Page 40 of Shadowed Graves

"Look at Francie’s necklace," Chief Bennett instructed as he tapped his finger on the photograph before pulling back and making himself comfortable. "I thought a silver moon sounded familiar, so when I returned to the station, I had one of my officers pull up some old newspaper clippings. That one there is from the summer carnival that used to be set up near the pier, back when Francie was in high school. If what you're telling me is true, then Ethan Turner gave that same necklace to Simone Langley."

Phoebe's breath caught in her throat as she realized where the chief was going with his speech. Jenna must have figured out the connection, as well.

"Jenna stole the necklace from Simone, because Jenna thought there was more to the theory that Francie up and left town...her son." Something about the theory wasn't making sense to Phoebe, though. She continued with hopes that Chief Bennett would clarify his thoughts. "Why would Ethan kill Jenna, though? Ethan wasn't even a year old when Francie left town. Went missing. Whatever you want to call it. Are you saying the two cases are connected?"

"You know how rumors spread, Phoebe. Ethan Turner hasn't been arrested for Jenna's murder. All I want to do is ask him questions about his mother's necklace, but he has requested a lawyer." Chief Bennett raised a hand to someone who had been motioning for him outside his office window, as if to indicate that he would be finished soon. "Personally, I don't think Ethan has done anything wrong. I know that he used to have a temper. He got into trouble a lot as a kid. His grandmother raised him the best she could under the circumstances. What I am about to tell you is public knowledge, but you know how the locals can be about one of their own. I don’t want there to be any misconceptions."

Phoebe exchanged curious glances with Chloe, and they both sat back hoping to gain more insight into the connection between Jenna and Francie Turner. It wasn't like Phoebe could reveal her ability to see dead people. The chief would probably laugh her out of the police station or possibly accuse her of pulling a publicity stunt for the podcast.

"When Francie didn't return home from her shift at the diner, her mother called into the station. This was back when Quincy Rollinsdale was chief. He took the information and sent a couple of his officers out to search for her. She was wearing a pink t-shirt and white shorts. The description also included a silver necklace," Chief Bennett revealed as his gaze dropped to the photograph. "That exact necklace, with a silver moon pendant hanging from the thin chain."

"What exactly are you saying?" Phoebe asked as she studied the picture, as well. "Are you saying that Francie didn’t leave town? I didn't know that she was listed as a missing person."

"Francie was never listed as a missing person, because the officers believed she left town of her own volition. They spoke to the owner of the diner, along with the staff who had been working the same shift as Francie that day. Apparently, Francie had made plans to leave town. She claimed that she had saved enough money to head south and start over." Chief Bennett shifted with unease in his seat, which told Phoebe that there was a lot more to the story. "Rumor had it back then that Francie had been seen a few times with an older man. She never made any accusations, and she never revealed the identity of her baby's father. As I already prefaced, this happened well before my time as chief. All I know is that Francie was supposedly wearing that necklace when she left town. I want to know how Ethan came to have it in his possession, why he gave the necklace to Simone, and what caused Jenna to steal it from Simone's purse."

Phoebe's gaze dropped to the photograph once more. There were several people in the background, one in particular who was staring directly at Francie Turner.

"Please, Chief Bennett. Let me speak with Ethan," Phoebe urged one more time as she tore her attention away from the picture. She held up both hands to keep the chief from outright denying her request. "Ethan spoke to Chloe and me the other day. If it wasn't for him, we wouldn't have known that Jenna thought she was being followed. It was that piece of information that led us to Simone and the necklace."

" I spotted Ethan and Simone having dinner at the diner last night," Chloe informed the chief before reaching into her purse to pull out her phone. She peered down at the display, but she didn't respond to whoever might have been trying to reach her. It wouldn’t surprise Phoebe if it was her mother. "Ethan and Simone claim not to have spoken to each other since high school. That could be the case, or they could have been lying. Either way, Phoebe's right in that Ethan was very forthcoming with us. Maybe he'll feel the same if you let us speak with him now."

Neither Phoebe nor Chloe mentioned they had paid the man five hundred dollars. It would have only hurt their case, and then they would have had to hand over the footage. Phoebe wasn't sure why Chloe hadn't mentioned the taped interview, but Phoebe was grateful for her discretion. It could be in their best interest to play the recording to find out if they had missed something in the conversation.

"Even if Ethan had nothing to do with Jenna's murder, I still need information regarding that necklace," Chief Bennett explained as he straightened in his chair. It was evident that nothing they said would change his mind. "There are technically two cases that have been reopened today. I don't know how they are connected, but I won't let either one slip through the cracks again."

Chief Bennett's promise caused Phoebe to realize what one of his next steps might be in the coming days. Like him, she also believed there was a link between the two cases. If only he had been more willing to include them, she might have revealed the connection. Then again, maybe he was already aware of it.

"I appreciate you taking the time to speak with us, Chief Bennett." Phoebe stood, ignoring Chloe's puzzled expression. "You'll let us know if you find out anything useful?"

"Of course," Chief Bennett said with a hint of relief.

Phoebe waited for Chloe to collect her purse. The two of them didn't linger as they made their way toward the front doors of the station. The cold air hit them as they walked outside. Dullish grey clouds had merged above, which blocked the sun’s rays. Phoebe shoved her hands into her pockets for some warmth.

"Look," Chloe exclaimed in victory as she held up her phone. She made sure that Phoebe had full view of the display. "I took a picture of Francie's photograph."

"You're a genius," Phoebe said as she realized no one had been attempting to reach Chloe while they had been in Chief Bennett’s office. Chloe had used the opportunity to take a picture of Francie’s photo. "Look at who is in the background. To the right of Francie."

Chloe turned her phone so she could have a closer look at the picture.

Her eyes widened in disbelief, and she gave a long whistle of astonishment.

"Principal Grayson?"

"What if Principal Grayson was the older man who people suspected Francie to be involved with?" Phoebe had a hard time wrapping her mind around such a relationship. Unfortunately, there was no denying the manner in which Principal Grayson was staring at the young woman. "What if Jenna figured out that Principal Grayson and Francie were having an affair? Maybe Jenna went to the hospital to locate Francie's medical records hoping that she had listed the name of Ethan’s father somewhere on the forms. I mean, Alice Hart confirmed this morning that Jenna was at the hospital for Ethan."

"Talking with Ethan would certainly have clarified some things," Chloe muttered as she tossed an irritated glance over her shoulder toward the police station. “Do you know any of the officers? Can you think of any way we can get around…”

Images of Jenna strolling backward as they made their way to the pond began to resurface, pulling Phoebe into the past. She had made the decision to return home well before she and Jenna had reached the clearing. What if Jenna hadn’t buried the necklace near the pond?

"Chloe, we need to drive to my parents' house. I think the dirt underneath Jenna's fingernails came from somewhere on the trail through the woods." Phoebe pulled out her key fob and pressed one of the buttons. She could hear the doors unlock in the SUV. "I was gone for less than ten minutes before I returned to the pond. Someone killed Jenna in that time span, but not before she managed to bury the necklace. The trail is the only logical place.”

"You want to find it before the police start searching," Chloe said as she walked over to the passenger side door. "Is that such a good idea, Pheebs? Maybe we should let the police take things from here."

Phoebe had yet to walk around the SUV. Instead, she had stopped before she could step off the curb to address Chloe's concern.

"I saw her again, Chloe."

"Jenna?"

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