The Deaths At Lavender Falls

The roaring of the engine calmed me as I shifted comfortably into my seat and slouched back. Tree after tree went by nothing but pure countryside. I embraced it, growing up in the city made me appreciate nature since it’s rare there. The train was mostly empty, mostly everyone got off at Forest Hills. As expected it is a tourist trap. I was headed to Lavender Falls or as people like to call it “suicide falls”. About ten people died there within the last six months and I was headed there to check it out; there is no way they were all suicides.

The suicides happened around the same time every year. As a detective I could smell something funny was going on and the deaths of Lavender Falls were not suicides. This has been happening for at least eight years. I was excited and ready to uncover what was going on. Unfortunately, my joy was shortened by a brown duffle bag falling into my lap.

“What the…”

I looked away from the window only to see a bright white smile illuminating from a young boy.

“Hey, Dana!”

“Hi…”

I stared at him in confusion.

“Right we haven’t met, I'm Drew.”

He held his hand out to shake mine.

“Okay…”

He quickly realized I was not going to shake his hand.

“Okaayy… right, I'm here to help you with your story.”

I sighed and rolled my eyes. I pushed the duffle bag out of my lap. My left hand palmed my face.

“Thomas sent you”

“Yes, he said if you wouldn’t let him go then I should go. To keep you safe.”

“To keep me safe!” I said in disbelief. “You… are going to keep me safe?”

He nodded and smiled.

I chuckled a bit.

“You’re about what? … 17 years old?”

“I’m actually 19”

“That’s fucking fantastic!”

His smile dropped as he picked up his duffle bag and sat next to me. I could tell maybe I was too hard on him after all this was Thomas’s fault. I looked at the kid’s face and felt bad.

“Hey, kid…”

“Yes?” He didn’t look at me

“I’m sorry… I just prefer to work alone. That way if trouble does happen I only have to worry about myself.”

“I understand that. It’s just that I need experience in the field to be taken seriously .”

“So you want to become a detective?”

“Yes. I graduated early and top of my class.”

“From college at 19?”

“Yes.”

“Impressive”

“Mom said I should become something else and less dangerous like a scientist.”

“So she thinks being a scientist is less dangerous? Wait… did Thomas find you through an internship or something?”

“No, I’m Tina’s son.”

“Tina? You’re Thomas’s nephew?”

He smiled.

I suddenly felt more annoyed by him. Given my relationship with his mother is what I like to call hot and cold.

“Hey auntie”

I could tell he was amused by that comment and the shocked look on my face.

“Great, so you’re family and I was rude to you.”

I took my flask from my inside jacket pocket and took a sip.

“It’s okay Uncle Thomas said you wouldn’t be pleased to see me until I told you who I was.”

I said nothing but I knew this would create a problem during my investigation.

The train started to slow down.

“This is Lavender Falls, last stop!” The man on the speaker shouted.

“Come on kid”

I grabbed my duffle bag from underneath the seat and rushed off the train with Drew trailing right behind me in anticipation. He was walking so close that he was about to step on my heels.

“If you step on the back of my boots I will send you back to Hemgrove.”

“Sorry… I’m just excited!”

“Yes I know, relax.”

We walked for about a mile to a small inn provided with directions Thomas gave and where he set up the reservations.

We entered the inn and the smell of feet abused my nose. It was mildly humid and this ghastly shade of green was painted all over the walls.

Drew leaned in close to me and whispered.

“Looks like someone threw up in here.”

“And it smells like feet,” I whispered back.

“Thomas is soooo dead.”

Drew and I giggled a little.

We were both startled by a tall pale man with an unsettling grin on his face.

“Welcome to the Lavender Falls Inn! I’m Hank. What is the name of your reservation?”

“Ummm, Hi. It should be under Morgan.”

He flipped through the reservation book.

“Morgan… Morgan… mor-”

He looked at me creepily and smiled harder.

“Dana Morgan? Thee Dana Morgan? As in Detective Dana Morgan?”

“Ummm yes”

I didn’t know what he meant by that I’m not famous.

“Thee Dana Morgan that solved those murders up in Lilycreek?”

“Oh… yes that is me. When in doubt it’s always the butler, the politician, or the mistress.”

I smiled uncomfortably.

“Yes indeed. I suppose you're here to solve the murders of Lavender Falls.”

“Yes I am, I don’t-wait… you said murders.”

“Yes, I’m not a man that believes in coincidences. Now this way follow me to your rooms. People tend to get lost around here so don’t go exploring.”

We followed him into the elevator. It was crowded but at least it didn’t smell like feet. The elevator dinged for the third floor and we followed Hank down the hall where he showed us only one room.

“Wait a minute”

Hank paused before putting the key in the door.

“The reservation is only for one room?”

“Yes but not to worry, it's a joint room. I saw the young boy with you and thought it’d be better if he didn’t get his own key. Children are so irresponsible.”

“Oh right, thank you.”

“I’m an adult.”

Hank and I both pretended not to hear Drew’s comment.

Hank turned the key to the left aggressively and pushed.

“I always show people how to open the doors so they are not stuck in the hallway.”

“Right… well thank you, Hank.”

He handed me the key.

Then he nodded and walked away. Before he entered the elevator he said, “Sorry about the smell, we have a guest with a foot odor.”

“Gross,” said Drew as he rushed inside the room.