The Lake was the perfect place for Phoenix Ashland to take Bailey, the woman he had fallen in love with. He had been her divorce attorney, and the two of them had just "clicked." They bonded over a cheesy mystery movie, and things had gone from there.
The decision to take Bailey to Morgrove was a bad idea, but Phoenix didn't know it at the time he asked her. He would never be the same after their visit.
Phoenix and Bailey rented a car from the local airport, and while Phoenix sat in the back seat putting the final touches to some legal matters left over from work, Bailey struggled with the gears of the car.
"Phoenix, they gave you a piece of crap," she whined. "No one could get this thing out of second gear."
"You bet," he answered, clearly not listening.
"No one drives a stick shift these days, anyway."
After driving down the winding road, Phoenix guided Bailey down a concrete path that led to the cabin. They drove down the path under lowered tree branches that hovered over the road, connecting haphazardly in the middle. The sunlight was hidden from them, the path becoming creepier as they went.
When Bailey stopped the car, the brakes made a high-pitched, screeching sound, and Phoenix cursed.
"Damn, Bailey."
"I told you this thing is crap!"
They arrived at a black iron gate, and under a black plastic cover on one of the brick pillars, Phoenix entered a code that would open the gate for sixty seconds before it locked again.
The dark, wooden, two-story cabin stood halfway between the rocky and sandy shore of the lake and the lawn that was plush with green grass. Bailey was awestruck. It was the first time she had seen what Phoenix had called the cabin and it took her breath away.
Seeing the cabin always gave Phoenix a sense of peace, but this time was different. There was something that didn't feel right.
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