“Tell me.”
Jenna took a breath.“Her memory is coming back in pieces.Little things keep surfacing.”
“That sounds like good news.”
“It is.But then, just a few minutes ago, she went into one of those trances again.Like when she said ‘Red is for rage’ right before we found out about Derek Sullivan.”Jenna lowered her voice further, though no one could hear her.“This time she said ‘Green is for envy.’And Frank...”
“You think there’s been another murder.”
“I know there has.Jake just called me.I don’t know the details yet, but it sounds like the body was wrapped in green yarn.Jake’s coming to pick me up now.”
“So your sister’s definitely not just having random episodes.She’s connecting to specific crimes somehow.”
“I know.That’s why I’m calling.I don’t think she should go to her appointment with Dr.White this morning.Not until we understand what’s happening.”
“Actually,” Frank said, “I think it’s more important than ever that she goes.”
“What?Frank, we can’t expose her like this.What if Dr.White thinks she’s delusional?What if this affects her treatment?”
“Samantha White isn’t just any psychiatrist, Jenna.”Frank’s voice softened.“Remember, I told you our grandmothers were friends.Her family knew all about my grandmother’s abilities.They accepted them, respected them even.”
“You really think Dr.White would understand?These aren’t just...dreams like I have.These are communications while she’s awake.”
“I think Samantha is exactly the person who can help Piper.She’s spent her career studying the intersection between what science can explain and what it can’t yet.Trust me on this.”
Jenna stared out at the quiet street, weighing her options.The thought of exposing Piper’s vulnerability felt like betrayal, yet sheltering her from professional help wasn’t the answer either.
“There’s something else,” Frank continued when Jenna didn’t respond.“Red for rage, green for envy.Those aren’t random colors.”
“They’re emotions,” Jenna agreed.“Whoever is doing this is color-coding the bodies based on something perceived about each victim.”
“Exactly.And that kind of pattern suggests planning, ritualization.This killer isn’t going to stop at two.”
If Frank was right—and Jenna was sure that he was—more deaths would follow, each with its own color, its own assigned emotion.And somehow, Piper was tuned into this twisted frequency.
“So you’re saying that Dr.White needs to know about Piper’s communications because they might continue?”Jenna asked.
“Yes.And because Piper needs someone who can help her process what she’s experiencing without judgment.Someone who understands that some gifts come with terrible burdens.”
Jenna thought of her own lucid dreams, how long it had taken her to accept them as real.How much harder must it be for Piper, whose communications seemed to come without warning, without the protective buffer of sleep?
“Okay,” she finally said.
“I’ll come pick her up in about twenty minutes,” Frank sounded relieved.
“Thank you, Frank.For everything.”She saw Jake’s car pulling up out front.“I’ve got to go,” she told Frank.“Jake’s here.”
“Be careful out there, Jenna Marie.And remember—your sister isn’t causing these deaths.She’s just learning about them somehow.”
“I know.”She ended the call and went to join Jake.Sliding into the passenger seat of his vehicle, she closed the door with a soft thud.
“So Piper knew?”he asked, putting the car into motion.
“Yes.Said ‘Green is for envy’ the same way she said ‘Red is for rage’ about Derek’s murder.And this time she actually saw the victim’s body wrapped in yarn.”
Jenna stared out at the familiar streets of Trentville sliding past, the morning routine of the town—a jogger with a golden retriever, an elderly man retrieving his newspaper, two teenagers waiting for the school bus—all of it suddenly dissonant against the knowledge of what was happening in their little town.
“Who was it this time?”she asked Jake.
