Page 10 of In Her Wake
They left Mike to finish processing the scene and stepped outside into the late afternoon sunlight.The normalcy of the suburban street—a child’s bicycle propped against a tree, a sprinkler lazily turning on a nearby lawn—stood in stark contrast to the wrongness of what they’d just left behind in the Powell kitchen.
Jenna led the way to her cruiser and slid behind the wheel, Jake taking the passenger seat beside her.As she pulled away from the curb, she allowed herself a sidelong glance at her deputy.
“How are you feeling, by the way?”she asked.“It’s only been a week since they released you from the hospital.”
Jake’s hand drifted briefly to his abdomen, where beneath his uniform shirt lay the healing wound from a knife attack that had left him hospitalized for three days.The memory of it—Jake on the ground, blood seeping between his fingers as he pressed against the wound—still had the power to send ice through Jenna’s veins.
“A little sore when I twist wrong,” he admitted.“But I’m good to work.The doc said the knife missed everything important.”He offered a half-smile.“You know me.Too stubborn to stay down long.”
“You were lucky,” Jenna said, unable to keep the edge from her voice.She’d spent too many hours in that hospital waiting room, bargaining with a God she wasn’t sure she believed in.“That blade was inches from—”
“I know,” Jake cut in gently.“But it didn’t.I’m here.And I’m not going anywhere.”He reached over and touched her shoulder lightly.
Just before Jake had been released from the hospital, they’d had a conversation that neither had fully addressed since—acknowledgments of feelings that had grown beyond professional respect or even friendship.Jenna had been hit with the realization that she couldn’t imagine what she’d do without having Jake nearby, and he’d admitted feeling that way for a long time.They both wanted to keep on working together and hadn’t reached a solution to the issues that would surely arise.
But Jenna knew this wasn’t the time to revisit that conversation, not with a missing woman and a mannequin straight out of a nightmare waiting to be explained.She needed to focus.
“Evergreen Realty is on Commerce Street, right?”she asked, deliberately shifting back to the case.
“Yeah.Little brick building across from the hardware store.”
The rest of the short drive passed in professional silence, both of them settling back into the rhythm of their working partnership.Jenna parked in front of Evergreen Realty, a modest building with a freshly painted green door and a window display featuring current listings.
Inside, a woman in her fifties looked up from a reception desk, her professional smile faltering slightly at the sight of their uniforms.
“Sheriff Graves,” she acknowledged with a nod.“Deputy Hawkins.How can I help you?”
“Carol, right?”Jenna asked, recognizing the receptionist from Harry’s account.
"Yes, Carol Garrett."She straightened in her chair."Is this about Marjory?Mr.Powell called earlier, looking for her."
“We’d like to speak with Darla Fenwick, if she’s available,” Jenna said.
Carol nodded, reaching for her desk phone.“Let me tell her you’re here.”She pressed a button, spoke briefly into the receiver, then gestured toward a hallway to the right.“Second door on the left.”
They found Darla Fenwick standing behind her desk, a tall woman with short silver hair and the sharp eyes of someone who assessed property values for a living.She extended her hand first to Jenna, then to Jake.
“Sheriff.Deputy.Please, sit down.”She gestured to two chairs opposite her desk.“This is about Marjory, I assume?Have you found her?”
Jenna settled into one of the chairs.“Ms.Fenwick, we’re conducting an investigation into Marjory Powell’s whereabouts.I understand you called her husband earlier today when she missed an appointment?”
Darla’s expression tightened.“Yes.It was strange.Her car was parked near the house she was supposed to show, but she never arrived.It’s completely unlike her to miss an appointment, especially without calling.Marjory is—” She caught herself.“Marjory has been with us for eleven years.She’s meticulous, professional.The most reliable agent on my team.”
“When did you last see her?”Jenna asked.
“We had lunch together at the Sunflower Café around noon.We were celebrating her sale of the Thurman estate—it was a really big commission.She’d already shown two properties that morning.”Darla leaned forward, her manicured nails pressing against the polished surface of her desk.“After lunch, she was scheduled to show the Henderson place at one, then the Blackwell cottage at three.”
“And did she make it to the Henderson showing?”Jake asked.
“Yes, as far as I know.But at three-fifteen, I got a call from the Blackwells.They’d been waiting at the cottage for twenty minutes, and Marjory hadn’t shown up or called.”Darla shook her head, disbelief etched across her features.“I tried her cell immediately, but it went straight to voicemail.That’s when I called Harry to see if he’d heard from her.”
Jenna made notes, building a mental timeline.“How did Marjory seem at lunch?Was there anything unusual about her behavior or mood?”
“Not at all.She was in great spirits.”A fond smile crossed Darla’s face.“She’s been at the top of her game this year.That Thurman sale?It had been on the market for over two years.Nobody could move it.Marjory found the perfect buyers within a month of taking the listing.The commission was substantial enough that she told me she and Harry would be close to paying off their mortgage.”
“Did she mention any plans for the afternoon, other than the showings?”Jenna pressed.“Anyone she was meeting?Any stops she planned to make?”
Darla shook her head.“Just the two properties.She was looking forward to having dinner with Harry to properly celebrate the Thurman closing.They were going to that new place on River Street.”Her eyes clouded with concern.“Sheriff, what’s happening?Where is Marjory?”
