martin sat
down on the couch, clicked the TV on with the remote and threw it
on overflowing ashtrays on the coffee table. He grabbed a slice of
stale pizza after he opened the beer. He took a bite of pizza and
washed it down with a few sips. After finishing two slices he
opened another beer. Lazily he slumped back into the couch and
waited for the darkness to exit his soul and consume him. He felt
ready to die, even if it meant he had to drink himself to death. To
end it quickly wasn't an alternative. Suffering was a small way for
him to redeem his soul. At least that was what he believed in the
depth of his sick and twisted mind. He owed it to Janet and
Christopher to suffer to the very end and suffer he
would.

*~*~*

*VIII*

In the cold murky water of the lake
the divers continued their search. They searched from where Tom
found boat to the north. Bubbles popped on the surface betraying
their position, halfway from the boat to the rock face. They used
hand signals to communicate as they advanced. They searched an
early eighteen century sunken ship, reduced to nothing more than
broken and raided history. They searched an old vehicle wreck, the
accident long resolved.

It wasn’t clear what they hoped to
find in the dirty murky water, but it could be anything relating to
the suspected ghosts. Once they found the bodies they would divide
into two teams. One team would recover the bodies, the other
continued north. Maybe they could end the curse on the lake and
solve the mystery.

The divers continued in a line. They searched with as
little movement as possible, trying not to disturb the muddy bottom
any more than they needed too.
Finding the boys was priority, one which Mr. Craft insisted
on.

The divers pressed forward signing as
they went. They checked cracks and crevices under the water. They
moved forward in a line that drew closer to the infamous rock
face.

In the distance something bright shone
in their underwater lights, coming through the gloom like a ghost
ship out of the mysterious fog. It wasn’t clear what it was, it
could be anything. Yet this thing was so alluring it called out to
them.

Four divers broke the formation to
investigate.

Out of gloom and murky water the
colorful object became brighter and larger. Other forms became
noticeable, a leg, an arm and on closer inspection the lifeless
bodies of Ivan and William came into focus.

Three divers continued towards the
rock face. Slowly they disappeared into the darkness of the lake,
in time their lights had also vanished only air bubbles popping on
the surface gave away their location. They made slow progress as
they got closer to the traitorous water and the lair of the
beast.

*~*~*

*IX*

Andrew approached Mr. Craft as he
emerged from the back of the panel van. An ambulance parked closest
to the pier. A group of people had gathered. The sun was high, hot
and bright. From the East small cotton-like clouds were rolling
in.

Mr. Craft walked over to Andrew. “Did
you hear I believe the divers had found something?”

Andrew walked to the pier, Mr. Craft
followed.

“
I haven’t heard anything
yet. It must’ve been recent, the divers hadn’t checked in with
me.”

Passing the ambulance the paramedics
followed with two gurneys. At the edge of the pier the divers had
returned with the bodies and laid them side by side on the
pier.

Andrew walked swiftly and blocked the
way. “Are you ready for this?”

Mr. Craft paused “No, but it doesn’t
matter, is anyone ever ready for something like this?”

Andrew retreated slowly. “Well you go
ahead, and once again, I’m sorry for your loss.”

“
So am I.” Mr. Craft said
and continued to the edge of the pier alone.

Andrew walked to his vehicle as Tom
joined him.

“
Afternoon Tom, I see they
found the brothers. Where did they find them, do you
know?”

“
A distance from where I
found the boat.” Tom said sadly.

“
Did they find anything
else?” Andrew asked hopeful.

“
Not as far as I know but
there’s still a team out there working towards the rock face.
Although I think they might be returning. The boat had already left
to pick them up.” Tom replied glaring at the lake before turning to
Andrew “How do you like the signs? Once the divers leave the water
I’ll put them up.”

Andrew noticed Tom was upset. “Thanks,
it looks great.”

Andrew looked at Mr. Craft that had
finally given into his grief at the sight of his lifeless sons. He
turned and glanced over the lake while Andrew walked towards Mr.
Craft slowly. Mr. Craft was still staring out over the water
probably hiding his emotions. He gave more than his moment of
silence for his sons taken so violently and suddenly that his heart
felt too hurt and overwhelmed to face anyone.

Andrew laid his hand on Mr. Crafts
shoulder and spoke in a soft and gentle voice. “If you need time to
deal with the loss of your sons and grief I can wait for you. A day
or two would make very little difference in this case.”

“
Let me know when I can
start with the arrangements. I’m sure that your coroner would like
to see them first.” Mr. Craft replied with extreme
difficulty.

“
Sure I will. Are you sure
you’re okay still working, take a day or two to attend to your
sons.”

Mr. Craft’s eyes were red his voice
trembled. “Thank you. I’ll do that as soon as the coroner’s done.
Besides I’m fine. It’s better to stay busy and distracted. We still
have a crime to solve and the quicker the better, before more
innocent people fall prey to her rage.”

Andrew hesitated a moment.

“
I have just found another
hot spot for haunting. It’s definitely Janet and Christopher. I was
hoping you could set up some cameras there maybe we find
something.”

Mr. Craft didn’t take in anything
Andrew said. His attention remained with the ambulance driving away
slowly. Even the crowd dispersed toward the parking lot, leaving
Tom, Andrew and Mr. Craft standing on the pier deep in thought and
silence.

Tom stood close to offer sympathy and
support should his old friend need it. He felt he didn’t belong and
didn’t know how to deal with the situation. He didn’t want to get
in anyone’s way. He remained where he stood, head dropped forward
and he fiddled with his cap clenched in his fist. He was angry that
something like this could’ve happened and had gone unnoticed for so
long.

“
Do you think you could
set up some equipment at the house and get something that we could
possibly use?” Andrew repeated sympathetically.

Mr. Craft turned to Tom. “Looks like
I’m going to need your help, want to hunt some ghosts?”

Mr. Craft and Tom walked to the van.
Andrew turned to the lake, noticing the boat was returning with the
rest of the divers. He lit a cigarette and waited from them to
reach the pier. The leader walked up to him.

“
Did you find anything out
there?”

“
We couldn’t get close
enough.”

“
What, the water’s not
dangerous it’s not the open ocean.”

“
No, I mean, the closer we
got the dirtier the water became. Something kicked up mud from the
bottom, preventing us from getting too close.”

Andrew stood for a moment in thought.
After a brief silence he continued. “It couldn’t have been that
muddy, could it?”

“
Well we tried and after a
while we started to feel our way through. Close to the rock face we
believe we had run into boulders that blocked our way. It was so
dark that we couldn’t use our flashlights, because they didn’t even
penetrate the mud.” The leader reported.

“
How far did you
get?”

“
I’m not sure but I called
it off after we couldn’t see our hands in front of our faces. I
didn’t want to risk injury to any of my men. I’m sure you can
understand that.”

“
What do you think kicked
up the mud?”

“
I don’t know, but
whatever it was, it was fast and large.”

“
Thank you for trying.”
Andrew said disappointed.

Andrew walked to the panel van and
knocked on the back door.

“
Sheriff, want to come
in?” Mr. Craft invited.

“
That’s fine. I’m heading
to the office, something’s going on there, and I’ll meet you at the
house in about an hour. Tom knows where it is.”

“
Thank you for allowing me
to do this.”

“
Thank you for offering.
The case would take too long if I didn’t have your help. We need
results as soon as possible, and you happened to have the right
equipment. Thank you.”

*~*~*

*X*

Before he headed to the office Andrew
stopped off at home. He collected a cylinder of scrapings, photos
printed from his cell phone and a shoe still sealed inside a bag he
found in the forest. He concealed the items in a small bag and
walked out.

Andrew entered the office and stopped
for a moment. Deputy Davis was still struggling to get a drunken
man under control.

“
Thank God, finally.”
Davis remarked out of breath.

“
What’s that supposed to
mean?” Andrew asked agitated.

“
You’re finally here. I
don’t know what to do with him anymore. He’s been throwing up
everywhere and had been giving me ten sorts of hell.”

“
Put him in the holding
cells, let him sleep it off and then deal with him when he’s a
little more cooperative.”

“
Yes sir.”

“
You’re not the sheriff.
You’re nothing more than a cheat.” The drunken man screamed
spitting and cursing.

“
What are you talking
about? I’m the sheriff and you need time-out.” Andrew
scolded.

The drunken man stomped towards
Andrew.

“
It’s your fault Martin’s
wife left him and now you took his job and threw him out.” The man
continued and grabbed a bottle of alcohol on the desk.