“And this house is currently empty?”
“Yes.Grandma couldn't maintain it anymore after Grandpa died.That's why I moved back from Chicago five years ago—to take care of her.We visit occasionally to check on things, but no one lives there.She didn’t want to sell it, but it’s really not in good condition for anyone to live there anyhow.”
“Is it in a wooded area?”
“Well, yes.I mean, there are lots of trees around it.And woods adjoining the property.”
Jenna leaned forward.“I need the exact address.”
Nancy's confusion deepened, but she complied.“It's 1427 Old Mill Road.About a quarter mile past the Gildner town sign, there's a gravel drive with a wrought-iron gate.Can't miss it.But I don't understand—you think Grandma went there?She couldn't have.She doesn't drive anymore, and it's much too far to walk.”
“We're going to check it out,” Jenna said, not quite answering the question.“Jake, let's go.”
As they headed for the door, Nancy called after them: “Sheriff Graves?What's happening?Do you know something about my grandmother?”
Jenna paused, weighing how much to reveal.“We're following a lead, Ms.Billings.That's all I can say right now.We'll call you as soon as we know more.”
Jenna's steps were quick as they returned to the cruiser, Jake matching her stride for stride.
“Want to tell me what's going on?”he asked once they were out of earshot.“You think that Vivian Crane has taken Ida Billings?To that old house?But why?”
“Piper just sent a message through Mom,” Jenna said, sliding into the driver's seat and starting the engine.“She said 'The witch has gone home.'In Hansel and Gretel, the witch lives in a house in the woods.Ida Billings's old house is outside town, probably isolated, and Nancy confirmed the wooded location.”
Jake looked at her for a moment, then asked, “What else?”
“Mom said that Piper is warning us about dangerous flames.In the story, the witch tries to cook the children in her oven.”Jenna flipped on the lights and siren.“If I'm right about what all of this means, we need to get there fast.She might not have much time.”
As the cruiser accelerated through Trentville's streets, Jake requested another patrol car to meet them at the Billings house.“Sheriff,” he said quietly, “Even pushing it, we're still looking at twenty-five minutes to Gildner.”
Jenna turned on the flashing lights and the siren.Her thoughts raced faster than the vehicle cutting through the afternoon traffic.Gildner was an unincorporated settlement with no sheriff, no police department of its own, an all-volunteer fire department, no one to rescue Ida Billings sooner than they could.“Spelling?”she asked aloud, keeping her focus on the road ahead.
Jake put through a call to the Highway Patrol Colonel.“Spelling?It's Hawkins.We need some backup near Gildner.Urgent situation out there.Can you spare anyone?”
“Gildner?”Spelling replied, sounding strained.“That's a stretch.I don't have anyone in the area just now.”
“Nothing closer than Trentville?”
“Afraid not,” Spelling said, his voice edged with tension.“I can get a car there, but it's gonna be about forty-five minutes.”
Jake described the location of the old Billings house.
“Got it,” Spelling said.“I’ll get someone there, at least for backup.”
As they left Trentville, Jenna pressed down harder on the accelerator.The cruiser surged forward, eating up the miles, but Piper's warning still echoed in her mind: “Watch out for the flames.”
What exactly did those flames signify?Were they metaphorical, flames representing the burning rage that had driven Vivian to kill before?Based on the previous murders, a literal fire seemed more likely.Jenna's imagination supplied horrifying possibilities—Vivian forcing the elderly woman into an old wood-burning fireplace or stove, or perhaps setting the entire house ablaze with Ida trapped inside.
The road to Gildner wound through the autumn-painted countryside.Under different circumstances, Jenna might have appreciated the beauty of the maple trees blazing red and gold against the clear blue sky.Today, all she saw was the minutes ticking by, each one potentially bringing Ida Billings closer to whatever fate Vivian Crane had planned for her.And as the siren of their patrol car rang through the air, Jenna was afraid that they might already be too late.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
The old Billings house creaked, as if in anticipation as Vivian moved through its dusty rooms.Every board, every beam seemed to whisper ancient secrets as she completed her preparations.The smell of wood smoke curled through the air—the brick oven outside was already coming to life, hungry and waiting.After decades of patience, the moment had finally arrived.
It was time.
Vivian stepped into the parlor, where late afternoon sunlight slanted through lace-curtained windows, illuminating dust motes that drifted through the air.
“Memories,” Vivian muttered aloud.“Memories floating all around me.”It seemed natural to her that those memories would be here.