Betrayal of Innocence (A New Adventure Begins - Star Elite 1)

Vanessa looked at her father.

“Not as far as I am aware,” Graham grunted.

“I don’t think so. Jemima isn’t like that,” Vanessa added.

“I need to go now. Just stay inside, please,” he warned.

“What will you do?” she asked, but Justin was already on the way to the door.

“My job,” he declared harshly.

To her amazement, the man who nodded briskly to them from the kitchen doorway was completely different to the man she had kissed several times only an hour ago. Justin’s features had sharpened almost menacingly such was the gravity on his face. Gone was the tenderness in his soft dove grey eyes. Even they appeared to have gone several shades darker. They appeared almost sinister as they stared hard at her.

“Don’t leave this house again, Vanessa,” he warned. “I mean it this time.”

He wanted to stay and secure her promise, but time was of the essence.

“Make sure she stays inside,” he ordered Graham instead. Thankfully, he nodded sternly.

Content with that, Justin let himself out and stormed toward the house next door.

Vanessa stared blankly at the kitchen door and sighed. She wasn’t sure what to think anymore.

“What is going on here, father?” she whispered.

“I don’t know,” Graham murmured staring thoughtfully after Justin.

He had wondered that very same thing just now, when he had seen the way Justin had been watching Vanessa. He could remember looking at his wife that very same way when they had just met. Unfortunately, his darling daughter didn’t seem to have noticed just how protective the tall investigator was of her. Graham wasn’t sure if he should tell her or not.

“What do we do? We can’t just hide away in the house, not least because I need to go to the shop, and the market, before we starve to death. The cupboards are bare,” Vanessa cried.

“I will come with you,” her father offered. “If we take our time, I will be all right. It will do me good to get out of the house for a bit.”

Vanessa looked at him doubtfully and wished now she had gone into the village before she had returned home. At least then she would have been able to give her father an adequate excuse for having been out of the house so early.

As if he had just read her mind, her father looked straight at her, his brows lifted in enquiry.

“Just where did you go this morning,” he asked quietly as he cast another glance at the door.

Vanessa thought about lying, but knew her father would be annoyed with her if he found out the truth.

“You went there again, didn’t you,” he added when he saw her reticence.

“We both think it is him,” she protested.

“He won’t have snatched Jemima, Vanessa,” Graham warned.

“I am not talking about Jemima,” Vanessa replied sharply. “He might not have had anything to do with Jemima’s disappearance. I never inferred he did. It doesn’t make him innocent of doing something heinous to Geraldine, though, does it?”

“Calm down, dear,” Graham murmured quietly. He sighed heavily and heaved himself out of his chair. Slowly, he made his way to the hallway.

“Where are you going?” Vanessa asked, watching his versatility.

While she knew he could get about if he chose, his wounds were often painful, especially when it was cold outside. Today, it appeared they were less troublesome because he was able to walk toward the bottom of the stairs with relative ease. Once half-way up the narrow staircase, though, he stopped and looked down at her.

“I don’t know who they are next door, but I don’t like this, Vanessa. I don’t mind admitting that I don’t like this one bit,” he grumbled.

“You don’t think they can find the kidnapper?” Vanessa asked doubtfully.