Page 48 of In Her Fears
“I told you,” he replied, his voice tight with agitation, “I only paint what I see.The visions come to me in the endless twilight between waking and the sleep that never arrives.I don’t choose them.”
“Then help us understand them,” Jake urged.“If someone is using your visions to commit murders, we need to stop them before anyone else gets hurt.”
A long silence followed, broken only by the sound of wind rustling through nearby trees.Jenna was about to speak again when Harrow’s voice returned, softer now.
“Do you know what happens to a mind that never truly rests, Sheriff?It begins to fragment.Reality blurs.Time becomes...uncertain.”
"I think I'm beginning to understand," Jenna said, thinking of her own month of broken sleep, the way reality had started to waver at the edges."Even a few weeks of insomnia have affected my perception.I can't imagine seven years."
Another long pause.
“They think I killed that girl,” Elias said.
“Some people jumped to conclusions based on rumors,” Jenna explained.“I don’t believe you left this house to harm anyone.But I do believe your paintings are somehow connected to these deaths, and I need your help to understand how.”
“I can’t help you,” Harrow said, a note of finality in his voice.“Not like this.Not with you.”
Jenna exchanged a glance with Jake, frustration evident in both their expressions.They were so close, yet the fragile man behind the door remained beyond reach.
“Is there someone you would talk to?”Jenna asked, a last-ditch effort.“Someone you trust?A friend, a doctor, anyone who might help you communicate with us?”
The silence stretched so long that Jenna thought he might have retreated from the door.She was about to knock again when his voice returned, surprising her with its sudden clarity and decision.
“Eric Edwards,” Harrow said.“I’ll speak to Eric Edwards.”
Jenna’s eyebrows rose in surprise.“Mr.Edwards told us you hadn’t spoken to him since your wife died.That you blamed him.”
“I did.I do.”Harrow’s voice hardened.“But if I must speak to someone, it will be him.And I have to talk to him alone.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Jenna massaged her temples as Jake guided the patrol car into a vacant spot across the street fromthe Starlight Canvas Gallery.
“You okay?”Jake asked, his voice gentle as he killed the engine.
Jenna nodded automatically, then caught herself.“No.But it doesn’t matter.”
Jake studied her face.“We can handle this tomorrow if—”
“No,” Jenna said more firmly.“If there’s a chance someone else could die tonight, we don’t have the luxury of waiting.”
The street was quieter now, most shops closing for the day.A few pedestrians hurried past, eager to get home for dinner.Jenna envied their ordinary concerns, their uncomplicated evenings ahead.
She pushed the car door open and got out.She and Jake needed to speak with Eric Edwards about Elias’s unexpected request, but first there was a matter to discuss with the young assistant, Jay Langham.
Jake fell into step beside her as they crossed the street toward the gallery’s entrance.As they entered.Jay looked up, his expression shifting from boredom to wariness as he recognized them.
“Back so soon?”he asked, setting his phone down with deliberate casualness.“Find anything interesting at Harrow’s place?”
Jenna approached the counter, maintaining eye contact as she closed the distance between them.“Actually, we found a crowd of angry people ready to take justice into their own hands, all because someone spread rumors about evidence linking Elias Harrow to Alexis Downey’s murder.”
Jay’s face remained neutral, but Jenna caught the slight twitch at the corner of his mouth.“That’s terrible,” he said.“People shouldn’t jump to conclusions.”
“No, they shouldn’t,” Jake agreed.“Especially when those conclusions are based on information that was never meant to be public.”
Jay’s gaze flicked between them.“What’s this got to do with me?”
“Several people at the Sunflower Café identified you as the source of those rumors,” Jenna said, her voice steady despite her exhaustion.“The owner specifically mentioned that you came in and told everyone we were investigating Harrow for murder.”
