“Hi, Ian.”
“Hello, Ginnie. I had to work at the golf club today with Isaac. I got to caddie two different golf groups. They tipped me a total of forty dollars.”
“Nice. Do I get a cut?”
“You did not work for it.”
Isaac, Mitch, and I laugh.
“What?” Ian asks. “I made a factual statement.”
“Come on,” Isaac grabs his brother and messes with his hair.
Ian pushes him away. “Ginnie, your forehead is worse than Isaac told me.”
“I’m fine. My seat belt worked.”
“Seat belts protect lives. Do you know that only one percent of them malfunction in an accident? That means that they are an effective device for protection.”
“Yes, I agree.”
As Ian climbs the steps, Isaac says to me, “That went well.”
As we head in the house, I place my hand on the railing to climb the porch stairs. A bug crawls across my hand.
“Another beetle,” Mitch whispers to me.
A part of me is grateful he saw it. Sometimes I feel like I’m completely losing my mind. “They won’t leave me alone. They’re even in my dreams.”
Mitch grabs my hand to stay back. Then he says, “Ginnie, you may not be out of danger.”
“I know.”
“What are you two whispering about now?” Isaac asks.
“Bugs.”
“Yeah, that’s right,” Isaac teases. “You’re a bug collector. When are you going to show me your collection?”
“It’s at home. So, you’ll have to come to England.”
“Sounds like a plan,” he says and moves out of the way as some guests leave.
When we’re back inside, we see others getting ready to leave.
Dad pokes his head from the kitchen entryway. “There you are! Why do you keep disappearing?”
“I went outside to greet Isaac and Ian.”
“A few people are staying. We’ll be out back having a bonfire.”
“We’re going for a boat ride,” Cassie says. She’s coming down the stairs with a thin jacket zipped up.
Dad raises his eyebrows. “Is today a good night for that? The last thing I need is for any of you to get injured.”
“Isaac and Mitch are going, too. We’ll stay in plain sight. I promise.”
Dad’s looking at me, and I’m looking back and forth from him to Cassie.
“I’m a skilled boater,” Isaac adds. “She’ll be safe.”
Dad lets out a sigh. “I’ll put my overprotective father mode to the side and trust you.” He’s not looking at me now; his eyes are boring into Isaac’s.
“She’ll be safe,” Isaac repeats.
I know Dad. He wants to say no. And I don’t blame him. I don’t want to go at all. My head still has a slight throb to it, and after my encounter with Bonnie and then Mitch, I want to crash onto my bed and not think about any of this murder stuff. At least until tomorrow.
“We won’t be gone long,” I say. “They want to show me the stars from the lake. With the full moon, it should be beautiful.”
“I won’t relax until you’re back,” he finally says. Before walking away, he adds, “And where a life jacket.”
Once he’s gone, I turn to Cassie. “Does it have to be tonight?”
“Yes. This problem isn’t going away. We need to figure it out. The longer some murderer is out there running around, the more danger we’re in.”
I’m surprised at how strong and emphatic she is. “Okay, I guess. Why the boat ride?”
“Because you and I both know there’s no way they would let us walk in the woods right now. Plus, who wants to walk a couple of miles to where we’re going? It’s a lot faster to take the boat across.”
“Is that necessary?” Mitch asks. “Hasn’t the ghost shown up here on the property?”
“So, what are you saying? Just throw Ginnie out there and see if Barbara pops up?” Cassie teases him.
“I don’t think you guys should do this,” Ian says this quietly, without looking at any of us. He’s wringing his hands though. He seems to realize he’s doing that because he crosses his arms and stuffs his hands in his armpits.
None of us say anything, probably out of guilt. I had completely forgotten Ian stood beside us.
“Ian, go hang out with Mom,” Isaac says. “We won’t be gone long.”
“You’re not listening to me.” Ian is trying not to get agitated. “Don’t pursue that ghost.” He makes eye contact with me. “She’s manipulating you.”
Isaac rubs his face.
But something in Ian’s words makes my skin crawl. “What do you mean?”
“I felt it when our boat was being pulled toward her. It was even stronger when we found the body. It’s not good. It doesn’t feel good.”
Isaac gently touches Ian’s shoulder. “You’re right, Ian. It gave me the heebie-jeebies, too. Come on. Let’s go find, Mom.” Isaac leads Ian through the kitchen to the back door.
Ian glances back at me.
“Finding a dead body would freak anybody out,” Cassie says. “You and I both felt her pain and sorrow. It’ll be okay.”
Mitch chuckles to himself. “You know what my mother told me about pain and sorrow? They’re cousins to anger and hate.”
I rub my arms to get rid of the goosebumps.
“Not helping,” Cassie says to him. “Ginnie, we are all going to be there. We need to find out who hurt her. That’s it.”
The way Cassie says it, it sounds like it’s nothing. Jump on the boat, go say hello to a ghost, find out who killed her, jump back on the boat, head home. “If we’re going to do it, let’s do it before I change my mind.” I walk past both of them and find my jacket on one of the coat racks. After throwing it on and zipping it up, I go out the back door and walk toward the dock. Isaac whispers something to his Mom and runs up next to me. Ian won’t look in my direction.
“Is he okay?” I ask.
“I’m stupid for forgetting he was there with us.”
“Don’t beat yourself up. We all forgot.”
At the docks, I notice the big speed boat floating. “Cassie said Uncle Doug brought his boat back. I’d forgotten about that.”
“This is nice.”
“That’s not the one we’re taking,” Cassie says from behind us. She carries a tub of supplies. “We have to take Gran’s boat.”
“Great,” I say and glance at the boat I’d been on just a few days earlier.
“Let’s get this over with,” Mitch says and climbs in.
Isaac follows and gives me a hand, while Mitch helps Cassie. The boat wobbles as we situate ourselves.
“Here,” Cassie says. “I brought a floodlight. The moon is bright, but I didn’t want to take a risk. I also brought two blankets, some food, and my cell phone in a plastic baggy. With Gran’s LED lanterns at the dock, we’ll be fine.”
I take a deep breath.
“Don’t look so freaked out, guys,” Mitch says. “We’re being watched.”
I turn around and see Dad, Uncle Doug, and a few other people walking toward the docks.
“Go, before they ask questions,” Cassie whispers.
Isaac and Mitch untie the rope and push us from the dock. They have just begun paddling when we hear Uncle Doug call out, “Don’t run into my new boat or get a scratch on it from one of the paddles!”
“We won’t, Dad!” Cassie calls back.
I wave at my Dad, and he waves back. Even from here, I can see the worry in his eyes. Who knows? Maybe he can see the worry in mine.
Once we’re in the middle of the lake, Cassie says, “You know, if we weren’t trying to talk to the dead, this would be really romantic. Of course, Mitch would have to be sitting next to me, and Ginnie next to Isaac.”
“Have you figured out what you’re going to say?” Isaac asks as he pushes the oar against the water.
If I wasn’t so frightened, I would revel in how sexy he looks right now. But I’m t
errified. My stomach is clenched tight, and I bite my lip to keep from ordering them to turn around. It kind of annoys me that they are making me do this right now, one day after the accident, but I know it’s because we need to figure this out. Before…well, before something worse than last night happens.
“I’m just going to ask her if she could reveal who did this to her.”
We reach the taped off beach shore in what I think is record time. The goosebumps won’t go away. I hope I don’t get sick again. There’s an eeriness that settles on a lake at night, and it’s not making me feel reassured.
Mitch and Isaac jump out of the boat first and pull it to shore. Isaac helps me out. “I’m right here,” he whispers in my ear. “Nothing’s going to happen to you.”
I step under the tape and into the closed-off area. I close my eyes, steady my breathing, then begin to walk toward where I found her.
“Oh my God,” Mitch says before grabbing my arm and pulling me back.
That’s when I see the beetles. There must be hundreds, if not thousands, moving toward me.
But I’m already stepping backward. The beetles follow me. They begin to swarm around my feet.
“Ginnie, get out of here,” Mitch is yanking me back. “Stay back!” Mitch yells to Cassie.
Isaac grabs my hand. “What do we do?”
Mitch and Isaac are pulling me back, but the beetles are swarming around my feet despite my stepping on them. They crunch where I walk.
My back hits the yellow tape. Isaac and Mitch lift it and push me through it. The swarms stay back, but I still don’t stop until my feet are touching the water.
“What was that?” Isaac demands. “Why did they only swarm around Ginnie?”
“This is serious, Ginnie. We need to go see my mother. She’ll know what to do.”
The three of them discuss and argue, but all I can do is stare at the beetles. The cold wind blows at me suddenly, and I know. My gaze lands on Barbara standing in the same spot where I found her lying dead. Her hand is extended as it was before. “Mitch,” I whisper.
That’s all I have to say. The three of them follow my gaze.
“I don’t see anything,” Isaac complains, then I feel him grab my hand.
Not a second later I feel Cassie grab my other hand.
No one says anything. I should be reassured that the three of them are with me, but I’m not. Every part of me trembles in trepidation. Ian’s words course through my veins. She’s manipulating you.
Should I push the uneasiness aside and go to her? She hasn’t hurt me before.
My attention shifts to the beetles. As I study them, something clicks. These are the same beetles from my nightmares. The beetles try to submerge me. I wake up in terror every time.
Why would I want to communicate with a ghost who is surrounded by them?
She’s manipulating you.
I don’t know how Ian knows this information, but he has yet to be wrong.
I turn around and go to the boat. “Let’s go. We’re getting out of here.”
The three of them sense the urgency in my voice and move quickly. Once we’re in the boat, Isaac has to jump out to push us into the water. I go to help him get back in and see Barbara standing right next to the shore, her hand extended. “We’re trying to help you,” I say to her. I’m standing in the boat as Isaac and Mitch paddle away from the beach. “Please rest in peace.” I watch her arm fall to her side. She fades into nothing.
“What’s happening?” Cassie asks. “Ginnie? Mitch? Somebody tell us something.”
I notice I’m still standing in the boat. When I turn to sit down, Isaac is the one paddling while Mitch watched the encounter. Mitch’s eyes find mine.
“What!?” Cassie yells to the both of us.
Despite the intense heebie-jeebies I’m feeling, I can’t help but smile at Cassie. “Chill out. It was Barbara.”
“Where?”
“She showed up right next to the boat. I told her to rest in peace, and that we were trying to help her.”
“That’s it? Why’d you make us leave? We could have found out some important information.”
“Because…” I start. “Because Ian is a pretty smart guy. He told me that this ghost was manipulating me. I don’t know how or why he would know this, but I trust Ian more than I trust that ghost.”
“I agree,” Mitch says. “Those beetles mean something. I have to talk to my mother. Please, Ginnie. We can’t keep this from her. Our bloodline is the reason. My mother would know more. She could explain what the heck is going on.”
I can’t tell Mitch I don’t trust Bonnie. There is so much that is unknown, that the only instincts I trust are my own. “Let’s sleep on it, and talk about it in the morning.”
“He’s right, Ginnie,” Isaac pipes in. “Ms. Blackstone needs to know this. What just happened is freaky. You’re in over your head.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask, trying not to get bent out of shape. “I didn’t ask for any of this!”
“That’s what I’m saying. Let other people help you. Ms. Blackstone might have the answer.”
“Or she could have been the one to kill her sister!” The words are out before I can catch them and shove them back in. Mitch’s face immediately clouds over. “I’m sorry. I can’t rule anything out. And my head is throbbing.” I rest my head in my hands and avoid making eye contact with Mitch. “I’m sorry, Mitch. I don’t want to upset you. Let me get some sleep, and I’ll be good tomorrow.”
“Here’s a thought,” Isaac says. “Why don’t you let the police do their job, and we can all go and enjoy the summer. I don’t know about the rest of you, but that’s enough ghostly encounters for the rest of my life.”
We’re silent for the rest of the way back. Even Cassie doesn’t talk. I’m about two seconds from crumbling into a thousand pieces. I am no closer to an answer than I was when Barbara first sought me. And now, I’m alienating myself from people—friends—who are only trying to help.
“I’m sorry,” I repeat. “Mitch, I shouldn’t have said what I said. She’s your mother. That was wrong of me.”
He doesn’t look me in the eye, but he nods. Isaac says, “You’ve been through a lot, Ginnie. Just remember who your friends are.”
Our gaze lingers, and I give a half-smile. At least Isaac doesn’t hate me.
As we drift to the dock, the four of us hear the commotion at the same time. A few police vehicle lights blink in the darkness.
“Why are the cops here?” Mitch asks, trying to get a better look.
“I have no idea,” Isaac answers.
We dock quickly and scurry off the boat. Most of the party has been deserted, save for Gran and Aunt Sue and Laura. “What’s going on?” I ask as I run to the back porch.
Tears stream from their faces. Gran is sitting down, rocking back and forth.
“It’s Ian,” Laura finally says. “He’s disappeared.”
31
“Tell me everything,” Isaac demands.
“One minute he’s by the fire, the next minute he’s gone. Ted thought he might have tried to walk home, but he’s not there. Search parties are all over the place.”
Isaac is checking his phone. “This can’t be happening,” he whispers. “It was on vibrate.” He covers his mouth, then says, “Okay, I’m going to look for him. He’ll answer my call. Mitch, are you coming with?”
“Right behind you.” Mitch takes the floodlight from Cassie.
“I’ll go with you,” I say and follow them.
“No.” Isaac turns quickly and adds, “Leave this alone, Ginnie.”
I stop cold, telling myself that he’s worried and agitated. He has to know that all of this is completely out of my control.
He runs as if he can’t get away fast enough. I see him dialing a number on the phone as he runs. “Dad? Where are you?” he asks into it.
Then he’s gone into the trees with Mitch right behind him.
“He’s worried,” Laura
says from behind me. “We say crazy things when we’re worried. Maybe you should go inside and rest. Your Dad wanted us to watch you once you returned.”
“They’ll find Ian. Everyone knows these woods. He can’t be far.” Aunt Sue places her arm around Cassie. “Mom,” she says to Gran. “You should be inside. This can’t be good for your heart.”
“Being inside isn’t going to make me worry any less,” Gran snaps. “This entire summer has been nothing but chaos. Ever since…” she stops herself. “I think you’re right, Sue. I’ll go inside and make some tea.”
Once she’s inside, I say, “Ever since I got here, right? That’s what she was going to say.”
“No, of course not,” Laura tries to mollify me. Aunt Sue looks like I hit the bulls-eye.
“I didn’t ask for any of this.” I keep saying the words, hoping someone will believe me. I move past them and head to the dock. What I need to do is lie down, but that’s not going to happen. Not with Ian missing. My heart hurts more than my head. Ian.
Once at the dock, I gaze up at the sky and say a silent prayer. A tear leaks down my cheek. I hear Cassie coming up behind me. I don’t even have to turn around. I just know it’s her.
Cassie grabs my hand. “No one’s mad at you. And no one thinks any of this is your fault.”
“You know that’s not true,” I say, still staring at the night sky. “If they’re not mad, they’re at least annoyed. Even Gran. She wanted me to go home, begged me to, and I went against her wishes. I was told to leave this alone, and I didn’t. And now, Ian is missing.”
“It’s no one’s fault.”
“Tell that to Isaac. To Gran. To everyone.” The tears flow freely at this point.
“Then let’s do something about it. You and I both know where he probably went.”
“Where?”
“Let’s put two and two together. He likes you. He’s worried about you. He told you not to go to where you found the body. You go anyway.”
“Cassie, you’re a genius. Let me call Isaac and tell him.”
“We don’t need him. We’ll take my Dad’s boat across. I know where he keeps the spare key.”
I shove any hurt I feel aside. The chaos may have started since I arrived, but I wouldn’t give up now. “Let’s do it.”
Lake of Secrets Page 25
