Chapter 8 - The Lake House
Daniel reached the lake house before sunrise.
Police had already surrounded it.
The locked room was upstairs.
Morris broke the seal.
The room was empty.
But it had been occupied within hours.
A half-drunk glass of water.
Medication packets from Grayhaven.
A woman's hair on the pillow.
And on the wall, drawn in pencil, three small stars.
Claire always drew stars for the children.
Daniel touched them.
"She was here."
A floorboard creaked behind him.
He turned.
Maya stood in the doorway holding a framed family photograph she had found facedown under the bed.
"There's something behind it."
Taped to the back was a note.
DANNY -- IF THEY MOVE ME AGAIN, FOLLOW THE WATER.
Morris looked toward the lake.
"Boat."
They ran outside.
A small dock extended into the mist.
Fresh tire tracks ended near a boathouse.
Inside, a motorboat was missing.
So was a red fuel can.
Daniel stared across the gray water.
"Where does the lake connect?"
An officer checked a map.
"North channel leads to an old hydroelectric service road."
Julian had served on the county utilities board.
Of course he knew it.
They followed by police boat.
Thirty minutes later they found the missing motorboat drifting beside reeds.
Empty.
On the passenger seat was Claire's wedding ring.
Daniel picked it up with shaking fingers.
Morris said, "Could be staged."
"Or she left it for me."
A distant engine sounded beyond the trees.
They reached the service road and found tire marks from a van.
The tracks led to an abandoned water-treatment station.
Inside, officers found two hospital cots.
One still warm.
A cabinet contained sedatives.
A wall calendar had eight dates circled.
The eighth was tomorrow.
Next to it someone had written:
C DECLARED DEAD.
Daniel's phone buzzed.
A video message.
Claire appeared on-screen.
Alive.
Terrified.
A man's hand held her shoulder.
May you like
Julian's voice said:
"Stop looking for your wife, Daniel, or the next video will be her last."
