Page 11 of In Her Wake
Jenna exchanged a glance with Jake, weighing how much to share.After a moment, she reached for her phone, scrolling to find the photos Mike had sent.
“Ms.Fenwick, I need to show you something.It may be...disturbing.”
Darla’s back straightened, her face composing itself for whatever might come.“I understand.”
Jenna turned the phone toward her, displaying one of the clearest shots of the mannequin at the kitchen table.Darla’s eyes widened, her hand flying to her mouth.
“My God,” she whispered.“What is that?”
“It appears to be a mannequin designed to look like Marjory,” Jenna explained, her voice steady despite the surreal nature of the words.“Harry found it in their kitchen when he came home early from work.”
Darla stared at the image, her professional composure cracking.“That’s—that’s exactly what she was wearing today.At lunch.The navy blazer, the cream blouse.Those are her clothes, Sheriff.That’s what Marjory had on when I saw her at noon.”
The confirmation hit Jenna like a physical blow.If the mannequin wore the exact outfit Marjory had been in at lunch, it meant she’d likely been wearing those clothes when whatever happened to her...happened.The timeline narrowed: sometime between her one o’clock showing and her missed three o’clock appointment.
A cold certainty settled in Jenna’s gut.This wasn’t a prank, wasn’t a misunderstanding, wasn’t Marjory suddenly deciding to abandon her life.The mannequin in the Powell kitchen—that meticulous, grotesque facsimile—spoke of planning, of obsession, of something darker than a simple disappearance.
Marjory Powell hadn’t just gone missing.She had been taken.
CHAPTER FOUR
Jenna kept her expression neutral, but inside, alarm bells were clanging.“Ms.Fenwick,” she asked, her voice deliberately steady, “are you absolutely certain these are the same clothes Marjory was wearing at lunch today?”
Darla hadn’t taken her eyes off the photo on Jenna’s phone.“Yes.Without question.That’s her power suit, as she calls it.The one she wears for important clients.”She finally looked up, her professional composure cracking further.“Sheriff, what does this mean?Who would do something like this?Who evencould… make such a thing?”
Jenna exchanged a glance with Jake before pocketing her phone.“That’s what we’re trying to determine.Can you think of anyone who might wish Marjory harm?Anyone she’s had conflicts with recently?Unhappy clients, perhaps?”
“No, absolutely not.Everyone loves Marjory.”Darla’s response came too quickly.The practiced answer of someone accustomed to protecting her business’s reputation.
Jake leaned forward slightly.“Ms.Fenwick, we need complete honesty here.Even small grievances could be important.”
Darla sighed, her shoulders dropping as she reconsidered.“Well, there was that situation with Rebecca Ashcroft a few months back.”
Jenna’s attention sharpened at the name.Rebecca Ashcroft.Owner of the Velvet Hanger boutique downtown.A woman whose name had crossed Jenna’s desk more times than she cared to count.
“What situation?”she prompted.
“Rebecca wanted to sell her house,” Darla explained, clasping her hands on the desk.“She came to Marjory specifically—said she’d heard Marjory was the best.But she insisted on listing the property for a hundred thousand dollars above market value.Said her renovations justified the price.”
“And Marjory disagreed?”Jake asked.
“Marjory refused to list it at that price.She told Rebecca she couldn’t ethically put a property on the market knowing it was grossly overvalued.”Darla’s lips thinned.“Rebecca didn’t take it well.Stormed out, slammed the door so hard the glass cracked.We had to replace the entire panel.”
Jenna noted the detail.Physical outbursts were consistent with what she knew of Rebecca Ashcroft.“Did it end there?”
“I wish.”Darla shook her head.“Rebecca’s been spreading nasty rumors about Marjory ever since.Said she’s incompetent, dishonest.Even accused her of stealing clients from other realtors.None of it true, of course.Marjory’s the most ethical agent I’ve ever worked with.”
“Has Rebecca made direct threats?”Jenna asked.
Darla hesitated.“Not threats, exactly.But she’s told people Marjory would ‘pay’ for not listing her house properly.And lately, the things she’s been saying have gotten...strange.”
“Strange how?”Jake pressed.
“She told Carol that Marjory was ‘just a shell of a person’ who ‘only cared about appearances.’“ Darla’s eyes widened as she made the connection to what they’d just shown her.“Oh God.You don’t think—”
“We’re not jumping to conclusions,” Jenna said firmly.“We’re just gathering information at this point.”
“Has Rebecca been to the office recently?”Jake asked.“Had any contact with Marjory?”
