After a pause, Claire added, “How is your sister doing?”
“So far, reasonably well,” Jenna said.“She’s got a long way to go.”
“I wish you and your family the best,” Claire said.
“Thanks,” Jenna said.“Will that be all for now?”
“Yes.And Jenna—I’m grateful for your efforts, even if I don’t show it as often as I should.”
“Thanks for saying that, Claire.”
Jenna turned and left, Jake close behind her.The silence between them held until they reached the cruiser.This time, Jenna took the driver’s seat.
“She keeps making the same old insinuations,” Jake said as Jenna started the engine.
“She’s scared,” Jenna replied, surprising herself with the insight.“Everyone is.”
The trip back to Jake’s house was quiet, the streets emptier than usual as Trentville’s residents heeded her warnings to stay inside.
“Will you be okay?”Jake asked when she dropped him off at his house.
Jenna nodded, though uncertainty gnawed at her.“I think so.One day at a time, right?”
“I guess,” he replied with a shrug.
Jenna met his eyes, and the brief exchange said everything they couldn’t.He lingered, then shut the door with a soft, decisive click.Alone in the car, Jenna remembered a conversation where they had tiptoed around the truth of what they meant to each other.The silence rose like a tide, threatening to engulf her.She turned on the radio, seeking any noise to fill the space.
Jake went into his house and Jenna continued on her way to Mom’s house.Piper would be there, perhaps sleeping, perhaps still awake and full of questions.
Jenna wasn’t sure which was going to be harder—solving Derek Sullivan’s murder or helping her sister return to a life she barely remembered.And she still wondered what was the connection between the murder and Piper’s pronouncement: “Red is for rage.”
Maybe it was just a coincidence, she thought.
She wished she could make herself believe that.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Night had settled firmly over Trentville when Jenna finally pulled the cruiser into her mother’s driveway.It was nearly eleven—later than she’d planned to arrive.The front windows of the house were glowing with warm light, so she assumed that not everyone had gone to bed.She killed the engine and sat for a moment as she gathered the remnants of her energy.
She’d been running on fumes since finding Piper, and the murder investigation had only drained her further.But her mother was waiting, and some conversations couldn’t be postponed.
As she made her way up the familiar path, Jenna noted the garden beds barely visible in the gold-tinged glow from the front porch—those bright marigolds and black-eyed Susans were just shadows now.She remembered Piper kneeling among those same flowers, recognition blooming on her face as memories surfaced after twenty years of absence.
She tapped lightly on the front door.“Mom?”she called, keeping her voice low in case Piper was already asleep.
In just moments, her mother opened the door.“In here,” she said softly as she led the way into the living room.“I was beginning to think you weren’t coming.”Mom sat down in her old armchair by the window.A half-empty teacup and an open book were on the side table.The television was on but muted, displaying the late local news.
“I’m sorry.”Jenna sank onto the sofa across from her.“It’s been a long day.How’s Piper?”
Her mother's expression softened."She had a good day, all things considered.We went through some of the old photo albums this morning.She remembered a lot of the pictures, though some seemed to confuse her."A small, sad smile touched her lips."She kept stopping at photos of your father.I think it's hard for her to reconcile that he's gone."
Jenna nodded, understanding the disorientation all too well.“And physically?Is she eating?Sleeping?”
“She ate well at lunch—I made her favorite soup, and she had two bowls.Dinner was lighter, just a sandwich, but she seemed satisfied.She went to bed about an hour ago.Said she was tired, but I think...”She hesitated.
“What?”Jenna prompted.
“She seemed...restless.Like she was listening for something.”Her mother’s eyes met Jenna’s, worry evident in their depths.“Is that normal?After everything she’s been through?”
