Within the Shadows

by J. D MCG

  'Thank you, Julia. Please keep me updated if you find anything else,' Barnes said, hanging up the phone. He turned his attention onto Ally. 'Julia Higgins has just informed me of what we feared. Jack Roberts' DNA has been found on Hannah's body, problem is, the blood on her body isn't a match to her or Jack,' he explained.

  'Then who does it belong to?'

  'We don't know. I need to phone the lab myself and find out if the blood on Hannah's body is a match to Jack's clothes we found inside the bins.'

  He marched out of the briefing room and into his office, leaving Ally pondering more about the case. Two killers? Are they working together? Is Jack involved in something bigger than what we thought?

  * * *

  It was nine-thirty in the morning and Jacob hadn't slept a wink, with thoughts about the previous night floating around his mind, keeping him awake. A glass caressed his lips as a touch of whiskey poured down his throat. Jacob had lost count of how many sips of whiskey he'd consumed that night. His vision blurry and the room spinning, Jacob crawled to his bathroom, needing to throw up. He lay against the toilet and let the vomit release itself.

  All he could think about was how much he'd hurt Kate, and the words she said. She hated him because he kept his father's secret from her. Saying they were not related hurt Jacob. He cared for her like a sister, she always was, even when he found out his father's lie. She'll understand one day. But it was the hurt that drove Jacob back to the drink.

  Lifting himself away from the toilet, he stumbled to his bed and dropped his body on top, blacking out into a deep sleep, dreaming of happier times from his childhood. The way his mother read him and Adam stories at bedtime, baking in their kitchen, and the loving, warm embrace, she caressed them with. He missed her deeply and with every passing day, his memory of her began to fade. Then he was surrounded by darkness.

  'I'm proud of you, my son,' her voice whispered.

  'Mum?' Jacob called out.

  His mother came out of the dark, still the image he remembered.

  'Hello, Jacob.'

  'Mum? I've missed you so much.'

  'I miss you too, my boy. But this is still not your time. You are dreaming and you'll soon wake up.'

  'But I don't want to,' he cried, staring into her eyes.

  She caressed his cheek with her hand. 'You'll get through this. Just like last time. Better days are coming. Just look through the storm and you'll see the sun.'

  She started to fade away as Jacob began to wake, knowing he was back to being alone and full of self-pity. Death and misery followed him, clinging like a reaper in the night. Unseen, but causing havoc wherever he goes. Quietness filled the apartment, nobody home to make the place feel lively and warm.

  The craving for another drop of alcohol returned. What am I doing with my life? Beginning to cry, he lifted his heavy head from his pillow, letting the tears drip from his eyes and down his cheeks. The betrayal of Lily to her murdering his father, Jacob's life wasn't improving, even now. All he wanted was to be happy, but that was turning out impossible.

  Ally started calling him, but his phone was across the room, plugged into the charger. His blurry vision made it nearly impossible for him to attempt to reach it as well as his state of mind. He just sat crying silently, thinking about everything he'd been through in his life. Tears flooded down his cheeks, dripping on his legs below as he remained seated on the bed.

  A knock on the door surprised him, his hands wiped away the tears as his groggy voice told them to enter. Belle opened the door to see Jacob perched on the edge of his bed, as she grasped a fresh brew of coffee.

  'I brought you a fresh cup of coffee,' she said gently.

  'Thank you,' Jacob answered, still sobbing slightly.

  'Are you okay?'

  'I'll be fine.' His head didn't move, just remained looking against the wall.

  'You know I'm here if you need me.'

  'I know.'

  Belle couldn't bear to see the man she admired look so down and depressed. The light barely peered through his blinds, making the room dim and gloomy. She walked over to the window and lifted the blinds up, releasing the sun into the room.

  'I'm not going to just let you sit here and be all depressed,' she yelled with a forceful tone. She decided it was time to take action to cheer him up. 'Get up, we're going out.'

  'Belle, I don't...'

  She stopped him mid-sentence. 'I don't care if you don't want to. I'm not going to let you mope around in this apartment, feeling sorry for yourself. So what if your sister has fallen out with you. She'll come around. I know you've had it hard,' she started to be sympathetic before rising back to being forceful. 'But it's not doing you any favours. Now get dressed and meet me in the kitchen.'

  Belle left the room, allowing him the privacy to get ready. Not knowing what Belle had planned, he had no idea what to wear. Maybe just the usual, he thought as he picked out jeans and a black t-shirt. Sitting on the bed he placed on his black trainers, hoping he'd appear decent for what she'd planned. Belle's face was full of glee as Jacob stepped out of his bedroom.

  'There he is!' she smiled.

  'What have you got planned?' he asked without a clue.

  'You'll find out when we get there.'

  'We'll have to take a taxi,' Jacob told her, not wanting to admit why.

  She just smiled, already knowing the reason why. 'Don't worry, I knew and planned ahead.'

  Belle's phone began to ring, but she ignored it, but Jacob had noticed her trying to hide it.

  'Answer it,' he demanded politely. 'I know it's that boy from the cafe. You have been so happy lately and I'm guessing he's the reason why?'

  'We've been talking for a few days. I quite like him,' she confessed. 'But today's our day. You need cheering up.'

  'I appreciate everything you're doing for me, but I'm fine. Honestly.'

  Belle's phone rang again, this time being the taxi, calling to let them know he was outside waiting. The pair of them left for the day, with Belle hoping this would do the job of making him slightly happier, knowing it wouldn't fix everything that had happened but hopefully it was just enough to take his mind off it.

  * * *

  Ally and Barnes returned to the crime scene where they found Hannah Jones. Barnes kept thinking about what Julia had told him over the phone. Someone had starved Hannah, but why? And why did Jack strangle her? Did he know this girl? Maybe he's working with someone and his wife found out, and that's what got her killed. But why Mr Hussain? Is it because he told Jack he was having an affair with his wife? Barnes ran different scenarios in his head, hoping something would click, but it didn't.

  Sarah was already looking into any connection between Hannah and Jack when they left the CID. They needed to find who and where Hannah had been held captive, so they could connect the dots.

  Barnes studied the area, trying to find anything that might help him uncover where Hannah had come from, before her untimely death. Forensic investigators had found footprints in the mud and sent the measurements and their findings to the lab to try to distinguish the type of shoe worn as well as the size. Ally had just finished her phone call before approaching Barnes.

  'Julia has just informed me that they also found manure underneath Hannah's nails.'

  'So she was held at a farm nearby, stumbled a few yards till she gets here and is murdered by Jack Roberts. We've got to widen the search. I want nearby farmyards searched. We've got to find out where she came from.'

  'Okay, I'm on it, boss,' she walked away, dialling on her phone.

  Standing where they'd found Hannah's body, Barnes glanced around to see if he could figure out which direction she came from when a forensic investigator stood beside him.

  'Do we have any idea which direction Hannah Jones had come from?' he asked.

  The investigator proceeded to explain what they'd found out so far, showing Barnes in a reenactment of he
r struggle with her killer. Showing Barnes Hannah's footprints in the mud, then the killer's, he assumed Jack followed Hannah from behind until she reached the secluded alleyway. Then grabbed her attention to turn her around before he struck, strangling her and choking her to death.

  'But what about the blood?' Barnes asked.

  'Could have covered her as he got in closer and moved her body upright against the wall,' he explained.

  Barnes thanked him for his time before returning to Ally, who'd just finished on the phone.

  'So, there are a few patches of land nearby, but separating us from there, is the M42. There's no easy way across either, which means the first place I'd like to search is less than two miles away.'

  'Let’s get back up there right away and take a look around. We've got to find out where she came from, Ally. We need to find a connection to Jack Roberts.'

  * * *

  Scarlett's face was hurting as she lifted her head from the floor. She noticed the woman next to her was barely breathing as the sunlight drifted through the open patches of the wooden roof, lighting up the room for her to see. Women all around the room, tied up with metal shackles. About fifteen women in total. She couldn't believe her eyes as some looked as if they hadn't been fed for weeks. All bone and no muscle.

  'Good. You're finally awake,' the woman from the night before made herself known. 'I'm guessing you're the one I heard get the smack last night?'

  'Yeah,' she replied. 'The bitch almost knocked my bloody teeth out.'

  'Just be lucky that's all she did. She's a dangerous woman.'

  'We need to get out of here,' Scarlett told her while glancing around.

  'I wouldn't bother. I'm Alice by the way,' she introduced herself.

  'Scarlett,' she replied, also introducing herself.

  All the other women were unconscious, leaving her and Alice talking alone. They discussed a young girl who'd been held there with them but recently escaped and hoped maybe she'd have told the police where they were.

  'But nobody's been here to save us. She mustn't remember where we were,' Alice continued.

  The strong smell of faeces stuck up Scarlett's nostrils. The sun became dimmer as it hid behind the clouds, shielding light from the room. There was no movement from beyond the door. Scarlett's stomach growled as the thought of food and a drink crossed her mind. Wondering if her family would ever see her again was the next section of thoughts. She forced herself not to give up and tried yanking at the chains once more.

  'I'd give up, girl. You'll end up like the rest of us eventually,' Alice tried bringing her down.

  'I'm not giving up. I'm getting out of here,' she insisted.

  Slowly, the bolt keeping the chains attached to the wall was coming loose. She continued pulling the chains with force, as hard as she could, wanting to free herself and get her fellow prisoners out. Once more, she thought to herself, looking at the loose bolt coming away from the wall. Scarlett grasped the chains tight in her tired hands and gave a quick pull with force, pulling the bolt completely out of the wall.

  She was free to move away from the wall, but the shackles on her wrists remained, leaving her slightly vulnerable to the crazy woman keeping them captive. Scarlett scouted the room for an exit, but the only way out was through the damaged, worn-out roof, or through the door with the crazy lady on the other side. She'd not signed up to the gym four times a week to not be able to kick down a door when she needed to.

  She raised her knee to her stomach and pushed her foot against the door, breaking the padlock on the other side. The door creaked open slightly as the other women watched in horror.

  'You're one crazy bitch, Scarlett,' said Alice cheering her on.

  'I'm not the only crazy bitch around here,' she replied, not removing her focus from the door.

  She slowly pushed the door to, making sure not to make any more noise that would alert their captor. Scarlett didn't just go to the gym four days a week but also took a self-defence class too. She wasn't going to let people like this woman take advantage of her. Scarlett was a fighter and had a strong will to never give up. She'd get out of here one way or the other but as a survivor.

  * * *

  'Stop,' Ally commanded, as Barnes pulled up at a slight distance near an old shack of a house. 'This is it, I'm sure of it.'

  'Are you sure?' said Barnes.

  'That's what I said, wasn't it?'

  'Okay, let's wait for back up to arrive,' he instructed before Ally darted out of the car.

  She crept quietly towards the house as Barnes lifted himself out of the driver’s seat, slowly creeping towards her. Ally peered through the broken window of the old shack, unsure of what she'd find inside.

  'What part of wait for back up, did you not understand?' he whispered with fury.

  She continued to ignore him and noticed inside a table with food and drink. Why would anybody want to live here? This is definitely the right place. Turning her head and glancing around, Ally picked up a large piece of wood that was situated at the side of the house and grasped it tightly, in case of emergency.

  Ally edged closer to the front door, pushed it open quietly, and made her way silently through the house, investigating the room as Barnes followed close behind.

  'The food's still quite warm,' she said as she felt the bowl of soup situated on the table.

  'They've got to be nearby.'

  Ally heard a bang as a door inside the room slowly creaked open and the padlock fell to the floor. Ally gave Barnes the instruction to be quiet and keep an eye on the door. She raised the piece of wood to her shoulder, ready to strike. The door crept open slowly and a dark redheaded girl came running out in shackles. Ally didn't hesitate for a second and smacked Scarlett Thatcher to the floor with the wood she'd grasped so tightly.

  'Who are you?' Ally yelled at the girl as she felt the line of blood dribbling on her forehead.

  'Scarlett Thatcher,' she said. 'What the fuck do you want with us?'

  'What? We're not keeping you here,' she informed Scarlett. 'A girl called Hannah Jones was being held somewhere nearby, which we believe to be here. Do you know where your captors are?'

  'No idea. So, who are you people anyway?'

  'I'm Detective Inspector Ally Miller and this is my boss, DCI Barnes,' she introduced herself.

  'Please, get us out of here,' she pleaded.

  Suddenly, the three of them heard chatting from outside, and darted for the prison room, quietly shutting the door behind them. Ally sat down beside Scarlett, while Barnes hid behind the door, holding Ally's piece of wood tightly.

  The woman slowly opened the door, wondering why the lock was broken. As she entered she noticed Ally sat on the floor.

  'Who the hell are you? she asked, knowing every girl’s face in the room, and Ally wasn't one of her girls.

  Barnes slammed the piece of wood straight on the top of her head, knocking her to the floor unconscious. Then he removed the handcuffs from his coat pocket and placed them on her wrists. The woman was in her forties with dark blonde hair and a medium build. Barnes called for back up and informed other officers of what they'd discovered, while Ally consoled the other victims, giving them food and drink from what she found from inside the house.

  Minutes later backup arrived and Barnes shoved the captor inside the police car, instructing the officers to keep her in holding, ready for them to interview her. Barnes noticed Ally's face was full of thoughts as he approached her.

  'What's the matter?' he asked.

  'I just thought about something. We heard talking as we hid, but only this woman entered. I don't think this woman was working alone,' she expressed her concern.

  'I think you're right,' he said before running outside and telling the remaining officers to search the surrounding area.

  Then Ally remembered something. Hannah Jones had a penetration mark on her skin from something like a needle. She must ha
ve been injected with something. Ally grabbed a pair of latex gloves from her pocket and walked back inside the house, searching all the draws for any needles. She found nothing and she felt frustrated with herself before another search place sprung to mind.

  She ran out of the house and searched the bins and black bin bags close by. It was never the nicest of jobs but it needed to be done. She didn't feel comfortable until she'd searched everywhere, knowing the forensic team might not have searched the bins. She wanted to nail the bitch that held these women against their will and to find her accomplice.

  Dirty tissues, food waste and stinky food cans were all the things Ally came across before hitting the jackpot. She found a bunch of disposed needles inside a box within a box.

  ‘Gotcha,’ she cheered.

  'Boss,' she yelled out to get his attention.

  'What is it, Ally?'

  'Look what I've found.'

  Barnes glanced down and peered inside the black bin liner, to see the discovery Ally had made. He turned to the officers who stood on the perimeter of the house.

  'Get forensics here, now!' he yelled. 'Good work today, DI Miller,' he congratulated her on a job well done.

  Ally loved her job, her team and the work they were doing, but the opportunity of going to work in Hawaii was hanging over her head. She kept the truth from her team, trying not to upset anyone, especially Jacob. The phone call she'd received was from her ex-fiance, who'd broken her heart by leaving to take up a new job in Hawaii. The job she was offered was to do with a case they'd worked together. But she was happy here and didn't want to ruin what she had, for someone who'd left her in a heartbeat without a second thought.

  She watched as forensics turned up and started to photograph everything and collecting evidence in front of her. Her mind had wandered. She wanted to phone Jacob and tell him the truth about the job offer. She wanted him to tell her not to go, to tell her that he loves her, but maybe she was just hoping there were mutual feelings there.