The Lodge

  Veronica; beautiful, confident Veronica. She thought she was so superior. So perfect. Well, she doesn’t look too perfect anymore.

  I musn’t get too complacent though. This was my first strike.

  My reign of terror has only just begun...

  Chapter 9: Seth

  The red and blue sirens flashed melodiously, engulfing my vision until the two primary colours overtook everything else in my sight.

  Red.

  Blue.

  Red.

  Blue

  The blinking lights seemed to flash faster until they materialized into a single blur. The red and blue had now vanished, merging into a sea of faded purple. No more flashing. No more red. No more blue. It was just me, tangled in a thick purple curtain.

  Purple. It was a beautiful colour, one of Veronica’s favourites I remembered. But now the colour didn’t seem so pleasant. The swirling purple dye started to roll in a rhythmic motion. Up and down, like a fisherman at sea. The purple motion suddenly made me feel ill. I tried to turn away but I was captured in this purple web. This suffocating, undulating colour started to tighten around me and I felt myself going weak. I then realised I was closing my eyes. I opened them quickly, letting out a deep breath. I was in my bed at home. The red and blue sirens from the police cars at the lodge had long gone. There was no purple haze; just me, my bed, my computer desk and a poster of Kirby Paxton. I let out another cavernous breath and looked at the clock. Nearly ten o’clock at night. It was hard to believe it had been over twelve hours since Veronica…my thoughts trailed off as I buried my head in my pillow.

  We had spent most of the day at the lodge with the police and their flashing sirens. Police weren’t the only ones present though. Forensics, paramedics and detectives scoured the area. The lodge had transformed from a tranquil lake into a hectic, solemn playground. It was like a scene from a movie. Then there was the media. Excited reporters had somehow found out about the breaking story and arrived in bulk, camcorders in hand and lanyards draped around their necks. To the media, it was a good way to sell a few newspapers or to get people to tune into the five o’clock news. They didn’t know or truly care about the young girl who was murdered. I let out a sob. Poor Veronica. How did this happen? I closed my eyes but quickly opened them, afraid that the red and blue flashes would once again entrap me.

  The questioning at the lodge had dragged on. Most of us were too shocked and upset to say too much to the police. But really, what was there to say? We had gone to bed and then woke up the next morning to Amber’s scream. I really felt for Amber. Veronica was her best friend and to stumble across her body like that was unimaginable. How did this happen? The question repeated in my mind, a constant flash just like those vivid police sirens. After the police had questioned us individually, we all went to the police station for further statements. This was again performed individually, as if they were hoping that our stories didn’t match up. This angered me inside. Although they were very polite and extremely remorseful, I couldn’t help but feel like a criminal. Four officers had been in the room, all of them examining me like some sort of lab project. I had told them what happened. How we had spent the day at the lodge. How we had lit a fire and then went to bed directly after. Then I gave them my theory. They didn’t really ask for it but I spat it out anyway. Something must have woken Veronica up. I mean, whey else was she outside in her pyjamas. She must have gone outside and saw someone. Perhaps a thief trying to break into the lodge? I told this hypothesis to the police quickly, my words leaving my mouth at a rapid rate. Then I broke into tears. They didn’t say anything about my presumption. The officers simply said sorry and that they would be in touch if they needed anything else. After the questioning we all embraced in the lobby of the police station. First I had hugged Amber and Zoe, giving them a sad smile as words were beyond any of us at this point in time. I then hugged Chad, Koby and Hank. I had never cuddled my mates before but I clinched them tight, our hearts pounding together in a gentlemanly bond. When Koby and Hank held each other close, I let out a dry smile. Koby could barely get his hands all the way around Hank’s sturdy body and in situations like this I would usually crack a joke. But this wasn’t the time or place. Reed leaned against a wall, nervously chewing his fingernails, not quite sure where to look. Welcome to Hollow Point, I thought. I wondered if he would stick around or head back to the city? I gave him a quick pat on the shoulder before following my parents outside to head home. Now here I was; covered in sweat, my mind twirling with questions and grief. I lay back down in bed and closed my eyes. And waited for the red, blues and purples to swallow me up once more.

  *****

  “Life isn’t fair,” Zoe murmured in her hushed voice. We all nodded in agreement, knowing that her sentence summed up all our thoughts in three small words. It had been four days since Veronica’s murder and we had all just returned to school after having a few days off to grieve. The school had told all our parents that we should take off as long as we wanted, as our health and wellbeing was their first priority. However, all our parents agreed that the best medicine was to go back to school as soon as possible. I think they thought that getting back into the swing of things would be good for us. They were probably right. I mean, for the few days I had spent at home I had basically sat in bed wishing I could turn back time. At least going back to school would maybe give me something else to think about. Chad’s parents, who were still away interstate, were adamant they were coming home to console Chad. I remember Chad speaking to his parents on his mobile phone at the lodge on the day of the murder. He had put on a brave face and repeated to them a hundred times that he would be ok. In the end, Chad’s parents spoke to Koby’s parents and they agreed that Chad would stay with Koby for as long as he wanted. After all, that’s what mates are for. We were now sitting in the school cafeteria having lunch. It was the first time we had all been together since the weekend and no one quite knew what to say. Suddenly a voice interrupted the silence.

  “Hey guys, listen I’m so sorry about what happened. If you ever need anything…” I turned to see Rohan, who was slightly blushing as he made his sincere gesture.

  “Thanks Rohan, really appreciate it,” I replied softly, reaching up to shake his hand. Rohan stared at my hand awkwardly. I honestly don’t think he had ever shaken hands before. He reached down and shook my hand. His palms felt moist and supple. I guess playing plenty of computer games really kept your hands nice and soft.

  “Take a seat Rohan,” Amber replied with a smile. It was the first time I’d seen her smile today. Koby smiled as well, happy that Amber was showing some signs of her old self.

  “So what did the police ask you?” Koby asked to no one in particular.

  “The same questions over and over!” Hank replied. “It’s like they were waiting for me to contradict myself.”

  “Contradict! Wow, I’ve never heard you use a word that long before Hank!” Koby joked. I cringed, not sure if anyone was in the mood for jokes. But to my surprise, everyone laughed and the tension around the table eased.

  “They kept asking me if I was sure Veronica went to bed,” Zoe said.

  “Me too!” replied Amber. “I told them so many times that she was definitely in bed. We saw her for heavens sake. We both said goodnight to her!” Amber continued, her voice slightly rising.

  “I know!” Zoe replied.

  “They also brought up that daisy a million times,” Koby exaggerated. The daisy! I had completely forgotten about it!

  “Yeah, what was with that?” Reed asked. “Was that some sort of message from the killer?”

  “Calling sign,” Rohan said bluntly.

  “What?” Amber asked.

  “If there was some sort of inanimate object on or near the body, then it’s probably the murderers calling sign,” Rohan explained. A chill made its way down my body. Why did Rohan have to say it so matter-of-factly?

  “So, let me get this straight,” piped in Hank. “The killer left a daisy on Veron
ica’s body…”

  “Neck,” said Zoe. I gave Zoe a quizzical stare. Was the daisy really on Veronica’s neck? How did she remember that?

  Hank didn’t seem to care about Zoe’s interruption. “Ok, the killer left a daisy on Veronica’s neck. If Rohan is correct and this is indeed a calling sign, doesn’t that mean something?”

  “Like what?” I asked.

  “I dunno,” Hank replied, “I’m not a detective. But doesn’t that tell us something about the killer?”

  “What, that he’s a florist?” Koby said with a grin and then quickly coughed as if to cover up his joke.

  I stared at Chad and realised he hadn’t uttered a word all lunch. “Hey Chad, you alright mate?” Everyone turned to look at Chad. He was looking a little pale and a worried look was sketched across his face.

  “It’s ok Chad,” said Amber. “We’re all here for one another.”

  “It’s not that,” Chad finally spoke. “Well, it is that, but it’s something else as well.” We all waited for Chad to continue.

  “I-I-I know who killed Veronica.” Gasps filled the table as Chad’s shocked confession stormed over us.

  “It-it was……me.”

  Chapter 10: Koby

  A hush once again fell over the table. Rohan coughed and nervously stirred on the lunch table seat.

  “What the hell are you talking about dude?” Seth asked, bewilderment embedded in his voice.

  “It’s entirely my fault.” Chad said sadly. “That morning, the morning she died, I saw her in the kitchen. We both got up for a drink of water at the same time. We said good morning and then both went back to bed. Don’t you see? I could have stopped her! If she didn’t go back to bed then she wouldn’t have got killed. I would have been with her…I could have protected her,” Chad spat out his confession and broke out into a sob.

  “Chad, you can’t blame yourself for this,” Amber said, draping her arm over his shoulders.

  “Yeah mate, I mean you couldn’t have predicted something like this was going to happen,” said Seth.

  “Chad, what time did this happen?” I asked, rubbing my chin.

  “I dunno,” Chad said through a few sniffles. “Probably around four in the morning.”

  “Four in the morning!,” I repeated. “Chad, don’t do this to yourself. Like Amber and Seth said, her death has nothing to do with you. It was four o’clock; of course you wouldn’t stay up with her!”

  “I know, I know,” admitted Chad. “I just keep thinking, what if I did.”

  “The world is full of what ifs,” Reed said confidently. “What if you made Veronica stay up at 4am and didn’t let her go back to bed? I didn’t know Veronica all that well but I reckon you would have had a pretty nice hand imprint on your left cheek!” Everyone gave a laugh, including Chad.

  “Did you tell the police?” Zoe quizzed.

  “Of course,” replied Chad. “They were all looking at me like I killed her. I guess I just started to believe maybe I could have prevented it.”

  “Well snap out of it Chad, it’s not your fault,” Zoe said curtly. We all softly laughed again. Zoe didn’t usually speak so abruptly.

  “But your story Chad, it gives the police a time. They now know without any hesitation that her murder happened between four and…Amber, what time did you wake up?” I asked Amber.

  “Umm it was early,” Amber replied. “I told the police it was around seven.”

  “So,” I continued, “that gives police a three hour window. That’s good news! They’re going to catch this guy!”

  “My suspicion is that her death occurred closer to four or five,” said Amber.

  “Why’s that?” Rohan asked.

  “Well…” Amber paused, “There-there was frost. On her body. I-I don’t know how long it takes for frost to accumulate but it looked like she’d been there for at least a few hours.”

  “God…,” muttered Chad. “If only I had started a conversation with her.”

  “Chad!” yelled Amber and Zoe in unison.

  “What I don’t get is why the killer didn’t do anything else? I mean, there was no sign of a break-in and nothing was stolen,” I said, thinking out loud.

  “Maybe he was about to break-in and Veronica startled him,” Seth said.

  “I wish I startled him,” Hank said menacingly.

  The school bell suddenly rang through the cafeteria signalling the end of lunch. I said goodbye and made my way to mathematics, actually hoping that we had some difficult equations so my mind could have a break from thinking about death.

  *****

  “Lodge, this weekend!” said Chad. We were all huddled around the school’s front gate, ready to head home when Chad’s statement caught us by surprise.

  “What?” I asked loudly. “That’s tomorrow!”

  “Are you crazy?” Amber replied, looking at Chad with a stunned expression.

  “I’m serious,” said Chad, “let’s go to the lodge this weekend.”

  “Chad, brother, I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” Hank said in a serious voice.

  “Plus isn’t it still cordoned off?” asked Reed. “You know, with police tape and stuff.”

  “Nope! My parents spoke to the police over the phone last night and they have finished inspecting the lodge and it’s free for us to use again,” continued Chad.

  “And you’re parents, they’re happy for us to still use it? After what happened,” Zoe asked, a little shocked.

  “Listen, all our parents, and the police for that matter, want us to get on with our lives. Right?” Chad asked everyone.

  “I guess,” I murmured.

  “So we need to keep doing what we usually do. And on the weekend we usually go to the lodge,” Chad said, turning his head to see how everyone was reacting.

  “That kinda makes sense,” said Hank. “What happened was terrible and I know we’re all hurting but maybe Chad is right. There is no way the murderer would go back there again, the whole police force are on the case as we speak.”

  “Can’t believe I’m saying this,” chimed in Zoe. “But I think that Veronica would like us going back to the lodge. After all, the lodge is practically our second home.”

  “I’m in!” Hank said, flashing Zoe a smile.

  “Me too,” replied Seth. “I think hanging out there will actually help with our grieving; the sooner we go back the better.”

  “Well, I’m in too,” Reed replied. “If I’m invited that is.”

  “Of course you’re invited bro!” shouted Hank, reaching across and giving Reed a playful slap across the head.

  “Ok, well if you’re all going then of course I’m going,” I replied, still not convinced we were ready to face the lodge and the emotions that would come with it.

  “Amber?” Chad asked. “You in?”

  “Guys, I don’t think it’s such a good idea,” Amber chortled. “Plus will our parents even let us go?”

  “Just tell them you’re coming around my house,” Zoe replied.

  “Mmmmmmm,” Amber let out a long murmur. “Ok fine, but we stick together!”

  “No worries Amber,” said Reed. “I’ll stick by your side the entire time, ok?” I felt like vomiting as Reed flashed Amber one of his perfect smiles.

  “Aww, thanks Reed,” Amber replied.

  “Yes, we’ll all stick together,” I said. “That’s what friends are for.” Friends? Why did I say that? Here is Reed; cool, confident Reed, telling Amber how he’ll protect her. And here I am saying we’re just friends. Stupid Koby! Stupid!

  “Alright, so it’s agreed on,” said Chad happily.

  Little did we know that we had all just made a terrible decision.

  Chapter 11: Seth

  “Well, I must admit this was a pretty good idea Chad,” I said with a big smile on my face.

  “Who knows best? Chad knows best! Stick with me brother and you’ll go a long way,” Chad said in a high pitched voice.

  It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon,
one of those perfect days where there wasn’t a cloud in sight. Just a vast blue sky for as far as the eye could see. In many ways the weather had brightened our spirits. Hollow Point weather was known to fluctuate and no one ever trusted the weather report on the nightly news. Here, the weather gods could have easily delivered us a sky of grey, which was usually accompanied by heavy rain and strong wind. If that happened today, I daresay we would have been a little depressed coming here. Heck, we probably would have stayed home and forgot about the lodge. Instead, the blue heavens and warm temperature beckoned us to the lodge, nearly like it wanted us to be here. About an hour ago we had arrived at the outskirt of the woods. Hollow Point was such a small town you could basically walk anywhere. I even knew some adults who had lived in Hollow Point their entire lives and never bothered owning a car! As teenagers, the freedom to walk to Billy Beef, the lodge, school or each others houses was quite useful. We approached the lodge on the same rugged dirt path we always took. The walkway was surrounded by dense shrubbery, many of which contained small, bright, orange berries. I had always wondered if they were poisonous but I had never asked the question to anyone in particular. I remember once how I was going to dare Hank to eat one but I bit my tongue just in time, realising how stupid that was. Knowing Hank, he probably would have taken up the childish challenge. The lodge looked as impressive as ever, it truly was a beautiful location and even though I’d been here so many times before, it always amazed me that something this peaceful was just a stones throw from the main street in Hollow Point. The sun gleamed off the lodge windows, reflecting into the crystal clear water of the lake. The deck, although in need of a sand and polish, had a rustic charm which was quite appealing to the eye. The grass always seemed to be a bright green, even when the winter frost arrived. It was hard to imagine that such a terrible tragedy could occur at a place like this. All of us were meticulously silent when we walked past the patch of grass where Amber had found Veronica’s body. The usual questions re-floated in my mind and I’m sure everyone else’s thoughts as well. Why? Who? How can Veronica really be dead? Dead. The word ached in my brain like I had just drunk a Billy Beef ice slushy too quickly. Gorgeous, self-assured Veronica. I had lost count at how many times she had been asked out at school by nervous males. Or how many times a group of boys used to walk past her giggling, not trying to hide how they were obviously attracted to her. Even I was attracted to Veronica. I wasn’t attracted in a more than friend’s way, like the feelings Koby felt for Amber. It was just not possible to look at Veronica without breathing in her beauty. She had a certain radiance which surrounded her. The Veronica pheromone we would call it. When she finished high school she wanted to be a fashion designer and anyone who knew Veronica had no doubts she would have made it big time. It wouldn’t have surprised me to see Veronica launch her own handbag or swimsuit label in a few years. I sighed as I returned to the present tense.