"It's not the same thing," I snap.
"Yes, it is. You scour crime scenes and pore over case files because you want what you call justice. You want to set things right in the world. You wait for the details to talk to you, to tell you what happened and where to look."
"Which is what I need to be doing right now," I say.
"Why do you think people want so much to believe in hauntings?" he asks before I can turn away.
I shake my head and shrug. "I don't know."
"Because they want to know it's not too late. That it's not too late to hold someone accountable for what they've done, or to tell someone they love them. They want to know that the people they loved and were good are happy and able to continue enjoying their favorite things. That they are still there. And that those who did horrible things in this life are being punished. You want the same things. You want to give victims a voice and protect their memories and seek out justice for those responsible."
"What's your point, Mr. Abbott?"
"My point is we are taught in school that energy can never be destroyed. It simply changes. The question is what it changes to and how you're going to use that."
I stare at him for a few seconds. "What did you mean, ‘it's not just the four years’?"
Instead of answering, Ken looks over my shoulder and down the beach. I think he's looking at where Elsie was the night she disappeared, but when I glance over my shoulder, I notice a woman standing on the other side of the lake. She stares at us for a few seconds, then starts toward us.
"Who is that?" I ask.
Without waiting for a response, I start to walk down the beach. I've gone several yards when I change my mind and stop to let her come the rest of the way around. I don't know who she is or why she’s at the closed campground, and I need to be cautious.
"Hello," I call out as she comes the final few feet toward me. "I don't know if you don't realize it, but this campground is closed."
The woman laughs softly. "I know that. I came to speak to you."
"Emma," I hear Dean say behind me just as the woman's eyes widen.
"I knew you'd come back."
Chapter Twenty-Six
Her reaction sends a chill through me until I hear an unfamiliar voice behind me.
“Hello, Laura,” it says.
I turn around and see an older man with cold blue eyes and silver streaks through his hair standing beside Dean.
“Emma, this is Detective Fitzgerald,” Dean says.
“Oh,” I say. “Detective, yes. We were expecting you.”
He nods an acknowledgement and gestures toward the woman.
“This is Laura Mitchell. You might remember her name from the case files. She was here when Violet disappeared. She also lives in the area, so I asked if she might be willing to come talk to you. I figured you would want to interview as many of the original people involved as you can.”
"That would actually be very helpful, thank you,” I nod, surprised at how forthcoming the detective is being. I turn back to the woman, thinking through what I know about the case to try to place her. It suddenly clicks. “Mrs. Mitchell. That's right. You were here with your children when Violet disappeared.”
She nods. “Please. Call me Laura. Yes, I was here with my sons.”
“Had you been here before?” I ask.
She gives a brief laugh. “Yes. Detective Fitzgerald mentioned I live in the area. That's an understatement. I live just outside of Sherando Ridge. Some of my family's land was actually incorporated into the park. So, I've spent a tremendous amount of time here. Especially at this campground. I used to rent the same cabin on a continuous basis. They wouldn't let me become an official resident of the park, but as soon as the rentals opened up, I would book it for as long as they would allow me, then just keep going that way.”
“Oh,” I say. “I didn't realize people did that.”
“I realize I must sound a little off when I say that. Let me explain. As I said, some of my family's land was incorporated into this park. My family has lived in the area for generations and I came here as a child way before Arrow Lake Campground was anything like it got to be. Just a few cabins, no electricity. Most people in tents. This is where I spent most of my time with my grandparents and my extended family. It's where I met my husband and where I brought my sons when they were young. It's a very special place to me."
"I can understand that," I say. "It must be hard now that it's closed to not be able to be here."
“Extremely,” she says. “I still miss it all the time. I visit the park still, of course. But this area has special meaning to me, so it is difficult to have to be away from it. I guess that's just the Mama in me, though. I still want to cling to those memories of when my boys were little. I used to sit out on that beach next to the lake all day long so that they could swim and play. I would get the worst sunburns."
She laughs, her eyes nostalgic. "I wouldn't have given it up. Anything to make them happy.
