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Naomi and Clara, well primarily Naomi, had convinced her to file a report on what Nick and his partner had done. She hadn’t been completely certain she wanted to. Nick had hurt her, and what he had done was illegal as well as immoral. But to cause him to lose his job, possibly go to prison made her feel so guilty.
What was wrong with her?
She had nothing to feel guilty about. She hadn’t done anything wrong. She had been naïve, stupid even, but she hadn’t done anything wrong, nor had she done anything to deserve what Nick had done to her. He had made his bed and now he had to lie in it. And if that meant losing his job and going to jail then so be it. It really had nothing at all to do with her. She had simply told the truth, the facts, nothing more and nothing less. So why did she feel so awful about it?
Aggie stopped. Filled her lungs with the cool evening air.
There were so many trees around, their branches reaching up to the sky, blocking out most of the sun’s heat. Light still trickled down, leaving a speckled carpet on the leafy ground. This was what she was here to focus on, the beautiful intricacies of nature.
The lake. That would calm her like nothing else ever could. She could already imagine the feel of the cold water lapping at her toes as she dangled them in the water. Maybe she’d even go for a swim. She hadn’t brought a swimsuit, but her underwear would work just as well, especially since she was alone out here.
She was about a hundred yards from the cabin when she spotted the swimming pool, and alongside it was the diving pool. The cabin had belonged to her mother’s parents, it had been their home, the place where her mother spent her childhood. While her father and his family had been rich, her mother’s family had struggled to make ends meet. That was one of the reasons both sets of parents had been against the teenage relationship. Her parents had eventually proved them wrong by marrying and staying together until her mom’s death, and she had enjoyed good relationships with all her grandparents. Not like Andrew though. He had been particularly close with them, and their maternal grandparents had left him their home upon their deaths. Her brother didn’t spend much time out here, he lived in the city, but he enjoyed quiet weekends here and the occasional family gathering.
Because of her love of diving, her grandparents had built the pool. As a kid, she had regularly come and visited them here. Especially after her mother’s death. She’d felt closer to her mom here, closer than she’d felt in her own home which her stepmothers had taken over bit by bit. This is where she would come whenever she had a competition coming up. She would practice her dives over and over again until she could do them perfectly.
Tears brimmed at her eyes, and she brushed them away. She had spent so many happy hours here, with her grandparents, parents, and brother. This place held more happy memories than any other.
All thoughts of the lake flew from her mind, instead, she would go hang out by the old diving pool. Even if it was damaged and no longer able to be used, she could still sit there and reminisce for a while.
She stopped dead in her tracks as she got to the edge of the pool.
A body.
A female body.
Dirty, bruised, naked, lying completely still.
Was she dead?
How had she gotten there?
Who was she?
Aggie panicked. The woman didn’t have any clothes on, so it wasn't like she had just wandered out here and accidentally fallen and gotten trapped. Someone had put her there. On purpose. What if that person was still around? What if they came back? What should she do? She couldn’t phone anyone for help because the cabin didn’t have one and Andrew had her cell. She didn’t have a car because her brother had dropped her off here and wasn't coming back for a couple of days to pick her up. The nearest town was miles away, she might be able to walk it in the daytime, but night was quickly approaching.
Go or stay? She could be in danger either way.
“Hello?” she called out.
The wait for an answer felt infinite. After what had to be at least a minute or so with no response she decided that the woman must be dead. Probably murdered. The safety and security she’d felt out here was gone. Now she felt scared and alone. Nick’s attack on her had never intended to leave her hurt, but someone had put that woman in the pool and left her there intentionally. She’d have to risk walking to the town in the dark. She couldn’t stay here.
“H-hello.”
Aggie turned back to the body. The woman was slowly pushing herself up onto all fours. She was alive.
“Hello? Are you okay? Who did this to you?”
The woman was struggling to get up, her arms kept giving out on her. Eventually she gave up and lay back down on her stomach. She lifted her head to look up at her. “Help me, please,” she rasped.
Unable to draw a proper breath. Aggie knew this woman. It was Emily Hadden. Here, trapped in an empty pool at her brother’s cabin. Could Nick really have been right? Her father knew about this place, he’d been here many times, and he also knew that Andrew didn’t come here often. If he had abducted Emily, it would be the perfect place to stash her.
“Emily, it’s Aggie. I'm going to go and find help.” Aggie could hear the hysteria in her voice but what could she do about it? Her father reallywasa serial killer.
“No, please, don’t leave me,” Emily begged, trying again to rise. “Get me out of here. Please.”
“Okay, okay,” she agreed. “I’ll find a way to get you out. I promise. You just have to hold on. I’ll get you out.”
How she would do that she had no idea. But she would. She couldn’t leave Emily there to die. But she had to get her out quickly. She hadn’t told her father she was coming here, she hadn’t told anyone but Andrew. But her brother didn’t know what their father had done. He didn’t know that their father had hidden his ex-wife away up here. Andrew might tell him that she was here. Her father might come looking for her, afraid she would find his prisoner. Then he’d kill both Emily and her.
