Uncertain Truths

Ch 2 - Line Lake

Kae was walking holes in the carpet, driven by the questions that still spun through her mind. It was nearly dark out and she wouldn't be able to sleep. Not at this rate.

She sighed. She had to see. Diane rested in her bedroom and Aiden had gone home.

It might be a bad idea, she conceded, but she picked up her keys and slipped out to the truck. It'd be a short drive. Creepy how close Gerald had been to home when the accident happened, actually. He traveled hundreds of miles a week in his job. Statistically accurate though. Most accidents happened close to home, or in parking lots.

Suddenly a little safety conscious, she wondered why she hadn't asked Aiden to come along. She knew some taekwondo. He knew more and they were a good team. Just in case. Then again, that would have been an awkward conversation. 'Hey Aiden, want to drive to the middle of nowhere to check out where Gerald died?' Not going to happen.

They'd been neighbors for 10 years, and best friends since the first day he showed up in her class. He'd accepted all her quirks, and might even expect this from her. She laughed. And he'd talk her out of it. That's why she didn't call. This felt important, like she had no choice.

A thought stole quietly to the front of her mind as Kae pulled out of the parking lot – she was about to go see the crash site. Scope it out. This was for Diane, not just a morbid sense of responsibility. The crash wasn't her fault. Probably.

This is for Diane. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The house phone rang the evening before they found out. One simple phone call. She could have answered it, but she didn't. What if it was him calling?

"Why Line Lake?" She thought aloud. That put him way off the route he'd posted on their fridge. And near Mattie and Earl. Was he going to them for help, and he wasn't fast enough? She ought to stop by their RV site and say hi. It'd been too long since she'd visited anyway, right?

Kae slowed near a small cluster of unmarked cars on the roadside, including one marked police cruiser. She pulled off the road and parked near the other cars. She looked them over, trying to determine what kind of personnel had been sent. A frozen corpse pretty much screamed foul play.

A nearby burgundy SUV with a CYVR news sicker on the side sat parked on the roadside. A reporter? They had a habit of listening to police radio frequency scanners, but how much did he know so far? This was perfect. She would find the reporter, convince them to spill details pre-press. She climbed out and scanned below for someone without the official police look but still carrying a camera.

Down the ravine, a tall shaft of light cut through the trees and darkness. She walked toward it. The near edge of the middle of the RV park was completely lit up. Though easily past midnight, it was cool but not cold out. Easy enough to linger and observe.

The light sources appeared to be a large circle of 1,000 watt work lamps she'd seen her dad use when working on his fix-it-yourself videos. Several were lit up, all pointing to same general area. There'd be no sneaking in close, but she couldn't tell much at her current distance.

Odd that not even a window was broken. The passengers' side door was ajar. The car sat snugged up against a tree on the other side. Officers were boxing up equipment, putting equipment away.

A tall man with camera in hand circled the scene, but did not enter. He must be the reporter. Kae considered walking toward him, mind scrambling for what she would say. Instead, he started toward her.

"Not allowed inside the lighted area there, miss." He nodded, grim and gaunt in the shadows.

"What happened?" She avoided eye contact.