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

to be obvious as there are only two left to guess from.'

'It was Lily that held him there. Cain was just an accomplice,' Jacob burst out.

'Calm down, DS Wright. Do you really think she'd do it all on her own?'

Jacob sat in silence, not wanting another outburst like he'd just had.

'My guess is Cain is Conquer. Makes sense, him and Lily keeping Barnes prisoner. Did he also help you capture the girls?' Ally took over in asking the questions.

'No, but he'd sure take the credit.'

Ruth kept that creepy, psychotic grin on her face. She was totally different to the others. She knew how to push certain buttons on the detectives, getting the reaction from them she wanted.

'The only help I got was from my fellow sister, Esther. And you're soon going to find out how much fun she really is,' Ruth continued, hysterically laughing, leaning back in her chair with her arms folded.

Ally whispered in Jacob's ear as Ruth smirked at them. Her solicitor was petrified and worried about what was going on in the room.

'That makes her sister Pestilence,' she whispered.

'Which means we might have a huge problem on our hands,' he said.

Ally and Jacob turned their attention back to Ruth.

'One more question, Ruth. Do you know what your sister, Esther, is planning?' Ally asked.

'It's a secret,' she answered, putting her finger to her lip before laughing again.

'Interview terminated at 5.34 pm,' Ally announced before stopping the tape. 'Thank you, Ruth. You can return Felicity now.'

Ally and Jacob left the room with Felicity's solicitor close behind them.

'I think she's going to need a new solicitor,' he said, before scurrying off.

'Well, that was...' Ally was speechless.

'I know,' Jacob replied after a slight spot of silence.

The pair of them were dazed and exhausted from the interview. Neither of them knew if it was an act or whether it was genuine. Barnes came running down the corridor to meet them as they wandered back to the CID.

'Are you two alright?' he asked.

'Yeah, just slightly freaked out,' said Ally.

'We need to work out who Esther is. Finding a fourth person, suffering from Dissociative Identity Disorder within our radius, could narrow down who our next suspect will be. Hopefully, we can get them in time before more bodies start piling up,' Jacob expressed his concerns and his next step.

'I'll talk to Ethan,' Ally announced before leaving him and Barnes in the hallway.

'How are you, Jacob?'

'I'm fine, be better when we've got all four of them behind bars,' he replied.

After the crazy day he had, Jacob had forgotten all about envelopes filled with photos he'd been receiving. He'd not even given it a second thought. Someone had been targeting him, watching him, and at this moment, he didn't care.

They entered the CID when Barnes called everybody into the briefing room. Once everyone was inside, Barnes filled them in on the investigation, no matter how weird the details were. Some laughed and sniggered, but Barnes gave them the stare, making it known he could still scare his officers. This was no laughing matter to him. It was as serious an investigation as any other, even if it was borderline strange.

Once the briefing was over, Jacob wandered outside for some fresh air, reflecting on the disturbing and slightly terrifying day he'd had. He thought the strange and weirdness was behind him when he discovered Lily was the head of the cult that had killed a group of local women, but he was wrong. It was like it was magnetised to him, like a plague. Why do I have these visions? And why do I always get these supernatural cases? It was like the powers that be wanted him to solve the strange crimes.

Ally exited the building and leant on the same rails in which Jacob was leaning on.

'Hey,' she greeted him.

'How'd you find me?'

'It's not hard,' she chuckled. 'You're either getting fresh air or...' She stopped, knowing the words she was about to say next, would hurt him. 'I'm sorry,' she apologised.

'What for?' he asked.

'I think we both know what I was about to say next.'

'About my drinking problem?' She stayed silent and ashamed. 'It's fine. I'm trying every day. One step at a time, but I'll get there,' he tried to make her feel better.

'Jacob, do you really think these people are telling the truth? That they are the four horsemen?'

'I'm not ruling it out. There are so many things I'd like to tell you...'

'I've got time,' she smiled.

'Maybe one day,' he returned the smile. 'Shall we get back to work?' He removed himself off the railings.

They both walked back inside the station to witness their colleagues running around in a frantic panic.

'What's going on?' Ally asked Barnes, who was halfway through putting his coat on.

'Another body has been discovered, covered in blood,' he announced to them.

The pair of them chased after Barnes as he sprinted for the car park. As he jumped inside his Jaguar, Ally and Jacob followed. Ally in the passenger seat and Jacob in the back. They had no idea whether this body would be connected to their case, but it had to be. They needed it to be.

Chapter 19

Scarlett arrived home later that night. It had been a busy day, let alone a busy week. She couldn't wait to climb into her own bed, but her home phone was bleeping with messages that hadn't been listened to. She didn't have the time nor the strength to sit there and listen to calls about where she was and others that would possibly ask if she was alright after they'd heard the news.

She flicked on her hallway light and fell flat on her sofa, too exhausted to move. Before she realised it, her eyes were closing slower