Page 8 of In Her Shadow

“Was this a common occurrence?”Jake’s voice pulled the rancher’s attention back to the matter at hand.He was hunched over his notepad, the furrow in his brow mirroring Jenna’s own concern.“Making decisions that a rancher would have reason to question?”

Rex hesitated again.It was clearly a topic he was reluctant to discuss, and when he spoke, his voice suggested there was much he’d left unsaid.“More than you’d think, I guess.Several others had run-ins with Clyde over their cattle.”

Jenna felt the faint stir of intuition within her.She absorbed the information silently, connecting dots that formed a grim pattern across the serene backdrop of the farm.It sounded like Clyde Simmons, once an integral thread in the fabric of this community, had unraveled into a man marked by discord and strife.

In Rex, she recognized the helplessness that often came with confronting authority—a losing battle that gnawed at one’s sense of justice.

“Did any of those seem like special issues?I mean rancher’s conflicts with Clyde that stood out to you?”Jenna probed further.Her intuition whispered that understanding Clyde Simmons—the man he had become—could be a key to unveiling the perpetrator.

Rex exchanged a troubled glance with Adele before answering.“Clyde’s change didn’t go unnoticed.There were whispers, concerns.No actual threats that I know of.But folks do tend to keep their thoughts to themselves around here."His tone held a resignation born of rural realities, where privacy was both respected and expected.

“Is there anyone who might be able to tell us more about Clyde?”Jenna asked.“Any specific names?”

Rex and Adele exchanged a glance again, this one filled with a blend of reluctance and resignation.“Truth is,” Rex said slowly, the timbre of his voice reflecting the gravitas of their situation, “he seemed to be making enemies left and right these past few months.I’d guess that Clyde had alienated most folks around here, but I don’t know of anyone that stands out.The only person who really stood by him was his sister, the Mayor.”

Jenna felt the information settle, a puzzle piece clicking into place, yet somehow raising more questions.The pieces of Clyde Simmons’s life were slowly coming together, forming a picture marked with sadness and solitude.And it seemed that the only person they could talk with to find out more was Mayor Claire Simmons - a formidable presence whose sharp eyes missed nothing.The mention of her name brought a mix of anticipation and dread; after their encounter this morning, a conversation with the mayor would be fraught with tension, a clash of wills against the backdrop of anger and grief.

Jenna stood, the weight of the day pressing down on her shoulders as she faced the Hartleys.Rex’s words still echoed in her ears, confirming Clyde’s isolation, his sister’s loyalty.The air in the farmhouse felt thick with unspoken thoughts and a stench of a tragedy that had crept too close to a family’s home.

“Thank you, Mr.and Mrs.Hartley.We’ll be in touch if we have any more questions.”Her voice carried the professional cadence of her role, yet a faint tremor betrayed the churn of emotions within.Rex nodded, his face a mask of stoic acceptance, while Adele’s eyes were wells of concern.As they thanked the Hartleys again and made their way from the farmhouse, Jenna could feel the weariness settling in her bones.

Stepping out from under the trees into the bright summer light, Jenna let the cool breath of a faint breeze brush against her face, trying to dispel the tension that gripped her.She and Jake walked side by side in silence, leaving the Hartleys’ world behind, stepping back into their own—a realm of tireless investigation and looming questions.

They moved in silence, their steps measured as they processed all they had learned.Jenna glanced at Jake, noting the subtle tension in his jaw, the protective glint in his eye.She appreciated his support, though she kept her distance from the undercurrents of their relationship.Any attraction between them carried too many complexities with it.She was the sheriff, and he was her deputy.That alone implied lines that should never be crossed.

She turned her mind back to the case, the image of tire tracks, the Hartleys’ reluctant admissions, and the question of what Melissa and her team might yet uncover.

Jake broke the quiet, voicing the thought gnawing at both of them.“We need to talk to the Mayor again.”His words sounded stark and unavoidable.

Jenna glanced at him, seeing the same weary resolve reflected in his eyes that she felt.“We need to know more about Clyde, about possible enemies, and she’s the best one to ask about any of that.”

A conversation with Claire Simmons was never simple; the Mayor held her cards close, her brother’s shadow now adding another layer of complexity to any issue.Jenna’s intuition told her there was more to Clyde’s story, and she couldn’t let herself be daunted.

“We can only hope she’s willing to talk to us at all,” Jenna added."When the mayor turns hostile, it just means more trouble for us."

CHAPTER FIVE

The sun was high in the sky as Jenna and Jake made their way back from the Hartley’s home.It cast a harsh light over a white tent that now stood over the area where Dr.Melissa Stark worked meticulously to prepare Clyde Simmons’ body for transport.

Stopping at the edge of the tent, Jenna asked, “Any more insights before you take him away?”

Melissa shook her head, the movement almost imperceptible in her bulky garb.“Nothing concrete yet, Jenna,” she replied, looking a bit fatigued already from the meticulous examination.“But I’ll fast-track the autopsy and tox screen.You’ll have preliminary results by tomorrow morning.”

“Thanks, Melissa,” Jenna said.Then, she and Jake turned to the rest of her team working on the site.The pastoral serenity of the pasture was supplanted by the soft buzz of police radios and the murmur of officers exchanging information.Jenna stepped forward and pulled off her hat, allowing her short chestnut hair to flutter in the slight midday breeze.

She spoke loudly, “Listen up!”

Her command sliced through the ambient noise, drawing the attention of every uniform in the vicinity.“I want this area locked down tight.No one gets in or out without my express permission.”She scanned the faces before her.“Document everything, no matter how insignificant it might seem.This isn’t just any case – it’s the Mayor’s brother.We can’t afford any mistakes.”

They nodded and murmured in assent, then each officer turned to their duty with renewed purpose.Some of them tended to the gawkers to make them leave the scene.As everybody set to work, Jenna allowed herself a brief moment to watch them.She knew that this case was already pushing the limits of what their small department was equipped to handle.

“Ready?”Jake asked.

“Let’s do this,” Jenna replied, her determination unwavering.“Mayor Simmons won’t be in the office on a Sunday.We’ll catch her at home.”

She slid behind the wheel of the patrol car, and Jake settled into the passenger seat.Their next move was clear: confront the mayor, seek whatever truth might lie hidden beneath layers of both political veneer and sorrow.

“She might not be expecting us,” Jake said as he tapped his phone awake.“Best we give her a heads-up.”Jenna nodded, watching as his thumb hesitated over the mayor’s contact before pressing down with resolve.

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