Page 39 of In Her Wake
Spelling held up his phone, scrolling through a series of crime scene photos.“I was just showing Chief Morgan the photos from the Powell residence and the discovery site.”
Jenna watched as Morgan studied the images on Spelling’s phone—first the mannequin sitting at the Powells’ kitchen table, then Marjory’s body laid out in the gully, sheet pulled back to reveal her peaceful face.His expression shifted from skepticism to grim recognition.
“So you think Torres has met the same fate?”Morgan asked, looking up from the phone.
“That’s our working theory,” Jenna confirmed.“The cases are too similar to assume otherwise.”
Morgan nodded, rubbing a hand across his jaw.“Torres’s silver Jeep is still here,” he said, pointing to a vehicle parked behind the building.“Been there since yesterday evening, according to witnesses.”
Jenna studied the Jeep—clean, well-maintained, a testament to its owner’s attention to detail.Above it, mounted on the corner of the building, a security camera pointed down at the parking area.
“Security cameras,” she noted.“Covering the entrance and parking lot.”
“Yeah, well, we’ve got issues with the security footage,” Morgan replied.“Come on, I’ll show you what we’re dealing with inside.”
He led them toward the gym entrance, ducking under the crime scene tape.As they approached the door, an officer held it open, and they stepped into the climate-controlled interior.
The gym was smaller than Jenna had expected—a converted retail space with free weights to one side, cardio equipment to the other, and a central area with mats for floor exercises.The walls were lined with mirrors, making the space feel larger and brighter under the fluorescent lighting.Everything was meticulously organized, each piece of equipment in its place.The only jarring element was the mannequin sitting on a weight bench in the center of the room.
Just as with Marjory Powell, the likeness was uncanny.The mannequin wore workout clothes—a fitted tracksuit that covered most of its body—but the face was unmistakably that of a man in his thirties, with close-cropped dark hair and a small scar above the left eyebrow.The figure sat perfectly upright on the bench, hands resting on its knees, facing the mirror as if admiring its own reflection.
“That’s exactly how the witness found him,” Morgan explained, gesturing toward the mannequin.“Beth Williams, Torres’s client.She arrived for her 7:30 a.m.session, found the door unlocked, came in, and discovered...this.”He shook his head.“Poor woman nearly had a breakdown when she realized what it meant.”
Jenna circled the mannequin, studying it from different angles.The craftsmanship was as exceptional as it had been with Marjory’s replica—the same attention to detail, the same lifelike quality that made it all the more disturbing.She noticed more security cameras mounted in the corners of the gym, their lenses trained on various areas of the space.
“What about any other security footage?”she asked, pointing toward one of the cameras.“With this many cameras, there must be something.”
Morgan’s expression shifted slightly, a hint of satisfaction breaking through his professional demeanor.“We did get some footage, but it cuts off at a critical moment.I’ll show you.”
He led them to a small office at the back of the gym.Unlike the orderly workout space, the office was cluttered with paperwork, protein bar wrappers, and fitness magazines.A desk dominated the room, holding a computer monitor that displayed a paused security feed.A corkboard on the wall was pinned with before-and-after photos of clients, their transformations displayed proudly alongside Kevin’s various fitness certifications.
“The system wasn’t difficult to access,” Morgan explained, moving behind the desk.“Password was written right here.”He tapped a yellow post-it note stuck to the edge of the monitor.“Torres wasn’t exactly security-conscious.”
“So our perpetrator likely had no trouble accessing the system either,” Jake observed.
“Exactly,” Morgan nodded.“Here’s what we have.”
He clicked play on the footage.The timestamp showed 9:55 p.m.the previous night.On screen, Kevin Torres stood near the front entrance, saying goodbye to two people—a young man and woman in workout clothes who appeared to be staff members.He was wearing exactly the same clothes that the mannequin was wearing right now.Kevin locked the door behind them, then turned and walked back into the gym, moving out of the camera’s view.Then, abruptly, the screen went black.
“That’s it?”Jenna asked.
Morgan nodded.“Nothing after that.No footage of anyone entering, no sign of Torres being abducted, nothing.”
“So the perpetrator takes Torres,” Jake theorized, “brings in the mannequin, positions it, then comes in here and deletes the footage that would show the entire incident.”
“And finally shuts down the whole surveillance system before leaving,” Morgan added.“Clean, efficient, leaving us with nothing.”
The methodical nature of it all struck Jenna anew.This wasn’t a crime of passion or opportunity.This was calculated, planned to the smallest detail.
As Morgan and Spelling continued discussing the timeline, something on the desk caught Jenna’s attention—a glossy magazine with a familiar face on the cover.She picked it up, examining the title:PowerCore Magazine.Kevin Torres smiled back at her from the cover, dressed in workout gear similar to what the mannequin was wearing, his pose confident and professional.
"The latest issue," Morgan explained, noticing her interest."Apparently, Torres was featured in a big spread.Was very proud of it, according to his staff.Had copies all over the gym."
Jenna flipped through the magazine, finding the feature article: "Torres Technique: Transforming Bodies and Lives in Small-Town America."The spread included multiple high-quality photographs of Kevin—close-ups of his face as he demonstrated proper form, full-body shots showing his athletic build, and detail shots of his hands adjusting weights.Professional photography, capturing him from various angles, in perfect lighting.
Something clicked in Jenna’s mind.She remembered what Liza had told her yesterday about creating the mannequin’s face: “You can create a reasonable facsimile from photographs, especially if you have them from multiple angles.”
These photos would provide exactly that—multiple angles, high resolution, professional quality.
