When Devils Sing(71)
“Yeah,” she said. “Maybe we can help each other.”
Hesitantly, Neera’s hand reached out and wrapped around Sam’s, slowly tangling their fingers together in a mess of bloodied palms and calloused fingertips.
And for what felt like the very first time in Sam’s life, she did not flinch.
ISAIAH
IT WASN’T DIFFICULT to find Reid. At all the Lake Clearwater social obligations Laurence had dragged him to over the years, Isaiah never ventured far from his parents’ side. But he always took notice of Reid, hovering at the periphery of every event.
That evening, Isaiah found him sitting alone around a firepit, the flames casting shadows across his sharp face. He took a seat beside him without invitation, leaning back in an oversized Adirondack chair.
The pair sat in silence for a long time, as if testing the waters.
Finally, Reid spoke first. “When I was five, my mother made me a promise. She said that one day, we were gonna leave Lake Clearwater together and never look back. It was our secret.” He let out a heavy, unsteady breath. “Obviously, that didn’t happen, but I intend to keep my promise to her. I’m leaving Lake Clearwater after the Fourth and I’m never coming back.”
Isaiah considered the weight of Reid’s words, then asked, “Why’d she want to leave?”
Reid picked again at his cuticles. “I think she looked into the heart of this place and was terrified of what she saw.”
There was no one around them, yet Isaiah couldn’t help but whisper, “Saw what exactly?”
“Hell,” Reid said simply. “They like to pretend this is some sort of paradise, but she knew better. I know better now, too.” He met Isaiah’s gaze then. “I think Lake Clearwater killed my mother.”
The statement hung in the humid air between them, heavy and haunting.
Isaiah swallowed hard. “Can I show you something?”
“Go ahead.”
Isaiah pulled out his phone, opening up to Dawson’s email. Gingerly, he handed it to Reid.
An unbearable minute passed.
Reid finally whispered, “Is this some kind of fucked-up joke?”
“It’s legit,” Isaiah insisted. “Look at the date it was sent. A whole week before Dawson was reported dead.”
“Why do you have this?” Reid asked, eyes still glued to the screen.
“Ever heard of Secrets of the South?”
“Oh, shit.” Reid looked up. “That was one of Dawson’s favorite podcasts.” He looked at the email again. “Wait, is this you? The host?”
Isaiah nodded. “I’m a one-man show.”
Reid blinked a few times, as if filtering through what he’d just learned. “Dawson must’ve emailed you because he thought you were some big-shot investigative journalist. But you’re just … a kid. Same as he was.”
“Well, this kid is trying to find out what really happened to him,” Isaiah said pointedly. “And I think I’ve done pretty damn well so far.”
“Sorry, I just mean … I wanna help.” Reid handed Isaiah back his phone. “Let me help you before I leave, please, Isaiah. I’m serious. You clearly know how to learn the truth of things, but I can try and fill in the gaps. Because honestly, I don’t owe Lake Clearwater anything. I don’t care about protecting my community. It’s not like they’ve ever given a damn about protecting me.”
Isaiah rubbed his temple. “Are you sure about this, Langley? Once we start digging, there’s no going back. For both of us. Do you realize that?”
Reid answered with a firm nod. “I’m all in.”
SECRETS OF THE SOUTH
SEASON 4: EPISODE 4
(INTRO THEME SONG)
ARTHUR HUGHES, DOCUMENTARIAN AND LIFE EXPECTANCY EXPERT (phone): Yes, I was originally going to feature Lake Clearwater in my documentary on life expectancy. But I didn’t in the end. (clears throat) What I found in my research was … unhelpful. Inconclusive. Perhaps, even a little strange.
HOST (phone): Would you mind expanding on that?
ARTHUR HUGHES (phone): Sure. As you’re aware, I look at more than the data, but lifestyles. I aim to understand what specifically makes people live longer and what, consequently, tends to cut lives short.
Initially, Langley County appeared to have a life expectancy average ten years greater than the surrounding counties in the region of … what do you call it?
HOST (phone): Colloquially, it’s called SOWEGA. Or Southwest Georgia, if that’s easier.
ARTHUR HUGHES (phone): Right, Southwest Georgia. This is a region of considerable poverty, with an average life expectancy of 69.7, compared to that of Langley County, which boasts an average of 79.5. A decade in difference from counties merely thirty or forty miles away. I couldn’t believe it. I thought, this must be a longevity hotspot.
HOST (phone): And is it? A longevity hotspot?
ARTHUR HUGHES (phone): To be clear, I didn’t include Langley County in my research for a reason. But technically, yes. It is. However, when I mapped the data within the county itself, I realized the longevity was concentrated in the unincorporated community of Lake Clearwater. I compared that to the town of Carrion, within the same county, and the discrepancy was shocking.
It’s not the county itself that is a longevity hotspot, but Lake Clearwater.