Page 29 of In Her Fears
The familiar features hit Jenna like a physical blow.Even in death, Alexis Downey’s face retained traces of the warmth and vitality that had made her so beloved at the Sunflower Café.
“It’s Alexis Downey,” Jenna said, her voice steady despite the emotion threatening to overwhelm her.“The missing woman we’ve been searching for.”
Pulling on latex gloves, Melissa moved closer, examining the body without touching it.“Livor mortis suggests she’s been dead for at least eight to ten hours,” she observed.
Jenna forced herself to look at the scene with professional eyes, to see past the horror to the evidence that might lead them to whoever had done this.There was something performative about the display—Alexis suspended like some macabre artwork, positioned to be found, to be seen just like Martin Holbrook staked to the tree in Pinecrest Cemetery.
“He’s making his masterpieces,” Jenna murmured, the words from her dream finding terrible new meaning.
“What was that?”Melissa asked, turning toward her.
Jenna shook her head slightly.“Nothing.”She turned to address the group.“I want every inch of this place processed.Footprints, fibers, whatever might lead us to whoever did this.”
As the team began to mobilize around her, Jenna took one final look at Alexis.The young woman who had always greeted her with a smile at the café, who had been planning a future with Ryan Kimball, who had spent her last evening looking at the moon through a telescope named Galileo—reduced now to a grotesque display, which was perhaps someone’s twisted idea of art.
“I’m sorry we were too late,” Jenna whispered, too quietly for anyone else to hear.“But I will find whoever did this to you.”
Whatever connection existed between this death and Martin Holbrook’s, Jenna would uncover it.The dream had been a warning, and though she’d failed to decipher it in time to save Alexis, she wouldn’t fail again.
Outside, the forest continued its indifferent existence—birds calling from the branches, sunlight filtering through leaves, the gentle whisper of wind through the pines.Nature's cycle persisted, even as human lives were cut brutally short.
Jenna stepped out of the lodge, squinting at the sunlight that pierced through the canopy.Her gaze settled on Grant Mosher, still seated on the fallen log, his head in his hands.She approached him quietly, her boots crunching softly over twigs and dry leaves.When he saw her arrive, the forest service deputy who had been talking with the distraught man got to his feet and stood aside.
“Mr.Mosher?”she called gently as she got closer, careful not to startle him.He lifted his head slowly, revealing eyes red-rimmed with shock and fatigue.
“Yeah,” Mosher replied hoarsely, as if speaking required effort.
“I’m Sheriff Jenna Graves,” she said, crouching down to meet his eye level.“I know this must be difficult for you, but can you tell me what happened?”
Grant nodded slowly, taking a deep breath before beginning."I was just hiking like I always do on Wednesdays," he said, voice trembling slightly."The air was crisp...felt good to be out here.I often stop at this old hunting lodge to rest a little.And when I went inside, that was when I found her.I contacted Ranger Schmidt right away."
Grant’s palpable shock told Jenna that he was in no way guilty.
“You did exactly what you should have done,” she reassured him softly.
Grant's eyes met hers then, filled with gratitude yet haunted by what they had witnessed inside that lodge.
"Thank you for telling me," she said sincerely."If you remember any other details, get in touch with me right away."He just nodded, and Jenna rose back onto her feet with renewed determination.
The hunt had begun.
She stepped outside the lodge, her phone already in hand.The sunlight was harsh, a stark contrast to the dim horror within.She dialed Colonel Spelling, pacing along the edge of the clearing as she waited for him to pick up.
“Spelling here,” came his voice, steady and authoritative through the line.
“Colonel, it’s Jenna Graves,” she began, keeping her tone professional despite the turmoil inside.“We’ve got a situation at the old hunting lodge in Whispering Pines Forest.A woman’s been murdered—Alexis Downey from Trentville.The scene...in some ways it’s disturbingly similar to Martin Holbrook’s.”
There was a pause on the other end, just long enough for Jenna to hear Spelling processing this information with weary resolve.
“Damn,” he muttered softly before continuing more formally.“I’m not far from there—was heading toward Trentville for another matter.I’ll divert and be with you shortly.”
“Thank you,” Jenna replied, relief threading through her words.She knew having Spelling on-site would lend weight to their investigation—and perhaps help keep any local interference at bay.
“I’ll bring additional resources,” Spelling added before hanging up.
Jenna slipped her phone back into her pocket, turning to face Jake, who had come up beside her.
“Spelling’s on his way here,” Jenna said.
