Within the Shadows by J.D MCG (book recommendations .TXT) 📗

him. Vanessa sat opposite Lily, crying her eyes out, focusing on her ex-husband, who had a horrifying appearance.

'Joe, I'm so sorry,' she apologised for letting Lily into the house.

'It's okay, Honey,' he calmly responded.

'Do you like my handy work?' Lily asked Vanessa, discussing Barnes' horrific appearance.

Barnes noticed the gun pointed at Vanessa. He stopped moving, trying not to make any sudden moves. This situation could go very badly at any moment, and Barnes knew that.

'It's going to be okay, V,' he tried to calm his ex-wife down.

Jacob couldn't sit still. The craving was back and stronger than ever, as the thoughts of Lily kidnapping Barnes, and killing his father, never left his mind. He decided food was probably the best course of action to remove alcohol from his thoughts.

Belle and Kate were sat watching TV on the sofa, discussing work, gossip and love lives. Jacob finished making his dinner before joining them.

'Where's ours?' Kate joked.

'There's some more in the kitchen,' he replied with a mouth full of food.

The food wasn't enough for him. The craving grew stronger. He turned his head over towards the kitchen counter, where he'd left half a bottle of whiskey. His eyes were drawn to it as well as his thoughts. He needed it. Maybe it will calm me down, he thought.

He placed his plate of food on the coffee table, then strolled over to the bottle. After he grabbed a glass from the cupboard, he opened the bottle and poured the liquid. His hand began to shake as he lifted the glass closer to his lips. The smooth whiskey dribbled down, warming his throat. It felt incredibly good.

'Slow down, Jacob,' Belle said. 'You'll be drunk after that one glass.' She laughed.

He chuckled along with her, feeling more relaxed now. He wondered about Barnes; where he was; if he was okay. His thoughts began to drift as he focused on his mobile phone, ringing in his pocket.

'DS Wright,' he answered.

'Jacob, it's Harry Wong, from the forensic lab. Just to inform you that we've lifted prints from the crime scenes, both Mr Roberts’ and Mr Hussain's homes. We've run it through the database and have come up with no matches,' he explained.

'Does that mean Mr Roberts is innocent?' he asked.

'It means we have no evidence on him having killed either his wife or his neighbour.'

'Thank you, Harry,' he said disappointedly.

'One other thing, Jacob. If you speak to Ally, will you let her know? I couldn't get through to either of your team,' he informed him.

'Okay, no problem.'

He hung up the phone, worried about what Harry had just told him. He tried to call Ally, but no answer. Then he tried Sarah, then Brian, but still, no one answered. Why aren't they answering? He called Ethan, his last hope.

'Hello,' Ethan greeted.

'Finally,' he praised. 'Where is everyone?'

Ethan didn't know what to say. He was instructed by Ally not to tell Jacob what was happening, due to his current state of mind.

'They're following up on a lead,' he lied.

'Okay. I need you to meet me at The Russells right away. I want to ask Mr Roberts a few more questions about this mystery man.' He explained, wanting a partner to work with.

'Jacob, I've been told not to let you work anything until Ally gives the go-ahead. I'm sorry mate. Can it wait till tomorrow?'

'Yes, I'm sure it can. I'll see you tomorrow then,' he said before hanging up the phone.

Jacob couldn't wait. He needed something to take his mind off Barnes, Lily and his father. He grabbed his keys, coat and phone, then headed for the door.

'Don't wait up,' he told the girls.

'Why? Where are you going?' Belle questioned him.

'Work,' he replied, shutting the door behind him.

Jack Roberts was frightened, peeping out of the windows, scanning the neighbourhood for the mystery man. He couldn't relax, knowing this man was out there, committing murders around him.

Jack shifted from room to room, window to window. Nothing could calm him down. It was just him inside the house now, all alone. He missed his wife every minute of the day. His hands were shaking, his legs like jelly. He couldn't stop shaking. He sensed the stranger was outside of his house, so Jack went to the window, peeped through the curtains once again, to see the man in his back garden.

Jack stepped away from the window and gasped, covering his mouth with his hands. His heart raced, faster than it ever had. He had no idea what action to take now. Is this it? Has he come for me now?

There was a knock at Jack's door, making him leap with fright. He didn't know what to do. Creeping towards his front door, he peered through the spy hole, locking his eyes upon DS Wright.

Jack opened the door without hesitation and greeted the detective with delight.

'DS Wright. You've got to help me,' he yelled at him, surprising Jacob.

'What's going on? What's wrong?' Jacob asked him with urgency.

'The man, the one who killed my wife, he's in the garden,' he continued shouting.

Jacob pushed past Jack and ran straight through the house until he reached the back door, but it was locked and the key was nowhere in sight.

'Where's the key?' Jacob demanded.

Jack reached into one of the kitchen cupboards, removed the key, and walked back into the hallway, placing the key in Jacob's hand. He placed it in the lock as fast as he could and dashed into the garden. Jacob inspected the entire garden, but there was no one there, nor was there evidence anybody had been.

'Mr Roberts, there's no one here,' he informed him.

'But he was right there,' he pointed to a section of the garden, where he'd seen the man.

Jacob was