Page 13 of Lake Hollow Curses

She frowns before putting her glasses back on. “There is a person of interest. I’m limited in what I can say about the Ross murder case, because it’s an open investigation. That includes who the suspect is. It’s all circumstantial right now, there isn’t enough to make an arrest. We don’t want to risk alerting this person that we’re trying to find evidence.” She puts her hand on the top of Katie Gibson’s diary continuing, “What you found changes some things.”

In other words, she can’t tell me. I placed the diary in her hands, but there isn’t anything to allay the fears mounting inside me over Cal and Charlie. “But you only mentioned Susanna Ross’ case, what about Sara and Katie, now?” Wilder hasasserted that they are all linked, but there is no telling what the authorities believe or can prove.

“Thank you for coming in with the diary. I understand that you could’ve done something else with it, but it was wise to bring it to me. Does anyone else know about it?” Deftly ignoring my question, she marches on.

Uh, uh. I’m done giving her anything, because she’s not able to share a thing with me. I see you and raise you… a zipped lip. Shaking my head at her, I drop my eyes from her face.

She moves the diary into a manilla envelope, writing on it, she puts it in a locked cabinet against her wall. “You remind me of my daughter. If she was in the same situation as you, I’d want someone looking out for her. You have an interesting group of new friends in Lake Hollow.” That’s rather funny when I consider my own mother. She’d gleefully abandon me with no thoughts of my safety. Oh, that’s right she actually did.

The detective sits back down, her face serious as she says, “Please be careful. While I can’t tell youwhoour person of interest is, I will say they are in Lake Hollow currently. You may find yourself spending time with them, and there is no telling what this person is capable of or what they think of you. I’d advise you to avoid private time spent alone with anyone beyond your family for now.” Her sad smile morphs into a weary sigh. “If I’m scaring you, that might be for the best. It’s much easier to stay alert if you’re at least a bit afraid. Please take my card, if you hear or see anything that connects to the drownings, I’d like you to call me.” She hands me her business card which I tuck into my pocket.

Afraid? I’m not scared right now, I’m getting angry.

Whoever killed Sara, likely took Katie’s life, too. Wilder’s visions draw a connection between all seven drownings. The person that did it not only got away with it but let Wilder flounder under suspicion. This person has to be responsible forCarlotta’s demise. A body count of eight, and maybe there’s more. Maybe I’m a target. But afraid? Not as much as I want to destroy them. In this moment, I’m even more convinced this isn’t one of my boyfriends.

Hemminger walks me out. “Any big plans today? Whatever you do, there’s a record high temp coming this afternoon. Try to stay hydrated and out of the sun.” Spoken like a true mom. It reminds me how much I once craved that kind of guidance.

“Charlie Gibson and I are going out for ice cream.” I throw his name out there as a test. Call it a degree of self-preservation, I want to see her reaction to my mention of him.

She smiles kindly at me. “Fitting activity based on the weather.” I let out the pent-up breath I had after announcing my plans. “Remember my warning, okay? For the time being, while my partners and I start looking into the other drownings, re-interview a few people, it’s really best not to talk about any of this with anyone.”

One last reassurance needed, I say, “I understand. I can keep this to myself. I should get going though, I’m meeting up with Cal.” I’m not. In fact, I need to get back to him after avoiding telling him about art school. I just say it to see her reaction over my mention of him.

My insides freeze when she bites her lip, an unsaid fear in her eyes. “Cal... Cal Truitt?”

“Yeah, he’s my boyfriend. We’re meeting up.” Do it, Remi. Just throw another little piece of curiosity at her… “He wanted us to meet up at Lakeside Park before I get ice cream with Charlie.” Wilder’s visions have something to do with the park, not just the lake.

She opens her mouth up, eyes tense.

Then she folds her arms over her chest. “Remi, I can’t stress this enough. Please be careful.”

I want to throw up, walking out of the county sheriff’s office. Not over the long bike ride back to Lake Hollow, but over the possibility that Cal isn’t who I think he is.

My horrendous trek back to The Bends comes to an end with me almost falling off the bike outside the cabin door. Sweat running down my back and neck. A sticky film from the bugs, dust, and cottonwood fluff coupled with my wild hair make a shower imperative.

“I give up. You were being chased so you stole a bike from a junkyard to flee? No, no… let me guess, Skip is looking at buying a bike shop, so he had you start transporting them one by one back here. This is the hundredth bike.” Wilder puts his hand out to help me up. Of course he had to come outside to witness me like this. He’s all freshly cleaned looking, standing shirtless in a pair of black athletic shorts, causing me to almost pant for reasons other than the heat. I’m grossed out for him, when he plants a smooch on my forehead.

“Eww… don’t kiss me, I’m all mucky yucky. I’m covered in the countryside.” Playfully pushing him away, I stretch my legs out. All that walking, and still, all it takes is a few miles on a bicycle to make them cramp. To be fair, it wasn’t a well-functioning one with one wheel bent, the chain guard catching the pedal, and the seat a glorious, cracked ass pincher. “I need to clean up.”

He trails me into our cabin, where Droolius looks up from Skip’s tennis shoe he was intently chewing on to greet us with an excited yip and tail wag. My little menace. I give an affectionate rub to his head. “Skiperoo is going to love that.”

Telling him what I’d been up to, Wilder isn’t thrilled that I rode a bike all the way to the Sheriff’s office to hand over Katie’s diary. He tells me that he would’ve taken me. Yeah, on the back of his sleek black and red road rash inducer. No, thank you. I’ll take the soreness, and bug bites versus scraping over the pavement. “You’re missing the point here… did you hear me?” I strip out of the damp clothes, Wilder leaning in the doorway.

“Huh… the… huh?” His eyes soften, his whole face transforms watching me. That glimmer of lust, the quirk of his lips. Maybe I can get a hand? Since our fun the night of Grady’s party he’s been stopping anything beyond a touch or kiss. “You’ll have to forgive me. I can’t hear right now with you naked in front of me. I can’t think.” He steps into the small bathroom, closer to me, his hand running down my sweaty side. “I can barely catch my breath.”

I cup his hardening length through his shorts. “I’m not opposed to assistance in the shower.” So help me, if he puts me off again, I may scream.

But we don’t make it in the shower before I’ve removed his shorts and underwear. “I surrender, James.” Wilder rasps below my ear, where his tongue just licked a path up my neck. “You’re a terrible tease, you know that? As a side note-”

I interrupt him with a huff, “Me?! I’m not the tease here. You’re the worst.”

“I think you meant best. I’m the very, very.” He nips my ear lightly, his voice giving me goosebumps. “Very best.”

That look in his eyes further unravels me. “Hey, stop weaponizing your eyes at me like that.” Holding the back of his head and keeping him close to mine, I whisper, “If you stop this now, I will go absolutely savage on you.”

His cocky smirk firmly on his face, he pulls me tighter. “Back to the side note… you drove the temp up a good ten degrees when you took your clothes off. I had to let you strip me just toget comfortable. “I win. He caresses my back, while his tongue in my mouth makes my body so needy for him that I catch myself shimmying as close as I can to him. With as much of my bare skin touching his as possible, my right hand wrapped around his sizeable dick, my strokes are getting jerky.

My frantic kisses, paired with the moans he makes are getting me worked up to the degree that my limbs aren’t cooperating with me. He scrambles my brain this close. His tongue is a key that turns off all thoughts.

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