Page 9 of In Her Bed
“Killer must have used that service road to bring the body here,” Jake commented.“But too many of our cars have driven it now, probably no evidence to be found there.”
As Melissa’s team gathered around the body, recording everything before removing it, Jenna turned her attention back to Colonel Spelling.
“So what do you think, Colonel?”she asked.
“Since Derrick lived in Pinecrest, in Cable County, this’ll be a joint investigation between the State Police and the Pinecrest PD,” Spelling said, glancing at his watch as if he already had a dozen other places to be.“Since the body was found on your turf, it’s your case as well.I’ll be heading to Pinecrest first thing in the morning, in just a few hours.Care to join me at the police station there?”
Jenna glanced at Jake, who nodded.“My deputy and I can both be there,” she assured Spelling.
“Good,” he said, “Meet me there at 8 AM sharp.”
Jenna thanked him, and she and Jake returned to their cars.The events of the night—the dream, the murder, the strange coincidences—swirled in Jenna’s mind, a storm of questions without answers.
“I’ll pick you up for that meeting,” Jake said.“Meanwhile, try to get a few hours of sleep.”
“Thanks,” she replied.
“You had a dream about this, didn’t you?”he asked, voicing the question he’d kept to himself until he could talk to her alone.
“That’s right,” Jenna said.“And this isn’t an ordinary case, Jake.The way that body was treated—that was a message.I need to figure out what it means and whether more people are in danger.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Vacuum tubes towered like skyscrapers, their glass surfaces gleaming with an inner orange glow.Jenna knew she was dreaming—but why was she was back here again?
“Marcus?”Her voice echoed among the giant tubes, bouncing back distorted and strange.“Marcus Derrick?”
“Go away.”The reply came from everywhere and nowhere, disembodied and wary.“I know what you are.You’re one of them.”
Jenna turned slowly, searching the spaces between the towering structures.“I’m not one of anyone, Marcus.I’m Sheriff Jenna Graves.I’m here to help find who did this to you.”
A bitter laugh cut through the humming atmosphere.“Help?That’s what they all say before they slip the knife in.You come any closer, I’ll shoot you on sight.”
“You can’t shoot me, Marcus,” Jenna told him.“This is just a dream.”
“Just a dream?”His voice lowered, taking on a conspiratorial tone.“That’s what they want you to—”
The harsh beeping of her alarm interrupted.She glanced at the clock: 6:00 AM.She’d had less than three hours of sleep since returning from the radio tower crime scene.Her body ached with fatigue as she swung her legs over the side of the bed, her bare feet connecting with the cool wooden floor.
The shower helped, but only marginally.As she brushed her teeth, Jenna studied the woman staring back at her.The mirror was not kind in its honesty.Shadows haunted the hollows beneath her once-vibrant green eyes, and strands of short chestnut hair fell haphazardly around her face.The creases across her forehead and the downturn of her mouth spoke of meetings with the absent, the lost, and the departed.She was sure she looked older than her mid-thirty years.
Jenna dressed quickly and clipped her badge to her belt, checked her service weapon, and grabbed her phone.Just as she stepped onto her front porch, a patrol car pulled up at the curb.She locked her door and made her way toward it.
Jake Hawkins leaned across the passenger seat to push the door open as she approached.
“You look like you could use this,” he said, offering her a thermos as she slid into the seat beside him.The rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the car.“And this.”He placed a granola bar on the console between them.
“You’re a lifesaver,” Jenna said with genuine gratitude.She took a long sip of the coffee.“Literally.I might have fallen asleep standing up.”
As she took the coffee, her fingers brushed against his.A jolt of electricity shot through her, an unexpected reminder of the unspoken attraction she felt toward him.She quickly pulled her hand back and focused on the road ahead, pushing aside the fluttering in her stomach as Jake pulled away from the curb.
“We did have a late night at the tower scene,” Jake said.
She unwrapped the granola bar and took a bite.“And then a visitor.”
“A visitor?You mean...?”
“Marcus Derrick.In my dreams again.He was hostile.Paranoid.Most spirits are confused, sometimes sad.They speak in riddles, don’t understand what’s happened to them.But Marcus...he seemed aware, and extremely distrustful.”
