Page 101 of Dream Lake

Alex had just concluded a walk to the periphery of his Dream Lake parcel with a Realtor and a lawyer, both of whom worked for Inari Enterprises. They had met for dinner in town, and afterward had gone to the property. They had strolled along a bulldozed trail to the lakefront, ostensibly to get a feel for the land, but mainly to get a bead on what kind of guy Alex was. The meeting had gone well as far as Alex could tell.

Night was falling by the time he got into his truck. As he turned the key in the ignition, his phone vibrated, and he glanced at the small screen. The sight of Zoë’s number caused a tumult of eagerness. He was starved for the sound of her voice. Without even thinking, he answered.

“Hi,” he said. “I’ve been—”

“Alex.” Zoë sounded desperate, shaky. “I’m sorry, I—please help me. I need help.”

“What is it?” he asked instantly.

“Emma’s missing. I just took a bath, and… she’s only been gone for fifteen minutes, but she wandered off and I’ve been calling for her.” Zoë was sobbing and talking at the same time. “I’m outside right now. I’ve gone all around the outside of the house and she won’t answer, and it’s dark—”

“Zoë. I’m close by. I’ll be right there.” All he could hear was the broken sound of her crying. He was fiercely glad that she had turned to him for help. “Sweetheart. Did you hear me?”

“Y-yes.”

“Don’t be scared. We’ll find her.”

“I don’t want to call the police. I think she would try to hide from them.” More crying. “She’s had part of a sedative. And tonight she kept talking about you, and s-some guy named Tom, and she wanted me to ask you to bring him. I think she went out looking for you.”

“Okay. I’m less than a minute away from the cottage.”

“I’m sorry,” Zoë choked. “Sorry to bother you, but—”

“I told you to call if you needed something. I meant it.”

He’d meant it even more than he’d realized. Even in these circumstances, talking with Zoë was a relief beyond measure. It was like being able to breathe again. He realized he wasn’t going to be able to walk away from Zoë this time. Something had changed in him, or… no, something hadnotchanged. That was the point. His feelings for Zoë hadn’t changed and never would. She was a part of him. The revelation astonished him, but there was no time to think about it now.

As he drove, he scanned the heavily forested road for any sign of Emma. She couldn’t have gotten far in such a short amount of time, especially not while sedated. The only thing he worried about was the lake being in such proximity. “Zoë,” he said, “have you gone to the waterfront yet?”

“I’m headed there right now.” She sounded calmer now, although she was still sniffling.

“Good. I’m pulling into the driveway. I’m going to check out the woods on the other side of the road and work back to the house. What is she wearing?”

“Light-colored pajamas.”

“We’ll find her soon, sweetheart. I promise.”

“Thank you.” He heard the sound of her unsteady sigh. “You never called me that before.”

She ended the connection before he could answer.

Alex jumped out of the truck and nearly yelped as he came face-to-face with the ghost. “Jesus!”

Tom gave him a sardonic glance. “No, it’s just me.”

“It’s about time you showed up.”

“This has nothing to do with you,” Tom informed him. “I just want to help find Emma. Start calling for her.”

“Emma,” Alex shouted. “Emma, are you out here?” He stopped as he heard the sound of a distant female voice, but he recognized it immediately as Zoë’s. Continuing to search, he went into the woods, periodically calling Emma’s name.

Tom strayed from Alex as far as he could, wandering among the trees. “She wouldn’t have gone any farther than this,” he said. “I don’t think she crossed the road—let’s head back toward the house.”

Night was lowering fast, opaque and plum-colored where it draped over the lake.

“Emma,” Alex called out. “It’s Alex. I’m here with Tom. Come out so I can see you.”

The twin high beams of a car slanted outward from a deep curve in the road. It was coming fast, too fast for such a narrow lane, so Alex retreated to the side, waiting for it to pass.

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