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

Ally strolled back to them with some new information.

'Forensics have found a black bag full of bloodstained clothes back at the Premier Inn where Jack Roberts had been staying. They're taking them back to the lab. Hopefully, if the blood matches our victim here, we've got her killer.'

Barnes turned his attention back to Julia. 'Did our victim have any I.D on her?'

'Yes, she had a driving license. Her name's Hannah Jones. She's only twenty-three.'

Barnes turned to Jacob and Ally. 'Can you two inform her parents?'

They both nodded and Barnes flicked his keys in the air and Jacob caught them.

'You're letting me have the Jag?' he said with surprise.

'Just take care of her,' he joked as both of them walked away.

Ally pushed Jacob out of the way of the driver’s side door.

'What was that for?' he asked, smiling at her.

'I'm driving,' she laughed.

'In your dreams,' he replied, still laughing. 'I've been sick enough for one night.'

The pair of them chuckled as they entered the car. Jacob noticed a notification of a missed call from Belle. What does she want? he wondered. He listened to the panicked voicemail she'd left in his inbox.

'I need to go to mine first,' he told Ally.

'Why? What's wrong?' she asked.

'Kate's gone missing,' he explained.

'Okay, we'll go find her first. I'll let Barnes know.'

Adam had been driving around for a couple of hours with no luck in finding Kate. Belle began to sob in the passengers seat.

'What's wrong?' he asked Belle.

'It's my fault. If I had just told her...'

Adam interrupted her. 'Hey, this isn't your fault. Stop blaming yourself. The only people to blame here are her mother and my father for keeping this from us all. It makes no difference about her finding out now, she'll always be our sister, no matter what,' he tried to console her.

'I know, but if I had just told her about the man approaching me...' She began to cry again.

'Then that's mine and Jacob's fault. You are not to blame for any of this. I think we need to head home and see if she's back,' he said while turning the car back around.

As they arrived outside the building, Adam sat silent for a minute.

'I wanted to tell her, you know,' he began to explain. 'Jacob thought it would be best not to. I knew he'd come looking for her eventually.'

'Where's he been this entire time?' Belle asked.

'Prison. He killed someone from what we've discovered.'

'Do you think she's in danger?'

'I don't know. I think it's best we find her and watch this guy around her.'

Walking into the building, Belle received a phone call from Jacob as they entered the elevator.

'I'm on my way,' he explained.

'Me and Adam have been out searching for her. We've just arrived back at the apartment to see if she's come back home,' she informed him of the situation on the search.

'Okay,' he replied. 'Keep me updated.'

The pair of them entered the apartment after reaching their floor, to find Kate sat in the dark, sobbing her heart out. Belle ran over and sat beside her, pulling her into her embrace.

'Where have you been?' she asked.

Kate could barely string two words together. 'I went for a walk,' she sobbed. 'Why would they lie to me?'

'Who?'

'My parents. Why would they keep this from me?'

'They probably had a good reason,' Belle tried to console her but also hiding something else from her.

Kate just sat crying hysterically in Belle's arms as Jacob and Ally burst in. Adam turned towards them both with sadness on his face.

'She was here when we arrived,' he explained to them. 'She's distraught, Jacob. We should have told her.'

'I thought...' Jacob lowered his head.

'That's the problem, you thought,' Adam rudely replied before storming out of the apartment.

Jacob chased after him and confronted him in the hallway. 'What's that supposed to mean?'

'I wanted to tell her, but you told me not to. We always do as you say and now look at our sister. She's sat in there crying her eyes out.'

'And you think this wouldn't have happened if we'd have told her?'

'She wouldn't have been mad with us and have a stranger tell her that he's her father,' he shouted, walking away from him and to the elevator.

Jacob shook his head and returned to the apartment, witnessing his sister’s heartbreak.

'I’d better go,' Ally said to him. 'I'll inform Hannah's parents. You just stay here with your family. I'll be fine.'

'I don't know if she'll want me around, to be honest.'

'You're her brother, no matter who her parents were. You've been there her entire life. You are her family,' she explained.

'Thanks, Ally. I'll call you later,' he said as she walked through the door.

'Okay, speak to you soon.'

Jacob shut the door as she proceeded to the elevator. She wanted to be there for him, but this was a family matter, one she didn't want to intrude on. Jacob sat opposite Kate and Belle and tried his best to explain why he kept it from her.

'Kate. I'm really sorry. Me and Adam only found out...'

'Don't talk to me,' she rudely snapped at him. 'I don't want to hear excuses because you feel bad. To have a pure stranger come up to you and tell you he's your father, do you know how that feels?' She rose to her feet.

'I'm sorry.' Jacob had tears in his eyes. 'If I knew he'd show up...'

She cut him off again, 'You'd what? You'd have told me? You should have told me anyway!' she shouted.

'It doesn't change anything. You're still my sister,' he tried to explain.

'But I'm not though, am I? I'm nothing to do with you or Adam.