Page 10 of In Her Path

But the removal of the tongue—that wasn’t just murder. It was a statement. A message. And messages like that, in Jenna’s experience, were rarely meant for just one person.

She glanced back at City Hall, its windows reflecting the pale autumn sky. This case was going to test everything she knew about Trentville—its secrets, its power structures, its carefully maintained facades. Somehow a killer had walked freely through the corridors of power, struck with precision, and vanished without a trace. Was that same killer watching, waiting right now to see what happened here? Or planning the next deadly strike?

CHAPTER FOUR

Jake followed Jenna into her office, shutting the door behind them. They’d driven here separately after the meeting with Mayor Simmons.

He watched Jenna move to the window, pushing a section of the blinds aside to look out at the parking lot. Her shoulders carried the rigid set they always did after political confrontations. Jake knew how much she hated being managed, especially by someone like Simmons, who saw every crime as a potential public relations crisis.

“You handled that better than I would have,” he said, taking a seat in one of the worn visitor chairs.

Jenna turned, a half-smile softening her features. “I’ve had practice. Sometimes I have to remind her that we’re both elected and she’s not actually my boss.”

“That doesn’t make it any easier to get along with her. And she can make our jobs more difficult if she’s annoyed.”

Jenna’s brow knitted with irritation and worry.

“And she does know how to push my buttons. That thing she said, about whether there would be any other murders …”

Jenna shook her head and sighed.

“I wish I knew, Jake. And I have to admit, it’s got me scared.”

As Jenna settled into her desk chair, Jake noted the shadows under her eyes. He reached for the coffee pot on the small table behind her desk. “Want some?”

“Please.” She slid her mug toward him.

Jake poured the last of the coffee, black for both of them. As he handed her mug to her, their fingers brushed—a brief contact that sent a small jolt through his chest. He’d been feeling it more lately, these moments of awareness. He was sure that she felt it too.

Jenna broke the silence. “Jake, there’s something you should know. I had a lucid dream last night. Curtis Paige came to me.”

Jake had long since come to accept and appreciate Jenna’s gift. “Before his body was found, you mean.”

“That’s right. And … well, he opened his mouth, but couldn’t talk.”

“Makes sense, I guess. His tongue was cut out.”

Jenna shook her head. “I always wish the dead weren’t so hard to understand, but this one was worse than usual, downright mute.”

“I wish this wasn’t so hard on you.”

They both fell quiet again.

“We need to get someone to go through Paige’s files and records,” Jake finally said.

Jenna picked up her phone and pressed a button. “Hugh, could you send Deputy Ellison to my office?” She paused, listening. “Yes, right away. Thanks.”

Jake returned to his seat. “Good choice.”

“Agreed. If there’s anything unusual in Paige’s financials or his official correspondence, she’ll find it.”

A sharp knock came at the door three minutes later. “Come in,” Jenna called.

The door opened and Deputy Mara Ellison stepped in. She was a compact woman with dark hair pulled back in a severe bun that emphasized the angular lines of her face. Her eyes, a pale gray that reminded Jake of winter skies, assessed the room before she gave a short nod to Jenna.

“You wanted to see me, Sheriff?”

“Have a seat, Deputy.” Jenna gestured to the chair next to Jake’s.