Chapter 8 - Draining the Depths
By 3:00 AM, heavy industrial floodlights had been set up around the backyard, turning the gloomy night into a glaring, clinical workspace.
A specialized pumping truck had been brought in, its loud, throbbing diesel engine echoing down the quiet suburban street. A thick, ribbed industrial hose was dropped deep into the center of the murky green swimming pool, beginning the slow, agonizing process of draining thousands of gallons of stagnant water.
David sat in the front seat of his car, keeping a watchful eye on Emily, who had finally fallen into a deep, exhausted sleep wrapped in blankets across the back seat.
Detective Miller walked up to David’s car window and tapped lightly on the glass. David rolled it down immediately.
"Mr. Turner, you might want to step out," the detective said, his voice unusually subdued. "The water level has dropped significantly. Forensics is going in."
David stepped out of the vehicle, the chilly night air biting at his skin. He walked slowly toward the low dividing fence, standing beside Mrs. Harris, who had wrapped herself in a shawl and stood quietly on her patio, watching the grim operation unfold.
Inside the concrete basin of the swimming pool, men in heavy rubber waterproof suits and yellow hazmat gear moved carefully across the slippery, algae-coated floor. High-powered flashlights cut through the remaining shallow puddles of green water.
"There," one of the forensic officers called out, pointing his light toward the deep end of the pool.
Three heavy, oversized black contractor bags lay half-submerged in the thick sludge, weighted down with concrete blocks tied securely around them with heavy nylon rope.
Two officers waded into the sludge, carefully cutting away the nylon ropes with specialized shears. With great effort, they hoisted the first heavy bag onto the surrounding flagstone patio.
David turned his head away for a brief second, closing his eyes as a wave of nausea hit him. He thought of Sarah—her laugh, her spirit, the life they had shared before everything turned to bitter ash. She had made terrible choices in remarrying Jason, but in her final moments, she had tried to save their daughter.
The heavy zipper of the first bag was unzipped.
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Detective Miller walked over to David, his face pale under the floodlights. "Mr. Turner... we found Sarah. And... forensic evidence indicates there may be others from previous years. Jason had a record under an alias in another state that we're currently pulling."
David didn't speak. He just stared at the house, then back toward the ambulance where his daughter slept. The nightmare was ending, but the scars would take a lifetime to heal.
