Police cruisers zoom around the town, sirens blaring as they go out into the Three Lakes Forest and down the gravel roads to the three-way intersection, they turn down on the one furthest left and arrive at Lake Ulrich. Chandler pulls up in his own car with Olivia. The two arrive on the scene, deputies and FBI agents scatter around as Sheriff Dick Minage addresses the crowd.
“A call was made in that someone claimed to have seen a female body in the lake, however, they weren’t so keen on fishing out the body. Get on these boats and search this lake!” Minage hissed, everyone piling up into the boats that were delivered and start skrting out into the lake.
Dick remains on the bank, smoking.
Monica: “Do you think this is related to the Brooks case?”
Dick gives Monica a menacing glare. “I don’t know. I guess we’ll find out.” Monica stiffens and heads out to go on a boat but Dick stops her. He shakes his head. “You stay here. Monica nods obediently.
Chandler is aboard a boat with two NPC deputies, Agent Olivia Crane and Deputy Shannon Bryant.
“Get anything, Murphy?” Chandler queries. Murphy shakes his head.
Olivia: “I think I have something.” Olivia starts pulling her seine out, something snagged. Shannon grimaces, thinking their methods of finding the body were rather, odd.
Chandler looks over the boat and a leg is caught in it. “We’ve got something!” Chandler shrieks. Shannon and Chandler start pulling the body on board taking over Olivia who stares aghast.
The body is beginning to decay, the skin peeling away. The throw the young female aboard. Olivia covers her mouth, Shannon sits down in exhaustion, Chandler pales and trembles. He looks down at the body.
“You know her?” Olivia asks.
“No,” Chandler composes himself. “She’s just so young.”
“We’re going to need someone to identify her.” Chandler nods as boats start to close in on them.
December 23rd, 2017, 11:14 AM − Seraphine’s House
Seraphine careens down the staircase to meet up with Kelsie who comes through the door. They exchange a small smile and the two coast into the living room. “What’s so important?”
Seraphine’s eyes are puffy red, she’s been crying.
“Seraphine?” Kelsie expresses concern. Seraphine turns on the television, the news comes on.
“This morning the Sheriff’s station located a teenage girl in Lake Ulrich…” The reporter is cut off when Seraphine shuts off the television.
“W-who was that?” Kelsie stutters, trying to wrap her mind around it. Trying to figure out who it is.
“Kels. It’s Cheyenne. Cheyenne Johnson, my first friend here at Three Lakes.” Kelsie’s eyes widen as Seraphine bawls her eyes out and her cries are muffled into Kelsie’s chest. She wraps her arms around her.
December 24th, 2017, 7:36 AM − Multiple Households
Dick Minage cackles maniacally as he tears open his present from Alec; it’s a dead rat. Alec’s the one laughing now. Dick throws it at Alec and it hits him in the head. Monica shrieks and spills her wine down her white Christmas shirt and goes over to protect Alec.
Kelsie sits silently with her parents and older brothers as they open their presents. Kelsie opens her, it’s a picture of Kelsie and Jordan when he started at Three Lakes. The very first time they met. Kelsie trembles, her mother looks over with concern.
“You would never stop talking about that day, Kelsie. I just thought-” Her older brother began.
“I love it!” Kelsie shrieks, beginning to cry as she runs and hugs him. He hugs her back.
Chandler sits alone in his cruddy apartment drinking some whiskey, someone slides an envelope through the letter thing addressed to him. He walks over and rips it open, he reads the letter: “Enjoy a very good Christmas, Parks. - Crane”. Inside is a picture of Chandler back when he worked for the FBI with Olivia. He smiles to himself.
Arianna cheers to herself with her family as she starts ripping open presents and being mighty pleased with them. She opens one and it’s a picture of her and Joy. Arianna stares at the picture. For a long time.
December 25th, 2017, 3:32 PM − Unknown Residence
Deputy Shannon Bryant and Deputy Monica Minage make a house call. Monica knocks on the door. “Mrs Johnson? Hello? Anyone home?!” Monica looks at Shannon and shrugs. Shannon goes to try the door handle and the door opens; it’s unlocked.
Monica and Shannon look at each other, they both draw their guns and walk through the house. “Mr and Mrs Johnson?” Shannon calls out into the hollowness in the house.
Monica pockets her gun and goes to grab a fruit, she looks to Shannon, he looks at her too
“What?”
“The fruit. It’s plastic.”
“Showhome. How’s it listed as a house by the school?” Monica shrugs as Shannon and Monica delve deeper into the house, seeing someone had camped out in one of the bedrooms.
“You think these are Cheyenne’s?”
Monica nods, “But why is she living alone?” she sighs, grabbing one of her panties.
“What are you doing?”
“Investigating, duh.”
They here a crash and a shatter coming from the kitchen. Monica and Shannon exchange worried glances, draw their guns and start heading back to the kitchen.
“Three Lakes Sheriff’s station, come out where we can see you,” Shannon calls out.
A hooded-figure runs out through the back door and Shannon and Monica chase them in pursuit. The figure jumps over a fence and cuts through a chain-link fence. Shannon and Monica chase him through and the figure turns around and fires a gun, it hits Shannon in the shoulder and he falls, Monica runs back to help him and the figure jumps into a car and drives off.
“Motherfucker!” Monica curses as she calls in the incident.
