Page 48 of In Her Shadow

Jake and Bob struggled for control Jake’s weapon.The old farmer fought with a ferocity that belied his years, his arms flailing, seeking any leverage against his younger opponent.

Flames crept along the edge of the rug, greedily consuming the worn fibers, the orange tendrils casting wild shadows across the walls.

***

As Jake and Bob struggled, Jenna sprang into action, seizing a heavy brass lamp from a side table.She swung it in a wide arc, and it connected with the side of Bob’s head, the sound of impact sharp and final.His body wavered, shock overtaking the mad glint in his eyes.He crumpled slightly, dazed, and in that precious second, Jake capitalized on the advantage.

“Got him!”Jake grunted as he snapped the cuffs around Bob’s wrists.

Pulling her sleeve over her hand to protect it against the heat, Jenna switched off the torch.Then she grabbed a throw rug and began to beat down the encroaching flames, while Frank ran to the kitchen and began to fill every available receptacle full of water.Soon, the flames had been reduced to smoke and embers.The crisis was over.

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

As Jenna guided the cruiser through the hushed streets, Trentville slept, oblivious to the turmoil of earlier that night.She and Jake had just dropped Frank off at his own home, and now Jenna turned onto Mayor Claire Simmons’s street.Her eyes flickered momentarily toward the dashboard clock—nearly 2 a.m.

She parked the cruiser along the curb, headlights dimming, the engine’s purr fading into silence.Discreetly positioned across from the mayor’s residence was the patrol car Jake had requested.Jenna could see the outlines of two deputies, their postures alert and vigilant despite the late hour.They gave her a slight nod, a signal of recognition.

Together, she and Jake got out of the car and approached the front door of Mayor Simmons’s Victorian home, but before they could knock, the heavy oak door swung inward.Standing in the threshold was Mayor Claire Simmons, clad not in her usual power suit but in a silk housecoat.The meticulously styled hair Jenna had come to associate with the mayor was slightly undone.

“Please, come in,” the mayor said in a warmer tone than usual.

They crossed the ornate foyer to the study, where shelves lined with leather-bound tomes stood guard around them.The furniture was equally telling of the mayor’s affinity for control: Everything was placed just so, every antique chair and desk a piece in the strategic layout of power.

As Jenna settled into the supple embrace of an armchair, she caught sight of a slight tremble in Mayor Simmons’ hands.The disarray in Mayor Simmons’ appearance, the quiver of her voice, the subtle shaking of her hands; they all painted a portrait far removed from the stoic politician they knew.The woman was frightened—scared enough to let her impeccable armor slip.

“Why the extra security tonight?”the mayor asked.

Jake took the lead.“There was a development.Have you heard of the Big Sky Ranch?”

“Oh, yes,” the mayor said with a nod.“There was always a lot of talk about it in my family.It got broken up back in the 1900s, didn’t it?”

Jenna and Jake went on to explain how Jasper and Agnes Rollins had helped them discover that a vendetta was being held against living people descended from those who had conspired in the breakup of the ranch.

“One of those conspirators was Jupiter Bates, whose descendent Roger Bates was murdered on that account,” Jenna explained.“Another was your own ancestor, Hector Simmons, which was why the killer murdered your brother.”

“So, I...I could have been next?”Mayor Simmons whispered, her voice a ghostly echo of its usual commanding boom.

“That’s what we feared,” Jake said.“And that’s why we gave you extra security tonight.”

Jenna and Jake went on to describe their near-fatal confrontation with Robert Anderson, who turned out to be a distant grandson of Mitch Bishop himself, the thwarted owner of the Big Sky Ranch.

“But we’ve got Anderson in custody, Mayor Simmons,” Jenna said.“It’s over now.”

A small sound escaped the mayor’s lips—a cross between a gasp and a sob—and then the tears began to flow, unchecked.Jenna watched as Claire Simmons allowed herself the release of grief for the first time since the brutal murder of her brother.

Eventually, the sobs tapered off into shuddering breaths as Mayor Simmons regained a semblance of control.She reached for a monogrammed handkerchief, dabbing delicately at her eyes.

Jenna watched the transformation, recognizing the strength it took to compose oneself after such vulnerability.She’d seen it in herself, and she respected it in the mayor, knowing it wasn’t a dismissal of emotion but a necessary armor in their respective battles.

“I...I apologize,” the mayor’s voice creaked, roughened by her tears.“And I thank you both.Your dedication to this case, to this town...I underestimated you, Sheriff Graves.I’m sorry for that.”

Jenna said, “Your safety was our priority, Mayor.”

Then she and Jake stood to leave.As the mayor walked them toward the door, her demeanor had softened appreciably.

As Jenna drove toward Jake’s house, he shook his head with dismayed wonder.

“It’s like we’ve pulled back a curtain on this county, and now we’re finding old grudges and secrets that have been simmering for generations.Makes you wonder what else is out there.”

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