Page 34 of In Her Dreams
Frank shrugged.“Could be both.My grandmother believed that the darkness couldn’t act on its own—it needed human vessels.People who were willing to channel it, use it.”
“Like Dr.Walsh?”Jake suggested.
“Or someone using him,” Jenna countered.“He seemed more frightened than predatory to me.”
The conversation spiraled into speculation—about the nature of this darkness, about how it might relate to the dreamcatchers and Walsh’s treatments, about what their next steps should be.The shrill ring of Jenna’s phone cut through the conversation like a knife.She glanced at the screen and felt her shoulders tense immediately.
“Mayor Simmons,” she said, answering with professional crispness.“What can I do for you this evening?”
Claire Simmons’ voice sliced through the speaker, sharp enough that Jake, sitting across the table, winced in sympathy with Jenna.
“Sheriff Graves, I need to see you at my home immediately.This...situation with Richard Winters and Anita Palmer has gotten completely out of hand.There are rumors circulating about—” She paused, her voice dropping to a controlled hiss.“About murder.In my town.”
Jenna caught Jake’s eye across the table.“I understand your concern, Mayor, but—”
“No buts, Sheriff.My home.Right now.Bring Deputy Hawkins if you must, but be there.”The call ended abruptly.
Jenna lowered the phone slowly, feeling the familiar tension that always accompanied interactions with Claire Simmons.Trentville was the county seat, the governmental center of Genesius County.The Trentville mayor actually held no authority over the county sheriff, but Jake and Jenna had learned that life went much more smoothly if they allowed Clair to exert her demands—as long as she didn’t get in the way of their jobs.
“Duty calls,” Jake said with a wry smile.“Real world this time.”
As they stood to leave, Frank caught Jenna’s arm gently.“Be careful,” he said, his voice low and serious.“The darkness my grandmother spoke of—it doesn’t just feed on fear.It creates it.It finds what terrifies you most and brings it to life.”
He walked them to the door.On the porch, as Jake headed toward the car, Frank held Jenna back for a moment.
“Remember what I told you about Jake?”he asked quietly.
Jenna felt heat rise to her cheeks despite the cool evening air.Frank had noticed the attraction between them long before she’d admitted it to herself.“I remember,” she said.
Frank’s eyes crinkled with affection.“It’s possible to have both, you know.A career and a fulfilling personal life.I’ve had both.It’s been a good life.I’d hate for you to miss out on all that.”
She squeezed his hand gently, grateful for his concern even as she deflected it.“One mystery at a time, Frank.”
His chuckle followed her down the steps, a warm sound in the cool night.
As Jenna slid behind the wheel, she noticed how different Trentville looked in the darkness.The familiar streets and buildings she’d known all her life suddenly seemed like facades, thin veneers barely concealing something much older and more sinister beneath.
Jake fastened his seatbelt beside her.“You okay?”he asked quietly.
“Just thinking,” she replied, starting the engine.“About what Frank said.About the darkness, finding what terrifies you most.”
Jake’s gaze was steady on her profile.“What scares you, Jenna?”
She pulled onto the road, the headlights cutting through the darkness ahead.“Not finding Piper,” she admitted.“Living my whole life never knowing what happened to her.”
The unspoken question hung between them: Was the darkness already using that fear against her?Was Jill’s moment of apparent recognition a sign that Piper might be alive, or was it the darkness playing on Jenna’s deepest hopes and fears?
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Night had settled over Trentville as Jenna navigated the winding roads toward Mayor Simmons’s hillside residence.Beside her, Jake sat in contemplative silence, his profile illuminated by the occasional passing streetlight.It was late for an official visit, and Claire had obviously left her office and gone home for the night, but her phone call had made it clear that this couldn’t wait until morning.
As she made the final turn up the driveway, the impressive Victorian-style home came into view, its windows glowing amber against the night.The mayor’s home stood as an architectural testament to old money and influence.
“What do you think she has on her mind this time?”Jake asked.
“Something to do with Richard Winters and Anita Palmer, she said.And rumors about their deaths.I guess word has gotten around that we’re looking into what happened to them.It’s the kind of thing that really rubs her the wrong way about me.”
They walked up the flagstone path to the front door.Almost immediately after Jenna pressed the doorbell, the heavy oak door swung open, and Claire Simmons herself stood framed in the entrance.Her tailored charcoal pantsuit was as crisp as if she were heading to a council meeting rather than hosting an impromptu evening discussion.
