Page 46 of In Her Sights

They locked eyes, a silent battle of wills taking place. Jenna understood his concern. She even appreciated his desire to protect her. But she felt there was something deeply personal about this confrontation with Emily—someone who had been a part of her childhood, someone who had led both her and her lost sister into stories that reached way beyond this small-town life.

But she saw clearly that Jake was not going to give in.

“Okay,” she conceded after a tense moment, “you can come in. But give me space. I’ll signal if I need you.” It was a compromise, but one she could live with.

“Fine,” Jake agreed reluctantly, his broad shoulders relaxing slightly now that he knew he’d be close by.

“Remember,” she reminded him as they approached the entrance, “this is delicate. Emily trusts me. I might be able to get her to talk to me, or at least get her to give something away about where Sarah is hidden. So give me space.”

“Understood,” Jake muttered, although the set of his jaw suggested his compliance was purely for her benefit.

They entered the library, the scent of books and polished wood greeting them like an old friend. Subdued light filtered through the tall windows, casting the interior in a quiet glow that seemed at odds with the turmoil brewing in Jenna. She took a breath, steeling herself for whatever was to come.

She saw no sign of the librarian, and only one other person was in sight. At the checkout desk, an impatient patron tapped the bell. The woman glanced up at Jenna, her brow creased in confusion. “Have you seen Emily?” she asked, her voice tinged with concern. “It’s not like her to just disappear.”

“Emily’s…indisposed at the moment,” Jenna replied, offering no further explanation. “I’m afraid you’ll have to come back later.”

“But I wanted to check out—”

“Just go ahead and take it,” Jenna told her. “It will be all right if you leave a note.”

Looking confused, the woman scribbled something on a piece of paper and hurried away with her book.

“Let’s split up,” she said to Jake, her voice barely rising above the sacred silence of the library. “You need to keep out of sight if I’m going to get her to open up.”

“Got it,” Jake replied, nodding once before moving off toward the nonfiction area, looking just like an ordinary library patron casually scanning labels on the nearest selections.

Jenna moved deeper into the library, her footsteps muted against the carpeted floor. The familiar tall shelves loomed around her, filled with both true and made-up tales that had helped shape her life. Today, they felt more like witnesses to an impending revelation that could shatter the small-town aura of Trentville forever.

The building was quiet, the air still. It felt almost suffocating to Jenna as she walked amongst the towering bookcases. Silence reigned supreme, a sacred rule unbroken even by the soft echo of her footsteps. Her eyes scanned the aisles, searching for any sign of Emily, but the librarian was nowhere to be seen.

The rows of books were silent observers, their spines rigid with secrets. Each title Jenna’s gaze flitted over seemed to hold a hidden message, a story that could unravel the mystery she was desperately trying to solve. But they remained mute.

Jenna paused, feeling the weight of years spent within these walls; this place had been a sanctuary of stories and dreams, a retreat from the harsh reality that had taken her sister all those years ago. Now, it loomed over her, its shadows stretching out like specters, transforming the familiar into something far more sinister.

As she passed by the children’s section, colorful covers and illustrations appeared dulled, their vibrancy leached away by the morning’s revelations. She shook her head, trying to clear her mind of thoughts that might have clouded her judgment. Emily couldn’t be the monster they were looking for, could she?

Whatever the truth was, Jenna reminded herself, it was her job to find out.

When she reached Emily’s office, she knocked on the door. There was no answer, so she pushed it open. The book-lined shelves, the meticulously organized desk—everything was in its place except for the librarian herself. Nothing seemed out of theordinary, nothing hinted at where Emily might be or what had happened to her.

Turning away, Jenna made her way to the ladies’ room, pushing open the door with a similar trepidation. The silence that followed was answer enough; Emily wasn’t there either. A pang of frustration twisted in Jenna’s chest. Where could the librarian be?

At the back end of the library, she encountered a heavy closed door, one that she thought led to a part of the building she had never visited. She approached that door and knocked sharply.

“Emily?” she called out, but there was no response.

Jenna pushed that door open and was facing a dimly lit corridor, with another heavy closed door at the far end. It was then that she heard it—a loud bump, heavy and hollow, as if something—or someone—had collided with a solid object.

Instinctively, Jenna froze, listening. Muffled noises—a scuffling, perhaps the faintest echo of a whimper?

She hurried to the second door and called out, “Emily, this is Jenna Graves. I’m coming in.”

When she flung that door open, Jenna faced only darkness, but heard the unmistakable clatter of footsteps ascending stairs rapidly. Emily Carson burst forth from the blackness beyond, her silhouette framed by the void of the unlit basement.

“Jenna,” Emily gasped, her words tumbling out in a disoriented jumble. “I didn’t know you were here. I—I was just—”

“Stay back, Emily,” Jenna said as she reached for a light switch she saw on the wall. “I need to see what’s down there.” Jenna’s command was authoritative, devoid of the warmth once shared between the two women over many years of friendship.

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