Mr. Jefferson's diner was at full capacity. As expected for a late Friday evening. Once five PM hit, the local residents started swarming inside in loads, leaving Patty and I to venture to the lake and let him handle his business. After all, he was still the owner at the end of the day.

Patty chomped down on another frie after dipping it in the cup of vanilla ice cream she'd taken with her from the diner. Which was melting, if I might add. We'd been sitting out here for an hour now, staring blankly into the distance. I'd tried my best to help her with her assignment but Lake Bellinor didn't seem to have much history to it. Well, except for minor positive things listed in textbooks like the founders, when the town was founded, and other minor facts.

None of which was enough for Patty to use for her project. This was the one time I wouldn't scold her for being too picky. There wasn't much information to pick from anyway.

Fireflies buzzed around us as a cool breeze from the lake struck our skin, and evening colors painted the sky. The fireflies buzzing balanced out the lake's calm waves that brushed up against the edge of the ground. An atmosphere soothing enough to hypnotize me. But I knew better than to fall for the lake's tricks again. Especially now that I was awake.

The more I stared out there, the more I heard something calling out to me. Whispers. They merged with the wind every time I neared the lake's edge. Like a siren's song pulling me in. Except I wasn't being lured to my death by a beautiful creature. At least, to my knowledge. I guess there wasn't much of a difference between a siren and the woman in my nightmares.

Even then, I didn't dare to step into the lake. Who knew what was down there? Trash. Marine life. Corpses. It was a fifty-fifty chance I was willing to bet on. After Emerald Lynn's body was found, it wasn't a long shot either. I shifted at the uncomfortable thought.

"By the way, so, you were right about the sulfur powder!" Patty cheered. "Now what are you going to do? Christian doesn't want you getting too close to the case." I had told her about the discussion I had with Christian two nights ago. As inconvenient as the lack of answers we had so far were, it was good to know I wasn't the only one questioning the sulfur powder.

"That's why I'm not going to. I don't know what I'm going to do, but I'm at least going to try and follow his orders. I want to know more about this lake house. It's been vacant for years then all of a sudden, three dead bodies show up? That doesn't sound right," I huffed.

"So, I'm guessing you're going to drag Mrs. Carol and Mr. Jefferson into this now?" Patty laid her notebook and pencil down, stretching her legs ahead of her, and turning her head to me.

"Mhm-hmm. I think one of them might be able to help. After all, they've lived here longer than both of us combined. Maybe I'll try visiting him again tomorrow or something," I said.

"Yeah, that's true. Oh! And if they don't know anything about the house, then maybe I could ask my dad about it. Hopefully, he's good for something," she murmured under her breath.

"Oh, right. I forgot he's been here for a while too." I stole one of her fries.

I was starting to see that man's face plastered around town a lot more now. Ever since the beginning of April rolled in, his campaign fliers were printed everywhere around Lake Bellinor. Now though, it was worse. With mayoral elections closing in at the start of November, politicians were growing desperate. Not that there was much of a competition to begin with.

Patty's father had some of the best people on his team backing him up. Compared to the Lane family's name, any other person running for mayor barely stood a chance. Poor bastards. I almost felt bad for all of them.

"You know, while you're at it, you should ask about Fiona Davis. Maybe if you bring up her name, someone might recognize it. After all, her face has been plastered all over the news as of yesterday. Do you think someone identified her?"

"I don't know, Patty. That might be too risky. And no, I don't think anyone's stepped forward to identify her yet. If that was the case, reporters might've announced something. I mean, they usually record and report every little information they find. Like vultures."

Patty hummed quietly. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Come on, let's get to the library before our parents call us back home." I stood and extended my hand towards her. She locked onto it and pushed herself up.

The bike ride to the North end of town was as silent as always. Yet there was noise in my head. It was the sound of my mind juggling eighty thoughts per minute with no room for breaks. Passing through familiar streets didn't help either. But there was no other route to the library from here except for cutting through the woods, which wasn't a chance I was ever willing to take. Even if my life depended on it.

I'd made many memories within the past few months just between this one strip—all daunting memories that I couldn't erase no matter how hard I tried. The haunting windows of Emerald Lynn's vacant house were taunting. No one wanted to buy that house off the market. Last I heard, Rahim was the last person to enter that house, when police escorted him in to retrieve most of Emerald's belongings, since he was her biological father by certificate.

And though no one was living in that house, I couldn't escape the emotions left for me to bear just by riding through the neighborhood. A morbid pulsating in my veins that'd caused my heart to hammer against my ribs. I couldn't help but wonder where Iris Lynn was now.

Last I'd been told by Christian, she was going to serve time after receiving proper treatment. Whether that happened or not, I wasn't sure. Emerald Lynn's case was one of the worst deaths I'd ever been involved in. So, it only made sense that I cleared the air by keeping myself in the loop to give myself peace of mind.

Finally, Patty and I parked our bikes in front of the library. I ran behind her as she busted through the library doors, resembling a mad woman on the run, and startling a few patrons.

"Don't you two have anything else to do with your summer? Anything at all?" asked Cecilia as soon as she spotted us. Her hour-glass frame rested against the large wooden desk of the check-out area; a lollipop caught in between her pursed lips.

"What she means is, good evening you two!" Craig chimed in with a laugh. "She's a little irritable today. She's been here since this morning and you know, the kids are out of school."

She's a little irritable every day, I thought but didn't say it out loud. There was no need for him to say anymore. We all knew how bad Cecilia's temper was. And her attitude with intolerable teenagers was even worse.

Cecilia shot him a dirty look. He wasn't fazed. She then rolled her eyes at us, to which I responded with a sheepish smile of my own. It was about time Craig had gotten used to our presence. He adjusted to us a lot faster than Cecilia did.

"Seriously though, it's your summer vacation before senior year and you two keep spending it at the library . . . solving crimes." Cecilia shook her head as if we were a despicable pair.

"What can we say? We have nothing else better to do." I shrugged.

Cecilia held back a sigh. "I hate to break it to you two but she's not here today."

"Dammit," I seethed.

"Just our luck." Patty sighed.

Cecilia raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "If it's that important, it's fine if you guys want to leave whatever questions you have with me, and I'll give her the message when I get home."

"Uhh." Patty's eyes darted to mine, awaiting my approval.

"Can you please ask her if Fiona Davis rings a bell?" I asked. Cecilia's nose scrunched up, an unreadable expression passing over her face. There were a few seconds of silence—too long if anyone asked me—before she opened her mouth again.

"Isn't that the woman who's been all over the news recently?" I could feel myself shrinking back at her question. My shoulders tensed and I chewed on my bottom lip.

"Oh yeah!" Craig snapped his fingers. "She was one of the bodies found in that abandoned lake house. I remember them mentioning her name."

"You know, I'm curious. Do you want to be a criminologist or a reporter or something in the future?" Cecilia's eyes bored into mine. I straightened my body, in an attempt not to shrivel any further under her gaze. She twirled the lollipop around her lips, tilting her head as she waited.

No one had asked me what I wanted to be in life in a long time. Maybe the last time was before my parents split up. That was a time where dreams were attainable for me. Now, I was just happy things weren't as bad as they used to be. It wasn't the best. But it wasn't the worst. My parents weren't at each other's throats twenty-four-seven anymore.

I once thought about expanding my expertise in a few of those fields. It'd be a good way to put my ability to use. But it wasn't something I often thought about anymore.

"I guess justice and closure does interest me. . ." I said. Cecilia removed the lollipop from her mouth and studied me. Patty did the same, as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing. It shouldn't have been that surprising to her. It should've been quite the opposite, actually.

After a while, Cecilia said, "I'll ask her then report back to you tomorrow."

"Will she not be here tomorrow either?" Patty asked, confused.

"No. She's on vacation," Cecilia replied.

"More like you forced her to take a vacation." Craig snickered.

"It was long overdue, okay? That woman overworks herself too much," Cecilia hissed. Patty mouthed an oh while the two bickered amongst themselves.

"Well, thank you anyway. We'll be back tomorrow. See you both later!" I clasped onto Patty's arm and began rushing her towards the door. Cecilia and Craig's voice bled into the silence as they bid their goodbyes to us.

* * *

Patty's text read just like her voice in my head.

Can't make it tomorrow. My mom wants me to do my chores. Sorry!

I typed out a quick okay and tossed my phone on my bed while retreating into the bathroom. Spit spilled from the corners of my mouth as my toothbrush parted my lips. I could hear Junior preparing for bed in the next room over. I imagined him peeling back the covers as he did every night to tuck his bears in. Then, he'd turn on his lamp to rid the room of its shadows as my mother taught him to do. Sooner or later, he'd walk into her room to say goodnight.

I shook my head, a chuckle slipping out as I thought about his nightly routine. My room would be right after hers with the occasional smart remarks being distributed between us. When I finished brushing my teeth, I strolled back into my room. The bed creaked beneath me as I plopped down onto the mattress.

Oh hell. I forgot to close my blinds.

Rolling my eyes, I forced myself back up, and towards the window. As I wrapped my fingers around the thin white stick that'd allow me to tighten the blinds together, I noticed something in the corner of my eyes. Something dark lingered in the pitch-black shadows.

There were only two reasons I spotted the figure in between the trees and the street. One: An all-black pair of boots were obviously poking out under the nearest street light, a few inches away from the curb. Two: It looked like whatever or whoever it was wasn't trying to hide itself at all. In fact, the moment I saw it, it moved closer, still hidden in the shadows.

A person? No. I didn't think so. But how could I not? I had the strangest feeling that whatever it was had been watching me. Just like the feeling I had when I stood below the plastered ceiling in the abandoned house. As if eyes were stalking me from a distance.

I blinked and rubbed my eyes with both hands. The single street light still illuminated the sidewalks. When I squinted out the window again, whatever was there, I couldn't see anymore. I took a quick look both ways down the street but there was nothing in sight. Not a single soul. If someone was standing there, they were long gone now. And if no one was standing there at all, I must have been seeing things. Maybe even ghosts.

The only problem was, seeing ghosts wasn't something my ability was ever capable of.