Page 45 of In Her Memory

“Either way, my guess would be that Pete Shannon’s appearance last night is just one more sign that Donna Marsh’s death was not an accident.”

"You're probably right," she acknowledged. "And we have a meeting to get to about that very issue." She was gathering her things—notebook, pen, the file on Donna Marsh's death- when her phone rang. The display showed Mayor Claire Simmons' name.

Jenna exchanged a look with Jake before answering. “Sheriff Graves,” she said, putting the call on speaker.

“Jenna,” the mayor’s voice came through, clipped and efficient. “I need you and Deputy Hawkins to stop by my office before heading to Calloway House.”

“What’s going on?” Jenna asked, though she had a sinking feeling she already knew.

“Better if I talk with you in person. Five minutes?” Without waiting for a response, the mayor hung up.

Jenna slipped the phone into her pocket and grabbed her keys from the desk. “Guess we’re making a detour.”

Jake was already moving toward the door. “Any idea what that’s about?”

Jenna thought of the dream, of Pete Shannon’s warning. “My guess is, she wants to make sure I’m not going to stir up any trouble at the meeting by saying there’s been a murder.”

“So, what are you going to do?”

“Probably say there’s been a murder.”

As they left the office, the dream, the upcoming meeting, the mayor’s cryptic call—all of it churned in Jenna’s mind as they walked down the hallway. She glanced sideways at Jake. He caught it and gave her a brief nod, and something in her settled.

*

Mayor Claire Simmons’ office was as immaculate as the woman herself—not a paper out of place, not a speck of dust visible on the polished mahogany desk. She sat with perfect posture, her manicured nails tapping an impatient rhythm on her leather chair as Jenna and Jake entered.

The morning sun caught the edges of her silver-streaked dark hair, giving her an almost regal appearance despite the tension evident in the tight line of her mouth.

“Thank you for coming so quickly,” the mayor said, gesturing to the chairs across from her. “I wanted to talk to you before the meeting. There’s been a development—a good one for us.”

Jenna took a seat; Jake took another beside her. “What is it?” she asked.

“I heard from Hugh Bickel this morning.” The mayor’s voice was carefully controlled. “He’s finished his examination of the laundry room where Donna Marsh died.”

Jenna felt a flash of annoyance. Bickel was the private detective Boyd Calloway had hired—pushing aside the official investigation. “And?”

“He’s confident it was an accident.” The mayor reported with a proud smile. “His report is quite thorough. The angle of fall, the position of the body, the lack of defensive wounds—all consistent with someone losing their balance on the stepladder and striking their head.”

Jenna exchanged a glance with Jake. They’d both seen the scene and the report. Something had felt off about it from the beginning. But they didn’t have anything concrete to disagree with what sounded like an easy solution. It was really the visitations she’d gotten from Pete Shannon and Donna Marsh herself that had convinced her that Donna’s death was no accident. But she couldn’t explain all that to the mayor.

Before Jenna could decide what to reply, her phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out, seeing Dr. Melissa Stark’s name on the screen.

“I need to take this,” she said. “It’s Dr. Stark about the autopsy.”

The mayor nodded her permission, and Jenna answered.

“Hello Dr. Stark,” she said. “You’re on speaker in the mayor’s office.”

“Jenna,” Dr. Stark’s voice came through, professional but with an undercurrent of tension. “I’m at the morgue. I just got back into Trentville last night. I started Donna Marsh’s autopsy about two hours ago, as you requested.”

“What did you find?”

“There’s no easy way to say this.” A pause, the sound of papers rustling. “The wound to the back of Ms. Marsh’s head is not consistent with a fall from a stepladder.”

The mayor’s eyes widened and Jenna felt Jake tense beside her.

“What are you saying, Doctor?”