Page 58 of In Her Fears
“Delgado here.”
“Maria, I need you to check if Elias is still in the house,” Jenna said without preamble.“Knock on the door, call his name.I need to know if he responds.”
“Right away,” Maria replied, her tone shifting to reflect Jenna’s urgency.
Jenna heard muffled movement through the phone, then the sound of Delgado’s footsteps on the creaking porch.Her sharp knocks reverberated.
“Mr.Harrow?This is Officer Delgado.Sheriff Graves needs to speak with you.”Maria’s voice carried clearly through the phone.“Mr.Harrow?Please answer the door.”
More knocking, louder this time.“Mr.Harrow!”
The seconds stretched into a full minute of silence, broken only by Delgado’s increasingly forceful attempts to rouse a response.
“Sheriff, there’s no answer,” Maria reported finally.“Do you want me to force entry into the premises?”
“No,” Jenna decided quickly.A dream wasn’t enough reason to tell her officer to break into a private home.“Stay where you are.I’m on my way.“
She ended the call and immediately dialed Jake again, her mind racing.If Elias wasn’t answering, it could mean several things—none of them good.
“He’s not responding,” she said as soon as Jake answered.“I think we need to get to that house immediately.”
“I’m already on my way to pick you up,” Jake replied, the sound of his car engine humming in the background.“ETA three minutes.”
A silence fell between them.Jenna closed her eyes, trying to recall every detail of the dream.But there was only so much she could learn from a dream.They were going to have to figure the rest of this out the old-fashioned way, through a real-life investigation.
“We have to check the house first to confirm whether Elias is gone, then find that tunnel,” she said, grabbing her jacket from the back of a chair.”
“I agree,” Jake replied.“I’m turning onto your street now.”
Jenna moved to her window and spotted Jake’s headlights approaching.“I see you.I’ll be right out.”
She ended the call and took one last glance around her bedroom, the site of the dream that had changed everything.Her service weapon was secure at her hip, but exhaustion still clung to her bones despite the adrenaline coursing through her veins.She had no idea if she was physically ready for whatever lay ahead, but she had no choice.Elias’s life could depend on her clarity and speed.
She hurried out of the house just as Jake pulled into her driveway.The night air hit her face, cool and crisp, momentarily sharpening her senses.The full moon loomed overhead, casting silver light across her lawn—the same moon that had presided over Elias’s tortured visions, the same moon that had witnessed Martin Holbrook and Alexis Downey’s final moments.
The same moon that might now be witnessing another murder in progress.
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
As Eric Edwards guided his car along the winding country road, the September full moon was low in the sky, just as it had been on that night when everything changed.Moonlight spilled through the windshield, illuminating his face in harsh silver that deepened lines etched by seven years of secret guilt.
The sheriff’s words had shocked him when she said that Elias had requested to see him.He'd gone to the house expecting resistance, prepared to manipulate his former friend with carefully crafted words.Instead, Elias had surprised him with forgiveness.At first, he'd felt a surge of hope for them both.Then Elias had mentioned his plan to visit the clearing where the picnic had taken place, and Eric had understood.This wasn't an ending; it was an opportunity.The final piece fell into place.
His mind drifted back to his conversation with Sheriff Graves and her deputy.They’d been focused on the paintings, on the connections between Elias’s disturbing art and the actual murders.But they were looking in the wrong direction.
Elias was just the apparent prophet whose tormented visions provided Eric with the blueprints for his own acts.He’d staged two deaths exactly as Elias had painted them, meticulous in every detail.It was what Lina wanted—he was certain of it.Surely her spirit was guiding him, showing him the path to redemption.
The headlights illuminated a small dirt turnoff, nearly hidden between towering pines.Eric slowed the car and pulled onto the rough track, just far enough to be hidden from the main road.He killed the engine and sat for a moment in the sudden silence, before he got out to walk the rest of the way.The picnic site was within walking distance of Elias’s tunnel, but it wasn’t accessible by car; that had been part of its charm, once upon a time.The privacy that had made it perfect for three friends to share wine and laughter now made it ideal for what Eric needed to accomplish.
Seven years ago, almost to the hour, the evening had begun pleasantly enough.They’d brought an expensive bottle of wine to celebrate Elias’s latest gallery showing.Lina had prepared a picnic of crusty bread, soft cheese, and fresh fruit.The moon had risen, full and golden, casting a glow across the little clearing.
Eric closed his eyes, letting the memory wash over him.He could still taste the wine, still feel the warm summer air against his skin.He could still see Lina’s smile, directed first at her husband, then, when Elias wasn’t looking, at him.The secret glances that had sustained their affair for months.
But then Elias had grown quiet, his expression hardening as he watched his wife and his friend.Without warning, he’d erupted.
“How long has it been going on?”Elias had demanded.“How long have you two been betraying me?”
Lina had frozen, the wine glass halfway to her lips.Eric had felt a cold dread spreading through his chest.
