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

me in after Alex's murder. You didn't know me and could have thrown me into the system, but you didn't and I'm so grateful for that.' She hugged him.

He replied to her hug with open arms.

Jacob's phone began to beep. He glanced down to see an email from his father’s solicitor. It was a date and time for the reading of his father’s Last Will and Testament.

'I'll see you later,' Belle said while cleaning away her bowl.

'Yeah, I'll see you later,' he replied, not removing his eyes from his phone.

Belle left the apartment and headed to her new job. Kate still hadn't woken up. She took her parents death just as hard as Jacob and had stopped eating. She spent most days locked away in her room with the only contact she had being Belle, only because they shared a room together.

Jacob rose up from his seat and strutted to Kate's room, knocked on the door and waited for her reply.

'Come in,' he heard a muffled voice say from the other side of the door.

Jacob opened it. 'I've just had an email from dad's solicitor. His Will reading is tomorrow at noon. Make sure you're ready. They want all three of us to attend,' he informed her.

'Okay,' she replied.

'I'm off to work now. Are you going to be alright?'

'I'll be fine.'

'Are you sure?’ She nodded. 'Okay. I'll see you later.'

Jacob left the room shutting the door behind him. He didn't know what to say to her, just like she didn't know what to say back to him. They were both mourning the loss of their family.

Jacob picked up his wallet and keys off the side before grabbing his coat. It was time for him to go to work.

Jacob pulled into the station at 9.34 am. He was greeted by Sarah who pulled in just after him. She exited her car and made her way towards him.

'Hey, Jacob. How are you?' she asked, already knowing the answer.

'I'm fine,' he lied. 'I had an email from my father’s solicitor this morning. We've got to attend his Will reading tomorrow.'

'That's a bit late notice isn't it?'

'I know, but I don't mind. I just want to get it over and done with.'

'Yeah, I see your point.'

The pair of them entered the CID. Ethan and Brian were already sat at their desks. Sarah plonked herself down and logged onto her computer. Jacob scouted the office for Ally, but she was nowhere to be seen.

'Hey, Ethan,' Jacob tried to grab his attention.

'Yeah,' Ethan replied.

'Have you seen Ally?'

'I think she's in the briefing room,' Ethan informed him.

'Thanks.'

Jacob placed his coat over his chair, before heading towards the room. Ally was placing photos onto the investigation board of where Barnes disappeared as he entered.

'Morning,' Jacob greeted her.

Ally turned around and smiled at him. 'Good Morning, Jacob.'

'Have we got any new leads on Barnes yet?'

'Not yet. I just decided to set up the investigation board. We will find him.'

'I just hope he's still alive. I'm starting to think the longer we take, the less likely he is to be alive.'

'Me too, but we've got to have faith.' There was a pause before Ally spoke again. 'We had the test results of the spots of blood back. It is a match for Barnes. We think his abductor-'

Jacob cut Ally off. 'You mean Lily?'

'Yes. We think Lily must have knocked Barnes out and abducted him in his own car after smashing his phone and chucking it in the bin we found it in. The lab is also trying to find any prints on the phone as well as recover as much data as they can,' she explained.

'Hopefully, they'll be something we can go off.'

'Look, Jacob, I know life is very difficult for you at the moment, but you don't have to be here.'

'I need to be here, Ally. I need to help find Barnes. I can't leave him to die at the hands of my fiancee. I need to find him and that bitch.'

'I understand. Just remember, if you need anything, come and talk to me.' She smiled at him.

'Thank you, Ally,' he said before leaving the briefing room and returning to his desk.

Jacob noticed an A4 size envelope laying on his desk. It was addressed to him. He slowly opened it and removed the contents from inside. Photos appeared from the inside.

He couldn't believe his eyes. What am I seeing? Photos of him and Barnes at the crime scene of Sophie Mackenzie. Is this some sick joke? he asked himself as he flicked through the photos.

Jacob marched towards the briefing room where Ally continued to place photos on the investigation board. He stood there, silently, with the photos in his hands. Ally felt his presence in the room and turned to look at him.

'Is everything okay Jacob?' she asked. 'What have you got there?'

'Photos,' he replied in shock.

'Photos of what?'

'Me and Barnes at the crime scene of Sophie Mackenzie.'

'What?'

'Someone sent this to me.'

'Do you have any idea who?'

'Not sure who, but I think it’s Lily and she’s taunting me,' he began to explain. 'She must have been watching us the entire time, seeing how it played out. Or maybe she even got Mia and Ava to admire their work.'

'Has anybody else touched these photos?' she asked.

'I don’t know.'

'Okay, we need to get it to the lab right away,' she explained. 'We need to see if there are any other prints on them.'

Jacob agreed and the pair of them headed down towards the lab.

It was noon when Jack decided to call his wife at home. He needed to apologise for his behaviour towards her that morning. His migraine had gone and