The Lake House

19|| Clues

The tea kettle whistled, prompting Lesley to grab a mitten. She slipped it over her hand and reached for the kettle's handle. Carefully tilting it, she poured the hot, steamy water into her favorite mug, emblazoned with her alma mater, Stony Brook University's logo.

She tore open the wrapper of a Chamomile tea pack and pulled out the teabag. Placing it into her mug, she allowed it to steep and disposed of the wrapper in the trash.

With her mug in hand, she casually strolled into Nick's office until she heard her phone ping, halting her in her tracks. She quickly turned around and went back into the kitchen, where she had left her phone sitting on the countertop. 

While setting her mug on the counter, she answered in a soft tone, "Hello?"

"I'm warning you!" A male's voice career through the phone, causing Lesley's heart to jump into the pit of her stomach. 

"Excuse me?" Lesley asked in a shaky voice.

"You aren't a detective! Stop trying to act like one!" The voice warned, "If you don't stop investigating the Leah Meyers' case, you and your husband are dead!"

Startled, Lesley swiftly ended the call and gripped the counter with her hands. She breathed heavily. 

What was that all about? She wondered.

Her intention was not to hurt anyone; all she wanted to do was help the community of Arcaden put an end to the truth about what happened to Leah. 

Why couldn't anyone understand that all I wanted to do was help? Lesley thought.

Frustrated, she plopped on the couch and crawled up. Rocking herself back in forth. Nobody was going to scare Lesley out of continuing her investigation; she didn't care who they were or what high positions they held. She refused to be intimidated.

One fact that resided within Lesley's heart was the fact that Leah was depending on her to get her the much-needed justice she deserved. 

Settling into his leather swivel chair, she made herself comfortable and set her mug on the oak wood desk.

Flipping open Nick's laptop, she pressed the power button, turning it on. Lesley would occasionally use Nick's office now and again until Nick could get a contractor to come in and convert their spare upstairs bedroom into a personal workspace for Lesley.

Setting her fingers over the keyboard, she typed in Nick's password, and the timer icon loaded.

Grasping the handle of her mug, she picked it up and took a gentle sip of her tea. Laying her hand over the mouse, she veered the cursor over the browser icon and double-clicked. The webpage loaded.

She typed " Darlene and Celia Arcaden, NY" and hit the search button. The icon spun as it was gathering results. Lesley could only hope that there were any results. Without a last name to input, she had little faith.

However, a news article from seven years ago appeared. Celia's volleyball team at Arcaden High won their regional division title, making them regional volleyball champions.

Impressive. As she scrolled through the article, Lesley thought, reading Celia's remarkable volleyball stats. Nothing of importance stood out to her besides the report being dated seven years ago. If Celia was a senior seven years ago, that meant Leah was also a senior. Yet, Jackie had told Nick and Lesley that the drowning had occurred just last year. The time periods weren't adding up.

This is strange. Lesley thought, growing frustrated.

She zoomed in on the volleyball picture, and something struck a cord within her as her eyes focused on a young girl in the back of the photo. She wore an infectious smile, and her long dark hair waved down her back. The girl resembled Leah.