Page 23 of In Her Wake
Jenna ended the call without leaving a message.It hadn’t served any purpose after all.She hesitated only briefly before calling Jake.
He answered quickly, “Hey.Everything okay?”
“I’m not sure,” Jenna said, her voice tight with tension.“I just left Frank’s, and he told me something...concerning.”
“About the Powell case?”
“Maybe.”Jenna adjusted her grip on the steering wheel.“Frank saw Liza at the Twilight Inn this morning, Jake.It seems that she was not in Gildner working on her sculpture like she led me to believe.”
A pause on the line.“Are you sure?”
“Frank was certain.Said he even waved, but she avoided him.”Jenna accelerated past a slow-moving sedan.“When I called her this afternoon about the mannequin, she acted like she was in her studio in Gildner.She said it would take her forty-five minutes to get to the Powell house.”
“But she was already in Trentville,” Jake finished, his voice thoughtful.
“Exactly.And remember how evasive she was about her falling-out with Marjory?She didn’t want to talk about it, said it was personal.”
“I noticed that,” Jake agreed.“Seemed off, even at the time.”
“And then there’s her expertise.Jake, she knew exactly how that mannequin was made.The materials, the techniques—she laid it all out like she was reading from a manual.”
“To be fair, she is a sculptor.That’s why you called her in the first place.”
“I know, but...”Jenna sighed, watching the yellow lines flash past.“It’s the combination of things.She was in Trentville at the time Marjory disappeared this afternoon.She had some kind of personal conflict with Marjory.And she has the skills to create something like that mannequin.”
The line went quiet for several seconds.Jenna could almost hear Jake thinking.
“Have you considered,” he finally said, his tone careful, “that this might be some kind of prank?”
“A prank?”
“You’ve mentioned before that Liza was the school prankster.Famous for elaborate setups, right?What if this is just that—an elaborate prank?Maybe she and Marjory cooked this up together.Replace Marjory with a mannequin while she hides out somewhere, get everyone worked up, then reveal the joke later.”
Jenna considered this as she passed the county line sign.“That would be a hell of a cruel prank, Jake.Harry Powell is devastated.The department has spent hours on this.”
“Some people’s idea of humor gets warped over time,” Jake said.“Or maybe it started as something smaller and got out of hand.”
“I don’t know,” Jenna murmured, though a part of her wanted to believe it.A prank, however tasteless, would be far better than the alternatives her mind had been conjuring.“It’s hard to imagine Liza being that callous.The girl I knew wouldn’t have taken a joke this far.”
“But how well do you know her now?”Jake asked gently.“You said yourself you haven’t had much contact with her lately.People change, Jenna.”
His question hit a nerve.The wild-haired girl who’d orchestrated school pranks had grown into a woman Jenna saw only a few times a year, usually at community events where they exchanged pleasantries and promises to catch up properly someday.
“I guess I’ll find out soon enough,” Jenna said.“I’m headed to her place in Gildner now.”
“Want me to come?”Jake’s concern was evident.
“No, stay in Trentville.I can handle Liza.”She paused.“But maybe keep your phone handy.”
“Always do when you’re involved,” Jake replied, the affection in his voice unmistakable.“Be careful, okay?”
“I will.Thanks, Jake.”
Jenna ended the call and turned her full attention back to the road.The possibility that this was all an elaborate prank kept circling in her mind.It seemed both absurd and somehow plausible.Liza had always loved pushing boundaries, seeing how far she could take a joke before it broke.But this—involving law enforcement, causing genuine distress—felt like a line the Liza she knew wouldn’t cross.
Unless Jake was right, and the Liza she knew no longer existed.
The remaining drive passed in uneasy contemplation.The farms and countryside gave way to the outskirts of Gildner.Unlike Trentville, with its historical downtown and sense of permanence, Gildner had the transient feel of a place people passed through rather than settled in.Perfect for an artist seeking affordable space.
