Vanished (ONC 2023)

Chapter 12 - The Lake

Trigger warning: This chapter contains a flashback to child abuse involving neglect during a near-drowning experience. It appears about two-thirds of the way through the chapter.

My heart thundered like a herd of bison trampling flowers breaking free of their dirt-clad beginnings.

It couldn't be true. My vision had to have tricked me.

You'd recognize those eyes anywhere and that aquiline nose.

He died in November, not October.

If he wasn't in Bear Claw Lake to be murdered, why had he visited, and why had he hidden it?

You know why, Mia. He'll never tell you the truth.

But I'd believed him. How had he faked that sincerity and pain? He didn't strike me as an actor. His memory felt authentic, and his story was so heartfelt. The woman with him didn't look familiar and might be alive. She certainly wasn't Jenna.

I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to control my breathing.

This wasn't real. How could he be a sweetheart I would solve a murder for and be capable of committing it?

C'mon Mia. Jenna wants justice for the victims, makes a shocking discovery not long after this footage, gives up her podcast and goes after Dustin because he killed those women. It's almost always the simplest answer. Changing victim types made little sense. It's unlikely a person dedicated so much time to investigating crimes they committed themselves.

But why would he murder people? He'd never wanted to hurt me. He'd said it with tears in his eyes.

Unless he was luring you in.

There were two ways to find the truth: tracking down Jenna or looking for him. I jogged toward the street until Josh called my name.

"What are you doing, Mia?"

He'd also fled the building in a sweater which wasn't protecting us from the wind chill.

"I need to check something."

The odds of the bus running this time were slim, but I had to try.

He ran to catch up with me, both of us shivering. "Are you okay?"

"I know who the victim and murderer are."

His brows furrowed. "Why are you out here?"

"To catch a bus." I rubbed my upper arms.

"Your ghost is the victim?"

"No, he's the killer."

Josh placed his hand on my shoulder. "You can't board that bus."

"I need to do this. If it's him, he deceived me and murdered several women. They deserve justice, and only I can question him to learn enough to achieve that."

Josh's eyes widened. "That guy is a serial killer, and you want to ask him about it? He could attack you or worse! Let's call the police."

"We listened to that podcast together. They're hardly investigating, and they're questioning people like Wes who have done nothing. They'd never listen to a hunch from a woman who's talking to a dead person. If I do this, I can learn enough information to give them irrefutable proof. He hasn't intentionally hurt me yet. I'll get him to talk."

"You can't risk your life."

"I'm doing this, Josh. It's non-negotiable."

He looked at me, then shook his head. "I'm coming with you. Non-negotiable."