Page 11 of In Her Dreams
Ten minutes later, Jake slid into the passenger seat, bringing with him the no-nonsense energy that had drawn her to him from their first meeting.His sandy hair was slightly disheveled, as if he’d been running his hands through it – a habit when deep in thought.
“Rough visit with Rusty?”he asked, studying her face.
“You could say that.”Jenna pulled away from the curb.
“How’s she holding up?”
“About as well as you’d expect.But something’s off about the whole situation, Jake.Richard Winters had a heart condition, yes.But according to Rusty, he’d been doing well.And she mentioned something that’s been bothering me.”
Jake waited, his silence an invitation to continue.
“She said her father looked terrified.His dead body, I mean.Not just in pain, but scared.”Jenna’s grip tightened on the wheel.“And there was this strange thing hanging on his bedroom wall.”
She reached for her phone at a stoplight, pulling up the photo she’d taken.“Here.Ever seen anything like it?”
Jake took the phone, his brow furrowing as he studied the image.“Use of a lot of natural materials,” he commented.“Could this be Native American?Some kind of ceremonial thing, or a dreamcatcher, maybe?”
“That’s what I wondered, but I’ve seen dreamcatchers before.They’re usually more...”
“Attractive?”Jake supplied with the hint of a smile.
“Exactly.This looks almost...I don’t know.Sinister.”
“Sounds like something we’d better look into.”
“I definitely think so.”
The light changed, and Jenna returned her attention to the road, but her mind refused to let go of the image.The web-like structure with its dangling feathers seemed to pulse with malevolent energy even in the photograph.
She wondered, what kind of dreams would a thing like that be expected to catch?
Anyway, she was grateful not for the first time for Jake’s openness to strange matters.A former city cop with a decade on the Kansas City force, Jake Hawkins had every reason to dismiss small-town hunches and whispers of the supernatural.Instead, he’d become her most trusted ally.
“How are the women from the mine?”she asked, shifting topics.
“Living, breathing human beings kept in cages like animals...”He let out a rumbling sigh.“I guess these two were lucky to get out, but it’s going to be a long road back for them—if they ever get there at all.”
“And the one who thought she recognized me?”
“Jill.At least that’s what Ginger kept saying she thought her name was.No last name.Hospital says she’s suffering from severe dehydration, malnutrition, and showing signs of prolonged psychological trauma.”
Jenna’s mind flashed to the skeletal woman’s face, eyes wide with shock and recognition.For a delirious moment, she’d thought the woman might have been mistaking her for Piper.But although her words had sounded certain, there had been confusion in those sunken eyes.
“Can you call the hospital?See if there’s any change?”
Jake nodded, already dialing.
“She’s still unconscious,” he said after he finished the call.“Stable, but it’s serious.”
“I keep thinking about what she said,” Jenna admitted.“‘It’s you!You’ve come back!’Like she knew me.”
“She was delirious, Jenna.Severely dehydrated, kept in darkness for who knows how long.”Jake’s voice was gentle.“People say all kinds of things in that state.”
“I know.It’s just...”She trailed off, unable to articulate the feeling that had lodged in her chest since the moment those desperate eyes had locked onto hers.
They drove in companionable silence for a few minutes, the familiar streets of Trentville sliding by outside the windows.The afternoon sun caught on the weathered brick facades of downtown, bathing them in golden light that belied the menace Jenna felt gathering around them.
City Hall soon loomed ahead, its limestone exterior gleaming in the afternoon sun.The building housed not only the administrative offices for Trentville but also the county coroner’s office and morgue.Jenna had walked these hallways thousands of times over her career, but today they seemed charged with an energy she couldn’t name.
