The Lake House

37|| Revealed

Lesley stood there, paralyzed by a fear that invaded her entire being. Puzzled by her distress, Officer Todd noticed her flushed face and body swaying against the door as she held it open. Concerned, he reached out and firmly grasped her arm.

"Lesley, are you alright? You look like you're about to faint."

She nodded and mumbled. "I'm fine." Her words betrayed the anxiety and nerves that flooded her body and flowed through her veins, causing her to tremble.

Raising his eyebrows and curving his mouth into a frown, he was genuinely worried for her. He tilted his head and glanced into the house with piqued curiosity. "Is something going on inside?"

"No," Lesley replied, shaking her head. She kept a tight grip on the door handle, ready to shut it if Officer Todd tried to bypass her and barge into her home.

"Is Denise here?"

"Umm, uh." Lesley stammered, struggling to compose herself. "Yeah, Denise is here."

"Can I come inside?"

Officer Todd stepped forward, almost crossing the threshold into the house. Lesley forcefully shoved the door at him and, without hesitation, confronted him.

"Officer Todd, we saw the video. It was you!" Her voice quivered. "You can't hide anymore. We know you murdered Leah!"

Officer Todd was flabbergasted. Had he heard her correctly? Furrowing his brows, he was confused by Lesley's sudden accusation.

"Murdered Leah?! What?!" He questioned, a look of confusion etched across his face. "Lesley, what are you talking about?" He shook his head in complete disbelief at Lesley's accusation.

Just then, Jackie and Charlie tiptoed to the door, cautious not to make a sound. Lesley could feel their presence creeping upon her as they stealthily moved closer to where she was positioned at the front door.

Charlie then swiftly jumped in front of Lesley, shielding her from Officer Todd's view as he stood tall in his six-foot-five frame. Producing a handgun, he pointed it directly at Officer Todd's face.

"Wait a minute!" Lesley shouted. "Please, Charlie, put the gun away."

"No!" Charlie maintained a firm grip on the firearm, his finger poised on the trigger, ready to pull it immediately.

Officer Todd raised his hands, their roles seemingly reversed—Charlie, now the cop, and Officer Todd, the accused.

"Whoa!" Officer Todd backed up on the porch. "Charlie, this won't end well for you." Officer Todd was in complete bewilderment at the scenario unfolding before his eyes. However, he knew Jackie and Charlie were up to something now that they'd been discovered.

"Jackie! Call the police!" Lesley urgently yelled out, her voice echoing through the tension-filled room.

"I can't," Jackie replied with a smirk on her face.

Lesley, astounded by Jackie's response, quickly turned her head and locked eyes with her. Lesley finally witnessed the malevolence that had been concealed within. Jackie's gaze was dark and vacant, her eyes resembling a black hole of deceit and depravity.

"It was you!" Lesley shouted. "It is you!" Her stomach churned with disgust as intuition guided her, revealing the painful truth hidden right underneath her nose all this time.

"I warned that girl." Jackie began in a tone so calm and smooth that you'd never guess she was a killer. "She cheated with Charlie. I warned her, and she wouldn't leave my husband alone."

"So, you killed her?!" Lesley questioned her sinister motives.

"Not quite," Jackie replied. "She did drown. However, Charlie saved her."

"Where is she?!" Lesley demanded, her eyebrows furrowed low and the wrinkles on her nose forming a sequence as she contorted her face with anger.

Charlie's eyes widened as he was caught between Lesley throwing accusations and questioning his wife and Officer Todd standing before him. He was unsure whether to turn the gun on Lesley or to keep it aimed at Officer Todd.

"Do you remember the girl we had as a foreign exchange student?" Jackie questioned, the room hanging in a tense silence. "Well, she's actually Leah. I cut her hair, dyed it jet black, and made her wear thick eyeliner and red lipstick to alter her appearance." Jackie let out a devilish laugh. "I even bought their green-colored contact lenses to conceal her brown eyes."

"We kept her in our basement!" Charlie blurted out. "She ratted on me!" His brows suddenly dived inward as an expression of anger plastered across his face.

"She told everyone we were sleeping together. It was supposed to be a secret!" Charlie gritted his teeth. "When Jackie found out, she couldn't be embarrassed like that."

Officer Todd shook his head in disbelief. "So, you're finally owning up to it."

Denise was immensely confused by the words and questions thrown around the room. "I thought there was video footage of Officer Todd murdering Leah?" She interrupted.

Jackie emitted another devilish laugh. "Ever heard of AI? Artificial Intelligence, you nitwit!" She shouted in Denise's direction. "Greg managed to capture footage of Officer Todd walking to our front door. He edited Greg's voice and manipulated the image to make it seem like Officer Todd was picking up Leah."

Denise sighed with exasperation. "How evil of you, Jackie!"

"Evil, my ass! That little bitch was sleeping with my husband!" Jackie's eyes grew deeper into darkness with each secret she spilled.

Suddenly, the front door crashed open, and everyone's head shifted to the door. To their utter astonishment, a swarm of uniformed Arcaden Police officers flooded the home.

Charlie cornered with no way out, decided he'd have to get revenge any way possible, and he'd do that by eliminating Officer Todd from this earth. He pulled the trigger, a gunshot shattering the room as it struck Officer Todd in the head.

Lesley and Denise unleashed bloodcurdling screams, their bodies trembling as they instinctively held each other for comfort while the chaos unfolded before their eyes.