Since She Went Away(40)

She looked at the two women, their faces sheepish. Emma was another nurse and Charlaine helped with the books. Jenna didn’t know them well, didn’t care much what they thought of her. She thought about just doing what she came to do—grab a cup of coffee and slip away without speaking—but why should she let things go unchallenged? If they had something to say to her, they should say it.

“You don’t have to treat me like a china doll,” she said to them. She went over to the pot, pulling a mug down from the cabinet above her head. “What is there to talk about now? I haven’t cursed on TV for a few days, and none of my other friends have disappeared.”

Jenna kept her back to them while she added sugar, stirring with a beat-up spoon, the metal clanking against the side of the mug the only sound until Charlaine cleared her throat. Jenna turned around. The two women looked sad and not offended. Their eyes were full of sympathy, the corners of their mouths turned down.

Something was going on.

“What?” Jenna asked, looking down. “Am I wearing two different shoes?”

“It’s not that, honey,” Charlaine said.

Honey? Charlaine never called her “honey.” No one called her honey except her mother and maybe Sally.

“What, then?” Jenna asked.

Emma said, “Didn’t you watch the news today?”

“No. I’m kind of done with the news these days.” But her mind raced. News? Celia? She set the mug down and moved closer to the women. “What is it? What happened?”

The two women exchanged looks, each hoping the other would speak up.

“What?” Jenna asked as images of Celia rushed through her head.

A body found. A break in the case.

“You don’t want to hear this kind of news from me,” Emma said.

“What news?”

Finally Charlaine took one for the team.

“Why, Jenna, it’s that Holly Crenshaw girl, the one who disappeared from Clay County? They found her body this morning. She’s dead. We just thought you’d have heard.”

? ? ?

Jenna paced in the break room, the phone to her ear. Everyone else had cleared out, giving her space, and word rippled through the office to stay out of Jenna’s way.

She dialed Detective Poole over and over again, getting voice mail every time.

Sally came in once while Jenna dialed. She placed a reassuring hand on Jenna’s shoulder and then folded her up in a hug. Jenna gave in to the human contact for a long moment, letting some of her weight fall into Sally’s surprisingly strong grip. But then she just as quickly pulled out of it, straightening up and trying Naomi’s number again, leaving her third voice mail of the morning.

“What are they saying on the news?” she asked Sally.

“Not much, of course. Are you sure you want to hear any of it?”

“Absolutely.”

“I heard on the radio they found her in some remote area. I guess a farmer was out working his land in advance of spring, and he came across the body and called the police.”

“Not the same barn?”

“Oh, no. This was near the county line, but on our side. Not close to where you were Monday.”

“So it’s murder,” Jenna said. “She was murdered.”

“They’re not saying.”

“What are we supposed to think? She wandered out into some field and had a heart attack? She’s in her twenties.”

Jenna’s voice was harsh, sarcastic, and unforgiving.

Sally didn’t even flinch. “I guess we’ll know more as the day goes on,” she said, stepping over to pour herself a cup of coffee. “Do you want water or something? I’d offer you wine, but they frown on that here.”

“I want this cop to answer.”

“I’ve been reading about this girl, this Holly Crenshaw,” Sally said. “I understand if you’ve avoided it.”

“I know a little,” Jenna said. “Married. Young.” She took it all in for a moment, the phone in her hand and away from her ear. “Her parents, Sally. God. They’re going to have to bury their daughter.”

“Maybe you should head home,” Sally said.

Jenna didn’t want to leave. She’d missed enough time already, but how was she expected to stay and work with all this craziness swirling through her mind?

“I’m staying,” Jenna said. “I think. I don’t know. Shit, Sally, I’ve missed a lot of work. I have a kid who wants to go to college. He wants to get a car. I need to work.”

“That’s fine,” Sally said. “Would you like me to sit here with you?”

“I’ll be out as soon as I can,” Jenna said. “Thanks.”

Then Naomi called back. Jenna answered, and she didn’t even try to keep the eagerness out of her voice. “What can you tell me?” Jenna asked.

“My information is limited,” Naomi said. “Why don’t I call you back when I know more?”

“No,” Jenna said. “You tell me now. I don’t care if it’s only part of the picture.”

Naomi sighed. “Okay. I’ll tell you what I know, which isn’t much. And really, I shouldn’t be telling you anything at this point, but it’s getting out on the news, so I’ll share some things. We did find a body, a woman’s body, out near the county line this morning.”