Page 43 of In Her Dreams
They parked on the street and approached the house.The front door opened before they could knock, revealing a woman in her sixties with silver hair pulled into a tight bun.Her eyes were red-rimmed, her mouth set in a grim line.
“Frank,” she said with a nod.“Sheriff Graves.I suppose you heard.”
“Yes, I did, Ethel,” Frank acknowledged.“Mary called me.Is she inside?”
“In the bedroom.She hasn’t moved from there since...”Ethel’s voice faltered.“Since they took him.”
“Can we see her?”Jenna asked, her voice softer than usual.
Ethel stepped aside, letting them into the dim interior.
“Down the hall, second door on the right,” Ethel said.“I’m making some fresh coffee.I’ll bring it right away.”
Jenna and Frank moved through the living room, past framed photos of Sam and Mary—at their wedding, on vacations, with grown children and grandchildren.A life now fractured beyond repair.
The bedroom door stood partially open.Jenna knocked softly before pushing it wider.Mary Rodriguez sat at the foot of the bed, her small frame hunched, absently twisting her wedding band.Her gaze was fixed on something on the wall opposite—a dreamcatcher.
Unlike the ugly, chaotic ones from Winters’ and Palmer’s homes, this one was strangely beautiful.The central web was intricate, threads shimmering in the morning light that filtered through the curtains.Small crystals caught the sun, casting rainbow prisms across the walls.Feathers hung from the bottom, soft and perfectly arranged.
But even in its beauty, Jenna recognized it as the vast dreamcatcher from her dream.The one she had found herself wandering through before she found Sam.
“Mary,” Frank said gently, sitting beside her on the bed.The mattress dipped under his weight.“We’re so sorry.”
Mary turned slowly, as if emerging from a trance.Her eyes were vacant, shock written across her lined face.
“Frank.Jenna.”She nodded.“I knew you’d come.”
Jenna pulled up a chair from the corner, positioning it to face them both.She could feel the dreamcatcher watching her from the wall.
Ethel came into the bedroom, bringing a tray with three coffee cups and cream and sugar.
“Thank you, Ethel,” Mary said.“Could you leave us alone for a little bit?”
Ethel nodded and left the room, shutting the door behind her.
“Ethel’s been very kind,” Mary continued.“But I’m glad you’re here.”She looked at Jenna.“Both of you.”
“Mary,” Frank took her hand.“Can you tell us what happened?”
Mary drew a shuddering breath, her gaze drifting back to the dreamcatcher.
“I was asleep.It was around three in the morning when I heard this...thump.I didn’t see Sam, so I thought he had gotten up for water or his medication.”She paused, swallowing hard.“But I didn’t hear anything, so I got up to check.I saw him lying at the foot of the bed.On the floor.His face—”
Her voice broke.
“He looked terrified, Jenna.Like he’d seen something no one should ever see.”
Jenna leaned forward, her elbows on her knees.“What did you do then?”
“Called 911 right away.Started CPR.But I knew...”Mary’s fingers twisted more frantically at her wedding band.“I knew he was already gone.The paramedics tried for twenty minutes.Then they took him to the morgue.”
Jenna realized that it must have been like what she had experienced with Anita Palmer—especially awful for Mary, alone, trying to save her husband.
Frank squeezed Mary’s hand.“Had Sam been acting strangely lately?Anything unusual?”
“He’d been...different.For weeks now.”Mary’s eyes flickered to the dreamcatcher again.“I knew something was wrong, but he wouldn’t—seemed almost like he couldn’t—tell me what it was.”
“Mary,” Jenna said carefully, “we know Sam struggled with agoraphobia for years.Was he still having problems with that?”
