Page 23 of In Her Bed
Jenna leaned against the wall, a frown creasing her forehead.“I’m not convinced Lynch is our killer.”
Three pairs of eyes turned to her in surprise.
“What do you mean?”Morgan demanded.
“It’s just...”Jenna struggled to articulate the feeling gnawing at her.“The connection feels tenuous.”
Jake studied her face with interest.“You thinking Mickey’s our guy instead?”
Jenna shook her head.“No.I just think we’re missing something.”
“Look,” Morgan said more gently, “we’ve got Lynch in custody.That’s a win.Let’s get the warrant, search his shop thoroughly, and see what else turns up.”
Jenna nodded reluctantly.“Alright.But I want to keep all options open.This case isn’t as straightforward as it might seem.”
The subtle exchange of glances between Morgan and Spelling didn’t escape her notice—concern, perhaps, or doubt about her judgment.She’d seen that look before when her intuition led her down paths others found questionable.
Morgan sighed in frustration.“Sheriff, I’ve known Lynch for years.He’s got a temper.He’s threatened people before.”
“I know,” Jenna acknowledged.“But—”
“But what?”Spelling challenged.“What other leads do we have?Mickey Guest?He’s a thief, not a killer.And we have nothing connecting him directly to Derrick.”
Jenna fell silent.She couldn’t deny the logic of their arguments, yet something felt off about the whole scenario.The pieces fit too neatly in some ways, and not at all in others.
“We should head back to Trentville,” Jake suggested, breaking the uncomfortable silence.“We can start fresh tomorrow.”
Jenna checked her watch.The day had slipped away faster than she’d realized.“Agreed.There’s nothing more we can do here today.”
As they prepared to leave, Jenna couldn’t shake the feeling that they were missing something vital.Lynch might be guilty of receiving stolen goods, and he might well be a public nuisance, but a murderer?
Jake unlocked the cruiser with a beep that seemed too cheerful for their mood.They pulled out of the parking lot in silence.Traffic was light as they headed toward the highway that would take them back to Trentville, the county seat and their home jurisdiction.
After several minutes of quiet, Jake cleared his throat.“You know, if you’re not convinced about Lynch, I trust your intuition.”
The simple statement warmed Jenna more than she expected.In a profession that valued concrete evidence and logical deduction, having someone trust her instincts meant more than she could express.
Before she could respond, the car’s radio crackled to life.
“Sheriff Graves, come in.This is Officer Delgado.”
Jenna reached for the radio.“Go ahead, Maria.What’s up?”
“We’ve got a bad situation at the Derrick crime scene, Sheriff.”
Chapter nine
“What’s the problem, Maria?”Jenna asked.
Officer Delgado’s answer crackled out through the car radio.“Someone posted the location on social media.We’ve got at least a dozen civilians at the site, and more arriving.We’ve set up a perimeter, but people are getting past it.Some have already been near the radio tower.”
Jenna exchanged an alarmed look with Jake.“Any evidence tampering?”
“Unknown at this time.But they’re getting close to areas we haven’t fully processed.Mike and I are here, and two more of our team, but we need backup.I called it in to the station but all the officers were out or off duty.Dispatch said they’ll get someone here as soon as they can.But what I really need is…uh…a voice of authority that these people will pay attention to.”
“We’re on our way,” Jenna replied firmly.“ETA twenty minutes.Hold the line, Maria.”
“Copy that, Sheriff.Hurry.”
