Within the Shadows by J.D MCG (knowledgeable books to read .txt) 📕

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.

She unlocked her phone, opened up the phone book and scrolled to Jacob's name. She hesitated not knowing to phone him or not. Barnes interrupted her as he approached.

'Good news. We've got an I.D on our perp. Her name is Felicity James, clean record, nothing out of the ordinary, other than this.'

'How did you find out her name? I can't imagine she just gave it to you,' she laughed.

Barnes smiled, 'Found her purse when we searched her.'

'So what makes someone with no criminal record want to keep women prisoners?' Ally wondered.

'No idea. I'm sure we'll get the answers we need. We've still got officers searching the area. I think our work here is done.'

'I think you're right,' she agreed, as the pair of them walked back to the car, leaving the forensics and other officers in charge of the crime scene.

Chapter 17

As they strolled into the station they could see officers struggling to place Felicity James into a cell as she frantically screamed at them, crying her eyes out. Two officer's each holding an arm, trying to push her into the cell but her feet resisting against the floor.

'What's going on?' Barnes asked one of the officers.

'She's hysterical, saying she's done nothing wrong and it wasn't her,' the officer replied before giving them a hand getting Felicity in her cell.

'Do you think she's trying to tell them that the other person was the one holding them there?' Ally asked Barnes.

'Maybe, but these are questions we need to ask in the interview,' he told her.

They still had to interview Jack Roberts about his criminal activity. The interviews kept racking up. Where's the connection between Jack and Felicity? Barnes thought. He'd already given Ethan Felicity's name for her history, so he was hoping he'd come up with a connection between her and Jack.

Walking into the CID, Barnes and Ally appeared at Ethan's desk, making him look up from his screen.

'Managed to find a connection yet?' Barnes asked him.

'There's nothing, Boss.'

'Nothing?' he repeated, staring at him with an angry appearance.

'I'll keep looking,' he said, placing his head back into his screen to avoid Barnes' glare.

'Ethan, I need anything that can tie Felicity to Jack. There's no way Jack Roberts just stumbled upon Hannah Jones after she’d escaped that farm shack. I just don't believe in it being bad luck or coincidence,' Barnes discussed his thoughts.

'Leave it with me, boss,' he replied, still not giving Barnes eye contact.

Barnes went to his office, tired and exhausted, sat down at his desk and sighed. It had been another tiring day for him. He was still recovering from his ordeal with Lily and Cain. A knock at the door frightened Barnes, making him jump with fright as Ally entered.

'Are you feeling okay?'

'Just fine, DI Miller,' he lied. 'Why do you ask?'

'Well, it's just the way you were with Ethan,' she began to express her concern. 'I think you may need some rest. You've been here all the time since you've been back. You need some rest.'

Barnes knew she was right. Ally always was, but he needed to close this case before he could take the time to rest. There was so much left to do, and the team needed everyone on board.

'I will, once we've solved this case,' he said.

'Now you're starting to sound like Jacob,' she smiled.

'Let's just get the answers we need, then we can all have a day off.'

Belle had pulled it off. Jacob had forgotten all of his worries and they enjoyed mini-golf together. To begin with, Jacob was in the lead until Belle pulled it back around and won with the last few holes. It had been a great day and they'd enjoyed themselves for the first time in a long time.

Once they’d finished, they decided to get some food. They both decided on Pizza Hut after spending five minutes discussing what they fancied. While tucking into their pizzas, Jacob decided to express his appreciation.

'Thank you so much for today, Belle. It's just what I needed.'

'It's nothing, Jacob. I owe you so much for what you've done for me,' she started to express her gratitude.

Belle could see tears forming in his eyes, knowing his thoughts had gone back to the past.

'I'm sorry,' Jacob apologised for crying.

'It's okay. You've