AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"No," Phoebe replied before slowly shaking her head. "Francie Turner. I only ever see her at the high school, which would give credence to our theory about Principal Grayson. I want to find the necklace first. Maybe if we do, Jenna will somehow figure out a way to confirm whether or not we're on the right track. Maybe she’ll show herself."
"And your parents?" Chloe reached for the handle on the passenger side door, but she didn't immediately pull on it. She had parked her own car near the yarn shop, so they didn't need to worry about two vehicles. "You've been ignoring their calls, but they'll hear the engine the second we drive up to the house."
"Which is why we're going to pull up on the backside of the property," Phoebe stated as she reached out and patted the cold exterior of her SUV. "We have the metal detector and a shovel. Dad couldn’t have had the cameras installed yet. We'll walk to the pond from the back road and be able to reach the trail through the woods from that direction."
As Phoebe's foot hovered above the curb, ready to walk around the back of the SUV, Chloe called attention to someone across the street.
"Pheebs, isn't that Neal Hanson?"
Sure enough, Neal was moving with a deliberate swiftness that seemed out of place in the otherwise leisurely pace of town. He must have seen them. His reaction was the same as the day he had overheard Phoebe's conversation with Chief Bennett. Without a moment's hesitation, Phoebe stepped off the curb and broadened her steps, determined to close the distance between them.
"Neal!" Phoebe called out, her breath resulting in a puff of condensation. The burn of cold air filled her lungs as she broke into a jog. "Neal, wait up!"
At the intersection, Neal finally slowed his steps. He eventually turned to face her, though it was evident from his frown that he hadn't wanted to stop. His backpack swung off his shoulder in a careless arc. Since his hands were in his pockets, the strap got caught up in the fabric of his coat.
"Phoebe, I don't—"
"I know you overheard my conversation with Chief Bennett." Phoebe had to take a minute to catch her breath. Once she could make her words coherent, she continued. "Alice Hart mentioned that Jenna was going to ask you a favor a few days before she died. I need to know why."
Neal shrugged noncommittally as he glanced across the street. Phoebe followed his gaze to find Chloe standing on the sidewalk monitoring them closely.
"It wasn't a big deal."
"I think it was," Phoebe countered as she regarded Neal closely. "You already know that I don't believe Jenna's death was an accident. You've also probably heard that Ethan Turner is currently being questioned at the station. Alice mentioned that Jenna was looking into Ethan's birth mother. What did she want from you?"
"I don't know," Neal confessed with a slight shrug. At first, Phoebe was sure that he was lying, but he never broke eye contact. "I’m telling you the truth. Jenna asked me to meet her near the marina one afternoon. I waited for nearly an hour before walking back to my car. That’s when I spotted Jenna walking down the street, but she seemed nervous. She muttered something about how she couldn't wait to leave town."
Phoebe's chest constricted at the thought that her sister had so badly wanted to leave Bar Harbor. Why hadn't Jenna believed that she could confide in Phoebe? She had so many questions for her sister. While she might see her sister, it wasn't like the two of them could hold a conversation with one another.
"Jenna said that it wasn't a good time to talk." Neal finally resecured the strap of his backpack over his shoulder. "I did ask if she was okay. All she said was how scared she was of your dad finding out whatever secret she was keeping. Days later, I heard that she fell through the pond’s ice and drowned."
The shock of what Neal was implying left Phoebe speechless. The very thought that Jenna would be afraid of their father sent tremors to Phoebe’s core. Neal had to be wrong.
"What secret, Neal?"
"I've already told you that I don't know. Your sister walked away, and I never heard from her again."
Frustration rose within Phoebe at yet another dead end. It was then that something occurred to her.
“Neal, your father owns the pawn shop here in town, doesn’t he?”
“Yes.” Neal shrugged, as if to say he couldn’t understand the connection. It was doubtful that he would, especially given that he wasn’t privy to everything Phoebe had learned over the past few days. “I don’t think Jenna wanted to sell anything, though.”
Jenna wouldn’t have needed to sell anything, but she might have wanted to ask Neal’s father about the silver moon pendant. Had Francie tried to sell her necklace for cash?
"Thanks, Neal," Phoebe managed to say without allowing her irritation to take hold. A gust of wind whipped around the corner, causing her to turn her head. By the time she could refocus on Neal, he had already turned away. "What secret did you uncover, Jenna?"
Chapter Twenty
Phoebe
Phoebe pulled the SUV off the back road and onto the narrow shoulder. Neither she nor Chloe had turned on the radio. They had spent much of the ride discussing Neal Hanson and how he made it seem as if he believed Phoebe's dad had something to do with Jenna's death.
Phoebe parked in an area that afforded them a direct path to the pond. A sliver of unease went through her at the thought that maybe Jenna's killer had parked in the exact same spot. That theory alone would disprove Neal Hanson’s suggestion.
"Did Neal come right out and accuse your father of murder?” Chloe asked as they opened their respective doors. Phoebe didn’t turn to face Chloe until her boots were on the ground. "All I'm saying is that takes a set of big…brass…"
“I get it,” Phoebe muttered before slamming her door shut.
