Page 41 of In Her Wake
Jenna felt the connection solidifying."Of course, anybody could have found those photos and used them.But we need to talk to Langley.Even if he's not directly involved, he's a common link between our victims."
They moved across the gym to where Spelling and Morgan stood near the entrance, deep in conversation with one of the evidence technicians.Both men looked up as they approached, Morgan’s expression still guarded, Spelling’s more open and expectant.
“Colonel, Chief,” Jenna began without preamble.“We may have found a connection between the victims.”
Morgan’s eyebrows lifted slightly, his first display of genuine interest since their arrival.“What kind of connection?”
Jenna held up the magazine.“The photographer who did this feature on Torres also did a recent article on Marjory Powell for an online real estate magazine.Both victims were featured in professional photographs shortly before they were killed.”
“The same photographer?”Spelling asked, his expression sharpening.
“Marcus Langley,” Jake confirmed, showing his phone screen.“Freelancer based here in Pinecrest.The articles portrayed both victims at career high points—Torres with his fitness achievements, Powell with a major real estate sale.”
Morgan’s skepticism seemed to waver.“You think Langley might be involved?”
“I think he needs to be questioned,” Jenna replied carefully.“Even if he’s not directly responsible, he had contact with both victims recently.He might have information that could help us identify the killer.”
“Or he might be creating the perfect references for his own mannequins,” Jake added.
Morgan considered this, then nodded toward an officer standing nearby.“Reynolds, pull up Marcus Langley’s address.”
The officer moved to a laptop set up on a folding table near the door, typing quickly.After a moment, he looked up.“Got it, Chief.Marcus Langley, 347 Oakwood Apartments, unit 5B.That’s the complex near the university.”
“Jake and I will head over there now,” Jenna said.“Colonel, would you and Chief Morgan continue overseeing the scene here?”
Spelling nodded.“Of course.We’ll finish processing the evidence and share anything relevant immediately.”
Before turning to leave, Jenna addressed Morgan directly.“Chief, have you issued a public warning yet?About unusual or suspicious contacts?”
Morgan frowned.“No, we were waiting to gather more information first.”
“I put out an alert in Trentville this morning,” Jenna told him.“Just a warning that everyone should be alert to any suspicious contacts.Given that we’re dealing with a killer who seems to have struck in both our jurisdictions, I’d recommend doing the same here.We don’t know who he might target next.”
Morgan nodded, some of his earlier hostility seeming to fade in the face of the concrete lead.“I’ll have dispatch issue a warning immediately.”
“Thank you,” Jenna said, then turned to Jake.“Let’s go.”
Outside, the late morning sun had climbed higher, burning away the earlier chill.Students and locals moved along the sidewalks, unaware of the darkness that had touched their community.Jenna slid behind the wheel of her cruiser, Jake settling into the passenger seat beside her.
As they pulled away from the gym, Jake voiced a question that also had been forming in Jenna’s mind.“Do you really think Langley could be behind this?He had access to both victims.”
“I don’t know,” Jenna admitted, navigating through Pinecrest’s wider streets.“The photographer angle makes sense.He’d have the perfect reference material for creating those mannequin faces—including shots that were never published.But something about this feels more...complicated.”
“How so?”
Jenna thought about the care with which both bodies had been arranged, the precision of the mannequins’ positioning.“Whoever is doing this isn’t just killing people.They’re preserving them somehow, capturing them at their peak.”
“Like taxidermy,” Jake suggested, then grimaced at his own comparison.
“In a way,” Jenna said, surprised by how apt the analogy felt.“Torres was struck in his moment of professional triumph, right after that magazine feature declared him a ‘fitness visionary.’Marjory had just made her biggest sale, the article highlighting her success.”
“So the killer is what—freezing them in time?Preserving their ‘best selves’ through these mannequins?”Jake’s voice held a mixture of disgust and fascination.
“Maybe something like that,” Jenna said, turning onto the street that would take them to Langley’s apartment complex.“He could think that he’s honoring them somehow.Immortalizing them at their peak rather than letting them decline.”
Jake shook his head.“That’s some twisted logic.”
“Most killers have twisted logic,” Jenna replied.“They create elaborate justifications that make sense only to them.”
