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

desk, closed his eyes and released a sigh. It had been an exhausting day at work and the investors of Harrington Labs were making his life incredibly difficult.

'Dinner's ready,' his wife, Janet, shouted from the kitchen.

When Malcolm entered the dining room, his wife and son, Aaron, were already sitting at the long, elegant dining table. Food placed neatly in the middle in different dishes and bowls, letting them serve themselves. Malcolm sat at the head of the table like always.

'So, Aaron, what did you do at school today?' Janet asked him.

'Nothing much,' he mumbled in teenage fashion.

Malcolm tucked into his food, trying his best not to delve into the conversation as he didn't want to discuss his difficult day. The three of them sat in silence, eating away at the food on their plates. Once Aaron had finished, he took himself off to his room, leaving Malcolm and Janet alone to finish their meals.

'I don't know what's gotten into him,' she started to strike a conversation with her husband.

'He's a teenager. It's what they do.'

'I know, but he used to be a happy boy. Now he just mopes around the house.'

'He's got plenty of friends at that school of his. That Kyle kid, for example, they've been friends for years.'

'I know but I can't help feeling like something is wrong,' she continued.

Malcolm lifted his body off his chair, grabbed his plate and began to walk into the kitchen. Janet always looked too much into things, finding problems that weren't there. Malcolm strolled back into the dining room and kissed his wife on the cheek.

'I've got some work to finish,' he informed her.

Janet sighed. 'You've just got home. Can it not wait until tomorrow?'

'Nope, I've got the investors on my case again. I've got to get it finished tonight, ready for tomorrow,' he explained.

Malcolm entered his office again, closing the door behind him. Sitting in his chair, he pulled open the drawer in his desk and removed a Glock. He placed the gun on the desk and started to take deep breaths. He pulled the gun up beneath his chin, his hands shaking and tears rolling down his eyes.

The doorbell rang, stopping Malcolm from pulling the trigger. He quickly placed the gun back inside the drawer, then slammed it shut as he got off his seat and hurried towards the front door. He stood still for a second before opening it, worried about who was on the other side. I was just about to kill myself, why am I worried? he thought.

On the other side of the door, stood a man and a lady no older than thirty-five.

'Mr Malcolm Harrington?' the lady asked.

'Yes, that's me,' Malcolm answered.

The lady rummaged through her pockets before placing a police badge in his face. 'Detective Inspector Ally Miller,' she informed him. 'This is DS Wright.'

'What is this about?' he questioned them.

'Can we come in? We need to ask you a few questions.'

He moved out of the way so they could enter. 'We'll talk in my study.'

Ally and Jacob entered the house, both glancing around at the elegant and spacious hallway.

Janet shouted from the kitchen, echoing through the hallway. 'Who is it, dear?'

'Just the police. They've got a few questions to ask me,' he shouted back before closing the doors to his study. 'So, what is this about?' he asked them.

'What's your involvement with Doctor Natalie Dixon?' Jacob asked, taking a good look at the tall, dark-haired man, whose appearance didn't resemble his father or Dan one bit.

'She works at Birmingham City Hospital. I've had a few dealings with her, trying to get some of the top dogs at the hospital to use a trial of a drug my company is producing,' he answered.

'That's not the truth though, is it?' Jacob continued.

'What's that supposed to mean?' Malcolm shouted at him.

'What my colleague means is we've found a contract between you and Doctor Dixon, stating that your company will give her £10,000 for each report of her patient’s reaction to the drug you supplied her with,' Ally interrupted.

'That's absurd!' he continued to shout.

‘But it isn’t, sir. What about the missing employee cases your company has had throughout the years?’

'I'm not saying another word without my solicitor present.'

'Okay, Mr Harrington. We'll be seeing you again soon,' Ally finished before she and Jacob left the Harrington house.

How dare they! his inner thoughts shouted. He panicked slightly, knowing it wasn't only the investors he was worried about. The thought of suicide crossed his mind again, but he knew he was too much of a coward to try it again and succeed. He was a man in trouble and not just by the hands of the law.

Chapter 25

'Malcolm Harrington denies having known about the contract we found inside Natalie Dixon's home office. He's lawyered up, making it incredibly difficult to speak to him now on the evidence we have,' Jacob informed the team.

Every member of the team sat around the conference table in the briefing room, listening to the information Jacob was feeding them.

'Another thing we discovered was that Natalie was good friends with Mia Clarke. We can't be sure of any meetings but that is something we need to look into more,' Ally said.

'We've found something too,' Sarah started. 'Each of our suspects has been tested and there have been traces of the drug in them, including Jack Roberts. We've also looked into your missing people cases from Harrington Labs and I think you're right, Jacob. Missing people cases dating back over twenty years.'

'Shit,' Jacob said, shocked about what he'd just heard.

Ethan started with his information. 'I traipsed through Natalie's financial records like you asked and there were a few payments made by Harrington Labs. Malcolm Harrington is either lying or he knows nothing about the contract