Page 30 of In Her Path

She watched him drive away, then turned toward the house. When she stepped inside her mother’s front door, she heard the murmur of voices from the kitchen. She moved in that direction and paused in the doorway, taking in the scene. Her mother sat at the head of the table, a glass of what looked like sparkling cider at her elbow. Frank occupied his usual spot to her right, his massive frame somehow making the kitchen chair look like a child’s seat. And across from him, her face animated as she told some story, was Piper.

Her twin looked better than she had for days—her eyes clearer, her movements more fluid. Gone was the haunted look that had shadowed her features since her return.

“—and then Dr. White showed me how to invite the voices back,” Piper was saying. “She taught me to breathe, relax, focus my attention—”

She broke off as she noticed Jenna standing in the doorway. “Jen! You’re here.”

All three turned to look at her, their expressions shifting in unison from curiosity to concern. Jenna realized she must look as exhausted as she felt.

“Hey,” she said, forcing a smile. “Sorry to interrupt.”

“You’re not interrupting,” her mother said, gesturing toward another chair. “We were waiting for you. There’s plenty of lasagna left, if you’re hungry.”

Jenna took the offered seat. “I’m okay. Just wanted to check in.”

“Tell us about your day,” Mom said.

Jenna gave a brief summary of her day up to the meeting at City Hall, including the arrest of Warren Oswinkle. It felt good to talk about things freely.

“How did it go at City Hall?” Frank asked, cutting straight to the heart of the matter as always.

Jenna sighed. “About as well as you’d expect. The mayor announced we’d caught Curtis Paige’s killer—then I had to get up and tell everyone we hadn’t.”

She turned to Piper, remembering their earlier phone conversation. “Piper, I was wondering—do you think you could try reaching your voices again? About the case?”

Piper’s expression sobered. “I’ve been trying all day, since you called this morning. But I haven’t heard anything.” She hesitated. “I can try again now, if you want.”

Jenna watched as her sister closed her eyes, her breathing slowing as she slipped into the meditative state Dr. White had taught her. The kitchen fell silent, the only sound Piper’s measured breaths. Jenna had begun to think the attempt would fail when Piper’s eyelids fluttered.

“They’re here,” she whispered. “But it’s... fuzzy. Like a radio between stations.”

Jenna leaned forward. “Can you ask about the murder? About who killed Curtis Paige?”

Piper’ frowned in concentration, eyes fixing on Jenna’s face.

“They say...” She paused, seeming to listen. “They say, ‘He’ll be sleeping too deeply. Shake him awake.’”

Jenna repeated the phrase silently, turning it over in her mind. It meant nothing to her—just another cryptic message in a case full of dead ends.

“Is that all?” she asked.

Piper closed her eyes again, her face tightening with effort. When she spoke, her voice had taken on a distant quality, as though she were repeating words spoken from far away. “They’re saying, ‘She’ll vanish soon into silence.’”

“What does that mean? Who’s going to vanish?”

But Piper was already shaking her head, breaking free of the trance-like state. “I’m sorry. That’s all they’re giving me. It’s like they’re... holding back somehow.”

“It’s not necessarily that,” Jenna assured her. “People who come to me in dreams can’t always explain themselves clearly. I have to figure out their messages for myself. I’m sure it could be the same with your voices. Thank you for trying.”

Piper pushed back from the table. “I’m going to head up to bed.”

She moved around the table, pausing beside Jenna’s chair. As she leaned down to hug her sister, she whispered, “Oh, wait. They’re talking again. They say what happened between you and Jake is a good thing. They say you should trust it.”

Jenna’s cheeks flamed. She glanced up at Piper, who gave her a knowing smile before straightening and heading for the stairs.

“What was that about?” her mother asked, her eyes sharp with curiosity.

“Nothing,” Jenna replied, too quickly. “Just... sister stuff.”