“A criminal case?” Adrian frowned as he studied Marcus Hale’s expression.
There was no chance Marcus had suddenly developed enough goodwill to hand him a lucrative criminal case, which meant there was almost certainly something unpleasant hidden behind the offer.
After a moment, Adrian understood.
“Criminal legal aid?” Marcus’s smile immediately widened, and he gave Adrian a hearty pat on the shoulder.
“Exactly.” That explained everything.
Legal aid existed to ensure that people who could not afford representation were not left entirely on their own when dealing with the courts.
If someone lacked the money to hire an attorney, the relevant authorities could appoint one to represent them, while the lawyer received only a relatively small fee for the work involved.
For attorneys, such assignments were rarely profitable and could sometimes require a considerable amount of time and effort, but Adrian had no particular objection to legal aid itself.
Providing representation to people who genuinely could not afford it was part of the profession.
What he disliked was Marcus deliberately assigning the case to him in the hope that it would become a burden.
Under ordinary circumstances, Adrian might have been annoyed by the obvious attempt to dump unwanted work on him, but his thoughts immediately returned to the system.
Civil cases primarily rewarded Gratitude Coins, while criminal cases had a much greater chance of granting talent skills.
His irritation disappeared almost at once.
“When is the client arriving, and what kind of case is it?” Marcus paused.
He had expected Adrian to hesitate, complain, or at least ask whether someone else could handle it.
Instead, the young lawyer seemed genuinely interested.
Still, Marcus quickly recovered and smiled.
“Someone else will explain the details.
They know more about the case than we do.” “And when are they coming?” Marcus had barely finished speaking when a loud knock came from the entrance.
“Is Attorney Cole here?” The voice immediately drew the attention of everyone in the main hall.
Adrian turned and saw a police minibus parked outside Blackwood & Reed Law Firm.
A broad-shouldered middle-aged officer stood at the entrance, holding the door open with one hand while a cigarette burned between his lips.
“Time’s tight,” the officer called.
“If Attorney Cole is ready, we need to leave.” Marcus immediately raised his voice.
“Detective Grant, give us one moment.” He turned back toward Adrian with a smile that now carried a trace of undisguised satisfaction.
“Well, there you have it.
They’re already here.” Marcus reached into his briefcase and pulled out the relevant paperwork.
“Sign this and you can leave with Detective Grant.” Adrian gave him a brief look before taking the document and signing his name.
The smile Marcus had been struggling to suppress finally broke through.
“Excellent.
I won’t keep you any longer, Attorney Cole.
At this rate, perhaps you’ll become one of the firm’s star lawyers before long.” Adrian had no interest in responding to the insincerity.
Marcus’s hostility had never been particularly difficult to understand.
Adrian had graduated from one of the country’s best universities, had a stronger academic background, and had originally entered Blackwood & Reed with considerably more professional potential than Marcus himself.
Marcus, meanwhile, had climbed into management largely through family and professional connections.
Jealousy was hardly a complicated motive.
Adrian had no intention of wasting his time competing with Marcus inside the firm anyway.
If anything, the man was doing him a favor by continually handing him opportunities to build experience and a reputation.
The case mattered more.
Adrian walked toward the entrance and stopped beside the waiting officer.
The man had been taking another drag from his cigarette when he noticed Adrian standing beside him.
He instinctively stepped aside, assuming Adrian wanted to pass, then realized the young man had stopped directly in front of him.
The officer looked him over.
“You’re Adrian Cole?” “That’s right.” “You’re younger than I expected.” Detective Grant’s expression was slightly doubtful, but he did not make an issue of it.
This was a legal-aid assignment, not a wealthy defendant selecting from a list of high-priced attorneys, and having a properly licensed lawyer available was already enough.
“Get in.
We’ve got a long drive, and I’ll explain everything on the way.” Adrian followed him into the minibus.
The vehicle was fairly basic, although not dramatically different from the ones Adrian remembered from later years.
Six other officers were already seated inside, all of them looking tired or preoccupied.
They glanced briefly at Adrian before returning their attention elsewhere.
There was also a middle-aged couple sitting near the back.
Both appeared to be around fifty, although years of hardship made them look older.
They were short and extremely thin, dressed in worn clothing that seemed barely adequate for the weather, and their weathered faces and rough hands immediately suggested years of physical labor.
When Adrian entered wearing a suit and polished leather shoes, both of them visibly tensed.
They glanced at him from the corners of their eyes, quickly looked away when their gazes met his, and then seemed unsure where else they were supposed to look.
Eventually, the man forced an awkward, almost apologetic smile while rubbing his hands together nervously.
Detective Grant dropped into one of the seats.
“Miller, start driving.
We’ve got a difficult day ahead of us, and the sooner we get this done, the sooner everyone gets home.” The officer behind the wheel started the engine, and within a few moments the minibus pulled away from the curb.
Detective Grant took another drag from his cigarette before gesturing toward the couple.
“Those two are your clients.
If there’s anything you need to ask them, do it while we’re on the road, because once we get there, things might get complicated.” “All right.” Adrian moved toward them and extended his hand.
“How should I address you?” The man seemed almost startled that Adrian had approached him so formally.
He hurriedly stood, wiped his palm against his trousers, and carefully shook Adrian’s hand.
“My name is Martin Hayes, and this is my wife, Evelyn.
She…
she can’t speak.” His voice was rough and heavy.
The woman beside him gave Adrian an embarrassed but polite smile.
“Mr.
and Mrs.
Hayes, I’m Adrian Cole.
I’ll be representing you in connection with this case.” Martin nodded repeatedly.
His palm was so rough that shaking his hand felt almost like touching sandpaper.
Once they sat again, Adrian turned toward the detective.
“Could you explain the case from the beginning?” Detective Grant stared at him.
“You haven’t even been told what the case is?” Martin and Evelyn immediately became more anxious.
Adrian remained calm.
“I know it’s a criminal legal-aid assignment.
I was told the details would be explained by you.” The detective clicked his tongue.
“Well, I suppose now is as good a time as any.” He adjusted his position in the seat and took another drag from his cigarette.
“It’s an abduction case.” Adrian’s expression became more serious.
“How old?” Detective Grant raised an eyebrow, apparently pleased that Adrian immediately understood why that mattered.
“Ten years.” Adrian glanced toward the couple.
The detective continued, “The case originally happened in Riverton in 1992.
Martin and Evelyn’s daughter was fourteen years old when she disappeared, and they haven’t had any reliable information about her since.” Ten years.
Adrian looked at the couple again.
Martin was staring at his hands, while Evelyn sat beside him with her fingers tightly interlocked.
Detective Grant continued, “Not long ago, Greenwood City police arrested a trafficker in connection with another investigation.
During questioning, we discovered that he had been involved in a much larger trafficking network and had kept records of some of the victims.” “One of those names was their daughter?” “Exactly.” Detective Grant extinguished some ash from his cigarette.
“Her name is Clara Hayes.” Adrian nodded.
“What happened to her?” “She was sold into a remote mountain settlement called Pine Hollow Village, where she was forced into a marriage with one of the local men.” Adrian’s expression tightened.
“She was fourteen when she was taken?” “Yes.” “And now?” “She’s twenty-four.” Detective Grant paused before adding, “She also has a six-year-old child.” Adrian remained silent for several seconds.
That changed the situation considerably.
He looked toward Martin and Evelyn, whose unease had only grown as the case was described aloud.
“They haven’t been reunited yet?” “Not properly.” Detective Grant shook his head.
“We’ve already gone to the village twice.
We managed to see her, but we weren’t able to bring her out.” That immediately raised another question.
“If she’s still there, why was a lawyer assigned before the rescue?” “Because Clara has already expressed that she wants to leave, and there are likely to be several legal proceedings once we get her out, including a custody dispute involving her child.
An agency arranged representation in advance so that someone can begin protecting her interests from the moment she’s removed.” Adrian understood.
His role was not limited to the trafficking prosecution.
He might also end up representing Clara through the legal consequences that followed her return.
Detective Grant finished the last of his cigarette and extinguished it.
“This time we’re going in better prepared.
The previous visits made it clear that asking nicely isn’t going to be enough.” Adrian glanced around at the six officers in the vehicle.
That explained the size of the police presence.
Detective Grant continued, “Your primary responsibility will be representing Clara and her family in the criminal proceedings against the people involved in buying and holding her.
After that, you’ll probably be involved in the custody case as well.” “And during the extraction?” “You observe.
If something happens that later matters in court, remember it.
If a dispute breaks out that can reasonably be mediated, help where you can, but don’t interfere with police operations.” Adrian nodded.
“Understood.” Strictly speaking, an attorney did not need to be physically present during the recovery itself, but involving legal counsel early could prevent evidence from being lost and help the victims avoid creating unnecessary legal problems during an emotionally charged confrontation.
Judging from Detective Grant’s tone, there was another reason as well.
Pine Hollow Village was apparently isolated enough that ordinary assumptions about cooperation with the authorities could not be taken for granted.
Adrian turned back toward Martin.
“Mr.
Hayes, I’d like you to tell me everything you remember about your daughter’s disappearance and anything the police have told you since they found her.” Martin nodded immediately.
As the conversation continued, the landscape outside the windows slowly changed.
The wide paved streets of Greenwood City gave way to narrower roads, while tall buildings were gradually replaced by small houses and stretches of farmland.
After another hour, the asphalt disappeared entirely and the minibus moved onto older concrete roads, sending dust into the air behind them.
Later, even the concrete vanished.
They began traveling along unpaved roads surrounded by scattered homes with weathered walls and aging roofs, and eventually those roads became little more than rough mountain tracks.
The minibus shook violently over every uneven section, forcing everyone inside to brace themselves against the seats.
By then, the scenery outside had become almost completely desolate.
There were no apartment buildings, no shops, and barely any signs of ordinary traffic.
Only barren mountains stretched into the distance.
At around eleven-thirty, a particularly violent jolt shook the minibus and woke several officers who had begun dozing during the long drive.
Adrian looked up and turned toward the window.
A barren mountainside filled most of his view.
At first there appeared to be nothing unusual about it, but after looking more carefully, he noticed several dark shapes scattered across one section of the slope.
As the minibus drew closer, those distant shapes gradually resolved into clusters of small buildings.
A village.
Adrian narrowed his eyes.
From the driver’s seat, Officer Miller called back to them.
“We’re here.” He slowed the vehicle as the settlement came into clearer view.
“Pine Hollow Village.”