Her Silence

Chapter Twenty Seven

"Realisation is the only alarm to wake you up from the past." Akanksha Rinky

It was quiet. Too quiet. No one was visibly enjoying themselves. As James and I walk in, the atmosphere seemed very much similar to the night the man collapsed: all that could be heard was the clinking of people's glasses. I peer up to see James holding a very stoic look on his face. I'm not sure if he is genuinely as pissed off as he looks or if he is just putting on a façade. He looks good though; really good. I should probably stop drooling over him and try to look pleased to be here. I then hear a shriek and I jump out of my skin.

"Rosie!" A familiar voice calls, and before my very eyes Amy is hurtling herself towards me and into my arms. I embrace her as well as I could without being knocked over, and I appreciate James's firm hand resting on my back, holding me up. Once I'm steady enough he lets go, chuckling, and I hold Amy at arm's length to look at her. Truthfully, she looks exhausted. I know she's taken most of my hours, which wage-wise she will be thriving off, but physically she looks as though she could do with week-long sleep. I smile at her warmly and pull her in for another hug.

"How have you been?" I ask once we have pulled away from each other. "Is working here any easier? Safer?" I'm well aware I'm pestering her, but I know I'm more likely to get gossip from her than from anyone else; particularly Jacob. She looks around, and then back at me with a look of hesitance on her face. She pulls me to the side, so we are hidden by a pillar.

"Rosie it's... it's been horrid." Amy whispers. "No one talks anymore. Jacob has avoided doing anything about the missing money, and he barely made a fuss about the knives." She gulps, and I stand in confusion. I look over to James who is clearly listening in, sipping on the drink he returned with from the bar.

"That doesn't make any sense. He seemed so concerned when they both went missing." I tell her.

"It's all a pretence." She guesses. "I'm serious Rosie." She must have seen my doubt. "Jacob is hiding something, and Greg agrees with me. No one else seems bothered. That, or they don't dare assume anything."

"But why? His business could potentially all go down the drain." I ponder, looking around at the small empire Jacob had built. "Why would he be willing to risk it all?"

"We've all asked the same questions, but as I said, no one talks anymore. It's like an unspoken rule: you just don't. Any theories we have, or evidence... anything at all, it doesn't get shared. God it's awful here. I've been so tempted to quit I-" Amy gets interrupted by the tapping of a glass. A speech? I nod at Amy, hinting we shall continue this conversation later, and head over to James.

"Did you hear all that?" I subtly sign, to which he nods sternly. "None of it makes any sense. She said so much yet nothing at all." He had been onto Jacob from early on, and now his hunch has almost been confirmed. I know that James will no longer enjoy tonight and will be in detective mode, but I decide to not to force him to act along with everyone else; if he doesn't get to the bottom of this soon he will be driven beyond insanity. I take hold of his hand and we slowly make our way over to the crowd of people. As we get closer I see Jacob moving to stand on a chair, and as he does so he catches my eye. I smile at him but he quickly looks elsewhere to which I roll my eyes. He is speaking to me tonight whether he likes it or not. I wait in boredom, perhaps like everyone else, for him to begin. I look around wondering whether there was anyone oblivious to his behaviour. Or, maybe even on his side: in on it with him. God forbid, but it's possible. However, plain faces, all as emotionless as each other, fill the room. It's difficult to tell who is being genuine and who is displaying a very good poker face. It's bringing back the memories of all being in the locker room the night Jacob told us about the stolen money and the terrific blame game. It's... oh my God, it's all a game. I suddenly widen my eyes in shock as it hits me and I pull on James's sleeve, to get his attention. "It's a trap James. Something is going to happen tonight." I sign lowly so no one could see. He nods, yet again, sternly, and I feel myself go pale. My chest constricts as I list all of the possible outcomes of tonight, the adrenaline becoming too much to the point where I think I might take off. James tightens his grip on my arm, most likely to keep me grounded and to make me think about something else: pain.

*****

Here is a short chapter to get the ball rolling... any guesses as to what may happen next? Keep reading to find out!

It was great to include Amy again, it's been about twenty chapters since her last appearance, oops!

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