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She made her way around the back and then opened the hatch, but she paused to make sure that her scarf was tight around her neck and her gloves were secure. The bitter wind had picked up, and their cheeks were already tinged with color from the irritation. Chloe was the one to reach inside the back for the metal detector.
" Neal implied that Jenna was afraid of Dad." It was Phoebe’s turn to lean in far enough to grab the folding shovel. Once she straightened and was out of the way, Chloe closed the hatch. "I refuse to believe Dad could murder anyone, let alone Jenna. I just can't, Chloe."
Phoebe pressed the lock button on the key fob before tucking the set safely inside her coat pocket. She would have suggested that Chloe leave her purse in the SUV, but she would never go for that. Considering that she had a stun gun somewhere in that bag was a major bonus.
"Maybe Neal meant it figuratively," Chloe offered up as she leaned the metal detector against the side of the vehicle. She pulled a glove off her hand by tugging the fabric with her teeth so that she could readjust the strap of her purse. Once the loop was long enough, she lifted the leather band over her head so that her purse was secure. "I always say that you're going to kill me when I buy something with the corporate credit card."
"A monthly subscription of healing crystals from some new age shop in Florida is not a business expense," Phoebe muttered as she ducked under a pine bough.
She was careful not to bump the long branch.
The last thing she needed was to be covered in snow.
"That was before we knew your gift was inherited," Chloe pointed out as she lagged behind to put on her gloves. She eventually followed suit, mindful of where she stepped in the snow. She still somehow managed to get some of her hair tangled in the pine tree. "Help!"
Phoebe hadn't gone too far, so she retraced her steps and managed to get Chloe's messy bun untangled from the limb. Unfortunately, some of the snow had already fallen on her.
"It's fine," Chloe said as she leaned to the side, hoping that some of the slush would fall to the ground. "My scarf is tied tight enough not to let anything cold reach my neck. We should have bought some hand warmers. We could have stuffed them inside our layers to keep us extra warm."
"We can talk about it, you know," Phoebe murmured as she began to lead the way to the pond. Chloe always managed to find the most random topics to discuss when avoiding the most important. "I'm just not ready to confront my mother. Or my aunt. Or my father, for that matter. They all kept a family secret from me, Chloe. A big one. And while doing so, they also let me believe that there was something wrong with me. I'm angry. Furious. Livid."
"Hurt," Chloe tacked on as she gripped the metal detector with her right hand. Her teeth were chattering every so many words, and it didn't help that flurries were now falling all around them. "As well you should be. On the other hand, everything is now out in the open. You're now able to freely ask questions, and I’m sure you have at least a thousand. Your grandmother had a gift—she could see the dead. Don’t you want to know how she coped with that on a daily basis?"
"You and I already know it isn't that cut and dry." The pond came into view, and once again, the sight caused Phoebe's chest to tighten in response. She quickly shoved the memories of finding Jenna floating underneath the ice aside. "Mom and Aunt Trish won't be able to answer any questions, because they ignored the truth. They wanted nothing to do with my grandmother's ability to see the dead. And my father went right along with them."
"It's not like your grandmother claimed to have climbed Mt. Everest, Pheebs. We're talking ghosts. Apparitions. The spirit world. Dead people." Chloe's breath was now coming out in huffs as they walked along the bank of the pond. She pointed down to the ground. "Chief Bennett must have already had some officers come through here. Look at the boot impressions."
"You don't think the police found the necklace, do you?" Phoebe asked as she studied the packed snow. They had been the ones to originally make a small path in the snow, but it was clear that others had been in the area recently. "It wouldn't be the end of the world if they did locate it, but I would rather know so that we're not wasting our time."
Phoebe couldn't deny that she believed discovering the hiding place of the silver moon necklace would somehow trigger Jenna to make an appearance. All Phoebe needed was some sign from her sister that she could help figure out who had cut her life short.
Arthur Grayson was the obvious suspect.
An uneasy thought occurred to Phoebe. She had left Alice Hart at the high school. Alice had information regarding Jenna looking into Ethan Turner's biological father. What if Arthur Grayson believed Alice to be a threat?
It wasn’t like Phoebe could go around making false accusations against one of the locals. She would drive to the high school after they finished scouring the woods for the silver necklace. Not only would she be able to check on Alice’s safety, but Phoebe might also be able to sneak into the principal’s office. There was no telling what evidence might be discovered inside Arthur Grayson’s personal domain.
"Did you ever know your grandmother to keep journals?" Chloe asked, having no idea that Phoebe’s attention was now directed toward Alice Hart's wellbeing. "Maybe she kept diaries, hoping to one day be able to share her experiences with the next generation of mediums."
"Medium?" Phoebe would have laughed had she not been so stunned by the description. "Chloe, I'm not a medium."
The two of them had finally reached the entry point of the trail.
"I hate to break this to you, Pheebs. You are not not a medium."
Chloe turned on the metal detector, not wasting any time. She began to sweep the base over the ground near the large tree to their right. No sound emitted from the device, so Chloe turned her attention to the next tree. She would eventually have to backtrack to make sure she covered the left-hand side of the route.
Phoebe held the folded shovel as she began to scan the area around them. Her father wouldn't have had time to install the security cameras, yet she couldn't shake the uneasy impression that they weren't alone. They were still close enough to the clearing that she was able to scan the far side of the pond. She spotted nothing through the gently swirling snow.
"You're making me nervous," Chloe murmured from behind her scarf. She had pulled some of the material up over her mouth to help maintain some warmth. "If you do see Jenna or Francie, please tell them not to get too close to me. I don't want to walk through them or something. If that were to happen, my energy levels would need a lot more than healing crystals to get back in tune."
Phoebe was startled at the sound of her phone. She had forgotten to silence it before getting out of the SUV. She reached into her pocket to find out who was trying to reach her. Once she read the name on the display, she tried to silence her ringer. Unfortunately, the material of her gloves got in the way.
"Your mom?" Chloe asked as she continued to swing the metal detector close to the base of the trees. "Maybe she did inherit a sixth sense."
"Funny," Phoebe muttered as she shoved her phone back into her pocket. Within seconds, the ringing continued to the point that Phoebe tucked the folded shovel underneath her arm so that she could successfully turn her ringer off. "Mom probably heard about Ethan being brought into the station for questioning."
Phoebe's phone started to buzz with another incoming call.
