Exposed (A Jenny Watkins Mystery Book 4)

by Becky Durfee

  Zack playfully grumbled in return before heading over to Jenny to give her a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll let you know if we find anything.”

  “Okay,” she replied with a heart-felt smile. “Be safe.”

  Once the men left, Isabelle turned to Jenny and said, “Don’t you think you should go to the police instead of doing this yourselves?” She sounded as if she’d been deliberating that notion for a long time.

  “I want to wait until we have something tangible,” Jenny replied. “If the guys are able to find her body—or even any signs that her body might be out there—then we’ll absolutely involve the police. But not before then. Right now all we have is the word of a psychic, and I’m quite sure the police would do nothing more than laugh at me at this point. But I do still want to talk to Darlene, even if the search of the pond turns out to be a bust. I’d like to be able to let her know that her daughter is contacting me. ”

  Isabelle looked sad. “But that means you’re telling her that Patricia isn’t missing…she’s dead.”

  Jenny hadn’t considered that. Darlene might have still been clinging on to hope that Patricia was alive; perhaps her reaction to the news would turn out to be much more painful to watch than Brian’s had been. After a moment of deliberation, however, Jenny posed, “Don’t you think it would be better for her to know the truth, though? I mean, even if the truth is bad, it’s still an answer. I think anything would be better than not knowing.”

  Isabelle contemplated what Jenny had just said. “I don’t even know how to answer that. Either way it’s unfathomable to me. To hear that your child is dead—and violently murdered at that—is every parent’s worst nightmare. But to have your child be missing, and to not know if they’re being tortured or abused…” She shook her head. “But at least if your child is just missing, you still have hope, you know?” She looked up at Jenny with a heartbroken expression. “I honestly can’t say which is worse.”

  “One thing I’ve learned over the past few months is that the best thing I can do is be honest. I’m coming to terms with the fact that my cases will usually involve bad news, and I will often have to be the one to break that bad news. But at least I can rest my head at night knowing I’ve helped people piece together the truth.” Jenny looked down. “No matter how ugly that truth is.”

  “I guess you’re right,” Isabelle conceded with a sigh. “But it’s still unimaginable.”

  Deliberately taking a break from the depressing conversation, Jenny spoke as she began typing. “Okay, I’m looking for Darlene Bigbys in Winston…and I’ve got one hit,” she informed Isabelle. “There’s only one woman by that name in that area.”

  “Well, that’s her, then,” Isabelle replied.

  Jenny looked up at her mother. “How can you be so sure?”

  “She wouldn’t leave,” Isabelle stated flatly. “Not with an unaccounted-for child. If you went missing, I would stay put right there in my house until either you were found or I died. That way you could find me if ever you managed to escape from whoever was keeping you.”

  Jenny couldn’t argue with that logic, as upsetting as it was. Excusing herself to her bedroom so she could make her phone call in private, Jenny dialed the number with butterflies in her stomach.

  A woman’s voice answered. “Hello?”

  “Hi, my name is Jenny Watkins. I’m looking for Darlene Bigby.”

  “This is.”

  “Hi, Darlene. Do you, by any chance, happen to have a daughter named Patricia Morris?”

  “Yes…” The pause was lengthy. “Do you have any information?” Jenny was able to detect cautious optimism in her voice.

  “Of sorts.” Jenny released a sigh. Even though she’d had similar conversations in the past, the words were still difficult to say. “I have psychic ability, and I’m so sorry to tell you this, but I believe I’ve been contacted by your daughter’s spirit.”

  “Oh, for Christ’s sake,” Darlene said immediately.

  Jenny closed her eyes, speaking quickly and loudly before Darlene hung up. “I believe your daughter is desperate to make sure Brian is exonerated from the murder charges he’s facing, and I’d like to help make sure that happens.”

  The long silence on the other end of the phone spoke volumes.

  Jenny continued, softening the tone of her voice. “She has disclosed to me that she was the victim of domestic violence at the hands of her husband, Aaron.”

  “Aaron? That’s impossible.”

  “No, ma’am, I’m afraid it’s not. I get the impression Aaron may have seemed like a wonderful person to the outside world, but he acted quite differently behind closed doors.”

  “I don’t believe it.”

  “Why else would Brian have felt inclined to kill him?”

  Once again, Darlene was silent.

  Jenny continued. “I’d like to find some way to prove that Aaron had been abusive so that Brian can be cleared of the charges against him, or at least he can be charged with something less than first degree murder. I was wondering if I could possibly get together and talk with you about Patricia and her relationship with Aaron. Maybe we can uncover some clues that no one knew were clues.”

  After a moment of deliberation, Darlene conceded. “I suppose we could meet. It can’t hurt…and I do want to help save Brian if I can.”

  “Thank you, ma’am. Are you available at noon today?”

  “I can meet at noon.”

  “I’ll tell you what,” Jenny posed. “Name your favorite restaurant and I’ll meet you there. Lunch will be on me today.”

  Jenny had arrived early at the restaurant, which was a little over an hour from her house. She waited in the lobby, studying each face that walked in. After about twenty minutes, a lone woman with shoulder-length gray hair walked through the door, removing her sunglasses as she entered. Their eyes met, and the woman asked, “Jenny?”

  “Yes, Ms. Bigby. Pleasure to meet you.” Jenny shook hands with the clearly apprehensive woman.

  They sat at a booth for two and busied themselves with the menu. Once their orders were taken and the small talk behind them, Darlene got down to business. “So I suppose what you’re trying to tell me is that you think my daughter is dead.” She didn’t even try to mask her irritation.

  Jenny lowered her eyes, both out of shame and the desire to shield herself from Darlene’s reaction. “I’m sorry, but yes, that’s the impression that I’m under. She wouldn’t be able to contact me if she were still alive.”

  “And how do you know it’s my daughter that’s been contacting you?”

  “I suppose I don’t, technically,” Jenny confessed. “But I’ve seen the visions through the spirit’s eyes, and Aaron Morris was without a doubt the abuser. And I also got led to Benning Penitentiary before I even knew about Brian being held there.”

  The mention of prison inspired a marked change of expression on Darlene’s face. This poor woman had been through more than anyone should have ever had to endure. With her daughter missing, her son-in-law murdered and her grandson in jail, the blows just kept on coming for her.

  However, Jenny was becoming increasingly accustomed to stating dreadful facts, and this was no exception. “Sadly,” she began. “I’m under the impression that Aaron had abused Patricia and ultimately caused her death.”

  Darlene’s voice became shaky and quiet. “And how do you think she died?”

  Facts, Jenny reminded herself. “I believe he drowned her.”

  Without crying, Darlene wiped her hands down her face. This couldn’t have been easy for her to hear. Although, Jenny surmised, she’d probably heard at least a dozen different theories about what had happened to Patricia, and nothing concrete had ever been proven. Suddenly Jenny felt guilty about calling her there without any tangible proof.

  Nonetheless, Jenny continued. “I believe I might even know where that drowning took place. There’s a small pond—if you can call it that—a few miles from where Patricia’s car had been found. My boyfriend a
nd my father are taking a canoe out as we speak to see if they can find…” Jenny wasn’t sure how to finish the sentence. “Any evidence.”

  “Why are you doing this?” Darlene asked defensively. “You’ve got your whole family involved, and I don’t even know you. Are you looking for money? Because if you are, I’ve got some bad news for you…”

  “No, I don’t want any money,” Jenny assured her with a smile. “That’s not why I do this.” She leaned forward on her elbows. “Have you ever heard of Choices magazine?”

  Darlene looked puzzled, clearly unable to see the connection. “Yeah.”

  “Well, the founder of that magazine was named Elanor Whitby. Several months ago I moved into the house she grew up in back in Georgia, and I heard voices there. That’s when I discovered I had the ability to receive messages from the deceased. Anyway, the voice belonged to Elanor’s boyfriend who had disappeared sixty years earlier, and I was able to figure out that he had actually been murdered—and by whom. She was so impressed and grateful that she left me the bulk of her estate—which was quite large—on the pretense that I use my abilities to help other people the way I had helped her. And that’s what I’ve been doing ever since.

  “I moved to Hargrove earlier this week,” Jenny added, referring to the new Tennessee town she called home. “And almost immediately I was contacted by your daughter. It seems she is desperate to help her son, and with the trial beginning next week, she’s running out of time. I recognize how quickly we need to work if we’re going to help Brian, and that’s why I called you here today. I’m hoping you can shed some light on what may have happened between Aaron and Patricia, and ultimately what led up to that domestic dispute between Brian and Aaron that resulted in Aaron’s death.” Jenny made finger quotes as she said the words.

  Upon hearing the explanation, Darlene’s demeanor softened. She ran her hands through her hair and said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound harsh.” She looked like she wanted to say more, but no additional words surfaced.

  Jenny held up her hand, indicating nothing else needed to be said. “Ms. Bigby, I completely understand. I’ve been working with victims’ families for a while now, and I know how incredibly difficult this is for you. You’re tired of hearing theories. You’re tired of getting your hopes up. Everything always turns out to be a dead end, no matter how promising the lead. All you want is an answer, and nobody seems to be able to provide you with one.”

  For the first time, tears filled Darlene’s eyes. “Yes,” she whispered. “That’s exactly how I feel. After eight years, can’t somebody please tell me what happened to my daughter?”

  Jenny reached out and placed her hand on top of Darlene’s. “Patricia herself is trying to tell you what happened, and she’s using me as a vehicle to do it.”

  Darlene covered her face as the tears fell freely. “Can you talk to her? Can you tell her I love her?”

  Darlene’s agony was difficult to witness. “No, I’m afraid I can’t talk to her. Not directly. But it’s my impression that she is aware of what’s going on. She hasn’t crossed over yet, so she’s…” Jenny made a circle in the air with her hand. “…around. I’m sure she already knows you love her. She knows how hard you’ve looked for her.” Jenny looked intently at Darlene. “And she knows her son is sitting in a jail cell, charged with killing the man who’d repeatedly abused her throughout her marriage.”

  Darlene wiped her eyes and nodded, indicating her understanding.

  “So,” Jenny continued softly. “Can I count on you to answer some questions for me?”

  With a deep breath Darlene’s posture stiffened, demonstrating her new resolve. “Absolutely,” she said as she wiped her eyes with a napkin. “Fire away.”

  Jenny pulled her notepad out of her purse. “Okay, let me start by asking if you noticed any signs of abuse between Aaron and Patricia.”

  Darlene clearly thought hard, but ultimately shook her head. “Honestly, if there was abuse, it was hidden very well. I had no idea it was going on.” After some deliberation she added, “I wonder why she wouldn’t tell me.”

  “I understand that, actually. I’m not a mom, but I’m a daughter, and I was married to a man who didn’t exactly treat me like I deserved, either. My mother really liked him, and I didn’t give her any reason to feel otherwise. Looking back, I’m not exactly sure why I kept it from her. I don’t know if I was embarrassed or if I was trying to protect her from worry.” Jenny shrugged. “Either way, I kept her in the dark about it.”

  Shaking her head, Darlene remarked, “I hate the thought of her suffering and me not helping her.”

  “Don’t feel bad about that,” Jenny said reassuringly. “If she had wanted you to know, she would have told you. Apparently, she didn’t want anyone to know.”

  Darlene looked Jenny square in the eye with an incredibly sad expression. “Why would it be better to suffer in silence?”

  “Well, Patricia isn’t being silent anymore.” Jenny flashed Darlene a smile. “It’s amazing how vocal a woman can become when it comes to protecting her child. Even death doesn’t get in the way.”

  At that point their lunches arrived, temporarily diverting the conversation. After a few bites, Jenny continued her questions. “Did you ever notice any abuse between Aaron and Brian?”

  Darlene shook her head slowly. “No, not abuse. But they were starting to have some problems with Brian when Patricia went missing. He’d previously been an honor student—a dream child, really. But then his grades started falling, and he started to exhibit some troubling behaviors.”

  “What do you mean by troubling?”

  “Skipping school,” Darlene confessed reluctantly. “He’d received in-school suspension for truancy a few times, which did not make his parents happy.”

  “Did Brian’s behavior change at all after Patricia went missing?”

  “I wish I knew. After Patricia disappeared, Aaron didn’t bring Brian around very much. I assumed I just reminded them of Patricia, and the memory was just too painful for them. Either that or Aaron was ashamed to come around because he’d failed to protect her. He was supposed to take care of her, you know? And yet she disappeared on his watch, so to speak.”

  Jenny raised an eyebrow. “I have a very different theory as to why Aaron didn’t come around after Patricia vanished.”

  Darlene’s shoulders sank and she hung her head.

  “Brian’s decline,” Jenny continued, making sure the conversation remained productive. “Was it slow or sudden?”

  “Umm…” Darlene replied with a squint. “Gradual, I think. It wasn’t like he flicked a switch or anything. But his performance in high school was definitely a lot worse than it was in middle school. It’s like something slowly disconnected.”

  “Did he switch friends?”

  “He stopped having friends. It’s like he completely withdrew from everybody.”

  “Was Patricia worried about him?”

  “Of course,” Darlene stated. “Any mother would be. But I don’t think she ever figured out what was bothering him—or if she did, she didn’t share that with me.”

  “Could Aaron have started abusing him around that time?” Jenny theorized.

  “Maybe. I didn’t even know Aaron was abusive at all, so it’s hard to say when it started. If it started.”

  Jenny’s cell phone buzzed in her purse. Her eyes widened as pulled out the phone and looked at the screen.

  Zack was calling.

  “It’s my boyfriend,” Jenny explained. “He might be calling with news about the pond, so I’m going to get it.”

  “Go right ahead,” Darlene said, gesturing with her hand.

  “Hey,” Jenny said quickly upon answering. “Did you find anything?”

  “As a matter of fact we did. We were criss-crossing the pond, poking the bottom with our paddles, when we felt an area that seemed a little more shallow than the rest. After a few more jabs with the oar, a woman’s shoe floated to the surface.”


  Jenny looked at Darlene and swallowed.

  Zack continued. “We’ve called the police; they’re on their way. Are you with Patricia’s mother?”

  “Yes, I am.”

  “Well, you might want to come out here. I’m not sure if her mother would want to come or not, but I think you should probably be here.”

  Jenny nodded subtly, reluctantly stating, “I agree.”

  “Will you be able to find the pond again?”

  “Yeah,” Jenny said softly. “I made a note of where it was.”

  “Okay, see you soon,” Zack replied before hanging up.

  Jenny ended the call and felt a rock form in her stomach. Sometimes she hated being right. With a strength-gathering breath she softly admitted, “They were dredging up the bottom of the pond and a woman’s shoe rose to the surface.”

  Darlene covered her mouth with her hand.

  “They’ve called the police to come and investigate. They’d like me to be there, just in case Patricia has anything to say about it. You’re welcome to come with me, but I would completely understand if you’d rather not see that.”

  Immediately looking around for the waitress, Darlene said, “I will absolutely go. If they’ve found my daughter, I have to be there.” She locked eyes with Jenny. “And I want you to tell me every little thing Patricia says to you while we’re there.”

  The police were already present by the time Jenny and Darlene arrived at the pond. Zack and Rod were standing along the water’s edge, pointing the officers in the direction of where they had found the shoe. Borrowing the canoe Zack had rented, the policemen were gearing up to head out for themselves.

  Jenny led Darlene by the arm toward the water, feeling Patricia’s panic, just as she’d experienced the night before. Although she’d promised to tell Darlene everything, she refrained from mentioning the fear she was feeling. As far as Jenny was concerned, Darlene didn’t need to know just how terrifying her daughter’s final moments had been.

  Once the women reached the area where the men were standing, Jenny made the introductions. Rod extended his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Darlene. I’m sorry it couldn’t be under better circumstances.”