Page 15 of In Her Dreams
“Can you blame him?”Jake’s tone was gentle.“If I didn’t know what I know about you, I’d be suspicious too.”
Maple Street emerged before them, a picturesque row of older homes with established yards and mature trees.At the moment, the tranquility was broken by two middle-aged men gesturing angrily at a massive oak that had partially toppled across a property line, crushing a section of white picket fence.
“What seems to be the problem here?”Jenna called as she and Jake approached.
The taller of the two men turned, his face flushed with anger.“My problem is that Fred here refuses to pay for the damage his tree did to my fence.I’ve been telling him for years that oak was leaning too far.”
“It was the storm that knocked it down, not me,” Fred countered, arms crossed defensively over his chest.“Act of God, not my responsibility.”
Jenna looked at the fallen giant, its exposed roots still clinging to clumps of earth, its branches reaching across the property line where they had crushed a white picket fence along with some flowers, and narrowly missed a garden of meticulously tended roses.
“Gentlemen, let’s take a step back and talk this through calmly,” she said, slipping into the mediator role that made up so much of small-town policing.“Mr.…?”
“Lawson.Dave Lawson,” the taller man supplied.
“And Fred Meyers,” the other added.
Jenna nodded.“Mr.Lawson, Mr.Meyers, can we agree that regardless of who’s legally responsible, the tree needs to be removed and the fence repaired?”
The next hour dissolved into a detailed discussion of arborists’ assessments, insurance policies, and the technicalities of property law.Jake quietly took notes while Jenna guided the conversation away from accusations and toward practical solutions.
It was tedious work, yet there was something almost comforting about it—the ordinary problems of ordinary people, the kind that could be solved with patience and common sense rather than firearms and federal task forces.
By the time they’d helped the neighbors reach a compromise—shared costs for tree removal, with Meyers covering the fence repair and Lawson agreeing not to pursue claims for his crushed hydrangeas—the sun was dipping lower in the sky.
Back in the patrol car, Jenna felt exhaustion settling into her bones.The adrenaline of the morning’s discoveries had long since faded, leaving behind a weariness that made even lifting her arms to the steering wheel an effort.
“Long day,” Jake observed, his own voice rough with fatigue.
“And it’s not over yet,” Jenna replied, starting the engine.“I need to check on our Jane Doe at the hospital.”
Jake looked at her, concern etched in the lines around his eyes.“You should get some rest, Jenna.The hospital isn’t going anywhere.”
“I can’t,” she said simply.“That woman recognized me, Jake.I need to know what that means.”
“You think she might know something about Piper,” Jake said quietly.It wasn’t a question.
Jenna nodded, not trusting herself to speak.
The drive to Jake’s house passed in comfortable silence.When she pulled up in front of his modest bungalow, he hesitated before opening the door.
“Call me if you learn anything,” he said.“And Jenna?Try to get some sleep tonight.You look like you need it.”
She managed a small smile.“I’ll try.No promises.”
As Jake disappeared into his bungalow, Jenna turned toward Trentville Memorial Hospital.When she parked and went inside, the building was quiet.
At the nurses’ station, a woman in purple scrubs looked up from her computer.
“How is Jill, our Jane Doe?”Jenna asked without preamble.
The nurse’s expression softened with professional sympathy.“No change, I’m afraid.She’s stable, but still comatose.Dr.Reeves doesn’t expect her to regain consciousness anytime soon.”
“How about Ginger Lomax?”
“She’s been sleeping mostly.Tomorrow we expect to transfer her to Kansas City, where she can be under the care of her own physician.”
Jenna weighed her options.She doubted that she could learn anything meaningful from Ginger, certainly not about Jill’s exclamation when she saw Jenna’s face.Jill herself was another matter.
