Creeping Shadow (The Rise of Isaac, Book One) by Caroline Peckham Read Free Book Online Page A

tipped the bin up in a panic, his hands spreading through the screwed up balls of paper as they flew across the floor.
    There amongst them was a handful of torn pieces. He grabbed them, stuffing the bits into his pockets then scooped the rest of the rubbish back into the bin.
    He pushed the basket back into place and tiptoed across the room, exiting it and shutting the door as quietly as possible. He let out a slow breath to calm himself.
    A shadow danced in the stairway as someone ascended them and he pressed his back against the wall, waiting.
    When they passed, he fled down the corridor and descended to the entrance hall.
    "Oh, there you are," Ely said from across the room then frowned in confusion. "May went to look for you, didn't you pass her on the stairs?"
    "Er, yeah," Oliver lied quickly. "She just went back to her room."
    Ely nodded. "We were waiting for you but it got a bit too cold."
    "Sorry I, er, got a phone call from a friend," Oliver said, trying to keep his demeanour as casual as possible.
    "Not to worry," Ely said with a smile, heading toward the kitchen.
    Oliver sprinted up to May's room and entered, finding her sitting on the bed.
    "Did you find it?" she asked excitedly as he shut the door.
    Oliver nodded, retrieving the pieces from his back pocket. "I think so."
    He laid them out on the bed and they started fixing the letter together like a jigsaw, sitting crosslegged opposite one another.
    "I think that's it," May said, laying the final piece in place. "Read it out."
    Oliver cast his eyes over the words as he read them aloud. "Dear Mr Fox, further to your enquiry, the situation has been dealt with efficiently as per my usual professionalism. Mrs Knight's children were present but no doubt, being minors, their account of my presence will be dismissed by the authorities. Your cooperation has been most helpful but, perhaps you forget, that discretion is my middle name. I'm in no need of reminding of how these situations are to be handled. Yours sincerely, Orion Hawking."
    Oliver looked up at May, seeing the same dawning apprehension in her eyes that he felt himself.
    "It's a coverup," May whispered.
    "Ely's involved in Mum's disappearance. We have to call Mr Greene," Oliver said in a panic.
    May grabbed her phone from the bedside table, pressed several buttons then held it to her ear. She chewed her lip anxiously as she waited for Mr Greene to answer.
    "Oh, hi Mr Greene, it's May Knight-" She paused as he responded. "Yes well, actually everything's not alright, we came across a letter that suggests Ely's involved in covering up our mum's disappearance." She paused once more and Oliver waited anxiously. "Yes, it is about Hawking, how did you know-"
    Oliver raised his eyebrows in surprise and signalled for her to put the phone on speaker.
    She pressed a button and Mr Greene's voice burst into the room. "Yes, your grandfather told us he's been in touch with a private investigator named Hawking who's looking for your mother."
    "But that's not what this letter suggests at all," May implored.
    "It's all under control," Mr Greene said dismissively. "I'll give you a call in another couple of weeks."
    "Wait-" May tried but Mr Greene said his goodbyes and the line went dead.
    "Ely's covered his tracks. We have to confront him," Oliver said, standing up.
    "What?" May said, sounding alarmed. "No, we should call the police or something."
    "The police won't do anything! You saw what that Hawking guy managed to do, Mum's room was destroyed one second and the next it wasn't. How do you explain that?"
    May shook her head. "I don't know." She got to her feet, looking at him anxiously. "What are you gonna do?"
    "What do you think?" he said, snatching up the pieces of the letter in his fist then marching purposefully from the room.
    Oliver's footfalls thundered loudly throughout the house as he hurried down the staircase. He heard the quieter steps of May jogging along behind him, trying to keep up.
    Humphrey poked his head out