His face brightened unexpectedly.“Of course!In fact, take several.I have many varieties.”He moved with sudden energy, gathering different spools of red yarn from around the studio and presenting them to her like precious gifts.“This one has a touch of mohair for texture.This one is pure merino, very soft.And this one—” he held up a deep crimson strand, “—is a specialty dye, quite expensive.A special order.”
Jenna accepted the samples, careful to touch only the ends.“Thank you for your cooperation, Mr.Ellington.We appreciate your time.”
He had already turned away, returning to his loom as if they were no longer present.The rhythmic clacking resumed, filling the studio as Jenna and Jake exchanged glances and quietly made their exit.
Outside, walking back toward their car, Jenna waited until they were well out of earshot before speaking.“None of the yarn he gave us identical to what was found at the scene.”
“But would someone who just committed murder immediately start a project using the same material he left at the crime scene?”Jake countered.
“True, but his alibi is essentially non-existent.What do you think?”
Jake shook his head.“Hard to say.He’s exactly as strange as everyone claims, but is he killer-strange or just artist-strange?”
They reached the car in silence, that question unanswered.As Jake started the car and put it into motion, the strange sculptures in Ellington’s yard watched their departure with hollow eyes.
Jenna watched the rearview mirror until the odd sculptures disappeared from view.She ran her thumb across the yarn samples in her pocket, thinking about the two men they’d interviewed today—Ellington’s unsettling intensity…Dixon’s calculated indifference.Neither felt right, but neither felt entirely wrong either.
One thing was clear: they’d only scratched the surface of this case.The only thing Jenna felt certain of was that this investigation had only just begun.
CHAPTER TEN
Case files and witness statements littered Jenna’s desk, each page promising answers that had dissolved upon closer inspection.The wall clock read 8:32 p.m., and the day’s investigation had yielded nothing but dead ends.Across from her, Jake rubbed his eyes
“We’ve got nothing,” he said.“Absolutely nothing solid.”
“Every lead circles back to the same dead end,” Jenna muttered.“Many people had reasons to dislike Derek, but there’s nothing that indicates murder.”
They had spent the afternoon directing officers in a canvas of the area around the crime scene, reviewing security footage from nearby businesses, tracking down receipts from every store in the county that sold red yarn.They’d combed through phone records, run background checks, and conducted another round of interviews with Derek’s neighbors.By evening, the case remained stubbornly murky.
“Any update from the officers watching our persons of interest?”Jenna asked, shuffling through the stack of preliminary reports.
“Nothing suspicious.Roger Dixon spent the day at his shop, had five customers, ordered parts for a chainsaw repair, and took a twenty-minute lunch break in his office.Brenda Drummond went grocery shopping, had coffee with the librarian, and updated TownCircle with information we didn’t want her to share.”
“And Ellington?”
“Last I heard, he hadn’t left his house at all.Officer Fairmont’s been there since noon, and there’s been no movement.”
Just then, Jenna’s phone rang.The display showed Fairmont’s number.
“Sheriff Graves,” she answered, putting the call on speaker.
“Sheriff, it’s Fairmont.Still posted outside Ellington’s place.Thought you should know, there’s been no activity all day.No visitors, no deliveries, not even a light changing from one room to another.Want me to go in and check on him?”
Jenna considered, weighing concern against caution.“No, just maintain your position for now.”
The call ended.After a few moments of silence, Jenna whispered her sister’s words, “Red is for rage.”
“You think Piper was somehow...sensing this?”Jake asked.
“Not before it happened, unfortunately.Derek was already dead when Piper said that.But maybe she was sensing something about the killer.About the motive.”
“Rage,” Jake echoed.“Not exactly a rare emotion toward Derek Sullivan.The man had a talent for making enemies.”
“And not exactly a rare emotion in Trentville these days,” Jenna said.“I wish I understood what was happening to this town.”
Jenna had had checked in with her mother and Piper throughout the day—quick calls or texts between interviews.She’d been careful not to mention the red yarn connection, not wanting to burden Piper with the knowledge that her cryptic words might be linked to a brutal murder.So far, Piper hadn’t reported any further episodes, and seemed to be adjusting well to being home again.
“I don’t know what to think anymore,” Jenna admitted.“I spent twenty years searching for Piper, and now that I’ve found her, I don’t have time to help her piece her life back together.I’m too busy trying to figure out who’s killing people in my county.”
