“And this was unusual?”Jenna asked, though she already knew the answer.
"Not entirely," Nancy admitted."Grandma still takes walks when the weather is nice.She's more mobile than most people her age.But she's usually back within an hour, and she always leaves a note.There's a small whiteboard right there beside the refrigerator in the kitchen.Nothing written there today."
Jake stepped into the kitchen doorway.Then he turned to Jenna.“No message,” he confirmed.
Jenna asked Nancy.“When did you start to worry?”
"I waited here about forty-five minutes.Called her friends and neighbors.No one had seen her.Then I drove around the neighborhood, thinking maybe she'd fallen or gotten disoriented."Nancy's voice wavered slightly."When I couldn't find her, I came back and called the police.It's not like her to just vanish."
“Does your grandmother have any medical conditions we should be aware of?Dementia, memory issues?”
“No, nothing like that.A few ordinary physical ailments, but she's sharp as a tack.Remembers things from fifty years ago better than I remember last week.”A ghost of a smile flickered across Nancy's face, then vanished.“That's why this is so strange.It has never happened before.”
“Has she mentioned wanting to go anywhere specific lately?Visit an old friend, perhaps?”
Nancy shook her head.“No.Her routine is pretty set these days.She reads, watches her programs, does a bit of gardening in the yard.Sometimes we drive out to her old house in Gildner on weekends, but she wouldn't go out there alone.”
From the corner of the room, Jake cleared his throat softly.“Sheriff?”
Jenna turned to see him standing near a bookshelf, his attention fixed on a collection of colorfully bound volumes.She rose and joined him, instantly recognizing the whimsical illustrations on the spines.
“Vivian Crane,” she murmured, running a finger along the row of children's books.“The Moonflower Garden, Whispers in the Attic, The Secret Lighthouse...”She'd read these books as a child, captivated by their blend of wonder and gentle lessons.
“You know these stories?”Jake asked quietly.
“These are the ones Mom used to read to me and Piper.They were our favorites.”Jenna turned back to Nancy.“Your grandmother is a fan of Vivian Crane?”
Nancy looked puzzled by the change in subject.“Yes, she's collected her books for years.What does that have to do with her disappearance?”
“Maybe something, I don’t know yet.”Jenna held up one of the volumes.“This is quite a collection—some of these are hard to find now.”
“Oh, Grandma's been following Vivian Crane since the beginning.They knew each other, actually.Vivian was just a little girl when Grandma first met her.She still talks about how talented Vivian was, even then.”Nancy's expression softened with recollection.“Grandma was so proud when Vivian started publishing books.She bought every single one.”
“They stayed in touch?”Jenna asked uneasily.
“Not really.Grandma followed her career from afar.She often wonders whatever happened to Vivian, actually.It's been years since her last book came out.Grandma sometimes says she hopes Vivian is still alive and writing somewhere.”
Jenna exchanged a significant glance with Jake.Before she could pursue this line of questioning further, her phone vibrated in her pocket.She pulled it out, recognizing her mother's number on the screen.
“Excuse me a moment,” she said, stepping into the kitchen for privacy.“Mom?Is everything okay?”
Her mother's voice came through, tight with concern.“Jenna, it's Piper.She's...having an episode.”
“What kind of episode?”
“She woke up from a nap about twenty minutes ago, completely agitated.She keeps saying her voices are telling her, 'The witch has gone home.'And she's warning me to 'watch out for the flames.'“ A pause, then: “Jenna, she's seeing them, those flames.She says they're all around us, that she can even feel the heat.I've never seen her like this before.”
Jenna pressed her free hand against a cool countertop, steadying herself.“Is she in any immediate danger?Do you need me to come there?”
“No, no.She's calmer now.I gave her the medication Dr.White prescribed.But she was insistent that I call you right away, that it was important you know about the flames.”
“Okay.Keep her there, and call me if anything changes.I'll be in touch as soon as I can.”Jenna ended the call and returned to the living room, her mind racing.
Jake raised an eyebrow in silent question.
“We need to move quickly,” Jenna said, turning back to Nancy.“Ms.Billings, you mentioned your grandmother's old house in Gildner.Can you tell me exactly where that is?”
Nancy blinked at the abrupt return to that topic.“The Billings house?It's just outside Gildner proper.Been in the family for generations—one of the original frontier homesteads in the county.Why?”