Page 27 of In Her Fears
“What did you do after that call?”
“I called everyone we know,” Ryan said, gesturing toward his phone.“Friends, coworkers at the café, people from her classes at community college.Nobody’s seen or heard from her since yesterday.”
He reached beneath the counter and pulled out a framed photograph—Alexis and Ryan at what appeared to be a music festival, her arms wrapped around his waist, both grinning into the camera.“We’re supposed to move in together at the end of the month,” he said, his voice dropping.“We’ve been planning it for weeks.”
Jenna felt a pang of sympathy, but professional caution kept her from fully embracing it.Relationships were often the most dangerous ground for young women.Statistics didn’t lie—partners and exes posed significant threats.And yet, the theatrical nature of the Pinecrest murder didn’t align with typical domestic violence patterns.
“Mr.Kimball,” she said, choosing her words carefully, “have you been to Pinecrest recently?Perhaps in the last month or so?”
The question clearly caught him off guard.“Pinecrest?No, not for ages.Maybe not since college.”His brow furrowed.“What does Pinecrest have to do with Alexis?”
“Just covering all possibilities,” Jenna replied, noting his apparent confusion.Either he was genuinely perplexed by the question, or he was an exceptional actor.
“Is there anyone you can think of who might want to harm Alexis?”Jake asked, steering the conversation back on track.“Any conflicts, arguments, people who showed too much interest in her?”
Ryan shook his head slowly.“No, nothing like that.Everybody loves Alexis.”His use of the present tense didn’t escape Jenna’s notice.“She’s got this way about her, you know?Makes people feel good about themselves.”
Before Jenna could follow up, her phone rang.The screen displayed a familiar name—the lead ranger at Whispering Pines Forest.
“Sheriff Graves,” she answered.
“Sheriff, it’s Billy Schmidt.”His normally steady voice sounded strained.“We’ve got a situation out at the old hunting lodge here in Whispering Pines.A hiker found a body this morning.Female, probably mid-twenties.”
The room seemed to tilt around Jenna,.“Condition?”she asked, her voice tightly controlled.
“Dead,” Billy replied grimly.“Hanging from the rafters.It’s...it’s not good, Sheriff.”
“Have you identified the victim?”
“No, but we might be able to do that soon.I’ll explain it to you when you get here.”
Jenna closed her eyes briefly, her dream flashing behind her eyelids—blood splattering across blank canvases like abstract art.“Send me the coordinates.We’re on our way.”
She ended the call and turned to Jake, whose expression told her he’d already guessed the nature of the call.
“Body?”he asked quietly.
Jenna nodded, then turned to Ryan, whose face had drained of color.“Mr.Kimball, I need you to stay in town and remain available for further questions.”
“Is it—” Ryan’s voice cracked.“Is it Alexis?”
“We don’t know yet,” Jenna said, though her instincts were screaming otherwise.“We’ll contact you as soon as we have more information.”
She stepped away, already dialing the station.“I need officers to Whispering Pines Forest immediately,” she instructed when the dispatcher answered.“Coordinates to follow.Possible homicide.”
Jake was already on his own phone, contacting Dr.Melissa Stark to dispatch the coroner’s team.Jenna glanced back at Ryan, who had sunk onto a stool behind the counter, staring at the photograph of himself and Alexis with an expression of dread.
“We have to go,” she told him, already moving toward the door.“An officer will follow up with you shortly.”
As they rushed back to the patrol car, Jenna felt the pieces clicking together in her mind—the Pinecrest murder, the dream, Alexis’s disappearance, and now a body at an abandoned hunting lodge.Whatever dark pattern was forming, it was no longer lurking at the edges of her awareness.It was coming into terrible, unmistakable focus.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The convoy of law enforcement vehicles wound through the twisting roads of Whispering Pines Forest, their emergency lights cutting silently through dappled shadows cast by the dense canopy overhead.Jenna sat in the passenger seat of the lead car, her body rigid with tension.
The forest passed in a green blur, sunlight occasionally breaking through to create bright patches on the winding asphalt.They were heading toward coordinates that Billy Schmidt had texted—toward what Jenna increasingly feared would be confirmation of her worst suspicions.
“You think it’s her, don’t you?”Jake asked, his hands tight on the steering wheel as he navigated a particularly sharp curve.
