Chapter 8
Jared
Stepping into the office of The Crystal Lake Chronicle feels like returning home after a long time away.
The building is considerably smaller than the skyscraper that housed The Ledger and many other businesses’ offices, but it has the same kind of energy about it, if a little less frantic.
I suppose it’s true what they say about small towns and a slower pace.
Unlike the cream-painted walls of my old office that were in dire need of a touch-up, The Chronicle’s office has been well cared for.
The dark wooden flooring is free of scuffmarks and there are no scratches or dents in the matching panelling that stops just below waist-height on the walls.
Teal paint covers the remainder of the walls, adding a hint of luxury.
Straightening my tie, I approach the woman manning the sturdy wooden reception desk.
“Hi.” She smiles brightly. “You must be Jared.”
“That’s me.” I feel a little awkward that she already knows my name, but it’s a small town and an even smaller office, so I suppose I shouldn’t be too surprised.
“I’m Ocean.” She stands, flipping her dark blue coils over her shoulder.
Like the helpful woman I met in the town square yesterday, she’s even tinted her eyebrows to match.
The look seems to be very popular here—I’ve been in town less than forty-eight hours and already spotted several people with colourful locks.
Ocean smooths down her navy pencil skirt as she steps out from behind the desk while continuing her introduction.
“I’m the receptionist, slash office assistant, slash sometimes photographer when Vic’s on heat leave. ”
Why would their photographer need time off when it’s hot? Maybe an obscure health condition? I push aside my curiosity. It’s not my business. “Sounds like they keep you busy here.”
“Yeah, but that’s how I like it. Kendra sends her apologies.
She has a meeting in the town council building this morning, so she asked me to show you around.
Follow me, and I’ll introduce you to everyone.
” She’s already heading towards the double doors to the left of the reception desk.
I hurry after the tall woman, noticing a slender man with lightly tanned skin and unruly sandy-brown curls watching us from his desk, visible through the large windows in the doors.
“Everyone, this is Jared.”
Ocean waves me forward, and I step further into the room and offer my new colleagues a warm smile. “Hello.”
There are four desks that match the wooden floors spaced out in the room.
A giant of a man with a ruddy complexion and closely shaved head occupies the desk in the front right corner and barely offers me a grunt in greeting before turning back to his computer.
Alright then. Not everyone here is as friendly as Ocean. Noted.
“Welcome.” A blonde with porcelain skin, who I’d place in her early forties, greets me with a small but warm smile.
Combined with her formal updo, the high neckline of her ruffled blouse reminds me of Victorian fashion—maybe she’s into vintage.
“That is Victor.” She inclines her head towards the sullen man who’s already tuned out the conversation.
“My name is Emmaline. I am the sports reporter here.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” She bobs her head, then turns her attention back to her computer. So far my new colleagues are people of few words.
“Hi, I’m Huxley, but most folks call me Hux.” The reedy man I spotted through the doors offers me a charming smile. “Don’t worry about Vic and Emmie, they’re not always such chatterboxes.”
“I have told you not to call me that,” Emmaline corrects, without looking up from her screen.
“Just trying to bring you into this century,” Huxley calls back, a mischievous glint in his hazel eyes. “So, Jared, what brings you to our sanctuary town?”
“Hux!” Ocean gasps like he’s asked something inappropriate—odd since she’s clearly one of the more sociable workers here.
I shrug off her concern. “Nothing all that exciting I’m afraid, just needed a change and saw the job ad at the right time.
” It’s close enough to the truth I won’t have to worry about remembering some elaborate backstory.
I don’t love lying, but it’s necessary if I want to figure out what’s going on in this town.
And there is absolutely something going on.
I didn’t notice when I arrived late on Saturday night, too focused on checking out the house and getting my stuff inside, but yesterday morning I realised my phone has no signal here.
Not in the house, not anywhere between my new home and the supermarket where I stocked up on a few essentials.
I kept an eye on my signal as I walked to the paper this morning and still no bars.
I know Crystal Lake is out in the middle of nowhere, but there should be signal somewhere in town.
I also noticed the house doesn’t have access to wi-fi—very unusual these days and even more suspicious.
“What about you?” I ask, aiming the question at Huxley since Ocean didn’t seem to think it appropriate. “Have you always lived here?”
“No.” His eyes darken behind the lenses of his glasses. “I moved here to escape some nasty demons.”
“Good for you, man.” He cocks his head at me like I’ve said something strange. Maybe he’s not used to people being so accepting.
“All right, Hux will get you settled in, show you how to set up your computer login and all that. Kendra will be done with her meeting in about an hour, so she’ll check in with you then and let you know what she wants you to start working on.”
“I’m here to cover local interest, right?” Not sure how much there could be to write about in a town this small—The Chronicle probably publishes a rehashed version of the same festivals and events every year.
“That’s right,” Ocean replies brightly. “Our town may be small, but there’s plenty going on here all year round. You’ll never be bored.” Something in my expression must give away my scepticism.
“Glad to hear it,” I reply sincerely. The more events happening in this town, the more I’ll be able to explore and subtly question the residents without seeming suspicious.
“Have a great first day.” With that, Ocean turns on her heel and glides out the door, returning to her post at the reception desk. In my twenty-eight years of life, I don’t think I’ve ever come across someone so cheerful.
“Right, let’s get you set up,” Hux says with gusto.
Almost an hour later, Hux has shown me where everything is kept, helped set up my computer login, and walked me through their system.
He’s friendly, but there’s something unsettling about the way he looks at me—like I’m a complex puzzle he’s keen to piece together.
There’s nothing physically threatening about him—his slender frame can’t be more than 5ft 9” and his wild, light brown curls give him a youthful appearance even though his position here would suggest he’s at least the same age as me.
It’s his eyes. There’s an intensity burning in those hazel orbs that leaves me feeling vulnerable.
And something in the way he moves—it’s more than confidence.
Almost like he’s a predator assessing the weaknesses of those around him, looking for the perfect moment to strike.
Hux pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “You’re all set. Kendra should be back any minute to give you your assignment, but heads up, it’s probably something to do with the Halloween festival at the end of next month.”
“I’m assuming the festival is a fairly big deal if the paper starts coverage on it so far ahead of time?”
“Oh yeah,” Hux emphatically agrees. “Ocean was right earlier when she said we have a lot of events in town, but the Halloween festival is by far the biggest. It coincides with the founding of the town and brings in a heap of tourism which is obviously great for the local businesses.”
Tourists come to Crystal Lake? I’m desperate to know how that works given the mystery surrounding the town but, not wanting to be too obvious in my line of questioning, I start with something else instead. “When was the town founded?”
“Two hundred years ago come this October.”
“And the festival?”
“The Halloween of it all started more recently, but we’ve always had a founders day celebration here.
” Hux says ‘Halloween’ like he thinks the whole thing is ridiculous.
Maybe he does. Maybe he’s one of those people who hate any and all holiday celebrations.
I worked with someone like that back at The Ledger—he wouldn’t even donate to the local food bank during the holiday season, so everyone in the office started calling him Scrooge. “Oh good, Kendra’s back.”
Sure enough, when I turn my head, I see Kendra striding towards us, or rather me.
The first adjective that comes to mind when I look at her is petite.
She’s more than a foot shorter than me, even with her candyfloss-pink hair piled high into some complicated style atop her head.
The colour shocked me when we first met during my video call interview—it’s not what I’d expected from a newspaper editor, but there’s no denying it suits her.
Like Ocean, she’s even got her eyebrows and eyelashes to match, and the colour works well with her golden-brown complexion.
“Jared, welcome to Crystal Lake and to our team here at The Chronicle.”
I spring to my feet and take her outstretched hand, giving it a quick shake. “Thank you. I’m excited to be here.”
Her pink brows tug together, and her moss-green gaze flicks between my own hazel eyes and our clasped hands. “Your energy is incredibly muted. Are you alright?” What in the New Age nonsense?
“Um, yeah, I’m good,” I reply, carefully extracting my hand from her grip.
“Ocean said you have an assignment for me?” I prod, hoping to move away from whatever that was.
I’m all for people expressing their beliefs as long as they’re not hurting anyone, but I’d rather not have my new boss trying to read my aura or some shit. Save that for your own time.
“Yes, I’d like you to acquaint yourself with the local business owners and do a series of short articles on how they all prepare for the Halloween festival. It’s not until the end of October, but it’s the town’s biggest event and we like to help build the excitement early on each year.”
“Huxley was actually just telling me about it—I’m excited to learn more.”
“Excellent.” Kendra rummages in her handbag for a moment before pulling out a list and handing it to me.
“Here’s a list of everywhere you should pay a visit.
Hopefully making the rounds will help you feel more at home here.
Crystal Lake really is a wonderful community.
We don’t get too many new residents, so folks might be eager to meet you, but their attention will shift to the festival soon enough. ”
“Glad to hear I won’t be a novelty for too long,” I joke.
Kendra stares up at me for a moment, lost in thought before seeming to remember herself with a jolt. “You have the town map Guppy gave you?”
“Yes, between that and your list, I’ll be fine.”
“Alright then, I’ll leave you to it. Huxley, please join me in my office for a moment.”
The man in question stands to follow her, pausing to lay a hand on my shoulder. “Good luck.” He stares intently, almost as if he’s looking through me.
“Thanks.” I smile despite feeling uncomfortable. My new colleagues are a strange bunch.
Hux trails after Kendra and I redirect my attention back to the list in my hand.
There are a lot of businesses on here. Reclaiming the seat at my desk, I quickly compare the list to the map Guppy gave me, plotting out my best plan of action.
Halloween is almost six weeks away, so there’s plenty of time for me to make my way around everywhere on Kendra’s list. Once I’m confident in my approach, I leave armed with a quickly compiled list of questions to ask each business owner. It’s time to begin my investigation.