Page 39 of Lake Hollow Curses

Cal shivers and rolls his eyes. “The blood bath in the water?”

The church delivered many gloom and doom messages over the years, coupled with the mural that creeped me out, I have a complicated relationship with my Catholic faith. Their stance on loving the same sex doesn’t help. Charlie pipes up, “I’d forgotten about that mural. Sister Mary Margaret would tell us to shield our eyes when we’d walk through to the courtyard.” He chuckles. “Why didn’t they paint over it, or fix it when it was first done?”

Remi listens to us, biting at her thumb nail. She takes a shaky breath saying, “Charlie, did you know Daniel had started a club in the church and they were the ones that painted the mural?”

His brow furrows. “No. Who told you that?”

“Father Lowe, he was here earlier. He started a club called WPL… or Water Provides Life. Did you know that?” She’s watching him intently. My blood runs cold… because I’ve heard of it.

So has Cal and Wilder. We didn’t know who or where it had started.

Charlie looks at Cal. “Yeah. Let’s not talk about that.”

Chapter Twenty-five

Remington James

“Can we please normalize explaining?”

Do I really intend to make the trek to the rectory on one of my last nights in Lake Hollow before leaving for school? No flipping way. Did I want to bring it up to get their reactions? Oh, hell yes.

Charlie crosses his arms over his chest. “I didn’t know Daniel had anything to do with it, but WPL, I’d almost forgotten about it. There are stories about pranks or-”

He’s interrupted by Grady, “I’d never categorize any of it as pranks or jokes.”

“Let me guess, some more secrets about bad behavior, anyone else seeing a trend here, or is it just me?” I ask these cute but wildly aggravating men of mine. One of which has been playing me like a fool, with me falling right into his trap.

“We were all pretty young when anything relating to WPL stopped happening,” Wilder says waving us away from thesidewalk, a few steps into the alley. “Some fucked up kids decided to sign off on their crimes with it. Smash a street of car windows, scratch the initials into the cars, or throw a couple Molotov cocktails into the fence at the high school football field setting it on fire then burning the initials in the grass outside, uh… fuck, there was a lot.”

“A church group? You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” This is defying all explanation. I may not have grown up with a ‘religion’, but I don’t think any church would sanction out and out crime.

Cal and Charlie aren’t talking, but the looks they keep exchanging are speaking volumes. Whatever they’re thinking, is going to remain a secret.

I’m ready to call them on it when Keenan interrupts. He calls out as he approaches, “I need my bestie back, all of you scram.” But the way he comes to stand entirely too close to Grady, staring at him I’m sure he’d be okay with one of them staying.

As I’m pulled into the door at Hidden Treasures, I watch them go their separate ways. Cal has a heated exchange with Charlie next to his truck. I wish I could hear what’s being said. But as Wilder and Grady pull away in the pizza delivery guy’s Prius, the traffic is picking up and I’m too far away.

“So, I said oh sure, you’ve got all that ratty old fringe, by all means make that shit part of your centerpiece.” I turn back to Keenan as he finishes talking.

“Sorry… I.” I peek back out to see Charlie stepping back as Cal slams his truck door, he shakes his head before peeling away.

“Hmmm, girlie, I get it. If I was rolling in all that dick, well, I wouldn’t be here for one. Are you going to tell me finally… anything at all? It would be a shelter in place, needing sedation type situation if I was you. Whew.” He fans himself, acting like he’s fainting.

“You’re a riot. Cut it out.” I push him towards the back of the store. “I need advice.” When I give advice, I always end it with, ‘I don’t know, though’, so if it ruins their life, it isn’t technically my fault. Here’s hoping my bestie isn’t as shit at advice.

I bring him up to date. Including all the things thrown out at Grady’s cabin, and the necklace I foundagainthe next morning back in my cabin. “Whoa, okkkkuurrr… girrll.” He pulls at one of his braids while biting his lip. “Yabba Dabba don’t… don’t be alone with any of them, don’t keep that horrifying necklace, don’t… oh, shit.” His eyes widen. “Uh, I’m going to tell you something. But I didn’t tell you, okay?”

More? “Hit me with it,” I say with my head in my hands.

“Your boyfriends planned a surprise going away party at the Funpark for you tomorrow night. Now, normally, I wouldn’t blow a surprise, but they only wanted a few people there. What if one of them… the lying bastard, gets you alone? Don’t go… or hell I don’t know… we start telling everyone and their uncle to come.”

They did that for me? My stupid persistent tears push their way up again for the bazillionth time this week. Even the threat of danger doesn’t stop me from wanting to go. “No, I’ll play along with their plans. But…”

We brainstorm until I come up with a surefire way to buffer myself from an attack. It’s a temporary fix, because our relationships won’t survive me holding them off. I tell myself it’s only until the liar is exposed. But what if that never happens? Not only will I get duped, but it’ll also destroy the bonds we all have.

“I think I know what to do.”

Uncle Skip is on a conference call with his hypothetical when I knock on his office door. It’s an hour until the Funpark closes, the Drive-In is starting to fill. “Can we talk?” I ask as he eagerly nods.

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