Page 48 of In Her Sights

“Best in Genesius County,” she agreed, a genuine smile gracing her face. For a moment, she allowed herself the comfort of that camaraderie. But then a shadow crossed her thoughts, darkening her features. She remembered those two graves they’d found in the dirt at the edge of the library’s concrete floor, where Mark Reeves and Melissa Brennan had been buried—and also that gaping, freshly dug hole that had been prepared for Sarah Thompson’s body.

“It’s just…” she began.

Jake paused, turning to face her. “What is it?”

“Emily confessed to two murders,” Jenna began, her voice low. “But something doesn’t sit right. Piper… my sister could have been one of her earlier victims. I know—there were only two bodies buried in that basement. But how can we be sure …?” Her gaze drifted to the horizon, where the town’s quaint outlines blurred with the encroaching dusk.

“Without a body, there’s no way to know,” Jake said, his protective instinct surfacing in his furrowed brow.

“Exactly. And if Emily had other victims, where are they?” Jenna’s emerald eyes, usually so bright with determination, now reflected a haunted uncertainty. She feared what remained unearthed, the possibility that her sister’s fate was intertwined with the librarian’s deadly secrets.

“Let’s not jump to conclusions,” Jake said, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “We’ll investigate further, follow any lead we can come up with.”

“Right,” Jenna murmured, nodding more to herself than to him. She knew the search for Piper was far from over. That was a path she walked alone, guided by an intuition that whispered of connections yet unseen. She would continue, relentless in her pursuit of the truth, no matter how elusive it might be.

They walked side by side to the parking lot, the silence comfortable but full of unspoken thoughts.

Jenna stood by her cruiser, the cold metal of the door handle grounding her to the moment. She watched Jake stride toward his own vehicle, each step carrying the weight of the day’s revelations. His silhouette blended with the lengthening shadows as the sun dipped lower, casting an orange glow over Genesius County. She wanted to call out, to say something more, but words clung stubbornly to the back of her throat.

An exchange of glances spoke what remained unvoiced between them; a mutual recognition of the day’s strain and thebond it had forged. Jenna felt the pull of something deeper, a connection that went beyond partnership, but she held it at bay. There was too much left unresolved, not just in the case, but within herself. Jake gave a final nod before disappearing into his car, leaving Jenna in the quiet company of her thoughts.

Her hand lingered on the door, the cool air whispering through the trees. The town seemed to hold its breath, as if waiting for her to shatter the silence with a revelation of her own. But instead, she slid into the driver’s seat, the soft creak of leather accompanying her movements. She closed the door, sealing herself inside, a barrier erected against the chaos of emotions threatening to spill forth.

The ignition hummed to life, but before Jenna could shift into gear, her phone vibrated against the console. Officer Dilkins’s name flashed on the screen. She knew him to be on the staff at the Genesius County Jail. She answered, her voice steady despite the uncertainty that gripped her. “Graves here.”

“Jenna, it’s Dilkins,” came the reply, laced with urgency. “Emily Carson… she’s asking to see you. Face-to-face.”

The request knotted Jenna’s stomach. After today, the mere thought of sitting across from the woman who haunted Trentville’s tranquility was almost too much to bear. Her first instinct was to refuse, to end the call and drive home without giving the request another thought. But then the image of Piper surfaced in her mind, a face frozen in time, a sister still lost. This might be Jenna’s only chance to ask about Piper, maybe to finally learn something that had eluded her for far too long.

“Alright,” she said, the decision carving itself into existence. “I’ll come.” It wasn’t just about getting answers or closing a case anymore. It was about facing the past, confronting the specter that might hold the key to her sister’s fate. With a resigned exhale, Jenna put the car into drive.

She would go to the jail. She would face Emily Carson.

***

Jenna trailed behind the guard, his keys jangling with each step down the sterile corridor of the Genesius County Jail. A lingering scent of bleach hung in the air, blending with a murkiness that seemed to seep from the cold concrete walls. She halted outside a cell, her gaze fixed on the woman within. Emily Carson sat calmly on the edge of a bunk, the barred door between them doing little to diminish the familiar warmth of her smile.

The guard gave Jenna a nod before departing, leaving her seated on the cold bench outside the bars that confined the town’s once-trusted librarian.

“Jenna, how good of you to come,” Emily greeted, rising to stand close to the bars. Her voice was as serene as Jenna recalled from those childhood afternoons spent among library stacks. It felt surreal—this poised figure before her, who had once guided her through literary worlds, now confined with such good reason within these bleak walls.

“I wish you hadn’t gotten tangled in this mess,” Emily said softly, her eyes reflecting a sorrow that seemed almost genuine. “I never wanted you to see this side of me.”

“Excuse me?” Jenna’s voice sharpened like the cut of a blade. “You orchestrated a nightmare, Emily. People are dead because of you.” Her words were unadorned, carrying the weight of stark truth.

Emily sighed, a sound that held no trace of denial. “I know what I’ve done,” she admitted. And there it was—an acknowledgment, plain and devoid of any theatrics.

They fell silent, the air between them filled with the unsaid. Jenna’s gaze wandered to the barred window, where the light was beginning to fade into the early evening haze. She could hear the distant murmur of correctional officers and the occasionalshuffle of inmates elsewhere in the facility, but the world seemed muted, narrowed down to this moment of disbelief and simmering anger.

“Jenna, I owe you an apology.” Emily spoke abruptly, breaking the silence with the same disarming civility she had always shown amidst the stacks of well-thumbed books. “Yesterday, it completely slipped my mind… It was the anniversary of Piper’s disappearance.” Her voice held a note of contrition, or perhaps it was an attempt at empathy.

“I should have asked how you were holding up,” Emily added softly. “I hope it wasn’t too difficult a day for you.”

Jenna’s response lodged in her throat, unspoken. She stared at Emily, the woman who had been a fixture of her childhood, now held in the harsh light of the truth. How could such normalcy be feigned so easily? In Jenna’s mind, the memories of shared book recommendations and whispered library conversations warred with the present reality. The irony of Emily’s concern, genuine or not, left Jenna momentarily lost for words.

“I called you here because I know what you’re thinking,” Emily continued, her voice even and direct. “You wonder if I had anything to do with Piper’s disappearance.”

Emily’s eyes held Jenna’s, unflinching. “But I swear to you, Jenna, it wasn’t me. I’ve done horrible things, yes, but harming your sister was never one of them. And in some corner of my heart, I still hope she returns to you.”

---