Page 59 of In Her Memory

Her phone rang as she reached her car. Jake’s name appeared on the screen.

“Hey,” she answered, sliding into the driver’s seat. “What’s up?”

“I just heard from Kay,” Jake said, his voice tight with excitement. “She’s already looked into the Shannon genealogy, like you asked.”

Jenna started the engine, letting it idle. “That was fast.”

“She’s good,” Jake replied. “And you’re not going to believe what she found.”

“What?”

“There’s only one direct descendant of Pete Shannon still living in this area.” He paused. “It’s Ethan Pierce.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

“Ethan Pierce?” Jenna repeated. The reporter had been a nuisance to her for years. She’d had no idea that he was connected to Pete Shannon—the man whose history might be at the heart of two suspicious deaths.

“That’s right,” Jake confirmed. “Kay found it in the family records. He’s Pete Shannon’s great-great-grandson. His mother kept her maiden name—didn’t take her husband’s when they married. Kay said it’s all documented in the family bible at the historical society.”

Jenna leaned back against the driver’s seat. If Ethan was a Shannon, he would probably know the mansion’s history—the feud with the Calloways, the secret passages, everything. Access to those passages might have been handed down to him from generations of ancestors. He’d have motive—family pride, revenge for old wrongs.

“As far as I know, he’s never mentioned that connection,” Jake said. “But even if he kept it secret …”

“It doesn’t explain why he’d kill Donna Marsh,” Jenna finished.

“Maybe it does, if he’s trying to sabotage Boyd Calloway’s whole project. Any unexplained deaths in a house said to be haunted would be a huge strike against it. It would scare people off from living there.”

The theory made a sick sort of sense. Jenna thought of Ethan’s persistent questions, his fascination with her investigation methods, the way he’d shown up at the mansion just as Boyd’s body was discovered. She thought back to the last time she’d seen him, a short while ago in the mansion.

“Where is he now?” she asked, already reaching for her keys.

“That’s the thing,” Jake said, his voice dropping. “He seems to have vanished.”

Jenna’s grip on the phone tightened. “He told us he’d be staying at the Twilight Inn while he’s in Trentville,” she said. “Have you checked there?”

“First thing,” Jake replied. “I called Kent Wallace, the manager. He says Pierce never checked in yesterday—and he definitely didn’t stay there the night before. I also called the Trentville Inn. Nothing there either.”

“So, he lied about the Twilight Inn. We’ll need to check with the smaller motels, but if Ethan disappeared soon after Boyd’s body was found...”

“Could he still be here?” Jake asked, echoing her thought. “In the passages somewhere?”

The thought of Ethan moving silently through those narrow corridors, watching through the pinholes, was unsettling. If he was still in the mansion, using the passages to move unseen...

“I’ve got Baldry with me,” Jake continued. “We were just getting ready to start exploring the passageways when Kay called with this news.”

“Don’t,” Jenna said quickly. “Not until you have backup. If he’s in there— “

“Already on it,” Jake cut in. “Fairmont and Lewis are on their way with flashlights and the radios. Nolan Greer is also ready to help. I’ve already told them all about the need for secrecy. We’ll go in pairs. But there’s something else you should know.”

“What?”

“Ray Pruitt just emailed me,” Jake said. “Ground plans for the mansion showing all the passages.”

“That was me,” Jenna explained, pulling onto the main road. “I’d just interviewed him, and he’s no longer on our suspects list. He found passageways during renovation—Boyd made him and his crew sign NDAs to keep it quiet.”

“Clever,” Jake said. “These plans will help a lot. We’ll know exactly where we’re going.”

“Good,” Jenna said. “I’m on my way back to the mansion now. Should be there in fifteen minutes.”