Page 24 of In Her Shadow
Jenna stepped back from the porch swing, her gaze sweeping over the serene landscape that surrounded the farmhouse.The early morning sun painted the horizon in a soft hue of gold and pink, an idyllic backdrop that belied the violence of the night before.A sparrow flitted across the yard, landing on a fence post.
She could sense the remnants of life here, echoes of family gatherings and easy Sunday mornings, now overshadowed by the sinister events that had unfolded.Places like this held imprints of joy and trauma alike, and this farmhouse was no exception.It was as if the land itself was whispering secrets, but she couldn’t quite make out the words.
“Let’s go,” she said, her voice tinged with the weight of responsibility.
“Where to?”Jake asked, following her lead as they approached their vehicle parked along the tree-lined driveway.
“We need to talk to Roger’s neighbor, Ethan Holbrook,” Jenna replied without hesitation as she slid into the driver’s seat.“Everything points to him—his altercations with Roger and Clyde, his resentment toward local practices,” Jenna explained, her thoughts crystallizing into conviction.
“Okay,” Jake agreed, a silent acknowledgment of the gravity of their next move.
Jenna called out the window as they drove past the colonel.
“Spelling, I know you’ll keep things locked down here.”
“Will do,” Spelling said with a nod of understanding.
With a heavy heart but a clear purpose, Jenna maneuvered the cruiser onto the road that wound its way through the county she knew like the back of her hand.
It was time to confront a newcomer who had brought with him a storm of contention—and perhaps, a deadly vendetta.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
As Jenna made the short drive to the neighboring farm, her thoughts were caught up in last night’s lucid dream.
“Marie Bates’s tombstone,” she murmured to Jake.“It was in that dream I told you about.Roger was huddled against Marie’s stone like it could shield him from whatever he feared.”
Jake just listened, not wanting to interrupt when she was piecing together the fragments of her visions.
“The way we found him this morning,” Jenna continued, shaking her head slightly, “curled up at the base of the same tombstone...”She trailed off.
“The killer dragged the body there,” Jake said.“He chose that place deliberately.And you picked up on that location in your dream not long after it had happened.Do you think that Holbrook...?”
Jenna’s gaze returned to the road as they neared the entrance to Verdigris Ranch.“I don’t know,” she admitted.“I didn’t see what happened or how.Just Roger and that awful branding image … then Spelling’s call woke me up.”
It seemed strange to have such detailed information and yet no answer to that final question.But in her dreams she had no view of the living, only hints muttered by the dead—or, in this case, an unnamed voice that came from God only knew where.
As the cruiser passed beneath the arch of Verdigris Ranch’s gate, Jenna noted a shift in the setting.The wrought-iron letters spelling out “Verdigris” were entwined with climbing ivy, meticulously maintained to enhance rather than obscure the ranch’s name.
“Someone’s got time on their hands,” Jenna mused, noting the precise landscaping that bordered the entrance.
“Or they pay someone to do all this,” Jake offered.
The driveway unfurled before them, flanked by fields where cattle grazed serenely on lush green pasture.Everything was in its place; the fences were freshly painted, the barns bore no peeling paint or warping wood, and even the farm equipment gleamed as though it had never known a hard day’s work.It was a working ranch, sure, but one with a veneer of opulence.
“Let’s see what Mr.Holbrook has to say for himself,” said Jenna, as the cruiser approached the main house.
The farmhouse rose from the manicured landscape like a crown jewel—a stately two-story structure with creamy white siding, its wraparound porch adorned with hanging ferns that swayed gently in the morning breeze.Jenna studied the house as they approached, noting how each shutter was precisely positioned, each brick in the walkway meticulously set—no cracks, no weeds, no imperfection.It all left her with the unnerving sensation that they were stepping onto a stage set, one where every prop was placed to convey a story that might not be entirely true.
“Place looks like it’s been plucked from a magazine,” Jake remarked, eyeing the well-manicured hedgerows that lined the drive.
“Too perfect,” Jenna muttered.
“Like its owner,” Jake added with a snort.“Ethan Holbrook certainly knows how to present an image.”
“Never been out here before,” Jenna mused.“Might be worth taking a look around, see what Holbrook’s so proud of.”
Jake nodded, his gaze flicking to her briefly.“Good idea.Also, let’s get him talking—you never know what might slip out.”
