Page 49 of In Her Fears
“That I—” Jay stopped himself, reconsidering.“I may have mentioned something about Harrow’s weird paintings when I was getting coffee, but I didn’t tell anyone to go to his house.”
“Let’s not waste time with denials, Jay.We have multiple witnesses.”
"The café owner said you specifically described one of Harrow's paintings—a man tied to a tree with a stake through his heart, a pentagram carved above him," Jake added."That's not information you casually drop into conversation."
Jay’s posture stiffened, his earlier pretense of innocence evaporating.“Fine.Yeah, I told them.So what?People deserve to know when there’s a killer living in their town.”
“Except we never said Harrow was a killer,” Jenna countered.“You decided that on your own and then deliberately incited public action.”
“After you left, it wasn’t hard to put two and two together,” Jay said, crossing his arms defensively.“You show up asking about Harrow’s creepy death paintings, then suddenly you’re really interested in that specific one that looks like some kind of ritual murder?What was I supposed to think?Harrow was a ticking bomb.Anyone could see that.It’s no surprise that he went off the deep end.”
“You were supposed to let law enforcement do their job,” Jake said.
Jay let out a bitter laugh.“Right.Because that’s been working so well.Alexis is dead.She was...”His voice caught slightly.“Everyone liked her, you know?Always remembered your order, always had something nice to say.And the cops are still just ‘investigating’ while the freak who painted her death keeps sitting free in his house.”
The naked emotion in Jay’s voice caught Jenna off guard.There was grief there, not just the righteousness of someone who thought they were doing a public service.But was the grief real?
“You knew Alexis well?”she asked.
“I stopped by the café most mornings, and afternoons during my break,” Jay admitted, his gaze dropping to the counter.“She always had my order ready—large Americano, extra shot.Said I looked like I needed the caffeine.”A small, sad smile crossed his face.“I asked her out once, but she was already with Ryan.We still talked, though.She was interested in art, was taking a class at the community college.”
“Did you also call Channel 8 News?”Jake asked.
Jay hesitated only briefly.“Yeah, I called them.That crowd showed up faster than I expected, and I figured having the press there would keep things from getting out of hand.Plus, public pressure might actually get you guys to do something.”
“What exactly do you think we should be doing?”Jenna asked, feeling her patience wearing dangerously thin.
“Arresting Harrow!”Jay’s voice rose in frustration.“His paintings show that he’s a psychopath.Isn’t that enough?”
“It’s not that simple,” Jenna began.
“Did you arrest him?”Jay interrupted.“Is that why you’re back here instead of at his house?”
“No, we didn’t arrest him,” Jenna said.
“Then you’re wasting time questioning me when you should be doing your job,” Jay shot back.“I’m not the one killing people.”
Something in his tone—the righteous certainty, perhaps—triggered a surge of suspicion in Jenna’s exhausted mind.Jay had access to the paintings.He regularly visited Harrow’s house to collect them.Maybe he even knew the locations depicted in the photographs.What if he was using Harrow’s disturbed visions as blueprints for his own twisted acts?
“Where were you last night between ten PM and midnight?”she asked abruptly.
Jay blinked, genuinely surprised by the shift.“What?”
“You heard me,” Jenna said, her voice hardening.“Where were you?”
“I was at The Den—the bar on Fourth Street.I was there from nine until closing.Ask the bartender, Mark.He knows me.”
“And when was the last time you were in Pinecrest?”Jenna pressed, leaning forward slightly.“Specifically near the cemetery?”
Jay’s expression changed from defensive to alarmed as he realized the implication.“Whoa.Wait.Why are you asking me that?”He stepped back from the counter, hands raised as if to physically ward off her accusation.“I’ve never been to Pinecrest in my life.I don’t even know where the cemetery is.”
Before Jenna could respond, she felt Jake’s hand on her elbow, gently but firmly pulling her aside.
“A word?”he murmured close to her ear.
He guided her a few steps away, his body positioned to block Jay from overhearing.
“What are you doing?”he asked quietly.
