Another flash of lightning seemed to hold a spotlight over Mizu for a few seconds. She lowered her head, turned and walked down the path toward the lake. Freesia saw Frank running around the side of the cabin screaming, "Who are you?"
Mizu didn't turn around. She kept walking. Frank went after her.
Freesia stood up and lightly touched the side of Rick's face. "Stay here. I have to see what's going on."
"Like I'm going anywhere." He tried laughing but winced. "I'm going to find some Tylenol."
Freesia shook her head. "No. Don't move. Just stay here. You have a head injury and I don't want you to make things worse. I'll take care of you when I get back."
With that, she kissed his cheek and ran out after Frank.
"Be careful," Rick shouted.
Outside, the rain poured down so hard it actually stung when it struck her cheeks. She heard Frank yelling somewhere over to her left. She carefully made her way down the path, walking as fast as she could on the slippery, rain-soaked gravel.
When she made it to the bottom of the path, she saw Mizu in a rowboat, a good twelve feet from the floating dock, just where the water started getting deeper. Huge waves tossed her from side to side.
"You know," Mizu screamed. "Make them see the truth. You can do it."
"Who are you?" he yelled back.
She stood, maneuvering herself to the side of the boat.
Oh no. What is she doing?
Another flash of lightning streaked across the sky. Freesia held her hand over her eyes to protect them from the rain and the tiny chips of hail bombarding them. Mizu held something in her hands. Freesia couldn't see what it was, but it must have been heavy because the Goth girl strained to keep it up. She had a chain around her waist that was clipped to the object.
She smiled. "You know who I am." She tossed what she held into the water. "Thank you, Freesia." The chain yanked her overboard and under the water. The rowboat teetered and bobbed as the waves carried it farther out into the lake.
Mizu was gone.
"No!" Freesia shouted.
Frank screamed and fell to his knees, burying his face in his hands. The hail was coming down harder, hurting as it plummeted the top of her head. She turned and ran back to the cabin. By the time she made it back there, her breath came in long wheezes and she was bawling. She slammed the door behind her and locked it.
Rick shot up and winced. "What happened?"
"Mizu's dead," she said between sobs. "We have to get out of here."
Before Rick had a chance to ask what she was talking about, they heard Frank trying to turn the doorknob. When he couldn't open it, he started pounding on the door. "Open up! Please, let me in."
"Just open the door, Freesia," Rick pleaded. "The calmer we are, the calmer he'll be too. Trust me."
"I do trust you. You didn't see her, Rick. She killed herself. She attached herself to some weight thing and threw it into the lake. It dragged her under. I mean, knowing her, she was probably trying to tell us more than that. It was awful. And your dad—"
"Open up!" Frank yelled again. "I can't stay out here."
Rick nodded. "Do it, Freesia."
She shuddered and shuffled to the door. Just as she unlocked it, Frank swung the door open, knocking Freesia to the floor. "Oh, God," he cried. "Oh, sweet God. What have I done?"
He shut the door and locked both the doorknob lock as well as the deadbolt and helped Freesia up. "How did that girl out there know where to find us?"
"I don't know." Freesia covered her mouth and looked at Rick. He motioned for her to come to him. She speed-walked over to the couch and cuddled against him as gently as she could. "I just want to go home," she whimpered.
"Well, we'll just have to get out of here," Frank said. "Yeah. We need to leave. We can't stay here now."
"Where are we supposed to go, Dad? The storm is getting worse. We'll just end up tossing the boat if we try going back now. And it's getting dark. It's just not safe. We should just stay here and head out in the morning." Rick gave Freesia's thigh a squeeze.
What is he doing? We could get out of here.
"No, no, no." Rick's dad shook his head. "We can't stay here. If that girl found us here, someone else will. Barry is going back to the cabin with some search thing giving him permission to snoop through our things. We can't stay here. And I can't let you stay here. You're both in danger now too."
Rick stood. "Dad, relax. You told us everything and you're right. It was all just a stupid mistake. An accident. Nobody is going to blame you for all that. Let's just ride out the storm and go back in the morning—"
"We can't," Frank yelled. He whipped around to face Rick. "Don't you see? It doesn't matter what I say or do. They think I did it. Everything points to me and because I can't remember what really happened, I don't have proof that I didn't do it."
"Dad," Rick said, walking slowly to Frank. "You're the only person who saw that other guy there that night. There has to be something we can do to help jog your memory."
Frank squeezed his hands into fists, holding them at his sides. His jaw clenched so tightly, the bones stuck out. "I wish I could remember. I wish—"
A crack of thunder exploded above the tiny cabin. Everyone screamed. Frank dropped to the floor on his stomach, covering his head with his forearms. Rick rushed to his side, putting his hands on his dad's shoulder. It proved be a huge mistake. Frank seemed to go into the same sort of trance he was in back at their cabin.
He grabbed Rick's arms and twisted them. With one smooth flip, he threw Rick on his back and pinned him to the floor. With his hand on Rick's throat, sitting on his stomach, Frank looked over at Freesia. "Don't you worry. I'll save you. He'll never hurt anyone again."
Rick writhed, kicking his legs and gasping for breath as Frank tried squeezing the life out of him.
"Frank! That's Rick!" Freesia screamed, then ran across the room. "It's not who you think it is. Stop or you'll kill him!"
Frank didn't seem to hear her. He kept repeating that he was trying to save her. Freesia didn't know what else to do, so she threw her body on Frank's back, using every ounce of strength in her to pull him off. He reached over his head with his free hand, grabbed her by her shirt and threw her into the wall. On impact, she felt the mini-recorder jam into her side, winding her. She crumpled into a ball.
The door burst open. Detective Cuaco and four uniformed police officers stormed into the cabin, followed closely by Granddad. Frank didn't seem to notice as he continued choking Rick so hard his hands were shaking.
"Let go of him, Frank," Granddad said.
The policemen stood their positions, guns aimed and ready to fire.
Cuaco ran to Frank, put him in a half-nelson and lifted him off Rick, whose face was turning purple. He flattened Frank on the floor, one knee pressed into Frank's lower back. Yanking Frank's arms behind him, Cuaco put handcuffs on the man's wrists.
"It was an accident," Frank whimpered. "It was all an accident."
The detective leaned down and spoke into Frank's ear. "No one is buying that story anymore, Frank. I told you I'd end it."
Granddad limped past Rick, who coughed and sputtered. "You'll be fine, son. We'll take you to the hospital to get you fixed up."
He finally reached Freesia, who was lying on her side, crying. He pulled her into his arms, cradling her like a baby. "It's all over now, Freesy. Granddad's here and you're safe. It's all over."
Chapter Twenty-Three
Rick was taken to the hospital in Kenora. Fortunately, his head injuries weren't as serious as they could have been. All he'd ended up with was a mild concussion, a cut on the side of his head that required six stitches, a black eye and bruising on his neck. Much to his irritation, Rick was kept in the hospital for over a week until his injuries were almost healed.
Freesia was treated for a sprained shoulder and bruised ribs. After getting a few x-rays, some pain medication and a sling, she was released. She went back to see Rick each day. They never spok
e about what had happened with his dad in the cabin. Or what she saw Mizu do. They just did a lot of hand-holding and watched TV. They knew they'd have to talk about it eventually because Detective Cuaco needed each of their witness statements. Normally it was something that had to be done as soon as possible, so nothing was forgotten about or missed. But considering the trauma they'd both endured, he gave them a couple of days.
"He's coming today," Freesia blurted out during a commercial break. "Granddad told me on our way out here."
"I know." He pulled himself up to sitting. "It's okay. I think I'm ready to talk about it. I mean, we have to eventually."
"Guess so. Are you okay?"
"Yeah. Wait. Do you mean my head or about the other stuff?"
"Both."
"Head is feeling better. I just hate this stupid mummy thing wrapped around it." He laughed and made groaning mummy moans. His face went somber. "The other stuff? I don't think I'll ever be okay with all of that, you know? All Dad's struggles I didn't understand…"
She pulled herself up from her chair and sat beside him on the bed. "Your dad could've killed you. But at least you know now it was because he needed help he wasn't getting. And for the record, you make one cute mummy."
They laughed.
Rick cupped her chin with his palm. "How did I get so lucky?" He moved his hand to the back of her head, guided her closer and pressed his lips to hers.
Her stomach jumped and a sparkly sensation flowed down her legs all the way to her toes. I really hope his kisses always make me feel this way.
"Ahem," Gran said from the door. "Sorry to interrupt. Glad to see you're feeling better, Rick."
Freesia blushed and scooted back to her chair.
Gran, Granddad and Detective Cuaco came in and stood by the bed.
Freesia looked around. "Where's Sage?"
"Out in the hallway drinking her pink milk," Granddad said. "You know how she is about hospitals."
They discussed the weather, touched on how disappointed they all were that the summer was almost over, and avoided the real reason they were gathered there.
"You two up for having a chat?" Detective Cuaco said finally. "We'll need to take each of your statements about what happened up in the cabin and ask you a few other questions about the things you found."
Freesia looked at Rick and he nodded at her. She turned back to the detective. "I think I'm ready. Can my grandparents be there?"
"Absolutely. Since you're both still considered minors, you'll each need to have an adult accompany you to the station and while you're giving your statements. Rick, your mom is here talking to the doctor. From what I hear, they're going to set you free today."
Rick sighed and rolled his eyes. "Thank goodness. I mean, it's been great having all this attention, but I'm looking forward to sleeping in my own bed. And not having someone come in my room every two hours to poke and prod me."
"I say the same thing about Gran," Granddad said to Freesia in a loud whisper.
"Funny man, you are," Gran answered. "See how hard you're laughing when I make you sleep on the couch tonight."
Rick's mom, Val, poked her head in the room. "Well, you're all set. The doctor gave me the go ahead to bring you home. But he says that you still have to take it easy for another few days. Head injuries can be tricky."
She walked over to the bed and hugged Rick like she hadn't seen him in years. She started crying. "I was here every night," she said between sniffs. "I am so, so sorry this happened to you. I left to bring your brothers back with me to force your dad to get some help. I never should have left you there. I didn't want to take you away from your job. Or your friends." She reached across the bed and held Freesia's hand. "And I'm sorry for you too, dear. None of this should ever have happened."
"All of us were hurt in some way," Freesia said. "I'm just glad we all came out of it okay."
Except Mizu.
Everyone looked at one another in silence. Nothing else needed to be said.
At the police station, an hour after Rick had been released, Freesia and Rick were each assigned an officer to give their statements to. Freesia thought she'd have to write it out, just like they do in CSI and the other police shows, but she was taken to a small room that had a table set up with a microphone sitting on it with a couple of metal chairs around it.
"It's a bit easier this way," a female police officer named Fennehy said. "Alrighty, all you have to do is start at the beginning and tell me everything that you can remember. If I need any clarification, I'll stop you and ask questions. Just take your time, speak slowly and remember to breathe, okay?" She adjusted the mike and stepped aside. "Ready to go?"
Freesia rubbed her palms together. "Let's do this."
"Do you want anything before we start? Water? A can of pop?"
"No, thank you. I just want to get this over with."
"I understand. Okay. I'll cue you when it's time to start, okay? What we'll do is record your statement, type it out and give it to Detective Cuaco for you to sign. Okay. Let's start."
The officer clicked a button on the table, waited a few seconds and spoke into the microphone. "Officer Elise Fennehy. Recording witness statement of sixteen-year-old Freesia Worth in the Frank Oakley case." She pointed to Freesia.
Freesia did her best to recall every tiny detail she could, starting from when she left her cabin. She stopped when she had to explain what had happened when she and Frank ran out after Mizu. Officer Fennehy asked her questions to prompt her to continue.
"You said Mr. Oakley saw someone through the window and that you'd seen the person too. Can you tell me who this was?"
"We saw a girl. Her name was Mizu." Freesia's hands went ice cold with the memory of the Goth girl and shoved them under her butt.
"And who is Mizu, Freesia? What was her last name?"
"I-I have no idea. She never told me."
"How long were the two of you friends?"
"Not long. We'd just met a few weeks ago. She just sort of came around once in a while. We weren't very close. She was trying to help with finding my mom."
"Can you please describe Mizu for us?"
Freesia shook her head and looked up at the ceiling. Does any of this really matter anymore? "She was about my age. Short. Long, dark hair. She had green eyes. She was sorta Goth, so she wore weird eye makeup and bright-red lipstick."
"Was she camping or did she have a cabin?"
Freesia struggled with how to answer the question. She wasn't sure if her guardian's beautiful place would be storm troopered. "She was just staying with someone for the summer."
"In the campground or in one of the cabins?"
"I'm not sure. It wasn't something I ever asked her about." She silently asked her parents and God to forgive her little white lie. She was sure they'd understand.
"So this Mizu was the one who gave you the fishing hat, the broken sunglasses and the ring as stated in Detective Cuaco's report, is that right?"
"Yeah."
"Do you know how she came into possession of these items?"
"I don't know for sure. She said that she was hiking around where my mom's car crashed and just found them there."
"Do you know why she'd have given these items to you instead of giving them directly to the police or Detective Cuaco?"
"I really don't know," Freesia said, her voice cracking. "She said she wanted to help, but she didn't want to deal with the cops. She gave them to us so that we could do it. I mean, does it really matter who gave it to you? You guys still have everything."
Officer Fennehy reached across the table and touched Freesia's shoulder. "Yes, but we are just trying to create a solid timeline here, as well as connect all the players involved. According to Frank Oakley's statement, your friend is no longer here for us to question, so we have to rely on what you and Rick can remember and tell us." She pulled her hand back and continued with her questioning. "Now, do you have any idea why she'd show up at Frank Oakley's fishing cabin or even know to fin
d you there?"
"No. I was just as shocked to see her there as Frank was."
"Are you able to tell me what happened after you followed Mr. Oakley outside and down to the water?"
Freesia took a deep breath and shared the rest of the story up until the police officers, Detective Cuaco and Granddad came in. "I have no idea why Mizu threw herself into the water like that. It was horrible." She burst into tears.
Officer Fennehy handed Freesia a tissue. "Witness statement and questioning of Freesia Worth over." She pushed a button on the table and waved at the black mirror on the sidewall. Detective Cuaco and Gran came into the room.
"Thank you, Freesia, you did an awesome job." Officer Fennehy rubbed the side of Freesia's arm. "I'm hoping we won't need anything else from you except to sign this after it's been typed out." Then she left.
Gran walked over to Freesia's side of the table. She sat in the chair next to her and enveloped her hand between her palms.
Detective Cuaco sat in the chair that Officer Fennehy had been sitting in. "Freesia, I asked your Gran if you and I could have a chat once you were finished giving your statement. She thought it was a good idea."
Freesia wanted to know, but she wasn't sure she'd be able to handle any more news. She leaned in closer to Gran. "Okay. I'm ready." She closed her eyes, clutching the tissue Officer Fennehy had given her.
"There are a few things we discovered from the evidence that you'd given to us, but I won't bore you with those details. The most important thing I have to tell you right now is that Frank confessed to everything."
Freesia opened her eyes and frowned. Her blood ran as cold as her hands felt. She sat straight up. "What? Why would he confess? He couldn't even remember what had happened. He totally blacked out that night."
Cuaco clicked his tongue. "Well, that's either what he wanted you to think or he had some sort of miraculous memory spurt because he was singing like a bird this morning."
The detective started giving Freesia the details from Frank's confession, but she shook her head and waved at him. "No, you don't get it. People who are as affected by trauma or whatever as Frank was, and is, wouldn't have remembered details like that. They usually focus all of their energy on trying to stay calm or avoid things that will be triggers. Besides, there was someone else there that night. He told us. He's been trying all of this time to remember—"
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