Page 16 of In Her Shadow

He let his words linger, allowing the townspeople to absorb the image, to search their memories for any scrap of recognition.Although he also avoided describing the actual branding of the victim, a subtle urgency in his tone that underscored the gravity of his request.

When no one offered an identification of the image, Spelling spoke again.“Community cooperation is vital,” he stressed.“We need to come together to shed light on this darkness.”Still, no answer came.Finally he announced that the floor would be open for discussion and the three speakers took their seats on the stage.

The moment Colonel Spelling stepped back from the podium, it was as if a dam had burst.Jenna felt the room’s tense silence shatter into a discordant symphony of voices.Standing on the low stage with the mayor and the head of the highway patrol, she watched the townspeople’s fear and suspicion swell into an audible storm.Chairs scraped against the floor, hands were raised, questions hurled like stones.

“Excuse me!”A voice cut through the clamor, sharp and assertive.Jenna turned to see Lily Cummings standing, arms folded across her chest.The leader of the Green Gaia Guardians had a fire in her eyes that matched the intensity of her words.“I’ve heard about the rumors.Some of you think the Green Gaia Guardians had something to do with this.We had nothing to do with Clyde’s murder!”

Jenna studied Lily for a moment.The environmentalist’s passion was undeniable, but so too was the tremor in her voice—an undercurrent of desperation that betrayed her usual composed demeanor.Her proclamation seemed to ricochet off the walls, igniting fresh whispers amongst the crowd.

“Let’s be real,” Lily continued, her gaze sweeping over the sea of faces.“It’s no secret that Clyde made enemies with his inspections.Some ranchers here have been hit hard—too hard.Maybe someone decided they’d had enough.”

As murmurs swelled into open speculation, Jenna could almost see community trust unraveling before her eyes.

Before the ripples of Lily’s assertion could settle, Tom Buchanan rose from his seat, his face reddening as he took the floor.His large frame commanded attention, and his voice, when he spoke, boomed over the throng.

“Enough of this nonsense!”he bellowed, and Jenna flinched at the raw anger in his tone.“Clyde’s inspections kept us honest, kept us safe!You think we’d kill for profit?”

Jenna noted the nods of agreement from other ranchers, their faces etched with indignation and grief.Buchanan’s hands clenched into fists at his sides as he glared at Lily, who met his gaze unflinchingly.

“Without standards, we’re no better than the back-alley butchers Clyde spent his life fighting against,” Tom argued, his voice resonating with a fervor that bordered on zealotry.

The charged atmosphere in the town hall had reached a fever pitch when Carl Reeves stood up, his voice slicing through the tense air like a serrated blade.“This is all just smoke and mirrors!”he shouted, casting a wild glance at Jenna.“You’re all being duped by these so-called protectors who can’t even keep one of their own safe!”

Jeers and applause clashed in a discordant symphony, the community’s trust fracturing further with each word hurled from Reeves’ mouth.

As if summoned by the need for calm, Deputy Jake Hawkins moved through the crowd with authoritative strides that demanded attention without a word.He stepped up on the stage and stood there, solid and unyielding, until his presence drew eyes and gradually subdued the chaos.

“Please,” Jake’s voice finally broke the hush, “let’s remember why we’re here.To seek justice for Clyde, not to tear each other apart.”

Jenna watched as the crowd reluctantly settled, the embers of contention still glowing in their midst.She owed Jake for that momentary peace, another debt in an ever-growing tally.

Yet, before the quiet could fully take hold, Mayor Claire Simmons rose from her seat, her face flushed with an anger Jenna had never seen directed at her before.The mayor’s voice, when it came, was a whip crack, echoing off the town hall walls.

“Why wasn’t this tragedy prevented?What were the police doing?”Claire’s polished exterior had cracked, revealing a torrent of grief and rage underneath.

“Mayor Simmons,” Jenna began, seeking to bridge the chasm with reason, “we are pursuing every lead—”

“Leads?”Claire cut her off, her voice rising sharply.“My brother lies cold in the morgue, and you are chasing ghosts, as always!Shouldn’t your focus be on the living?”

Jenna squared her shoulders, meeting Claire’s gaze directly.“My duty is to find the truth,” she stated firmly, her voice unwavering despite the turmoil inside.“And I will, for Clyde and for Trentville.”

But as Claire sat back down, seemingly appeased for the moment, Jenna knew the battle lines had been redrawn.The chamber had become a crucible of raw emotion again, every eye fixated on her, awaiting a response.But the noise, the cacophony of voices raised in anger and fear, turned her attempts to speak into whispers lost on the wind.

“Please, let me explain—” Jenna’s voice was steady but futile against the tide of unrest.

“Explain what?How you’ve let us down?”Someone shouted from the crowd, their face obscured by the sea of discontent.

She scanned the room, seeking an ally, a friendly face, but found only the reflection of chaos.

CHAPTER NINE

As the town hall meeting broke up in disarray, Jenna’s heart sank as she watched her efforts to bring the community together crumble.The townspeople began to leave their seats and move toward the exits, still arguing with each other as they dispersed.

Jake and Colonel Spelling stationed themselves at the front edges of the stage, staring down anyone who threw an angry look in that direction.Their presence seemed to effectively convince the crowd to take their grumbling elsewhere.Without a glance toward any of her co-presenters, Mayor Simmons made her way towards a side door, where staff members were waiting to escort her out.

Jenna knew there was nothing more to be done here tonight.She stepped down off the stage, and Jake followed along behind her.As she made her way slowly toward the main exit, a firm touch on her shoulder stopped her.

“Jenna,” Frank Doyle’s gray eyes held concern.“Come over to my house.We’ll have a cup of tea, talk through all of this.”

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