Page 3 of In Her Shadow

Jenna’s eyes scoured the environment with the meticulous care of an archivist sifting through ancient manuscripts.Fallen logs lay strewn about, their bark etched with the passage of time and weather.Had Piper had once stood where Jenna now stood?Was this where the woman in her dream had held a sandpiper?

Jenna’s breath hitched, a silent counterpoint to the relentless ticking of the clock in her head.The forest around her seemed to hold its breath too, as if nature itself was waiting for a revelation that Jenna’s intuition promised but reality withheld.But there was nothing—no sign, no message, no trace of the mysterious woman.

With a weary exhale, Jenna acknowledged the futility of this morning’s pursuit.She allowed herself the small surrender of sinking onto a fallen log, its bark rough against the fabric of her uniform.Her backpack lay beside her, and she withdrew Piper’s bird guide.The cover bore the softness of leather long exposed to sun and touch.Jenna opened it with reverence, the spine creasing to a well-worn page adorned with the illustration of a sandpiper.

For a moment, Jenna’s world narrowed to the image before her, the fine lines capturing the essence of the bird with an almost lifelike quality.Her fingertip traced the contours of the drawing, moving over the paper as if the act could summon forth the spirit of her sister.

With Piper’s bird guide open, Jenna let her gaze drift from the illustration to the pond’s tranquil surface.Sunlight danced across the water, and the sandpipers skittered along the edge, oblivious to the gravity of the moment.In their simplicity, the birds carried the echo of Piper’s infectious enthusiasm—not just for birdwatching but for life itself.Jenna could almost hear her sister’s laughter, see her scribbling notes fervently, her eyes alight each time she ticked off another species in her guide.

The memories swelled like a tide within Jenna—the way Piper would tilt her head, considering a bird’s song, or the glimmer of excitement in her eyes at the sight of winged silhouettes against the sky.A fresh wave of grief washed over her, and she pressed the heels of her palms to her eyes, willing back the tears that threatened to fall.

Exhaling slowly, Jenna lowered her hands, the forest around her coming back into focus.She felt the weight of doubt settle upon her shoulders, a burden all too familiar.Her twin’s absence had left a gaping hole in her world, one that had driven her to the edges of reason, to this very spot, chasing a dream that might lead to nothing at all.The vision of the woman holding a sandpiper had been so vivid, so compelling, but here, surrounded by nature’s indifference, Jenna couldn’t help but question its significance.The cool touch of the bird guide’s worn pages seemed to offer no answer, and Jenna hugged it tightly to her chest as though it could shield her from the uncertainty gnawing at her resolve.

“Obsession can be a dangerous path,” Jenna mused aloud, her voice barely above a whisper.The quiet of the forest embraced her words, offering neither judgment nor comfort.

But as she sat there, attempting to marshal her thoughts, the serenity she sought remained elusive.Instead, images of Piper continued to flicker behind her lids, moments frozen in time.Jenna’s grip on the bird guide tightened reflexively, its presence both a comfort and a torment.

And again, she had to wonder—what exactly was she looking for?What kind of evidence, what sort of a signpost did she expect to find?

Jenna had dedicated her life to solving puzzles, to bringing order to chaos.But Piper’s disappearance remained an enigma, a cold case that had shaped Jenna’s identity, fueled her commitment to law enforcement, and granted her an uncanny insight into the realm of the missing and the dead.

“Where are you?”Jenna asked the empty woods, her voice tinged with weariness.It wasn’t just Piper she sought—it was the other half of herself, the part that had vanished on that fateful day so long ago.With her eyes closed, Jenna tried to clear her mind, to center herself.

Her breath caught in a moment of self-reflection, the kind that always seemed to ambush her when she was alone with the ghosts of her past.Her mother, Margaret, fighting her own demons with the bottle, had only just started to mend their fractured relationship.At least Mom had been sober when they’d last seen each other, and she was working hard to stay that way.

She could also see concern etched in Jake Hawkins’ features every time he looked at her.The protective nature of her deputy, often expressed through furrowed brows and tight-lipped silences, spoke volumes.

Even so, the thought of abandoning her search for Piper was inconceivable.Jenna’s life had been irrevocably altered the day her sister vanished.That single event had redirected the course of her future, turning her into a seeker of justice.She had become a sheriff not just for the sake of order or community but for Piper.The journey had isolated her from others, those who couldn’t fathom the depth of her need for answers.She had paid the price in solitude.

Her thoughts swirled like the leaves in the wind above her until a sudden vibration jarred her from her reverie.The phone buzzed insistently against the wood of the fallen log where it lay beside her, the screen lighting up with Jake Hawkins’ name.With a frown etched by concern and curiosity, she snatched it up, pressing the device to her ear.

“Jenna, I know it’s your day off, but we’ve got a situation,” Jake’s voice cut through the stillness of the forest, his tone all business, the underlying urgency unmistakable.

CHAPTER TWO

Jake’s words hit Jenna like a physical blow, snapping her into full alertness.“A body,” he’d said, found on a family ranch.Of course, his call meant that it wasn’t a natural death.

“Any idea who it is, Jake?”

“I don’t have much information yet,” came the reply.“Melissa Stark’s on her way, and I’m headed there too.I’ll send the GPS location to your cellphone.”

“Understood.”Jenna clicked off the phone and swung into action.Both her deputy and the coroner would get there before her, so she had to get going fast.Rising from the log, she packed away Piper’s guide.With a final glance around the tranquil pond and the sandpipers still fishing around its far side, she turned and hurried back through the trees.

When she reached her cruiser, Jenna slipped her backpack onto the passenger seat, the bird guide’s spine visible among the contents.Jenna hesitated for a brief moment—a silent acknowledgment to Piper that her quest wasn’t abandoned, merely paused.There was a duality to her life that few could comprehend, the dive into the depths of past mysteries while navigating challenges of the present.

Taking a deep breath, Jenna dispelled the mists of contemplation and anchored herself in the now.As she navigated onto the main road, the dense greenery of Shelby National Forest receded in her rearview mirror.As the cruiser ate up the miles back to Trentville, Jenna’s mind transitioned from the sandpiper’s elusive trail to the foreboding that clung to the discovery awaiting her.Another chapter was beginning, one that would demand all her intuition, intellect, and resolve.

The road stretched ahead, a ribbon cutting through the wild beauty of the Missouri landscape.It was familiar territory, each curve and landmark a reminder of the countless times she had traversed this path in service of Genesius County.Each passing mile was a step back into the world where she was needed most, where her skills as sheriff could make a tangible difference.

Dust billowed behind Jenna’s cruiser as she drove into the Hartley family ranch.By the time the homestead came into view, the mid-July sun hung high and oppressive in the Missouri sky, turning the atmosphere over the crime scene into an oven of searing heat and simmering tension.She squinted against the bright glare, the badge on her chest reflecting a sharp lance of light as if to underscore her duty.

As she parked, the cloud of dust settled slowly, grudgingly, onto the parched grass, coating the world in a fine silt that clung to every surface.Jenna stepped out of the vehicle, the sudden onslaught of heat wrapping around her like an unwanted blanket.She put on her Stetson and made her way across a pasture that swarmed with activity, law enforcement and medical personnel.The distant lowing of cattle seemed like a mournful lament.

The pastoral serenity of the place was shattered by a clutter of police cruisers and trucks.An ambulance idled, its doors ajar, as if uncertain of its purpose in this grim tableau.Other vehicles—pickup trucks and sedans belonging to ranch hands and curious locals—formed a disordered flotilla around the nucleus of the scene.

As Jenna walked towards the epicenter of activity, the scent of the parched earth mixed with something less natural—the chemical tang of fuel, the rubbery smell of hot tires, the faint but unmistakable hint of death carried on the breeze.

A voice called her name.It was Jake moving to intercept her, his usually easy-going features tight with urgency.His presence was welcome, his sandy hair and broad shoulders a familiar comfort in a sea of uncertainty.

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