Page 9 of In Her Memory

“Biscuit, quiet!” Nolan snapped, but the dog only barked more insistently, focusing particularly on Jake.

Jake crouched down, extending a hand for the dog to sniff. “Hey there, Biscuit,” he said softly, his mind racing. Jenna’s dream—a woman with a candle, and a dog named Biscuit. This couldn’t be coincidence. The little dog cautiously approached, finally allowing Jake to scratch behind its ears.

“Animal control’s coming for him later,” Nolan said. “Mrs. Marsh has a daughter in Chicago who’ll take him eventually—I hope.”

Jake straightened, trying to keep his voice casual. “So, what exactly happened here?”

“Through here.” Nolan led him past the main living area toward a narrow hallway at the back of the condo. “Each unit has its own laundry room. Mrs. Marsh was trying to change a light bulb in there. Looks like she fell off the step stool and hit her head on the corner of the table.”

The laundry room was cramped, made even more so by the presence of two members of the coroner’s team. A woman’s body lay covered with a sheet on the floor, a dark stain visible near where her head would be. A metal step stool lay on its side nearby, and a light bulb had rolled into the corner, its packaging torn open.

One of the coroner’s team, a young man Jake recognized from previous cases, looked up as they entered. “Deputy Hawkins. Didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Just checking things out,” Jake replied, his eyes taking in every detail of the scene. The corner of the laundry table was smeared with what was unmistakably blood. A single overhead fixture was missing its bulb. Everything about the scene supported the accident theory.

Except for Jenna’s dream.

“Can you walk me through what you think happened?” Jake asked.

The technician shrugged. “Pretty simple, really. Victim came in to do laundry, noticed the bulb was out. Instead of calling maintenance”—he glanced at Nolan— “she grabbed a step stool, got up there, lost her balance, fell backward, and caught the corner of the table with the back of her head. Blunt force trauma. Probably died instantly.”

Jake nodded, making a show of taking notes while his mind worked through the implications. Why would Donna Marsh appear in Jenna’s dream if her death was just an accident? The dead who sought out Jenna were usually murder victims, people with unfinished business, at the very least, secrets that needed revealing.

“She should’ve just called me,” Nolan said, shaking his head. “That’s what I’m here for. Just stupid, trying to do it herself.”

Something in the man’s tone made Jake look up sharply. There was annoyance there, certainly—but not much grief or shock for someone who had just discovered a resident’s body.

“When did you find her?” Jake asked.

“About seven this morning. I was doing my rounds, checking the common areas. Heard the dog barking like crazy from inside the unit, more than usual. Got no answer at the door or on her phone. Used my key to check if everything was okay, and found her.” Nolan gestured toward the body. “Called it in right away.”

“And no one else saw or heard anything unusual last night?”

Nolan frowned slightly. “Not that I know of. Mrs. Marsh lived alone, kept to herself mostly. Why? You don’t think this was something more than an accident, do you?”

Jake kept his expression neutral. “Just being thorough. Where’s Dr. Stark?”

The technician answered, “Conference in Jefferson City. Won’t be back until tonight. But honestly, Deputy, this is pretty straightforward. We were just about to transport the body straight to the funeral home.”

Jake studied the scene again. Everything pointed to an accident. Everything except the dream that only he knew about and didn’t dare try to explain.

“I’d like Dr. Stark to examine her personally when she returns,” Jake said. “Can you hold the body at the morgue until then?”

The technician blinked in surprise. “Sure, but— “

“It’s just procedure,” Jake cut him off, not wanting to explain further, especially not in front of Nolan. “I’ll let the sheriff know.”

They finished processing the scene in uncomfortable silence. Jake took several photos with his phone, made additional notes, and verified Nolan’s contact information. Biscuit followed them throughout the condo, quieter now, but watching Jake with what seemed like desperate intensity.

Before leaving, Jake paused by a side table where framed photos showed a smiling Donna Marsh with various family members. In one, she held a younger Biscuit, her face bright with affection. Jake felt a pang of sadness for the woman he’d never met, whose death might be more than the simple accident it appeared to be.

“I’ll be in touch if we need anything else,” Jake told Nolan at the door. “And I’ll make sure animal control knows to treat Biscuit well.”

Outside, Jake stepped away from the building’s entrance, needing space to think. The morning had warmed slightly, but he felt a persistent chill. He walked to his cruiser but didn’t get in, instead leaning against the hood and staring up at the imposing façade of Calloway House.

The building seemed to stare back, its many windows like watchful eyes. Jake tried to reconcile everything—the apparent accident, Jenna’s dream, the dog named Biscuit. Too specific to be coincidence. Jenna’s abilities had never led them wrong before.

Jake sighed heavily. He hated to bring this to Jenna now, with Piper missing and her world once again thrown into chaos. She needed to be focused on finding her sister, not investigating what everyone else would dismiss as a household accident.