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Chapter Fourteen
Phoebe
Phoebe yawned as she shuffled a few steps from the small kitchen to the living room, clutching a steaming mug of tea that she had steeped to perfection even in her sleep-deprived state. Bleary-eyed, she glanced at the clock on the wall—it was barely past six o'clock in the morning. She had been up most of the night, unable to sleep as she mulled over Simone's allegation.
Would Jenna have really worn a stolen necklace for all to see?
Granted, it had just been the two of them that day. Maybe Jenna hadn't thought Phoebe would question her about a new piece of jewelry. Then again, Phoebe wasn't so sure that Jenna had meant to wear the necklace on the outside of her sweater, either. The tip of the silver attachment could have simply gotten caught in the scarf's fabric.
"Please tell me that you pressed the brew button," Chloe muttered as she made her way down the short hallway. Her hair was swept up into a messy bun, there was a crease on her right cheek near the scar resembling a dimple, and the soles of her large pink slippers scraped the tile of the kitchen as she neared the counter to find the carafe full of coffee. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."
Though the early morning sky was overcast, there was enough light that it filtered in through the windows. Phoebe had parted the curtains to observe the early risers, though none of them had seemed suspicious. Seeing as she had checked the area multiple times throughout the night, she couldn't help but wonder where their so-called stalker had gone.
"I should have asked Simone what the necklace looked like," Phoebe said as she sank into the cushion of the overstuffed chair. She grabbed the throw blanket and snuggled into it so she could enjoy her first cup of tea. "I still can't believe that Jenna would have blatantly worn a necklace that she stole."
Phoebe's first sip of tea had warmth seeping into her bones as she studied the information on the whiteboard. Different colored strings crisscrossed between the various notes, photos, and newspaper clippings pinned haphazardly across its surface, mapping out everything they knew so far about the tangled web of Jenna's secret life in her last days.
Unfortunately, there was no picture of the necklace.
"What the…" Phoebe took another sip of her tea, this time to make sure that it wouldn't spill when she tossed aside the blanket. Something important had just occurred to her. "Chloe, there was no necklace listed in Jenna's belongings."
Phoebe quickly set her tea down on the coffee table while searching for the file that she had gotten from Chief Bennett. She opened the manila folder and sorted through the papers until she found the one of interest.
Phoebe made her way over to the kitchen counter. Chloe's eyes were still closed as she leaned against the counter, slowly sipping her coffee as if in a haze. Phoebe didn't give Chloe a choice but to stare at the itemized list from the police report.
"See? There's no mention of a necklace here," Phoebe stated in excitement, tapping the paperwork with her finger. Chloe blinked a few times to get her vision to focus. "Chloe, I know for a fact that Jenna was wearing a necklace that day."
"You're right," Chloe murmured after she had scanned the list. "So if the necklace isn't on this list, then what happened to it after..."
Her voice trailed off, clearly not wanting to say the words aloud.
"Exactly," Phoebe replied softly as she began to walk back into the living room. "Someone must have taken it off her."
"Pheebs, we don't even know if Jenna was wearing Simone’s necklace," Chloe pointed out as she followed suit. By the time Chloe sat on the couch, Phoebe was already using a magnet to secure the list to the whiteboard. "That would have been rather risky, right? I think we should contact Simone again. We need a description of the necklace."
"I'm already one step ahead of you," Phoebe replied as she scooped up her cell phone from the coffee table. She stared at the display for a moment before frowning in disappointment. "I don't have Simone's number.”
"We can wait until she opens the—never mind," Chloe said into her mug as she caught Phoebe's arched brow in response to the forthcoming suggestion. "What about Ethan Turner? We have his phone number."
"Considering the two of them haven't spoken since high school, I highly doubt that Ethan has Simone's cell phone number."
"How can two people live in a small town and not speak to one another?" Chloe muttered in disbelief as Phoebe accessed her speed dial list. She pressed on her mother's name. "I thought I had issues…"
"Mom? I need a favor," Phoebe explained before asking her mother to obtain Simone Langley's number. "I don't want to get into a long-winded explanation right now, but it's important."
"Phoebe, what makes you think that I have Simone Langley's phone number?"
"I don't think you have it, but I know that you can get it."
There was a brief silence on the other end of the line.
"What does Simone Langley have to do with Jenna?"
"Mom, please. The number?"
"Alright, just give me a few minutes."
The line went dead.
