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"Yeah, sure," Simone muttered before ending the call.
Phoebe set her phone down on the coffee table.
"A silver moon. The description matches the same necklace that Jenna had on when she died, Chloe."
"Why would Jenna steal jewelry from her boyfriend's ex-girlfriend?" Chloe sank into the cushions, mindful of her coffee. She then wrapped both hands around the mug as if the contents were gold. "It doesn’t make sense. Maybe Ethan would know why Jenna took the necklace. He didn’t mention it during our interview, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t know about it."
"Will you call him while I take a shower?" Phoebe asked. "Whether Ethan knows it or not, I think it's time we do a little scavenger hunt around the pond. Think about it, Chloe. There was dirt underneath Jenna's fingernails. What if she buried the necklace after I went back for the hot chocolate? There's only one way to find out."
"We're going to need a metal detector then," Chloe called out as Phoebe walked down the hallway. "Do your parents have one or do we need to drive to your house?"
"My house," Phoebe yelled as she entered the bathroom. "Dress in layers, too. It's always colder near the pond."
Phoebe shut the door, wishing it were that easy to shut out the overwhelming emotions about returning to the place where her sister had died. Phoebe had gone back there a time or two, hoping that Jenna would be able to communicate better in that specific location. That hadn't been the case at all.
This time could be different.
Maybe, just maybe, Jenna would appear and help them locate the necklace.
Chapter Fifteen
Phoebe
Miniature icicles hung like tiny little daggers from the bare tree branches. The sky was so overcast that not even a sliver of sunlight could break through the thick coverage. A soft blanket of powdery white snow covered the ground all the way up to the edge of the dark, imposing tree line that loomed ahead.
Phoebe recalled the silhouette standing not too far from her location, but the stillness of the quiet indicated that no one waited for her and Chloe inside the woods. At least, Phoebe hoped that was the case.
Her breath formed small clouds of mist in the frigid late-morning air. Her heart rate accelerated at the thought of walking the same path that she and her sister had taken that day. Would lost memories suddenly resurface?
"You ready?" Chloe asked as she made sure that her jacket was zipped up to her neck. She had tucked her scarf inside her jacket for added warmth, and the material had fanned out to protect her chin. "I think we should have worn triple layers."
"It wasn't this cold that day," Phoebe said softly, the memories of Jenna's laughter echoing through the trees as prominent now as it had been then. "Chloe, I think we should record our walk to the pond."
"Come again?"
"I know we probably won't ever air any episodes about Jenna's case on our podcast, but..." Phoebe’s voice trailed off as she gathered her thoughts. "I guess there's a part of me that wants there to be some kind of record, some evidence to prove that my sister didn't just drown in an accident. That someone was responsible."
"Okay." Chloe handed Phoebe the metal detector without judgment. "I need to walk back to the SUV."
"Here." Phoebe reached into the pocket of her jacket. She then handed over the key fob. "I locked it."
"As well you should have, too," Chloe muttered as she turned to tromp back through the layer of snow in the yard. "My purse is in there. I get that your parents don't think they need to lock their doors this far outside of town, but I personally think they're crazy. No offense."
"None taken," Phoebe said with a light laugh, grateful that Chloe hadn't made a big deal out of her wanting to record their walk to the pond.
Phoebe had kept her promise to her mother about checking in on her father. By the time she and Chloe had driven up to her parents' house, it had been going on ten o'clock in the morning. At first, Phoebe hadn't been going to mention Ethan, especially since her father had successfully managed to avoid that particular topic of discussion. But when her dad had asked why she and Chloe wanted to go out to the pond, Phoebe had told him the truth.
Surprisingly, Kenneth had seemed interested in the necklace. He claimed to have remembered seeing it once, but he thought it had been a gift that she had been given by a friend at Christmas time. He had never asked Jenna about it, and he had never thought twice about it after she had died.
Phoebe looked over her shoulder to check if Chloe was close to returning, but she was still near the SUV. Phoebe figured now was as good a time as any to have a discussion with her sister.
"Jenna?" Phoebe waited while pushing aside the foolishness of talking to thin air. She even glanced toward the bay window of her father's office to make sure he wasn’t monitoring her. "Jenna, I really need some guidance. If you took that necklace, I'm hoping you had a really good reason. Chloe called Ethan, and we’ve established that Simone must not have told him about the incident. He swore that you would never do something like that. I'm inclined to agree, but I saw that silver moon pendant with my own eyes. Help me out, Jenna…please."
The bare branches overhead creaked and groaned when a light gust of wind came through, but Jenna didn't make an appearance. Phoebe scanned the area warily, half expecting to discover Jenna's willowy form standing between the trees.
"You ready?"
Phoebe turned and tossed Chloe a small smile.
