Page 63 of Into the Shadows

“Don’t apologize. I’m glad I could be here for you so you didn’t wake up alone.”

“I could hear you in the dream, telling me to wake up. Opening my eyes to see you there made me calm down faster than I ever have.”

Lottie sits her cup on the coffee table. “I had no idea what to do.” She wraps her arms around my bicep. “I was afraid to touch you because I didn’t want you to think I was a threat. I know waking someone from a nightmare can result in physical violence.”

“Fuck, if I ever did that to you, I’d hate myself.”

“I know. That’s why I tried to talk to you first.”

“Thank you for coming to my rescue.” I kiss the top of Lottie’s head.

“I’ll always come for you.”

Chapter 35

Lottie

“What’s the goal of this meeting?” Teddy asks me from the passenger seat.

I pull into a parking spot at the marina and turn off my car. “A dive team is coming to search the lake again for any potential evidence of Crystal’s disappearance.”

“Didn’t they already do that?”

“They did. Right after Crystal went missing, they swept the lake. Sheriff Lansing refused to comment on whether they found anything, but my guess is they either didn’t or it wasn’t significant. Otherwise, we’d have known about it.”

“So they’re doing it again?”

“Yes. The cadaver dogs I brought in last week alerted us to the potential presence of a body. The next step was inviting divers out to search the water.” A while back, I’d talked to one of the local trainers about using cadaver dogs. She trained them and offered to show me what a training session looked like.

I messaged her a few weeks ago to see if she knew anyone who would be willing to search the lake for us. That’s how I met Kelly and Luna last week. Kelly has been in the businessfor years, and Luna is a veteran now. They also brought a new puppy, Jupiter, who had just graduated. The whole day was fascinating.

“Oh, there they are.” I point to the trucks pulling into the marina. A team of people gets out and starts pulling equipment from the truck bed. I follow suit, with Teddy on my heels. He insisted on coming with me this morning. I guess the idea of me being around a large group of people without anyone backing me up was too much for him to handle. I can’t say I hate having him here with me. It’s kind of nice to have an extra person around.

One of the team members spots me coming over and calls out to their lead. He meets me before I get to the truck and holds out his hand to Teddy. “I’m Mike. Are you Charlie?”

“That would be her.” He points at me.

Mike gives me a sheepish look. “Sorry about that. Shouldn’t have assumed.”

“It’s okay.” I shake his hand. “I can’t use the name Charlie and not expect people to be surprised when I’m a woman. This is Teddy. He’s my assistant for the day. Just a heads-up, I am already recording. For some reason, my listeners like to know we’re real people who talk to each other.”

Mike laughs. “This isn’t our first rodeo with a podcast. It’s nice to meet you both. So the plan for today is to do a grid search in the areas where the dogs alerted. I’ll have you go over the specifics with the team, then we’ll get a more detailed plan in place before we go in.”

I narrate what’s happening as Mike’s team gets their equipment in place. They’re a well-oiled machine, working seamlessly together. We mark a map of the lake, turning it into a grid to pinpoint the areas where the dogs alerted. There were only two places, but they were several feet apart.

Once Mike is happy with the plan and the divers are suited up, they get in their boat to start the search.

“I’m glad I’m not them,” Teddy says as he shoves his hands into his coat pocket. It’s pretty chilly this morning, which means the lake is freezing. I know the wet suits help to keep them warm, but I’m also happy I don’t have to go in the water.

As the dive team works, I keep a steady stream of narration going. It’s easier to talk than to write notes, and Teddy helps me carry my equipment around.

After about half an hour, Mike comes over to give us an update. “The guys just finished searching the first target area. They didn’t find anything suspicious. It was mostly trash and debris floating around. We’re getting them back up now and sending our second team of divers down to the second spot.”

“Is it weird that the dogs would hit on a spot and you guys not find anything?” Teddy asks.

“No, not really,” I answer. This was something Kelly discussed after the dogs marked. “The water is a tough spot for the dogs to be completely accurate. They may alert, but it’s a remnant from something that is no longer there. The water makes it even more difficult for them to be certain.”

“Add in that things deteriorate in the water much faster than on land, and it’s tough to find any sort of evidence,” Mike adds.

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