Page 46 of In Her Path

“Of course. I’ll have her call you the moment she arrives.”

“Actually,” Jenna said, “we’d like to take a look at her office.”

Meredith blinked. “Her office? But she’s not—”

“It’s related to our investigation,” Jake interjected smoothly. “We won’t disturb anything.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Meredith said, “I found her office door locked when I got here this morning. That’s unusual. But I do have a key.”

She reached into her desk drawer and shuffled things around, finally withdrawing a small ring of keys. “I should warn you, the Mayor doesn’t like anyone going through her things.”

“We’ll be respectful,” Jenna promised.

Meredith led them to the inner door—solid oak with “MAYOR CLAIRE SIMMONS” engraved on a brass plaque. Selecting a key on the ring, she inserted it, turned it with a soft click, and pushed the door open.

“Please don’t touch anything unless you absolutely have to,” she said, stepping back to allow them entry. “I’ll be at my desk if you need anything.”

Jenna thanked her and stepped into the Mayor’s office, Jake close behind. As usual, everything was in perfect order—pens aligned precisely parallel to the edge of the desk, chair pushed in exactly so, not a paper out of place.

Except for the object lying in the center of the desk blotter.

Jenna’s breath caught in her throat. There, gleaming dully in the sunlight, was an ice pick.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Jenna’s eyes fixed on the ice pick. It lay at the center of the Mayor’s otherwise orderly desk—small, deliberate, unmistakable.

“Don’t touch it,” Jake said, though she hadn’t moved.

“I know.” Jenna stared at it a moment longer, then turned to face him. His expression matched what she felt—something between disbelief and the cold, clear recognition that the case had just shifted. “We need to get Meredith in here.”

She crossed to the door and leaned into the outer office. Meredith Soll was at her desk, fingers poised over her keyboard.

“Meredith,” Jenna said, keeping her voice neutral. “Could you come in for a minute?”

Meredith got up and followed her in without hesitation, the way she did everything—quietly, efficiently. But she stopped when she saw the ice pick on the desk.

“Where did that come from?” she asked.

“That’s what I was going to ask you,” Jenna said. “Have you seen it before? In this office, on this desk—anywhere in the building?”

Meredith shook her head, slowly at first, then with more conviction. “No. It wasn’t here when the Mayor and I headed out to the meeting yesterday evening.” She paused. “I’m sure of it.”

Jake was photographing the ice pick with his phone, careful not to disturb it or anything else on the desk.

“What does it mean?” Meredith asked softly.

“We’re still piecing things together,” Jenna said. It wasn’t untrue, just incomplete. She wasn’t ready to tell Meredith more than she had to. “I want to ask you a few questions, if that’s all right.”

Meredith gave a short nod.

“I’ve heard there’s been recent friction between Mayor Simmons and Councilwoman Holt. Can you tell me more about that? Disagreements, arguments—anything that stood out to you?”

Something moved across Meredith’s face—a brief hesitation, the kind that preceded honesty rather than evasion. “Actually, yes. Last night. After the meeting, when you and Deputy Hawkins had just driven away.” She folded her hands in front of her. “I was just getting ready to drive home myself when I saw Mayor Simmons corner Diane right there on the council steps. Couldn’t help overhearing …”

Jenna held still. “What was said?”

Meredith drew a slow breath. “The Mayor said something about obstruction. That the Councilwoman was jeopardizing development projects. Then Diane pushed back—said she was protecting the town’s financial future, that the Riverside Development was irresponsible. It escalated quickly.” Meredith’s jaw tightened slightly. “The Mayor said Diane was blocking the project to stop her from looking good. Diane said she refused to rubber-stamp fiscally irresponsible grandstanding. And then Mayor Simmons said—” Meredith paused, as though trying to get the words exactly right. “—she said she was going to back a primary challenger against her. That Diane should enjoy her last months on the council.”