Page 7 of In Her Grasp

“Or murder,” Jenna commented. “This could be a way of hiding a body.”

“Yes, of course it could be.”

“How long ago?” Jenna asked.

“Given the decomposition and sediment... I’d say he’s been here for … very roughly … around two years.”

Jake asked, “Any idea who this might be?”

Although Jenna still had been a deputy back then, no clear match surfaced from Jenna’s mental archive of missing persons. “No one comes to mind,” Jenna replied. “But identifying him is our next priority.”

“Once we get him back to the coroner’s office, I’ll start on the autopsy right away,” Melissa declared, her professionalism a comforting constant. “Maybe we’ll turn up something to help with that.”

“Thanks, Melissa. Let us know anything you find out, no matter how small,” Jenna said, already turning over the scant facts in her mind, preparing for the steps ahead. “And I’ll keep you in the loop about whatever we find on our end.”

The oppressive heat of the afternoon sun bore down on them, a silent witness to their somber task. Jenna stepped back from the disheveled form lying on the bank, her mind teeming with questions.

“Of course, Jenna,” Melissa replied, casting a professional glance over the scene. “You’ll be the first one I call.”

With that settled, Jenna sought out Paul Rauer, who stood a few paces away, his face reflecting the weight of the discovery in his reservoir. “Paul, is there any risk to the water supply?” Jenna asked, knowing the concern would soon ripple through the small towns that drew water from the reservoir.

“None at all,” Rauer responded with an assuring nod. “The reservoir’s large enough to handle it, and we’ve dealt with bigger animal carcasses than this. It’s sad but true.” His words carried the acceptance of a man familiar with the cycles of nature and death.

Jenna appreciated his straightforwardness. There was something about the bare facts, free from the embellishments of fear or speculation, that grounded her. She nodded, filing away the assurance for the inevitable community worries about a dead body found in the water supply.

“Okay, what’s our next move?” Jake’s question drew her back to more immediate tasks.

“We need to talk to Frank Doyle,” Jenna stated, already picturing the retired sheriff’s face, etched with lines of past burdens and wisdom. “He was still sheriff when this happened. If anyone can shed light on a missing person from two years back, it’ll be him.”

“Right,” Jake agreed, but Jenna could see hesitation in his eyes, and the same concern was mirrored in her own mind.

“First though,” Jenna continued, “we have to call Mayor Simmons. She’ll demand to hear about this directly from us before the rumors start flying.”

CHAPTER FOUR

Jenna slid behind the wheel of the patrol car, tapping a silent code on the steering wheel as she processed the grim discovery at Sablewood Reservoir. Jake settled into the passenger seat, his sandy hair catching the light that filtered through the oaks.

“Don’t forget, we need to call the mayor,” Jake said, breaking Jenna’s reverie and grounding her back to reality.

With a sigh, Jenna reached for her phone and punched the familiar number. As the call connected, she put it on speakerphone.

“Mayor Simmons, this is Sheriff Graves,” Jenna began.

“Hello, Jenna,” Mayor Simmons’s voice filtered through the speaker, buoyant and casual. “And Jake?”

“Yes, we’re both on the call,” Jenna replied.

The mayor gave a light laugh, then said, “I trust you’ve found Judge Fallon’s gavel?”

Jenna matched the mayor’s lightness with forced cordiality. “Actually, Mayor, that’s not why we’re calling.”

“Then what is it? Another missing pet?” The chuckle on the other end of the line was ill-suited to the news.

“Mayor Simmons,” Jenna replied, her words clipped, “a body has been found in the Sablewood Reservoir.”

The line crackled with a sudden shift of energy, the frivolity in Mayor Simmons’s tone evaporating like mist under the noonday sun. “A body? Are you certain?”

“Affirmative. It appears the victim drowned a couple of years back. The drought has lowered the water level enough to reveal it.”

---