This is the seventh chapter in our fictitious story called Secrets Under The Sizzle set in Treeville Ohio. Did you miss the previous chapters? You can find them here.
One sunny Sunday afternoon, a week following the Treeville Festival, sisters Marsha and Taylor found themselves sipping tea at Treeville Nutrition, a beloved local establishment known for its shakes and assorted hot beverages. As they chatted, they reflected on the festival’s success and contemplated improvements for the upcoming year.
“We certainly need to recruit more volunteers,” Marsha pointed out, stirring her tea thoughtfully. Taylor nodded in agreement, “Absolutely, I’m still trying to recover from all the hard work it took to organize the event.”
Marsha couldn’t help but smile, “But the bright side is, people genuinely enjoyed it. We’ve had many customers come into the restaurant, sharing their positive experiences.” Taylor chimed in, “Yes, some even compared it to the Community Expo we used to host.”
Once they finished discussing the festival, Taylor shifted the conversation to a more serious tone, “Now that things have calmed down, we should probably report Marco’s disappearance to the police.” Marsha concurred without hesitation, “Absolutely, let’s make that our priority first thing tomorrow morning.”
Later that evening, Jeff and Bob found themselves at the Thirsty Bluegill. Over boiler makers, they engaged in a lively discussion about the Vaperville Spitaliers. Jeff was contemplating putting a hefty wager on the team, while Bob was attempting to dissuade him from making such a risky move.
All the while, Bob’s attention was intermittently drawn to an attractive blonde perched at the far end of the bar. Their secret rendezvous back at her apartment had become a weekly occurrence, and he found himself speculating whether this evening would unfold in the same captivating manner.
In the early dawn, the quiet town was jolted by an earthquake. The inhabitants hastily emerged from their homes to assess the aftermath. The sisters, who were at their restaurant gearing up for the day, observed the hanging mum basket swinging. They promptly accessed the Treeville app on their phones, where a notification revealed that a 3.5 magnitude earthquake had just taken place. They inspected for any possible damage, but found none. In reality, the only casualty was a few broken eggs, dropped by Penelope Peak who was startled by an unexpected occurrence on the lake after the earthquake. She cherished her lakefront property, but this morning’s sudden activity on the lake left her taken aback.
“Could that be a body?” she voiced aloud, despite the absence of anyone else. Penelope, known as the town eccentric, was often spotted rowing her modest boat accompanied by her French Lop bunnies, Flopsy and Mopsy. Without hesitation, she dialed the police. However, the authorities were overwhelmed with calls related to the earthquake, and considering Penelope’s reputation as somewhat peculiar, they didn’t rush to respond. The lake, being fairly secluded was one of the reasons Penelope appreciated her home’s location.
Upon completing their morning tasks, Marsha and Taylor made their way to the police station. They were taken aback by the sight of many officers engaged in phone conversations about the earthquake, attempting to alleviate people’s anxieties as no damage had been reported. The sisters managed to find an available officer to whom they relayed their concerns regarding Marco’s disappearance.
Suddenly, a rookie police officer burst into the station, panting, and announced, “There’s a body floating in Turtle Lake!” The rookie had been delegated to pay a visit to Penelope, who resided just two blocks away, to verify her lake sighting. The police chief questioned why he hadn’t radioed the information in, to which the novice officer responded, overwhelmed with excitement, that he had sprinted all the way to the station and totally forgot to notify them via radio.
In this close-knit community, news spread like wildfire and the solitary witness from that fateful nocturnal mission was finally ready to unveil what she knew.
To be continued…
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental
Here is an audio and video version that include commentary about the story as only the author can tell it.
