Page 19 of In Her Mind

“Then that explains the attack,” Mayor Simmons said hopefully. “And this … lover’s quarrel … abduction … whatever it was. Surely this ugly situation is about to be resolved.”

“Jason Reeves’s arrest adds suspicion to his name,” Jenna admitted. “But we can’t jump to conclusions about his guilt or about Amber’s condition—alive or otherwise. “

Mayor Simmons looked a little contrite as she said smoothly, “I understand. Let’s hope you can wrap this up quickly and bring Amber home safe and sound.” The words were an olive branch, and Jenna acknowledged them with a slight nod before turning to leave.

“Thank you, Mayor,” Jenna said, and Jake echoed her sentiment as they left the office.

The summer air greeted them with a warmth that didn’t reach the chill in Jenna’s bones. She slid into the driver’s seat, her movements automatic, while Jake settled beside her. She started up the cruiser and maneuvered it onto the road leading out of town, each mile bringing them closer to answers, and possibly to Amber.

“Mayor Simmons seemed hopeful,” Jake observed, glancing at Jenna. “But what you said to her... about not knowing if Amber is alive or dead. That’s not entirely true, is it? Based on your dream, I mean.”

When Jenna didn’t reply, he continued. “If Amber appeared to you, doesn’t that mean...?”

“Hope dies last, Jake.” Jenna’s replied softly. “Until we have proof, she could be out there, waiting for us to find her.”

“But the dreams, Jenna, isn’t that what you told me—only the dead ever speak to you there? Do you think it’s possible that the rules are changing? Could you be getting messages from the living now?”

Jenna glanced at him, her eyes reflecting an uncertainty she rarely allowed others to see. “Those rules have never changed before—but I suppose there’s a first time for everything. Anyhow, dreams aren’t evidence, Jake. Until we have proof of whatever has happened, hope is all we really have left.”

Jake nodded, understanding the unspoken concerns behind her words. As they drove on toward Pinecrest, there was only silence between them.

Miles stretched on as Jenna navigated the familiar roads, her thoughts a tangled web of psychic possibilities and personal fears. The possibility that her dreams could evolve to include the living unsettled her; if such a change were true, what did it mean about Piper? Years of silence in her night-time world had been an assurance that her twin still drew breath somewhere.

Now, doubt crept in. Was Piper’s absence from her dreams no longer a sign of life but merely an unexplained anomaly? Jenna pressed down on the accelerator, a silent plea for speed to outpace the questions in her mind. Each mile was taking them closer to Jason Reeves, to answers, and perhaps to a new understanding of her own haunted existence.

***

After a couple of hours on the road, Pinecrest’s leafy suburbs welcomed them. The town had an air of academic serenity; red brick buildings adorned with ivy stood proudly against the backdrop of the clear June sky, while students meandered along tree-lined pathways, their laughter punctuating the afternoon calm. This college town was a stark contrast to the rugged, natural beauty of Genesius County. Yet, beneath its cultured veneer, Jenna sensed the same undercurrent of small-town secrets she knew all too well.

“Looks peaceful,” Jake commented, his gaze following a group tossing a Frisbee on the university’s sprawling lawn.

“Appearances can be deceptive,” Jenna murmured, her eyes scanning the quaint storefronts and cafés bustling with the town’s young inhabitants.

“Here we are,” Jenna soon said, pulling into the parking lot of the Cable County Jail. She killed the engine, and she and Jakesat for a moment, taking in the sight of the unassuming two-story structure of pale yellow brick nestled between a bail bonds office and a diner advertising the “best pie in Cable County.” A squat building, it served its purpose with utilitarian simplicity. Barred windows peeped out from above, betraying the gravity of its function.

“Spelling should be here by now,” Jake noted.

“Let’s hope he’s got more to tell us,” Jenna replied, stepping out into the sun-drenched day, her badge catching the light as she closed the car door behind her.

The Cable County Jail’s interior was businesslike, its walls a drab beige softened only by the occasional framed print of local landmarks. Jenna presented her badge to the officer behind the front desk, who barely glanced at it before gesturing them toward an open door down the hall.

“Chief Morgan and Colonel Spelling are in there,” he grunted, returning to his paperwork with practiced indifference.

Jenna exchanged a brief look with Jake as they moved towards the indicated office. The door was ajar, allowing snippets of the conversation within to whisper out into the corridor.

“Spelling’s got that no-frills tone to him,” Jake murmured, noting the clipped cadence of the Colonel’s voice as they approached.

Inside the office, they saw Chief Morgan leaning against the edge of a metal desk, his frame clad in a uniform that seemed too snug across the shoulders. His hair was cropped close to the scalp, more gray than black, and his eyes were sharp, missing nothing. Beside him towered Colonel Spelling, a man whose very posture demanded attention. His uniform was pristine, his bearing rigid, exuding control and authority.

As Jenna and Jake entered, the conversation ceased. Spelling turned, offering a curt nod in greeting. “Sheriff Graves, DeputyHawkins—this is Chief Rudy Morgan,” he said, indicating the chief with a tilt of his head.

Morgan’s handshake was firm. With formalities aside, Spelling gestured for Morgan to explain what had occurred so far.

“Reeves came into Pinecrest late last night, rented a motel room,” Morgan explained. “This morning he was making quite the scene over at Ozark State, asking anybody he could about a student named Liam Sweeney.”

“Did he say why he was looking for Sweeney?” Jenna asked.

“Only after he found him,” Morgan replied, his expression grim. “Seems he had some personal business to settle.”

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