Page 33 of In Her Shadow

“Counselor, with all due respect, that explanation isn’t going to work,” Jenna told him.“We found Ms.Cummings bound and gagged in Mr.Fields’ home.That’s not a ‘misunderstanding’ about zoning.”

She watched Greer closely, observing the way his stance wavered.His discomfort was obvious, and Jenna knew that beneath his practiced exterior lay a man grasping at straws.

“Perhaps there was a...misinterpretation of events.My client—” Greer started, his voice searching for a stronghold.

“Mr.Greer, let’s cut to the chase,” Jake cut in, his tone sharper than the glare of the overhead lights.Jenna turned towards him slightly, noting the way his stance had shifted into something more confrontational.“We’re not holding Mr.Fields solely for Ms.Cummings’ abduction.He’s also currently our prime suspect in the murders of Clyde Simmons and Roger Bates.”

Greer’s complexion went ashen, the color leaching from his face like water from a wrung-out cloth.“Murders?No, absolutely not.My client had nothing at all to do with any murders!”he sputtered.

Jenna’s voice was a controlled calm.“If that’s true, Mr.Greer, then it’s in your client’s best interest to explain himself.Fully and truthfully.”

She observed Martin Greer closely as he sat down at the table.She and Jake pulled up chairs opposite him and waited in silence as the public defender tapped a staccato rhythm on the metallic surface.Greer’s eyes now fixed on some indeterminate point on the table, as if the answers to his client’s predicament could emerge from the wood grain.

“Mr.Greer?”she prompted.

Greer inhaled deeply, a sigh escaping his lips as if he were deflating before their eyes.“If...if a deal can be made,” he began, his voice low and cautious, barely more than a murmur, “my client may be able to provide information about certain...financial irregularities involving a prominent figure in the county.”

Jake’s reaction was immediate.“Financial irregularities?You mean the bribes and kickbacks he’s been receiving?”The words tumbled out with a bluntness that came from Jake’s years on the beat, where sugarcoating facts served no one.

Greer’s wince was almost imperceptible, but Jenna caught it.He nodded slowly, a reluctant admission without words.“He’s not admitting to any such thing.But hypothetically … yes.”

Jenna’s flashed back to what Lily Cummings had said after her rescue—that they needed to find whoever was pulling Garth Fields’ his strings, making those bribes and kickbacks.

“Keep talking, Mr.Greer,” Jenna said.She needed to hear more.

Jenna watched the public defender’s thin fingers cease their drumming.Greer leaned forward, the fluorescent light glinting off his spectacles, and pitched his voice low, as though the very walls of the Genesius County Jail interview room might betray his confidences.

“But you have to understand,” he said, the plea evident in his tone, “if Mr.Fields is able to offer any information, he’ll need protection, in addition to a lesser charge.The person behind … the … information you’re asking for … is powerful and dangerous.”

Jenna’s heart quickened.This could be the break they’d been waiting for—the chance to unravel corruption in the county’s power structure.

“We can discuss a deal,” she began, each word measured, “but it will hold only if Mr.Fields’ information proves useful and he cooperates fully.”Jenna leaned forward, her green eyes locking onto Greer’s, ensuring he grasped the full weight of her conditions.“That includes explaining his attack on Ms.Cummings and any knowledge he has about the murders.”

“Fine,” Greer conceded with a drawn-out sigh, as if relinquishing a part of his soul.“I’ll need assurances—written assurances—that my client will be protected.”

Jenna nodded.“You’ll have your paperwork.But we need to hear everything from Fields himself.”Her level gaze left no room for doubt; she would accept nothing less than complete transparency.

The negotiation that followed was like navigating a minefield, each step deliberate and fraught with hidden perils.Jenna dissected every word, every nuance of the lawyer’s counteroffers as they slowly edged toward common ground.The agreement they finally reached was a testament to the delicate nature of give-and-take.

In return for Garth Fields’ full cooperation they would reduce the charges from kidnapping to unlawful restraint—a significant downgrade that could mean years off his sentence.They also promised witness protection, contingent on the validity and value of the information he provided.

Greer’s gaze flickered between Jenna and Jake, assessing their determination.He knew they were not bluffing, knew they held the cards this time.After a pause that stretched like taut wire, he exhaled, the fight visibly leaving his posture as he nodded his assent.

“Alright,” he conceded.“I’ll talk to my client.”

As Greer left to arrange for Garth Fields to be brought in, Jenna’s thoughts churned with possibilities.If Fields talked, if he gave them the killer’s name, it could change everything.

The door opened a short while later, and there stood Garth Fields—a bear of a man whose imposing frame seemed diminished now, shackled and escorted by a uniformed officer.His darting eyes betrayed his anxiety as he took in the sight of Jenna and Jake.

Greer stepped into the room and guided his client to a seat at the table.Pulling up another chair for himself, he nodded for Jenna to proceed.

“Mr.Fields,” Jenna began without preamble, her voice steady and commanding, “let’s start with Ms.Cummings.We know she was in your house, bound and gagged.There’s no point in denying your involvement.”

Fields’ mouth opened, then closed, a silent struggle taking place behind his darting eyes.Jenna held her breath, waiting for the dam to break, for the flood of truth to wash away the grime of uncertainty and deception.

“Mr.Fields,” she repeated, her tone steady and resolute, “we’re listening for your response.”

Fields’ shoulders slumped, and Jenna watched, unflinching, as defeat seeped into his features.His voice emerged faintly, barely audible over the hum of the air conditioning.“I...I panicked.”

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