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

them. Sarah tried the door handle to see if it was open, but it wasn't. No surprise there. Who leaves their door open? she thought.

Brian knew exactly where to find a spare key. He walked through the back gate and into Barnes' garden and lifted up a plant pot, which had seen better days. It was crumbling with cracks throughout. Sarah made her way into the garden to see Brian holding a key in front of him with a smile on his face.

'Where did you find that?' she asked him.

'You forget how many years I've known the man,' he smiled.

'True,' she also smiled along with him.

Brian placed the key in the back door, and they entered the house of their boss. The house was dark. Curtains and blinds were closed, empty beer bottles, dirty bowls and plates surrounded every surface. Barnes lives like a slob, Sarah told herself.

'Barnes is a very respectable man,' she began, 'but looking around, this is not the life of the man I know.'

'You think you know,' Brian commented.

'Well yes. I don't get it,' she continued. 'Barnes is well presented. Clean-shaven and well dressed. I'm looking around his home, and I'm disgusted by the mess he's left.'

'Don't judge the man,' Brian yelled at her. 'You don't know what he's been through.'

'Oh and you do?' she replied with a question, not taking any shit off her partner.

'As a matter of fact, yes I do,' he answered. 'He went through a very hard time when his wife left him and asked for a divorce. That's what broke him. I don't think he ever really recovered. Then recently, losing his old partner, his friend, to the one person they both helped after the death of her sister, really crushed him,' he explained to her.

Sarah began to feel bad. She wished she had just shut her mouth. Why do I always get myself into these situations? she asked herself.

'I'm sorry,' she apologised to Brian. 'I just open my mouth sometimes and say really stupid shit.'

'It's okay. Let's just search for anything that can help us find him.'

The pair of them searched Barnes' home but couldn't find a single thing that could help them. Barnes was missing, gone and they had no leads, nothing to go on. The search for Barnes was beginning to look like a dead end.

It was 5.43 pm by the time the forensic investigators arrived on scene at the cemetery. Jacob and Ally needed them to take a sample of the blood for testing, to see if it truly was Barnes' blood. Chloe Fisher was also there taking photos. While Jacob and Ally left the forensic officers to do their job, the pair of them took a walk over to the nearest bench, overlooking the whole cemetery, and sat down.

'I really hope the others find something that can help us,' Jacob said.

'Me too,' replied Ally.

They sat there for only a few minutes before Jacob became restless and raised himself from his seat. He couldn't sit still, he felt he needed to do something. Time was slipping away and they were no closer to finding Barnes.

'I can't just sit here,' he shouted. 'I need to find him. That man has done so much for me this past couple of months. We need to find him.'

'I know, Jacob,' she said, 'but we have no other leads. We have to see whether this is his blood first. We've got Barnes on a missing alert so every officer in Birmingham is on the lookout for him and his car. Don't worry, we'll find him,' Ally consoled him.

'You're right, Ally,' he said as he began to sit back down.

Something caught Jacob's eye before his bum hit the bench. His eyes were diverted to the bin at the side of the bench. Something in the bin might be of some use in helping them find him. Barnes' phone was peeking out from under a dirty piece of tissue.

'Ally. I think I've found something,' he informed her while reaching into his coats inside pocket and retrieving a latex glove.

'What is it?' she asked.

'I think it's Barnes' phone,' he answered, before shouting out to Chloe to take a photo for evidence.

He placed the glove on his hand while Chloe took the pictures they needed. Then Jacob pulled the phone out of the bin. The screen had been smashed and scratched like it had been stamped on by somebody's foot.

'I need an evidence bag over here,' he shouted to the forensic officers. 'I hope this can help us find him,' he said to Ally.

Chapter 2

Jack Roberts hadn't run in over four weeks, ever since his experience in the woods. He was so frightened, he'd forgotten how he'd got home. That night had terrified him for weeks, making him give up his passion for running.

His wife had asked him many times what was wrong, but he always insisted he was fine. She noticed his behaviour had become erratic over the past few weeks; looking out of windows and making sure doors were locked.

'Are you not going out for your run tonight?' she asked him.

'No,' he replied. 'I think I'll just stay home again tonight.'

'Why? You used to love running,' she reminded him. 'What's going on with you?'

'I just don't fancy going running, okay,' he yelled while peeping through the blinds.

'You've been acting so strange ever since your last run. What happened?' she asked, edging closer to him. 'You know you can talk to me, Jack.' She placed her hand on his back.

He jumped as her hand gently touched his shirt. 'I'm fine. Just stop asking me!' he yelled again before storming out of the house.

His wife, Charlotte, stood in shock as she watched him leave the house. What is going on with him? she thought. What is