Page 10 of In Her Dreams
“I know how it sounds.But Dad’s heart condition was stable.He’d been doing so well lately.”Rusty wiped at her tears.“Maybe it was just the pain of the heart attack that caused that expression.But I can’t shake the feeling that something else happened in that room last night.”
Jenna reached across the table to take her friend’s hand.“I’ll look into it, Rusty.I promise.I’ll talk to Melissa Stark at the coroner’s office first thing.”
Relief flooded Rusty’s face.“Thank you.My husband thinks I’m just not coping well, that I’m looking for something more complex than a simple heart attack because I can’t accept Dad’s gone.”
“How is Lucas dealing with this?”
“He’s at our kids’ school now, telling them about their grandfather.He’ll be back soon.”Rusty squeezed Jenna’s hand.“I’m glad it was you who came, Jenna.Not just because you’re sheriff, but because you...you understand about losing family suddenly.”
The mention of loss—Piper’s disappearance, her father’s cancer—hovered between them, unspoken but acknowledged.
“I do understand,” Jenna said simply.
“Have you heard anything about …?”
Rusty’s voice faded before she finished her question.Jenna shook her head silently.
“I’m sorry,” Rusty said.“I shouldn’t have asked.”
“It’s okay.I … keep hoping.”
Of course, there was much more to it than that.But those were the only words I could think of to say.Jenna and Rusty hugged.
As she prepared to leave, Jenna took one last look around the Winters home.The house felt different now, its warm memories overshadowed by the mystery of Richard’s final moments and the unsettling presence of the strange object upstairs.
Amy appeared with Jenna’s hat.“Will you find out what happened to him, Sheriff?”
“I’ll do my best,” Jenna promised, settling the hat on her head.
Stepping out into the afternoon sun, Jenna felt the weight of a new investigation settling onto her shoulders.Between the ongoing Harvesters case and now Richard’s unexpected death, this day felt gloomy in spite of the sunshine.
She slid into her patrol car and pulled out her phone, scrolling to the photos she’d taken of the strange circular object.Whatever it was, it had appeared in Richard’s life around the time his claustrophobia improved.Coincidence, or connection?Either way, her next stop would be the county coroner’s office.Melissa Stark might have insights about Richard’s cause of death that went beyond the obvious heart failure.
Jenna wished she could believe that Richard had died of a simple heart attack.But something deep inside told her that wasn’t true.
CHAPTER FOUR
As Jenna pulled away from the Winters’ residence, the squad car’s air conditioning fought against the afternoon heat, but the chill she felt had nothing to do with temperature.Richard Winters’ death and Rusty’s haunted eyes when she spoke of the expression of terror frozen on his face … that strange object hanging on his bedroom wall…
And hovering behind it all—the other awful situation they’d dealt with earlier today.Women caged in the mine and the hollow-eyed one who’d looked at Jenna as if she were a ghost returned from the dead.
The streets of Trentville unfurled before her, so familiar she could navigate them blindfolded.Past Riverbend Trust Bank where Richard had worked for decades, past the elementary school where she and Piper had learned to read, past the courthouse with its imposing columns.Each landmark was a reminder of the life she’d built in the absence of her sister.
Her mind wouldn’t settle, thoughts skittering from the Harvesters case to Richard Winters’ inexplicable death then back to the strange words of the woman they’d rescued.Without conscious decision, Jenna reached for her phone and tapped Jake’s number.
He answered on the second ring.“Hawkins.”
“It’s me,” Jenna said, the tension in her shoulders easing at the sound of his voice.“Anything new on the Harvesters front?”
“Nothing yet.The forensics team is still processing the mine site.No ID on our Jane Doe yet either.”
“Still unconscious?”
“Last I checked.”Paper rustled on Jake’s end of the line.“I’m wrapping up some paperwork at the station.The FBI team is due in to meet with us here in an hour.”
“I want to stop by the coroner’s office,” she said.“See if Melissa’s found anything unusual about Richard’s death.There should be time for that.I can swing by and pick you up if you want to join me.”The suggestion to pick him up wasn’t strictly necessary – Jake had his own vehicle – but she found herself craving his steady presence.
“Sounds good.I’ll be out front.”
