When Past & Present Collide: WP&PC (8 page)

“Do you know of anyone who has a grievance towards you?” I shook my head. “Not really. The only person who I know definitely hates me is
, Matthew Stone. But even he wouldn’t stoop this low. Would he?”

He shook his head. “I don’t know
, Miss Jamison. All I know is my men are going over every surveillance camera they can find, but there’s no sign of him.

I took a deep breath as realisation had finall
y sunk in. My throat was contracting and tears were starting to descend down my cheek.

“But it’s dark,
” I sobbed. “He’s scared of the dark.”

Finn shook his head, “I promise
, Miss Jamison we are doing all we can.” He glanced over to Frank, “I promise, Mr Jamison.”

Frank nodded, “I’m sure you are son. But as you can see
, we are desperate people. What would it cost to have more men out?”

Finn
shook his head, “It’s not the cost we are worried about. We have men waiting, it’s just too dark. And there’s only so much we can do in the dark. We have drafted in more helicopters as they have heat and night vision. The army has given us men. But until daylight breaks, well there is only so much we can do. We are just praying he is lost and scared.”

At this point my whole body screamed with pure agony, the shivers had set in and my whole resolve
 had shattered me. My body slumped and broke into a thousand pieces.

Chapter Seven

Another sleepless night

Ella

     Sometimes in life we make mistakes and I can definitely say I had made a fair few over the last few years. My first mistake was getting together with Matthew Stone. Well, what can I say about that really? I had chosen to venture out on my own, make a name for myself away from my mum and dad. God rest their souls.

I
know what you’re thinking. Why? Well, why indeed. I had it all growing up, the best of everything but I never really wanted it. The money, the fancy clothes, the expensive holidays; nope, not me. I wanted to go the beach in the summer with my friends, go shopping with them to simple clothes stores, but mum wouldn’t allow it.

Don’t get me wrong
, I’m grateful for all they have done, but I felt isolated. So when I turned 18 I wanted to work where no one knew my name, or knew of me. This is where Uncle Frank came in; I used his name, Jamison instead of my father’s name, Hardy. I had it changed so the press would leave me be and I could work on my own merit and not my fathers.

I met Matthew when he was working at
Westwood’s, which ironically is now called Stones as the lucky git worked his way up the slimy ladder to the top. Anyway, to cut a long story short I fell in love, or so I thought. I thought if you loved someone, you would do anything to make it work, no matter what.

Matthew had no clue of my family background and after being together for a couple of
months; my parents had passed, so he never got to meet them.

Anyway,
after being together just over a year the heartless bastard that he was threw me out. I turned up after work one evening to find all my belongings on his step, when I tried to enter his apartment he refused to let me back in.

The arsehole told me the only way he would allow me back is if I was to work for his old friend
, Jacob Green. He wanted me to spy on his business, over-charge the clients and pass him the work. If I didn’t before, then the pictures in his hand soon had me changing my mind. There sat in his hands were pictures of us in intimate positions and more of me naked. Shit, how could I not? Matthew never knew who I was and I couldn’t allow those pictures to hit the internet. Images like that would soon spread and I’m certain someone would recognise who I was. I wouldn’t allow my parent’s name to get tarnished. So with my head down I accepted his offer.

Little did I know I would fall head over heels in love with
Jacob Green. I tried though; trust me, I tried not to fall in love. But Jacob was persistent. Many times I told him I was sorry, obviously he never knew what I was truly sorry for. I know what you’re thinking, why didn’t I just tell Matthew where to go? I did try, but he had me followed. He knew Jacob and I were an item and this made him more determined. But Matthew got his sweet desert when I was in hospital. He told Jacob the truth. Oh yeah, the fucking shit added his two bobs worth into it and extended his idea of the truth.

This is why
Jacob and I have been living separately for so long. He did finally forgive me the day I went into labour, but by then it was too late for us. It took us over an entire year to finally decide that our true love was worth the gamble and then this happened.

Yep
, hell indeed.

And now
, Jacob and I can’t even look at each other. He destroyed me when he pulled me in front of everyone, like I was to blame.

How dare he question me? I know
he’s hurting.

But
fucking hell, aren’t I? Did I not lose Samuel too?

I don’t know who he thinks he
is. Yeah actually, I fucking do. Master Jacob Green or so his parents would call him. I laugh to myself. Oh my God, she still cooks and cleans for him after all this time. How the fuck can anyone get on in life with a mother and father like his?

Hell, don’t get me wrong there was a time back when Jacob and I first met that I loved his mum and she treated me like the daughter she never had.
But times changed and so did she.

Just because Matthew was an old family friend she took his side
, no questions asked. Fuck, she never even gave me the chance to explain. Nope, she wouldn’t listen. I was the problem and she was glad to get rid of me.

I was pregnant with her grandson and she
accused me of sleeping with another man. I giggle to myself. Fucking Matthew stone, again.

Why
can’t I escape his itchy claws?

S
ince then I don’t see his parents. Me and Mr Green senior, never really gelled. He thought I was after Jacob’s money and he judged me before he got to know me. Straightaway I took a dislike to him and since then we have had a rocky relationship.

I would cut them off
all together if they weren’t Sammy’s grandparents. I hate them, but I would never voice my opinion in front of Samuel as he loves them too much.

*****

Jacob

     I needed to apologise to Ella. Damn it, I should never have questioned her about the cameras. But I had to know.

I saw the look in her eyes when I grabbed her arm and yeah, I know
, I grabbed it a little too hard.

Hell,
I’d never hurt Ella.

I
can’t survive without her. She’s my all. My oxygen to breath, the light at the end of my tunnel and the key to my heart. Without Ella I’m a shadow of a man.

I couldn’t believe how hard I was being with her, bu
t I was just so frustrated. How the hell did no one notice the nanny taking Samuel off the property? And for a fucking year.  Didn’t Ella’s other staff notice? Or were they all too scared to say something in case Ella sacked them all? Fuck. A whole year, anything could have happened. I laugh to myself. Fucking hell Jacob, get a grip, something did happen. Your sweet baby boy is fuck knows where.

Frank
had just shaken his head at me and honestly, I saw Tim as well. Truthfully, I never should have doubted her, but I know we are missing something and we need to find the missing piece to the puzzle soon. Whoever has done this must of tripped up somewhere along the way and I’m determined that we will find the clue and it will lead us straight to Samuel.

I know
I’m not technically as good as all the men sitting outside in the tent, but damn, I know there is just something we aren’t seeing.

Ella is back in his room sitting by his cot. It’s where she goes when she wants alone time. She’s tried the cleaning and the shouting, but now I think she just wants to be as close to Samuel as she possibly can. I hate this though. She won’t let me in.

I want to comfort her, and tell her we are doing all we can. But hell, I know I will be lying and that will only cause us to argue more.

I hate the arguments. She blames me; I
can see it in her eyes. I know she hasn’t come right out and said it, but I know my Ella. Heck, I know every last part of her, right down to her soul, and let’s just say the looks she has been giving me, well shit, trust me if they could kill? Well bugger, I would have been dead days ago.

I don’t want to push her to open up as I worry that she won’t let me stay. Let’s face it
, this isn’t my house and honestly I don’t even live here, so my rights are minimal. I know Samuel is my son, but while I’m in Ella’s house I can’t stand up to her and be the man I need to be. I’m pussy whipped, plain and simple.

Chapter Eight

Day Five – The News
Conference

Jacob

     Frank and Doctor Rose thought it was a good idea to have Ella in a wheel chair and to be honest I fully agree. She can’t hold herself up anymore and I doubt she would let us hold her up in front of the press. Her body may be broken and frail, but her mind was still stubborn.

I sat there with my hand over hers as she twiddled with the tissue that she was shredding with her fingers. I felt useless
, but what else could I do? I was stroking her knuckles slowly with all the affection I could give her, but in all truth she wasn’t even here anymore.

Once she was wheeled into the room
, flash after flash was clicked all around us and I think she completely left us at that moment. Her head dropped and all the fight had left her body. She had left me to fight on my own. And in all honesty, I don’t know how I am still sitting here. I know I need to be the man, but this is my family I’m fighting for, fuck I had just gotten her back. I need to stay strong for Ella and Sammy. I can’t let them see that they have won or all of this is for nothing.

The team have been great, I know they are doing all they can and maybe in Ella’s eyes it was never enough, but I see what they are doing. I see the hours they are leaving their f
amilies to spend all the hours God knows on helping mine. I see their bags forming under their eyes as they hardly leave our home before they are back again, doing all they can. 

But I also see the fighting spirit leaving them. After
a long five days, I see their optimism is slowly fading from light to dark. I can hear them talking under their breaths, or half sentences ending when I walk into their space. They are being considerate around us, but there is only so much they can really do. I know that I’m a realist. I know deep down in my heart that this might not work out in our favour.

The only question is, am I strong enough for the outcome we are al
l dreading? The real answer is no, but I don’t have a choice. I need to be strong for my family. I’m praying every second of everyday that we can walk away from this as a happy solid family unit, but truth be known the more seconds, hours and days that pass, my hope is dwindling into hell. A hell I doubt Ella could pull back from, and if that happens I could probably say goodbye to my entire existence.

*****

Ella
             

    
The car had finally stopped as we pulled up to the main headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Station.

This was huge and thankfully they had
their own underground parking so none of those hungry buggers could get near me. I had a small amount of protection this very moment, while I sat in my own bubble.

I could
hear doors opening all around me and people getting out and talking. I couldn’t hear what they had to say, I had somehow blanked so much out. I didn’t even know what day we were on.

The only thing I was
confident about was I was in HELL.

Beth placed her hand on my leg as I flicked my eyes to her. I could see she was nodding towards
Tim which I kind of figured was our cue to move. Frank had mentioned a wheel chair and at this point I couldn’t care less. I didn’t even want to be here anymore, I wanted to be back home, if you could call it that.

I looked to Jacob and he looked nervous. I loved his nervous look, he had the same look the day I first met him. I remember it like it was yesterday and in a way I wish it truly was
, but this time I would have done things so differently.

Could I really do this? Could I face all of them?

What if they think it was me? Would anyone believe me? Let’s face it; the police had already questioned me about it. How the fuck could they question me? I know I’m not looking my best, but Jesus Christ, would anyone in my situation?

Beth helped me out of the car and sat me in a wheel chair. Yes
, you heard correctly, I was useless and sitting in a wheel chair getting pushed around by my best friend. Someone was rubbing their fingers over my shoulder and sending chills down my spine.

The chills weren’t from the fear of the gesture. No
, that left a warmth, the fear was from the unknown, whoever was comforting me was trying to let me know we were all in this together, but no one was in it with me, it was just me. It was my hell. My due for all the bad I had done.

Before I realised what was happening
, flashes of light lit up the room as the doors opened, we hadn’t even entered and the hunger for information was evident on their faces, they couldn’t be more obvious if they tried.

Everyone had wanted that one picture.
The one demeaning picture to see what I looked like. To see my weakness. I knew the questions they had asked themselves before I had even entered the room.

Had I done my hair and
make-up? Were my clothes washed and ironed? Had I lost weight? Did my eyes look tired and over used? And the main one: was I coping? No was the simple answer and to add insult to injury I was sat here in a fucking wheelchair.

Lost and
fucking broken.

Chief S
uperintendent Marshall had opened the door while Chief Constable Jones led the way. As we entered the flashes of light were hurting my eyes. I tried to shield them by bowing my head completely, but I wanted the bastard to see me. The psycho that had destroyed my entire world. I wanted them to see me. To see what they were doing. To see the tortuous look across my face. But I couldn’t, my chin dropped to my chest in utter defeat.

They had mentioned we would have more police officers present here today
, as they were expecting some trouble from the press, as questions could escalate out of control and they needed to make sure the reason we were here, were for the right ones.

As
Beth wheeled me over towards the table and chairs that where organised at the front of the room, I took a deep breath as strong arms took a hold of me and tried to help me stand, my legs were slowly giving out on me, but thankfully they never let go.

I noticed the bastards getting the opportunity to picture me at my lowest
, the most degrading time of my life. I didn’t care, they could picture me fall and break as long as the outcome worked in our favour.

I was placed in the chair and my head automatically bowed. My neck ac
hed when this happened. Mind you, everything at this point ached. Tim asked if I was okay. What a stupid fucking question. Do I look okay? Was anything okay about this whole situation I was in?

My breathing was coming fast and I thought I could feel perspiration over my entire body but I knew this wasn’t the case as I knew I was to
o dehydrated.

I had heard them talking about me last night. Soft buggers forgot I had a
baby monitor in there which was left on twenty four – seven. They had all sat there discussing my health and welfare, I knew they were getting concerned about what would happen if I didn’t eat soon, but didn’t they realise it never mattered if I ate or not? It would only come back up.

I
knew I was dehydrating at a fast pace. What did they expect to happen? For me to smile and go on with my daily life? Maybe that’s what they had expected, but they don’t know me. They don’t realise family is all I have. I don’t give two hoots about the business or the money, just my family.

I had blanked out for most of the conference as my body and mind couldn’t function properly
, but then a question was asked. The one question that I had dreaded and knew no one would dare risk the word while in my company. But these were hound dogs and they wanted information.

“Do you think after five days we are looking at a murder investigation?”

My heart stopped beating as my head tried to lift up to look into the eyes of the man who had dared ask that question, but before I could even acknowledge him every fear I ever had consumed my entire being. Every image I had blocked away tumbled into the forefront of my mind and I never wanted to know the answer, I needed out.

I tried to lift myself out of the chair, but my legs were too weak
, I tumbled as the chair toppled over, the bile was rising up and I was desperately trying to scramble myself back up but my body was too frail. Jacob and Beth quickly took my arms as I was gagging. The lights were shining too brightly, my eyes were stinging from the shock my body was going into and before anything else could happen, my entire world turned black.