Page 22 of In Her Mind

“I made a late night decision,” he continued grudgingly. “Headed to Pinecrest. Planned to confront Liam, but it was late, nothing to be done. Grabbed more beer, checked into a motel. Slept it off—or tried to, anyway.”

“What motel?” Jake asked. When Jason just stared at him groggily he asked again, “The name of the motel where you stayed?”

“Uh, something Pines, or maybe Oaks,” he mumbled. “One of those. I was really out like a light when I hit the bed, slept till noon.”

Jason yawned, stretching his arms.

“Then I went out, hit another bar, then to the Ozark State campus looking for Liam. The rest is history.” He slouched back, eyeing the cot with a longing that suggested sleep as an escape from reality.

“Is that so?” Colonel Spelling put in, stepping forward. “I think you’re holding back, Jason. Where is Amber right now?”

Jason’s eyes narrowed, a flash of confusion—or was it annoyance?—passing over his features. “I told you where she could be,” he said, his tone defensive. “Like I said, probably at home or the shelter. Why?”

Jenna explained, “Amber hasn’t been seen since last night. Do you know where she might be right now? Perhaps somewhere she doesn’t usually go?”

She observed a flicker of confusion—or was it a well-rehearsed act?—cross his face. He straightened up a bit, still leaning against the wall. “What are you getting at? Are you saying Amber’s gone missing? Why?”

“That’s exactly what I want you to tell me,” Spelling replied, his tone firm and demanding. “You know something you’re not sharing.”

“Missing?” Jason said again, feigning surprise or perhaps revealing genuine ignorance. Jenna couldn’t be certain. She felt the familiar itch of intuition at the back of her mind, but the clarity she yearned for remained elusive. The man before her was volatile, hurt—a powder keg of emotions—but was he capable of abducting Amber?

“Maybe she just wandered off somewhere,” Jason scoffed in response to Spelling’s questions. His attempt to deflect only heightened Jenna’s suspicions; the nonchalance seemed out of place.

“Is it typical of Amber to not go home after a shift at the shelter without contacting anyone?” Spelling probed, relentless.

“No,” Jason conceded, his voice taking on a bitter edge. “But neither is throwing away all the years we’ve been together for another guy.”

“Where is Amber, Jason?” Spelling repeated, unyielding in his stance.

“Wouldn’t know,” he mumbled, with a dismissive wave of his hand.. “Amber... she’s not the girl I knew.” With an air of resignation, he stretched out on the cot again, eyes already closing, signaling an end to his coherence for the time being. His body language suggested surrender to the heavy weight of exhaustion.

“Let’s go,” Jenna murmured to her deputy, getting up from her chair and leaving the room with a last look at Jason.

Jake followed her, and after a moment’s hesitation, Spelling and Morgan did too. They all moved down the hallway and back to jail’s main office, where they settled into familiar surroundings with the crackle of radio chatter and the scent of old coffee gracing the air.

“Probably got our man,” Spelling ventured, folding his arms across his chest.

“I’m not so sure,” Jenna countered.

She stood still for a moment in the office, letting the adrenaline of the interrogation ebb away. Her hand found its way to her notepad, pulling it and flipping it open. “Chief Morgan,” she said, turning towards the Pinecrest police chief, “I guess you’ll keep him here tonight at least?”

“Sure,” Morgan replied. “But I’ll probably have to release him tomorrow.”

Colonel Spelling said, “I’ll keep the APB on Amber active. She’s still out there somewhere.”

“And Chief Morgan,” Jenna said, “I need Liam Sweeney’s contact information.”

“Sure thing, Sheriff,” Morgan replied, moving to the computer on his desk. After a moment, he read off a number.

She scribbled it down with a precision that spoke of her former life as a beat cop, where every detail could be the thread that unraveled a case. With a nod of thanks, Jenna motioned to Jake, and they made their way to the exit—the heavy door closing behind them with a clank that reverberated through the empty hallway. Outside, they saw that the sun was setting, painting the sky in shades of orange and pink. But the day’s work was far from over.

Jenna pulled out her phone as they walked, her thumb hovering over the keypad before she dialed the number that Morgan had given her. It rang twice before a voice on the other end answered.

“Mr. Sweeney? This is Sheriff Graves from Genesis county. My deputy and I are here in town because of the man who attacked you. He’s part of an investigation.”

“My fiancée’s old boyfriend, yeah,” Liam replied. “I’d never met him before. What a way to make his acquaintance.”

“We need to talk to you about Amber Stevens before we leave town. Can we meet with you now?”

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