Page 42 of In Her Prayers

The glow from the dashboard illuminated his determined expression, casting angular shadows that seemed to echo the turmoil within.Every second that ticked by felt like a lifetime, each mile an eternity as he charged towards St.Michael’s Catholic Church.As a faint police sirens’ cry rose in the distance behind him, Jake hoped that time hadn’t already run out.

***

Jenna had recognized Larry Clark’s voice the very second the cord constricted around her throat.There was no mistaking it for anybody else.And now, still gripping her from behind, the elderly man revealed a sinister strength that belied his gentle appearance.He pushed her face-first against a wall, causing her weapon to fly from her grip and clatter across the floor.Her breath came in shallow gasps, and her vision was blurring.

Just as she felt her body falter, teetering on the edge of consciousness, Jenna glimpsed three figures against the black canvas of her closing eyes.They radiated and glowed as they extended helping hands toward her.Caroline Weber’s voice sounded a haunting melody designed to tether her to the living world, and Ezra Shore’s transparent fingers played the tune of life on an autoharp.Then Rachel Cavanaugh joined in the music, her choir robe aglow, the fabric billowing as if in a wind.

Jenna’s mind, teetering on the brink of oblivion, could feel their collective will.These spirits of the dead urged her to fight, to survive.They radiated ethereal energy, and she drew on their strength.She also heard distant wail of police sirens, their pitch rising above the din of their skirmish—but too far away to offer any relief.

Her body coiled, and she thrust her boot heel backward with all the force her fading consciousness could muster.It found its mark against Larry’s shin.His grunt punctuated the silence, a sound of surprise and pain that momentarily slackened his deadly grip.

For that fleeting second, air rushed into Jenna’s lungs, sweet and cool, staving off the darkness that threatened to claim her.Then the cord tightened again.Now, desperation lent her a feral edge as she fought for survival.She twisted her body, her shoulders wrenching free from the cord’s vicious bite.

Larry, his face contorted in anger, recovered quickly.He lunged at her like a beast, hands outstretched with malicious intent.They collided with the carillon keyboard, the impact sending a jarring clang of the bells echoing through the structure.

They stumbled together, a chaotic dance of survival, before crashing into the figure at the keyboard.As they grappled, the figure at the keyboard gave way with a dry, brittle thud, and Ezra Shore’s body crumbled from its perch.The stench of decay filled the bell tower, an odious blend.

The scattered pieces of plastic and linen that littered the floor ensnared Jenna and Larry’s feet in a grim tangle.Larry’s curses sliced through the fetid air, his frustration palpable as he tried to kick away the ghastly bindings.His attention momentarily diverted, Jenna’s survival instincts roared to life.She gathered the remnants of her strength, her mind clear.

They collided with the player’s bench for the carillon.The wooden structure capitulated under the force, collapsing with a resounding crack that sent echoes cascading through the stone confines of the bell tower.The top of the bench flew open, gaping with secrets as both adversaries grappled for the upper hand.

As she forced herself upright amidst the chaos broken wood and scattered linen wrapping, Jenna gaze landed on the inner compartment of the carillon bench, now exposed.The realization struck her with the force of a physical blow; the bench had been a makeshift tomb, hiding the corpse of Ezra Shore all this time.

In a flash of determination, Jenna ducked beneath Larry’s outstretched arm, her movements honed by years of training and the raw instinct to survive.

With a guttural yell, he lunged.His hands, veined and trembling with age and fear, reached for her like the talons of some primal predator.Jenna’s weariness evaporated in the face of imminent danger, replaced by a sudden clarity.Every lesson she had learned converged into this moment.

She sidestepped, narrowly evading Larry’s grasp, her own hands coming up defensively.Her lungs burned, every inhale and exhale a vibrant affirmation of life’s tenacity, to her refusal to be snuffed out by a man she had once respected.She could not—would not—succumb.

But triumph was short-lived as her foot snagged on a loose floorboard, the old wood betraying her at the crucial moment.She stumbled forward, her balance precarious as Larry capitalized on her misstep.

His shoulder slammed into her midsection, the force expelling the air from her lungs and propelling them both toward the staircase.Jenna’s world became a blur of flailing limbs and unrestrained fury as they tumbled downward.Each step was a brutal punctuation mark in their descent, their bodies trading blows with the unforgiving stone.At last, they came to rest on the landing, Jenna stretched out face-down, her mind struggling to break through the haze of pain and disorientation.

Larry was quicker to recover, his resolve undiminished.Before Jenna could rally her senses, he was upon her again.His knee pressed heavily on her back, pinning her to the cold floor as the cord once more found its way around her throat.Tightening its grip, the cord began to strangle the light from Jenna’s vision, her lungs screaming for the air that would not come.Her fingers scratched weakly at the implacable loop, her strength ebbing away with each desperate heartbeat.

The brink of unconsciousness loomed near for what must be a final time, a threatening void ready to swallow her whole.Yet, in that dire moment, the tower door burst open with a force that reverberated through the very stones.Jake stood framed in the doorway, his gun drawn and his fear etched plainly across his features.“Freeze!”he bellowed, his command echoing within the confines of the tower.

Larry hesitated, the infinitesimal loosening of his grip providing Jenna with a glimmer of hope.Summoning the dregs of her willpower, she drove her elbow into his ribs with all the force she could muster.Larry grunted, his hold faltering, and in that fleeting opportunity, Jake acted.

He crossed the space between them in long strides, his movements decisive and unyielding.The gun’s butt connected with Larry’s temple, a definitive strike that sent the piano tuner crashing to the floor.The sound was a dull thud, lost amidst the clamor of the bells above.Larry’s body went slack, the cord slipping away as he fell to the ground, dazed into helplessness.

In that instant, a team of uniformed officers stormed into the bell tower.Jake, his voice ringing with authority, barked out orders for them to secure Larry in cuffs and formally place him under arrest.

Jenna’s knees buckled, and she crumpled to the cold stone floor, lungs seizing the air greedily.Her breaths came in ragged gasps, each one a battle won against the darkness that had threatened to engulf her.As her surroundings came back into focus, she could feel the steady beat of her heart pounding in her ears—a reminder that she was still very much alive.Then she collapsed, her breaths ragged sobs of relief.

Jake was at her side in an instant, his touch gentle as he assessed her for injuries.“I’ve got you, Jenna,” he murmured, his voice thick with relief.“You’re safe now.”

Jenna’s mind turned to the figures from Trentville’s past—Caroline, Ezra, and Rachel.Their spectral forms had been her unlikely saviors, their presence igniting a defiance that had refused to be extinguished.She felt a kinship with them, guardians of a place they couldn’t leave behind.

“Jenna?”Jake’s voice cut through her reverie.“Can you stand?”

With his help, she found her footing, every muscle protesting the movement.They stood together amid the remnants of the struggle, the broken bench and the silent bells above witnesses to the end of a murderous era.

In the quiet aftermath of chaos, their gazes locked.Jenna’s eyes, though darkened by the trauma of the night, were alive with gratitude.And beyond that, there was an acknowledgment of the bond that had grown between them, a connection that ran deeper than their badges, deeper than the mysteries they sought to unravel in Trentville.

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

Jenna sat on the edge of the hospital bed, her movements deliberate as she slipped her feet into well-worn boots.The bruises marring her skin were hidden beneath the nondescript clothes she’d changed into—clothes that didn’t reek of last night’s adrenaline and fear.

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