Page 25 of Silent Trail

"It looks good on you," Sheila said, offering him an encouraging smile.

Finn grunted. "A little tight around the armpits, but it'll do. Come on, we shouldn't leave Jade waiting."

The sheriff's department was alive with activity despite the late hour; officers hurried past them, carrying stacks of paperwork and discussing cases in hushed tones. The harsh fluorescent lights flickered overhead, casting a sterile glow on the beige walls lined with wanted posters and community event flyers.

Sheila's ears perked up as she overheard two deputies talking nearby. One deputy, a middle-aged man with graying hair, leaned against a desk while the other, a younger woman with short-cropped blonde hair, flipped through a file.

"Did you hear about that case down in Millersville?" the older deputy asked, his voice low and somber. "The one where they found the body of that real estate agent in the trunk of her own car?"

"Yeah, I heard," the younger deputy replied, shaking her head. "Poor woman. It sounds like she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. They think it might have been a serial killer passing through town."

"Damn shame," the older deputy muttered, rubbing his temples. "We've got enough on our plates without worrying about serial killers."

Sheila shivered involuntarily, her thoughts drifting back to Jade and the mystery that surrounded her. She wondered whether Jade was capable of hiding something as dark and sinister as murder. As they approached the interview room door, she steeled herself for the confrontation that lay ahead and hoped she could uncover the truth.

At the door, Finn paused and turned to her. "I want you to take the lead on this one," he said, his eyes serious.

"Are you sure?" she asked, surprised by his sudden decision. Even though she had taken the lead most of the day, she'd never done so with an official police interview.

"Absolutely," Finn said with a slight nod. "You may be inexperienced, and you still have a lot to prove, but you've shown me a lot in the short time we've worked together." He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "I'll be right there to back you up as needed."

Sheila took a deep breath, feeling a flutter in her stomach at her new responsibility. With a determined nod, she followed Finn into the interview room.

The room was small, its bare walls painted a pale blue. A single overhead light cast stark shadows across the floor and table. At the far end of the room sat Jade Larson, her stocky, athletic frame slouched in a chair. She was cuffed to the table, her dark hair falling in messy strands around her face. Her eyes met theirs, narrowing into a glare as silence hung heavy in the air.

Sheila cleared her throat as she sat down across from Jade Larson, her heart pounding. The stark fluorescent lights overhead cast an unforgiving glare on the metal table separating them. She could feel Finn's presence beside her, a silent pillar of support.

"Let's start with the basics," she said, her voice steady despite the fluttering in her stomach. "Please confirm your name for the record."

"Jade Larson," came the grudging reply, Jade's dark eyes narrowing as she met Sheila's gaze.

"Thank you," Sheila said, folding her hands on the table. "Now, Jade, can you tell us why you ran?"

"Look, I didn't have anything to do with Kristen Lee's murder," Jade said, her voice tense and defensive. "I just...I didn't like her, okay? What she did to Lila was nothing short of barbaric, but that doesn't mean I'd kill her or anything."

Sheila recalled watching Jade's last wrestling match and how ferocious she had seemed, like a caged animal unleashed upon her opponents. "We watched your last match," she said. "You looked angry, like you really wanted to hurt your opponents. Where do you think that anger comes from?"

"Blowing off steam, that's all," Jade said, looking away. "School can be stressful, you know?"

Sheila pursed her lips, her eyes searching Jade's face for any sign of deception. It was true that school could be overwhelming, but something about Jade's explanation felt incomplete. Were those clenched fists at her side merely a reaction to stress, or was there something darker lurking beneath?

The tension in the room seemed to ebb for a moment, and Jade's shoulders relaxed ever so slightly. Her eyes flicked to her wrists, still cuffed to the table, and she swallowed hard before speaking up. "So, what's going to happen to me now? Are you going to put me in jail for fighting you guys?"

Finn arched an eyebrow, his surprise evident. "Jail? Jade, we're trying to figure out if you were involved in Kristen Lee's murder, not whether you threw a few punches at us." His voice was calm but firm, as if he couldn't believe that Jade's priorities lay elsewhere.

Sheila's gaze locked on Jade's face. She could sense the barely contained panic behind the wrestler's eyes, and it dawned on her what truly mattered to Jade.

"I know you're worried about your wrestling career," Sheila said. "You don't want anyone to find out that you fought with us, because it could lead to you being expelled from the team, right?"

Jade's jaw tightened, and she looked away, unable to meet Sheila's knowing gaze. It was clear that Sheila had struck a nerve, and Jade's silence spoke volumes. Sheila leaned in closer, placing her hands on the table, her voice soft yet unwavering.

"Here's the deal, Jade. If you don't come clean with us, we'll have no choice but to book you for assault. The college will need to know about it, and there's a good chance you'll be disciplined or even dismissed by your wrestling team. Is that really a risk you're willing to take?"

A shudder ran through Jade's body, and Sheila could see the internal struggle playing out on her face. She knew that wrestling meant everything to this young woman, and the thought of losing it must have been absolutely terrifying. But Sheila also knew that this was their best chance at getting to the truth.

Jade's eyes filled with tears as she clasped her cuffed hands together, her knuckles turning white with the force of her grip. "Please," she implored Sheila, her voice trembling, "don't do this to me. Wrestling is my life. It's the only thing that makes me feel like I'm worth something."

Sheila watched as the girl before her seemed to crumble under an invisible weight. She couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for Jade, remembering her own days as a competitive athlete.

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