Page 42 of In Her Path

This time the silence stretched so long that Jenna thought the call might have dropped.

“Frank? You still there?”

“I’m here,” he said, his voice suddenly sounding every one of his sixty-five years. “I’m just trying to process this. Claire Simmons? You’re saying Claire might have killed Diane Holt?”

“I’m saying someone in her clothes entered the house last night. We don’t have a clear shot of the face.”

“But you think it’s her.”

Jenna closed her eyes. “I don’t know what to think.”

“My God,” Frank muttered again. “I’ve known that woman since she was in pigtails. She was always ambitious, but murder?” He paused. “You’ve spoken with her?”

“She’s not in her office, and they don’t seem to know when to expect her.”

“Tried her private number?”

“Went straight to voicemail.”

Another long silence. Jenna could picture Frank in his kitchen, making coffee.

“There’s something else,” she said. “I dreamed about Diane last night—her tongue was cut out. So, I knew she was dead before it could be reported. That’s what brought Jake and me here. Also, Dad was in the dream.”

“What did he say?” Frank asked.

“He said, ‘You’ll need Piper as much as you’ll need Jake,” she said, repeating Dad’s exact words. ‘The three of you together will make more difference than you can imagine.’”

Jenna took a deep breath.

“Frank, I think I need Piper’s help. Her direct involvement, I mean.”

The line went quiet again. When Frank spoke, his voice had taken on a note of caution. “I know that Piper is eager to help, and I’ve even recommended that. But maybe we’re moving too fast with her. We should keep in mind that Piper is not a tool to be deployed whenever you have a bad feeling. She’s still recovering.”

“I know that,” Jenna said. “But this is different. Dad always means what he says. And he’s never been wrong about what he tells me in dreams. Not once. And if there’s even a chance that bringing Piper in could help prevent another murder—”

“She’s not trained for this,” Frank interrupted. “She’s not law enforcement. She’s a vulnerable young woman who’s spent most of the last twenty years homeless and confused.”

“She’s eager to help us,” Jenna countered. “And she has abilities that could help. You know it as well as I do.”

A sigh came through the line. “What exactly are you proposing?”

“I need you to go to Mom’s house. Talk to her. Explain the situation. If she agrees, she’ll join us on site. I won’t put her in danger—she’ll be helping with background, context, insights. Nothing that would put her at risk.”

“You know your mother’s going to have concerns,” Frank said. “After everything that’s happened—”

“Which is why I need you with her,” Jenna said. “You’re the only one she trusts as much as she trusts me.”

Another pause, longer this time. When Frank finally spoke, resignation had replaced the firmness in his voice. “I’ll call Margaret and head over there. But Jenna—” His voice hardened. “If there’s even a hint that this is putting Piper at risk, I’m pulling her out. Regardless of what your father said in your dream. Understood?”

“Understood,” Jenna agreed. “Oh, Frank—one more thing. Do you remember yesterday, when Piper heard a voice saying, ‘He’ll be sleeping too deeply. Shake him awake.’”

“Yeah, I remember.”

“Well, it really meant something. It was a warning. Diane’s husband, Gordon, needs a lot of medication to sleep. When he does, he sleeps very soundly. Too soundly, as things turned out last night.”

“So—Gordon slept right through his wife’s murder,” Frank said, understanding.

“That’s right. Piper’s voice was a warning about something that really did happen. You should tell Piper that.”