Chapter 9 #3
"That's true. But this is a good place for us to film.
The rocks and the dark water tell a story without words.
" Morgan pulled out a selfie stick as well as a light we could attach to it to illuminate the area and also us.
She affixed her phone camera as well and then stepped back, holding the stick in her right hand so she could move the camera around. "Are you ready, Tessa?"
With the light shining in my face, everything around me seemed even darker.
"Ready." I took a breath and began. "Welcome to Mysteries Uncorked.
As you can tell, Morgan and I are currently at the exact location where Paige MacIntyre's body was found in the water.
The theory is that she stumbled and fell, hit a rock and was knocked unconscious.
As you can see behind us, there are a lot of rocks, but the path is also wide, so it wouldn't be that easy for someone to fall in.
" I waited as Morgan panned the scene, then brought the camera back to us.
"Her time of death was believed to be after midnight.
We're here just before nine. Even though it's earlier in the evening, there are very few people around.
Because I went to school in this city, I know this path better than Morgan.
How do you feel now that you're here?" I asked her.
"This area feels very spooky," Morgan said.
"I can't imagine a young female college student walking here at midnight.
It's deserted, and as women, we know the danger of putting ourselves in situations like this.
Even if she was drinking, it doesn't make sense that she was here alone.
Which means Paige probably wasn't alone.
Since there was no sign of a struggle, there's a good chance she knew her killer, that she was walking with someone she trusted. And that was a fatal mistake."
Morgan was doing good, I thought, but as she glanced at me, I jumped in.
"The police concluded that Paige was alone because there was no evidence to prove anyone was with her.
There was no sign of a robbery. Her phone case, which contained her phone, ID, and a credit card, was found on the rocks.
The toxicology reports weren't done until more than thirty hours after her death, making it difficult to ascertain how much she'd had to drink or if there were any other drugs in her system.
" I took a moment, then added, "We've spoken to the police and to some of Paige's family and friends.
Our questions have been met with both hostility and hope.
The hostility is the most surprising reaction, but it also makes us believe we're on to something. Let's take one last look around."
Morgan moved the camera around once more, and we let the silence and the shadowy scenery speak for themselves.
When she came back to me, I said, "We hope to be back tomorrow with another update.
If there's anyone out there who knows anything about Paige's death, please send us a message or leave a comment.
We believe someone out there knows something, and Paige's family deserves to know what she was doing on the lake path that night and what exactly caused her to go into the water. Now is the time to talk."
As Morgan turned off the light and the camera, I blinked against the sudden darkness.
It definitely felt spookier now that night had truly fallen.
I didn't see anyone on the path, but the tall shadows of the trees blowing in the breeze made it feel like someone was out there.
I told myself it was just my imagination.
"Let's get out of here," Morgan murmured as we started walking back the way we'd come. "I feel like someone is watching us."
To have her express the same feeling didn't make me feel better, and we both took a look over our shoulders.
"We're scaring ourselves, I think. There's no one around."
"You're probably right," Morgan said, moving so close to me our shoulders were touching.
And then we heard rustling sounds behind us, and I took another look.
The sounds got louder. It felt like someone was walking through the park, invisible in the canopy shadow of the trees.
"Are those footsteps?" Morgan whispered as we quickened our pace.
"Probably just a jogger," I said.
"Let's run." Morgan didn't wait for me to agree as she broke into a jog.
I ran alongside her, hearing the sound of something or someone getting louder. My heart was beating out of my chest, my breath coming fast, and Morgan was clearly feeling the same panic as she picked up the pace, leaving me struggling to keep up.
I'd broken my leg only three months ago, and while it was good for walking now, sprinting was a different story. But I had to keep up. I had no idea who was behind us, and what they might do if they caught up.
We had to get off this path, back to the lights, back to the parking area where there were people, where there was safety. Because I did not want to end up like Paige, and now I couldn't help but wonder if she'd felt this same kind of terror…