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Chloe once again leaned in to pause the footage. She had to rewind a few seconds, but she was able to freeze the picture of the indistinct figure. Just as she and Chloe had described to Chief Bennett, the man was dressed in winter gear with a black ski mask, though only a third of his frame could be seen. The rest was hidden behind a large tree trunk.
"I'll have a patrol car remain in the area for the rest of the day and night." Chief Bennett closed his notebook with a snap before attaching his pen to the cover. "I'll speak with Turner, Vance, and Langley. If I find that something else was going on besides Jenna disobeying her parents to spend time with a boy, I'll reclassify your sister's death as suspicious. Agreed?"
"Agreed," Phoebe approved with satisfaction as she tossed Chloe a smile. It was progress. "Dad, are you okay with that?"
"Yes," Kenneth replied as he continued to study the screen with concern. He finally leaned back in his chair before drilling Chief Bennett with a stare that Phoebe's dad only reserved for when he expected things done his way. "Roger, you did everything the way you were supposed to back then. I agree with you that Jenna's death appeared to be accidental, but if there is any chance that my youngest daughter and her friend could be in danger, I expect you to do something about it."
Just then, the back door opened with a loud bang.
"Kenneth? Phoebe?"
Kenneth had phoned his wife directly after Phoebe and Chloe had returned to the house. Phoebe had advised against it, but her father had always been adamant about not keeping secrets from his wife. Apparently, the same courtesy didn't extend to Phoebe, unless her father had no idea that Lilith was keeping something important to herself. That was highly doubtful since Chloe had sworn Lilith had mentioned Kenneth during the conversation with Aunt Trish.
Lilith hurried into the kitchen, her face creased with worry. She hadn't even bothered to take off her boots and jacket.
"Phoebe? Are you alright?" Lilith pulled Phoebe into a tight hug before turning to do the same with Chloe. "Is it true? Was someone following you two? Your father said that you ran after him, Phoebe. What on earth were you thinking?"
Phoebe didn't have to reply, because it had obviously been a rhetorical question. Lilith spun around to face Chief Bennett, who had stood the moment that Phoebe's mother had entered the kitchen.
"What do you plan to do about this? Protection? Can you post an offi—"
"Mom, stop," Phoebe said gently as she touched her mom's arm. "It’s true that someone has been following us, but Chief Bennett doesn't have the staff to give someone full-time protection. Besides, Chloe and I have already made a pact not to go anywhere alone. The chief has promised to talk to those we believe can provide more insight into Jenna's death. Everything is handled, Mom."
Well, not everything.
Phoebe had yet to confront her mother about what Chloe had overheard in the backroom of the yarn shop. When that time came, if Lilith hadn’t changed her mind about the so-called secret, then Phoebe would just need to seek out Aunt Trish.
"Lilith, I was just telling Phoebe that I will reclassify Jenna's death as suspicious if I believe anything was missed during the initial investigation." Chief Bennett picked his hat up from the table. "I'll be in touch if I learn anything. In the meantime, call the station if you see the perp again."
Chief Bennett shook hands with Kenneth before tilting his head toward Phoebe and Chloe. Lilith led him out of the kitchen and down the hallway toward the front door. Kenneth picked up his coffee mug and walked over to the sink, spilling out the contents.
"I'll be back in an hour."
"Dad?" Phoebe shared a concerned glance with Chloe, who had already reached for the camcorder. She turned it off, which was probably a good thing since Lilith hadn't seemed to notice the device. "Where are you going?"
"To buy some security cameras," Kenneth replied tersely as he began to follow the same route that Phoebe's mother had just taken out of the kitchen. Phoebe scrambled to keep up in the hallway. "If someone is going to trespass on my property, I damn well want to see who it is."
Phoebe followed close on her father's footsteps, catching sight of her mother closing the front door behind Chief Bennett. Lilith turned around just in time to find her husband opening the closet door.
"Kenneth?" Lilith had unbuttoned her dress coat, but she was too focused on her husband putting his own on to worry about hers. "Where on earth are you going? Someone has been following our daughter around town. Don't you think—"
"I'm well aware that someone has been stalking our daughter," Kenneth exclaimed as he shoved his arms into the sleeves of his jacket. "I saw it with my own eyes, Lilith."
"Dad, I really don't think the doctor would approve of you doing any strenuous activity right now," Phoebe said, moving to block her father's path to the door. She stood shoulder to shoulder with her mother. "If you want to install security cameras around the property, we'll call a security company first thing in the morning."
"Security cameras?" Phoebe's mother was behind the eight ball, but she quickly figured out why Phoebe was attempting to stop her father from leaving the house. "Kenneth Walker Burrow, don't you dare think about leaving this house. I will not have you climbing up on ladders and exerting energy using tools in this weather. Do you hear me?"
"I'm not going to be the one to install them," Kenneth replied with irritation as he reached up on the top shelf of the closet for his hat and gloves. "I want to see what systems are available. Once I choose one, I'll have someone install it as soon as possible. Same goes for the yarn shop."
It took a moment for Lilith to realize that Kenneth had included her small business, which also meant the apartment on the upper level. Before she could agree or disagree, Kenneth planted a kiss on her cheek. Without another word, he walked out the front door.
"Your father always was stubborn," Lilith muttered as she removed her dress coat. Before closing the distance to the closet to grab a hanger, she frowned in hesitation. She then reached out and flipped the deadbolt on the front door. "Now, I want to hear about everything, Phoebe."
"Did you close the shop early?" Phoebe asked, observing her mother finally take a moment to remove her winter boots. She set them on the mat next to the closet door to dry before giving a curt nod of her head. "Mom, you didn't have to do that."
"Yes, I did," Lilith countered as she motioned with both hands that Phoebe should walk back to the kitchen. Hopefully, Chloe had already hidden the camcorder. It probably wasn't wise to show Lilith footage of someone sneaking around the woods. A brief cursory of the day's events was good enough. "Trish took off a couple of days to mind the shop for me. I couldn't ask her to do the same on a Saturday."
"Mom?"
