Page 14 of In Her Wake
“When she does contact you,” Jake said, handing her his card, “please let us know.”
“Of course, but...”Betty shifted uncomfortably.“Can I ask what this is about?Rebecca might be a bit...intense sometimes, but she’s not a bad person.”
“We’re just following up on a matter that may involve her,” Jenna said, deliberately vague.“Thank you for your help, Betty.”
Outside on the sidewalk, Jake lowered his voice.“Convenient timing for Rebecca to leave town, don’t you think?”
“Very,” Jenna agreed.“But we still don’t know what we’re dealing with here.A missing person who might be the victim of foul play.A mannequin that shouldn’t exist.A woman with a grudge who happens to own a store full of mannequins.”
“And is suddenly unavailable for questioning.”
“The question is whether Rebecca Ashcroft has the skills to create something like that mannequin of Marjory.It wasn’t a standard retail dummy with a wig.The face was detailed, customized.”
“Maybe she commissioned it from someone?”
"Possibly."Jenna started toward the cruiser."That's why I called Liza.If anyone can tell us how that thing was made, it's her."
They climbed back into the vehicle, Jenna taking the driver’s seat this time.As she started the engine, her phone rang.Maria Delgado’s name flashed on the screen.
“Sheriff,” Maria’s voice came through when Jenna answered, “your friend Liza Sewell just arrived at the Powell residence.Should I let her in, or wait for you to get back?”
“We’re on our way,” Jenna replied.“Have her wait in her car until we arrive.I want to brief her before she sees the scene.”
“Will do.”
Jenna hung up and pulled away from the curb, accelerating perhaps a bit faster than necessary.Jake grabbed the door handle but said nothing.
“If Rebecca Ashcroft is behind this,” Jenna said, “what’s her endgame?What does she want?”
“Some people don’t need much reason,” Jake replied.“You’ve heard all about her divorce proceedings, right?Cecil Ashcroft claimed in his petition that she was diagnosed with personality disorders she refused to treat.”
“Still, there’s a big gap between having untreated mental health issues and creating a life-sized replica of someone you have a grudge against.”Jenna turned onto Maple Street.“And where is Marjory Powell right now?That’s what keeps nagging at me.”
When the Powell house came into view, Jenna could see Liza’s silver Prius parked behind the patrol cars, and a slim figure leaning against it, waiting.
“Let’s hope Liza can give us some answers,” Jenna said.
CHAPTER FIVE
As Jenna pulled her cruiser to the curb in front of the Powell residence, she watched her old friend push away from the car where she’d been leaning, arms crossed over her chest in a familiar posture Jenna had known since they were teenagers.There was something comforting about Liza’s presence here, a bit of normalcy in the middle of this bizarre case—the missing woman, the mannequin that shouldn’t exist, the unsettling questions with no clear answers.
“Thanks for getting here so quickly,” Jenna said as she stepped out of the cruiser.The evening air had cooled, carrying the scent of someone’s barbecue from a few houses down.It seemed strange that life continued its ordinary rhythms just yards away from where they stood.
“Of course.”Liza hugged her briefly, then stepped back.Clay dust clung to her jeans, and flecks of dried plaster speckled her dark hair.“Though I’ve got to say, your call was the weirdest interruption to a workday I’ve had in ages.”
When Jake got out of the cruiser to join them, Liza’s eyes lit with recognition.
“Deputy Hawkins,” she said, extending her hand.“We met at the town square dedication last year, right?You helped install that monstrosity I created.”
Jake smiled as he shook her hand.“The ‘Spirit of Trentville’ sculpture.Still standing strong, despite what the mayor had to say about it.”
“She called it ‘aggressively modern,’“ Liza snorted.“As if that were an insult.”
The exchange was a welcome reprieve from the weight of Marjory Powell’s disappearance.She found herself remembering the Liza she’d known in high school, before Piper vanished.
Liza had been the creative prankster of their circle—the girl who once hid more than a dozen alarm clocks in the vice principal’s office, set to go off at ten-minute intervals.The same girl who convinced half the senior class to wear pirate costumes on school picture day, complete with eye patches and stuffed parrots.The memory of Principal Hargrove’s face—purple with rage but unable to punish fifty students at once—still had the power to make Jenna smile.
“You’ve got that look,” Liza said, tilting her head.“What are you remembering?”
