Chapter 6
A grim look beamed on lovely's face, sitting at the back of a paramedic truck as beads of water trickled down her frame and hair with a towel across both shoulders. Her gaze on nothing in particular and motionless said enough on her state of mind.
The lake had been swarmed with cops from the precinct, flooding the banks and sealing It off in caution tapes less than an hour after Charlie made the call. The report of a body in the lake had shaken the sheriff and his deputies, stirring a quick response due to its profound nature.
A fairly built man soon walked up to where she sat.
"Hey lass, how you holding up?" Sheriff McNeil inquired in a voice as orotund as could be, also depicting a southern accent. His face confessing, he asked only because he was expected to.
"How do you think?" Charlie cut in abruptly, emerging from inside the truck. with a towel same as lovely.
His gaze panned on Charlie now, studying his profile as if trying to remember a thing long forgotten. "Mr. Ortega, this won't go well with your father. Why were you both here alone anyway?" he asked rhetorically. The dealings of two secluded teenagers were no mystery.
Lovely and Charlie glanced at each other with like expressions, unable to cough up an answer.
"Well, I've sent multiple divers in to extract the body you claim to have seen or at the very least confirm your report. So far nothing," he announced taking his gaze away from the pair and fixing them far across the lake. His hat to his forehead to shade from the setting sun and revealing the receding hairline of an over jelled hair in turn.
"I'll be forced to call off the search in a few hours if we come up with nothing," he uttered and lovely's heart leaped in startlement. How could this be it after what she had seen deep in the waters? The figure was not one easy to shake off that lovely was certain of reoccurring nightmares long after now.
"We'll pick it up tomorrow. It's getting dark and I can't have my men down there over an alleged sighting," he explained
His spell-out happened to place her slightly at ease. Her story wasn't totally disbelieved and brushed under the carpet she deduced.
"You mentioned you both came from the Town's fundraiser. Happen to take anything strong?" McNeil asked in an attempt to discredit what she presumed to have seen but this question only triggered a harsh reaction from lovely.
"No! We're minors if you hadn't noticed," she blurted in frustration, catching the towering sheriff off guard. She had been so certain of what she saw, a dark profile, both arms, and hair swaying freely.
"You watch your tone now young lady," he cautioned after a curt pause, shooting a stern blink across and her body quivered like she had been trenched in colder waters.
"We didn't have anything strong, if she says she saw something down there, then you must believe her," Charlie reasoned, coming to her defense.
The sheriff sighed, "Soon it will be dark, and neither of you is fit to drive, I had better call your wards to come get you. I'm sure they must be getting pretty worried" taking a hand to his belt while the other still holding his Stratton hat.
"Sheriff!!" a man in a scuba suit yelled from a speedily approaching Inflatable boat, interrupting before Charlie could protest. It was one of the divers.
McNeil turned briskly to the voice and went dashing towards in a show of urgency as did all the cops at the bank.
Lovely and Charlie raced to where the officers stood as the diver docked after killing the motor.
"Sheriff! Harris found something," he echoed as he stepped onto the dock, his goggles above his eyes now.
"The girl was right, we found a body tangled in weeds to the lake floor, we'll need a cutter to bring it to the surface," he reported with his mouth gaped, heaving.
Lovely's heart sank as she heard the words. Despite how certain of what she had seen, a side of her wanted her to be wrong, a touch of denial. The thought of It all just being in her head and branded the psycho new girl who made a false report that had a dozen cops trooping in now didn't sound at all bad.
"Well, what you all standing for!?go fetch him a cutter!" The sheriff barked at his officers and they all dispersed in haste.
Charlie could read Lovely like a book under the golden sun, her face stretched in horror. He couldn't help but ponder how their enchanting getaway had turned into a nightmare of a dreadful caliber.
"A body tangled down to the bottom of the lake? You need not be a cop to know this was no accident but a murder and lovely, surely must be aware of this by now, "He reasoned.
"Here sheriff," An officer hollered dashing with a cutter and handed to sheriff McNeil who hopped onto the boat and talked on the comms as it receded.
Charlie locked fingers with lovely as to make firm her twitching hand, both watching the boat speed off further in.
Charlie noticed how cold she was, pale and shivering faintly. He was unable to tell if this was solely caused by their swim or the report that had now been confirmed true.
"Come let's get you a change of clothes. I have spares in the truck. They're no female wares by any means but they'll have to do," he said. leading her by her waist, her dress still dripping wet.
Conventionally, lovely would object to this but in the state, she was in, she couldn't find the words nor the strength, in a hope dry clothes would help her have a grip on things.
"Woah, you manage to look better in my clothes than I, "Charlie grinned, trying to lighten the mood as she emerged from the truck after a short while in a baggy shirt and boy jeans, spares Charlie packed for his gym classes, but to no surprise all he got for his trouble was a simper.
Lovely gaze wandered across the banks, aimed carelessly. She was suddenly aware of the darkening sky with one bright star and a crescent moon becoming more clearly defined as the sunset gave way reluctantly to the fast-descending night.
"Is-Is the sheriff back?" she stuttered rather weakly, her voice brittle like thin ice.
"No love, I think you'd know if he was," Charlie answered. I can't say I know how you feel but it's over now" he reassured, with a foot in front of the other, he made extinct the space between them and cupped her cheek in the palm of his hand Their eyes fixed on each other spilling emotions words couldn't and in that fleeting moment, Lovely forgot the tragedy that was unraveling around them. Her nervy heart made momentarily calm.
"Come now, Let's go. I can drive you to the chapel. We don't have to stay; the sheriff can handle things from here".
Her gaze drifted forthwith to the boats by the docks, her face brushing off his touch as she did. The sheriff and his divers had banked and they were not alone.
A prickling sensation shot up her spine and her legs felt heavier with each step she took, closer to the ghastly sight that took center stage.
Lovely's approach was intercepted by a female officer who stood by.
"Look away child, you'd be better off," she said gesturing away from the bank with one arm and blocking her path with the other, a bitter expression on her face. Still, she pays no mind to the cop as she stared in fascinated horror, unable to look away no matter how much she wished to.
A corpse pale-white as death, hair damped blonde laid motionless with forensics taking pictures and a sickening wave of terror swept past, making her breath deeper and more rapid.
"Oh my God! Delilah! Charlie wailed in agony, charging forwards but was restrained by two bulky officers right behind lovely. and a sudden stab of panic she felt hearing the name.
She glanced at Charlie and back, to sweet cold Delilah, her corpse now partly zipped in a body bag, and what she discerned made her gap in a silent scream with knees quaking, threatening to give out. Even dead, their resemblance was shocking. So much, it was like staring right in the mirror, only paler this fictitious reflection was.
"Get those two back! The sheriff thundered when he noticed how close they were. Yet still, Charlie struggled to break free, a futile gesture as his brown eyes brimmed, and his knees crashing to the ground.
She swallowed dryly, finding it hard to move her muscles still frozen but did as she was led away by the female cop.
Most of her thoughts were in a disarray, hopelessly shook, still resounding questions plagued her mind, "Why was an orphan high schooler found dead at the bottom of the lake? She pondered all through the drive back home in a cop car, still made fragile by the sour experience. She thought of Charlie, he was clearly in a worse state at the time before being taken home by one of the deputies and her altering view of her new home.
"Was Willcox really a cordial little town? or were there unspoken menace lurking in the cast of its shadowy corners? "
****
"So lemme get this straight Papi," A menacing voice echoed into the tension-filled air. "You come to me with a problem, I offer to solve" Mr. Ortega continued, tapping his fingers lightly on his chest." For a little fee of course, then you send your little thief to steal from me?" he said, shaking his head as his tongue made a ticking sound." Big mistake, you should know better than to cross me".
His last words were companied by a thud and a voice moaning in pain, face pressed against what was once a neatly arranged desk before the scuffling.
"I swear, I had nothing to do with any of that. We dropped it off as agreed!" the subdued figure blurted
"I'm sure your little thief will crawl out from whatever rathole she's hiding once I chop off a few fingers and send to your brother," he said fiddling a silver knife. a gesture that triggered successive groaning and futile resistance from the unfortunate party.
and just then study doors swung open.
"What is It! I thought I made it clear not to be disturbed!" Shooting a venomous stare at his intruding guard.
"Sorry sir but it's Young master Charles. He just pulled up at the driveway with the deputy sheriff. Figured you might want to know," he announced.
Mr. Ortega grunted, smacking the blade against the desk before striding off briskly. The upended guest left to the embrace of the hospitality of his entourage
He soon reemerged through the door with a hint of disappointment. Slowly he walked towards his subdued partner, face still pressed hard, arm bent backward, and sat so close to him.
Tapping on the wood with a finger in a speechless pause that was anything but brief,
."It would seem you were saved in the nick of time. If only you knew how close you were to losing your fingers, "A smile broadened across his face. "Let him go" he aired.