The Lake House Secret, A Romantic Suspense Novel (A Jenessa Jones Mystery) by Debra Burroughs Page A
Authors: Debra Burroughs
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lazing around the pool, swimming and reading, unable to stop thinking about Michael and Logan.
Aunt Renee had taken care of finalizing details for the funeral and the luncheon after. The ladies of the church had offered to put on a buffet for all the friends and family after the service, which Renee gladly accepted.
After dinner with her aunt, her sister, and Ramey, Jenessa received a call from Jack Linear’s cousin. She wouldn’t give her name, but she confirmed the estimated height and age of the victim, reporting that the woman was Caucasian and had given birth to at least one child. One of the members of the lab was trying to reconstruct the face from clay on the skeleton, to get a better idea of what the woman might have looked like. She promised to send a photo to Jenessa when the reconstruction was finished, if she could manage it.
Jenessa asked about the necklace, if it had been with the remains when they reached the lab. The woman confirmed that a chain and locket was there.
“Was there a picture inside?” Jenessa asked, knowing there usually was.
“As a matter of fact, yes—a picture of a little redheaded girl, maybe three or four years old.”
“Would it be possible for you to send me a photo of it?”
“I guess it couldn’t hurt. I’ll snap a picture with my phone while the others are out to lunch tomorrow, then I’ll email it to you. Is that soon enough?”
“Sure.” Jenessa gave the woman her email address and thanked her for the help.
“I know I’m sticking my neck out a bit, but I want to make sure that woman’s killer is found. Too many women just disappear and are never heard from again, and nobody seems to care.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Jenessa said. “You’re doing a heroic thing.”
“I don’t know about that,” the woman replied. “But if this lady had a child, maybe the one in the locket, that little girl deserves to know her mother didn’t abandon her.”
Her words sounded like they were hitting close to home. Was this woman speaking from personal experience?
“You’re absolutely right,” Jenessa agreed. “Oh, by the way, before I let you go, there was another object I saw near the body when I was at the crime scene. It looked like a button or an earring or something—maybe square with a design of some sort on it.”
“I don’t know anything about that, but I’ll let you know if I hear anything.”
~*~
Jenessa spent the next morning puttering around the house, getting reacquainted with her old home. She filled a bowl with high-fiber cereal—not her choice, but it was what her father had left in the cupboard. After pouring a splash of milk on the cereal, she took the first bite, realizing the milk had clearly sat in the refrigerator too long. She dumped the contents of the bowl and went to the fridge to see if there was another carton.
Standing before the open refrigerator, she found none and decided she’d better make a run to the grocery store soon. With no more than a few dollars in her wallet, a half-gallon of milk and a couple of bananas were all she could afford.
That would change soon, though, having already begun her new job. But until she got her first paycheck, she’d have to make do with what was in the house, grateful to have a standing offer for breakfast at The Sweet Spot and dinner at Aunt Renee’s.
A partial loaf of bread on the counter caught her attention. If it didn’t have mold on it, she’d settle for a piece of toast with strawberry jam.
As the toast was browning, she leaned against the counter and thought of Michael, remembering their lunch together and wondering how his board review was going this morning. She had forgotten to ask him if he knew any small-time criminals who could pick the lock on her father’s desk.
She was tempted to phone him right then, but no, she should leave him alone on this important day. Maybe she’d call him tonight and ask how the review went before diving into the subject of someone
Aunt Renee had taken care of finalizing details for the funeral and the luncheon after. The ladies of the church had offered to put on a buffet for all the friends and family after the service, which Renee gladly accepted.
After dinner with her aunt, her sister, and Ramey, Jenessa received a call from Jack Linear’s cousin. She wouldn’t give her name, but she confirmed the estimated height and age of the victim, reporting that the woman was Caucasian and had given birth to at least one child. One of the members of the lab was trying to reconstruct the face from clay on the skeleton, to get a better idea of what the woman might have looked like. She promised to send a photo to Jenessa when the reconstruction was finished, if she could manage it.
Jenessa asked about the necklace, if it had been with the remains when they reached the lab. The woman confirmed that a chain and locket was there.
“Was there a picture inside?” Jenessa asked, knowing there usually was.
“As a matter of fact, yes—a picture of a little redheaded girl, maybe three or four years old.”
“Would it be possible for you to send me a photo of it?”
“I guess it couldn’t hurt. I’ll snap a picture with my phone while the others are out to lunch tomorrow, then I’ll email it to you. Is that soon enough?”
“Sure.” Jenessa gave the woman her email address and thanked her for the help.
“I know I’m sticking my neck out a bit, but I want to make sure that woman’s killer is found. Too many women just disappear and are never heard from again, and nobody seems to care.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Jenessa said. “You’re doing a heroic thing.”
“I don’t know about that,” the woman replied. “But if this lady had a child, maybe the one in the locket, that little girl deserves to know her mother didn’t abandon her.”
Her words sounded like they were hitting close to home. Was this woman speaking from personal experience?
“You’re absolutely right,” Jenessa agreed. “Oh, by the way, before I let you go, there was another object I saw near the body when I was at the crime scene. It looked like a button or an earring or something—maybe square with a design of some sort on it.”
“I don’t know anything about that, but I’ll let you know if I hear anything.”
~*~
Jenessa spent the next morning puttering around the house, getting reacquainted with her old home. She filled a bowl with high-fiber cereal—not her choice, but it was what her father had left in the cupboard. After pouring a splash of milk on the cereal, she took the first bite, realizing the milk had clearly sat in the refrigerator too long. She dumped the contents of the bowl and went to the fridge to see if there was another carton.
Standing before the open refrigerator, she found none and decided she’d better make a run to the grocery store soon. With no more than a few dollars in her wallet, a half-gallon of milk and a couple of bananas were all she could afford.
That would change soon, though, having already begun her new job. But until she got her first paycheck, she’d have to make do with what was in the house, grateful to have a standing offer for breakfast at The Sweet Spot and dinner at Aunt Renee’s.
A partial loaf of bread on the counter caught her attention. If it didn’t have mold on it, she’d settle for a piece of toast with strawberry jam.
As the toast was browning, she leaned against the counter and thought of Michael, remembering their lunch together and wondering how his board review was going this morning. She had forgotten to ask him if he knew any small-time criminals who could pick the lock on her father’s desk.
She was tempted to phone him right then, but no, she should leave him alone on this important day. Maybe she’d call him tonight and ask how the review went before diving into the subject of someone
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