The Children in the Lake by Mark Edward Hall

Author:Mark Edward Hall
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Mark Edward Hall
Published: 2022-10-18T00:00:00+00:00

PART FOUR

THE SEARCH

Chapter Eight

1

It wasn’t long before Seth and Sergeant Manzo caught up with the search party. There were eight altogether, including himself and Lilly. Their strategy was to break up into four pairs and begin at the center of the compound and work their way outward in a sort of fan, searching for patches of ground that might be freshly dug soil. Before setting out they had borrowed digging shovels from the compound’s tool shed and each party of two was handed a walkie talkie. The idea was to stay close enough to your partner to keep him or her in sight and informed at all times. There was a lot of territory to cover. Lilly and Seth stayed together as one team.

“What happened back there?” asked Lilly.

“A regular shit show.” Seth gave Lilly the rundown.

“Seems weird,” she said.

“What?”

“For one thing that Jenkins is privy to the details of David’s death. Reaffirms my belief that it was some sort of conspiracy, and that David’s death was murder. I think we’re missing something. I think everybody’s missing something.”

“What do you mean?”

“It all comes back to this place. Think about it. If Jenkins and his people simply needed a base of operations, then any place in this area would do. Hell, we’re talking hundreds of square miles here. They could have rented a place in Two Rivers, for that matter. That’s where the damned mill is. It’s not just Arrowhead Lake that will be affected by the clear-cut, but all the lakes and waterways in this wilderness. I think Ben and Peggy were duped. I think Jenkins and his employers chose this particular place for a reason. Arrowhead Lake has always been a mystery, and the focus of native superstition that dates back to the very beginnings of my nation. But this particular spot, the tip of the arrow, is especially troubling. It cannot be denied that there is something off center here. My ancestors treated it with great reverence. Most stayed clear. The ones who did come here in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, like my great grandfather Billy Hart Neptune, did so with mixed emotions. They needed employment and Walter Hyde provided it.”

“Well, what do you think it is?”

“I don’t have a clue. But when we get back to the lodge I intend to ask Rachel if she’ll help me find out.”

“How?”

“By doing some online research. If there’s something here I think we’ll find it only because someone else has found it. It’s why Jenkins and whoever he actually works for is haunting this place.”

“Wait a minute,” Seth said. “You don’t think he works for the paper company?”

“I’m beginning to have doubts, although I believe the paper company is involved in some way. I’m not convinced that clearcutting is what they’re actually after. I think that’s a smokescreen designed to take the focus off the real story. Why else would Jenkins and his people offer Ben and Peggy so much money if there wasn’t something here they wanted?”

“That’s a good point,” Seth said.

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