HER SHADOWED PAST

Like every other night, Jacklyn woke up from her nightmare.

The same dream,

The same strange people,

The ones she'd seen for almost all her life.

She got up from her bed and put on the table lamp.

The florescence light evolved the room,

"Another night, another nightmare." She sighed to herself as she got up and stumbled to get water.

Her study table was still filled with unfinished works from last night,

The cup of unfinished already cold coffee was still there.

It was just four thirty am and she has like an hour extra before she goes for her morning jog.

Instead of lying back on the bed,

She took the glass of water and went to the table to probably finish up her work.

Jacklyn Chisholm is a twenty three year old girl who works as a Forensics Photographer at the NYPD ( New York Police Department).

Her parents were Adam and Linda Chisholm and her younger brother Ed Chisholm.

Both parents live in Southern Manhattan at their old but gorgeous family home while she moved out to Brooklyn after she dropped out of college.

She decided to work at the NYPD after taking intense Crime Analysis Education for two years, majoring in Forensic Photography. A new case came in yesterday morning and she'd taken photos of the crime scene.

She was still trying to find evidence for a murder to case to who the murderer is.

The deceased was a twelve year old boy,

By autopsy report that came later the day shows that the boy was injected with overdosed of propane from his left arm.

He was also given a second degree burn on his back and a metal was stabbed on his back too.

She was so perplexed at the report,

Who's so cruel to kill a twelve year old in such gruesome way?

The Wall Street is getting more dangerous for it's inhabitant, especially for children and teens,

Not talking of the youths.

Drugs everywhere,

Killing and illegal deals.

The police have also lock downed the drug path by arresting the Drug Lord of the Walls over twenty years ago.

The man Big Ray was arrested when a woman, Cynthia Smithson blew up their cover,

The woman died in an explosion on her New Yorkshire house a few days after the court verdict but Big Ray was arrested. Thinking it would become better after Big Ray's arrest,

It became worst,

Crimes everywhere,

Kids going high on drugs and killing,

It was gruesome.

Jacqueline found this cruel and those was the main reason she'd taking the job.

She loves anything photo,

From taking photos to investigating crimes behind photos taken,

She knew for once this was her calling.

She open the files and stared at it for awhile,

"Name: Baron Devaski

Age: Twelve years old...

"Gosh!

I can't do this now." She left the file and rested her head on the table.

It was Friday and she would be helping her neighbor, Stacey take her son to school.

The woman had gone for an art exhibition in Rhodes Island and won't be back till Monday morning,

So she pleaded Jacklyn to help her take care of her five year old son, Bruce till she returns.

She got up from the bed and went to the spare room to check on the boy,

He was still soundly asleep.

She nodded and quietly left the room,

She went back to hers and got herself ready for her morning run,

"It's no big deal if I go earlier than usual." She tightened the laces of her trainers and left the room. Jacklyn walked out of the building towards her car.

She was trying to get her neighbor's son to school then drive herself to work when her phone rang.

Amidst the rush and constant calling of the little boy Bruce,

She took the call,

"Hello who's this?" She asked as she saw the unfamiliar number.

"Hello.

Is this Jacklyn Chisholm?" The unfamiliar voice asked,

"Yes, I'm Jacklyn Chisholm.

Any problem?" She asked the caller,

"Yes,

Your father had gotten into an accident with his truck and has been rushed to New York City Hospital." The caller informed her and her phone dropped on the floor,

Luckily, it didn't shattered.

"Aunt what's it?" Bruce asked when he noticed she wasn't herself again,

He shook her hard,

"Hello,

Miss can you still hear me?" The caller asked

" Aunty Jack." He called her again,

She came back to her senses.

Bruce had already picked up the phone,

"Aunty, your phone." Bruce said to her as he handed the phone to her,

She slowly collected the phone from him.

"Hello Miss,

Are you there?" The caller asked again,

"Yes,

I'm still here.

Which hospital did you say he was admitted in?" She asked the man,

"Lennox Hills." The caller replied her,

"Okay,

Thanks, I'll be there soon." She hung up the call immediately,

"Bruce, we'll have to hurry up to your playschool,

I have an emergency to attend to." She said to the boy,

The boy complied immediately and stayed calm while she strapped him in her two sitter baby blue Camaro.

With great speed, she drove to Bruce's playschool which wasn't very far from her house,

"Bruce, I might be late to pick you up later, so you'll to stay with your teacher for a bit longer time." She said to the boy as he got out from her car,

"Okay aunt Jack,

I promise I'm going to be a good boy and won't disturb my teachers." The boy said to her,

She nodded and kissed him goodbye. Immediately the boy left,

She navigated her car and headed for the hospital,

"I'll have to call to tell them I'll be late,

She fished out her phone from her handbag and dialed Maxwell's number.

Maxwell was her colleague and also the closest person to her.

She doesn't keep friends for reason best unknown to her.

Yeah,

She doesn't know why but she knows she's not a type that keep friends.

Max's number going through,

" Max please pick up." she cried as she drove hysterically,

Max wasn't picking up,

"Should I call Harry?" She asked herself,

Harry's her colleague too and has been throwing sexual advances at her for quite a long time while she kept rejecting his advances.

He was a ladies man,

A player with very sweet mouth,

He's every lady's dream but with very big mouth and that was the main reason she hates him big time.

No,

If she calls him now,

He's going to use it as an advantage to get to her....

She tried Max's number again,

But it wasn't still going through.

"I guess I'll have to call Mr Howard and tell him I will be coming a bit later,

"She scrolled through her contacts as she searched for her boss's number,

There it is.

She dialed the number and it began to ring.

Grin Grin.

Grin Grin.

" Hello Jacky." The mans voice said,

"Good morning sir." She nervously greeted the man,

"Is there any problem?

You don't sound like yourself." The man asked when he heard her faint and nervous voice,

"Sir, and emergency just came up with my dad.

He got involved in an accident and he's at the hospital..."

"Okay Jack,

Go see him,

I give you the day off,

I'll send Max over to get the files." The man said,

"Okay,

Thanks a lot sir." She thanked the man.

She never expected him to go easy on her,

He's always strict and tough to everyone including her but all of a sudden he's being nice,

That's really great start. She arrived the hospital a few minutes later,

She just did a rough parking and ran into the hospital building,

Thank goodness there were no security personnel present at that time to stop her.

She rushed to the nurse on duty at the reception desk,

"Adam Chisholm.

He was brought in earlier today, accident victim" She said to the woman,

She ran through her register,

"Adam Chisholm,

He's still at the ICU." She said,

The nurse pointed her to the direction of the ICU and she left immediately to see her father.

After waiting for a while, the doctor came out,

"Doctor, how's he?" She asked the man impatiently,

He looked at her and she sighed,

"I'm his daughter, Jacklyn Chisholm," She brought out her work ID and showed it to him.

"Oh. Well he'd lost a lot of blood, Miss and will have to be done a transfusion." He said sadly,

"He's a universal donor O Negative and can only get blood from the same blood type.

Unfortunately, we lack that blood type in our blood bank..."

"Okay doctor,

I'm his daughter,

Take my blood." She said to him,

"It'll match his right?" She asked him and he shrugged,

"It should but first, you'll have to some a blood test to be sure it will."

She agreed and followed the doctor to get her blood for the test.

When the result came out,

It was negative,

Her blood and her father's blood doesn't match,

How?

What's going on?

She asked herself.

Her mom was way in India with her younger brother for his brain tumor surgery and won't be back till next week end.

"Doctor,

What can be done to him?" She asked the doctor with a pain filled heart,

"We'll have to find a donor as fast as possible before thing get out of hand." He said to her.

Jacklyn was lost,

Her blood doesn't match her father's.

Why?

Her dream?

Countless times, she'd dreamt of being somewhere else and seeing different people as her family members,

Is that related to this?

Is this what her dreams were all about?

She was so confused and lost in her thought,

"Miss, I'll have to attend to other patients till you're ready." The doctor said to her and it brought her back to her senses.

"Okay,

I'll go inform my uncle about this." She left immediately and drove to their family home that was just right outside Manhattan.

But for once, her thought never left what had just happened.

She's spent the past two years investigating others people and disrespecting their death,

Now she's going to turn hands to herself and solve the mystery that has just opened.

Jacklyn drove in her baby blue Camaro into the large garage.

Her parent had got her that car as an out of college gift.

She came out from the car and walked briskly towards the main entrance of their family house,

The house that she'd lived in from her childhood to her adult years till she moved out.

Her parents and uncle and aunt hadn't liked the idea of her moving out,

To them,

The house was big enough to contain extra people and she's moving out.

But to her,it was more than that,

For some reasons best known to her, she wanted some distance, peace and serenity.

She wanted to go faraway from home and that's was the main reason she chose Brooklyn,

She'd wanted to stay at Manhattan although but she knew best her mom would always want to visit her and spent time with her.

So Brooklyn was the best option for her.

Her house, a two bedroom apartment close to the Upper Bay River in Brooklyn was her mini dream house.

With an extra small space she turned into a study room and a kitchenette that fits perfectly her kitchen wares,

Two separate bathrooms and toilets, a dining space and two balconies that spread out the whole city.

Both balconies parallel to each other,

One at the front and the other at the back, gave her a perfect view of the city during sunrise and sunset,

Hers was the eighteenth floor of the thirty storey building and was one of the tallest by the Upper Bay. She walked into the house,

The first person she met was her uncle's wife Anhitta,

"Hey aunt, good morning,

Is Uncle Gabriel still home?" She asked hastily,

"He just left,

Any problem?" The older woman asked,

"Dad got involved in an accident and he's at the hospital...."

"What!" The woman yelled,

Some of the maids ran out to know what the problem was.

"How..

When..."

"A man just called me and told me,

I've gone to the hospital but ....."

"But what?"

"Aunt, you've to call uncle and tell him to go there,

Dad needs a blood transfusion." She said,

The woman fished out her cellphone and dialed her husband's number.

Luckily the man picked the call immediately,

"Hello honey,

Jacky just came home,

She said...."

"The doctor called me,

Tell her I'm heading to the hospital now and that she should come there." The man said and hung up.

The doctor had called him cause he knew Adam Chisholm as Gabriel's brother,

Both men had been on same conference room for a business seminar years ago and they'd became acquainted after finding out they were from the same place.

"Jack, your uncle said he's going to the hospital that you should meet him there." The older woman informed her,

"I'll call your mom and tell her about it." She added.

"Aunt no.

Mom would be busy with Ed's surgery and I wouldn't want her to be disturbed." She said,

Her aunt nodded and left.

She knew better,

In no time, she'll call her mom and tell her.

She headed to her father's study room,

Took out some few medical files from his cabinet and hurried out shutting the door with her spare key.

Immediately she was sure the door was shut tight, she left. Getting to the hospital,

Her uncle had already opted for the transfusion and was coming out of the doctor's office where his blood sample was collected to testing,

"Jack," He called her,

"Uncle,

Good morning." She greeted the man,

He nodded.

"The doctor said he's going to be fine,

You don't have to worry yourself." He said,

"I know, papa's a strong man." She said almost to herself,

"How did he get into an accident?" He asked theoretically,

He never expects her to know how.

"I don't know,

I received a call from an unknown person this morning." She said,

She hadn't asked the unknown man how her dad got into the accident,

"Mr Chisholm." The doctor took them from their confused state,

"You're a match,

Mind if we go on for the transfusion?" He said,

She was relieved,

At least, her uncle was a match for her dad and he's going to get his transfusion.

Lucky her.

"Okay,"

Her uncle turned to her,

"Jack,

I'll be back soon, don't bother yourself,

He's going to be fine."

She could only just nod a at the man as he left.

After waiting for like a whole lifetime,

Her uncle came out,

She stood up from the waiting seat and went to him.

"Uncle how're you feeling?" She asked the man,

"I'm good, I'm good." He said as he walked out,

Closing the door behind him.

She supported him till he got to one of the seats and sat down,

"You sure you okay?" She asked nervously,

She hadn't donated blood for anyone all her life and was worried maybe the man's in pains too.

"Yeah,

I'm fine.

Have you called your mom?" Uncle Gabriel asked her,

She shook her head,

"She should be busy with Ed now, won't want to add to her worries." She said,

He nodded.

"You aren't going to work?" He asked her,

She shook her head,

"Was given a day off when I asked for a late permission." She explained,

She wanted to talk to her uncle about the blood test she took earlier but she decided against it.

It was best asking her parents about it than asking someone else.

Jacklyn didn't stay the whole day at the hospital,

When the doctor came out and told her that her father was now stable but still unconscious, she took permission from the doctor and went to see him.

She spent quite awhile talking to him before she came out and told her uncle she'd to go to work.

"I'll have to go to the office uncle,

There's a new case I still haven't finish."

She explained to the man,

"You can go,

I'll stay over." She stood up and took her bag, including the medical files she took from her father's study,

"Okay uncle,

I'll be back later in the day." She pecked the man's both cheeks and left waving him goodbye.

Tyrone Grayson walked out of the car,

He looked at the building in front of him,

NYPD.

He was no detective neither was he a police officer.

He works in Financial House,

Nathason's, Spellings and Baird as a manager,

He'd just came to meet the superintendent to get a police report.

Actually, his driver got shot accidentally while the security men were taking their shooting practice and the hospital staffs were asking for a police report even after he explained the situation to them that it was an accident.

He was walking elegantly in his black impeccable suit when his car began to horn hysterically,

He turned back and back and saw the mess another car had just created on his.

A blue Camaro had just ran into his Chrysler,

He frowned and walked back to his car,

He went to the car and checked the affected area,

It just gave it a little scratch but the back light protector broke.

He walked to the other car in anger, ready to lash out on the driver but surprisingly, it was a woman driving it.

She rushed out of the car,

"Sir I'm so sorry,

Didn't know I was too close enough to hit it." Jacklyn apologized.

She'd been so lost in thought, she didn't notice she was too close to the car in front of her.

Tyrone who'd wanted to go ballistic on the woman couldn't say a word again after seeing her,

She's a very beautiful lady,

Slim and slender with not much height.

"Sir I said I'm sorry." She repeated when she noticed he was kind of hypnotized after seeing her.

He came back to his senses,

"Yes..you....

Okay, I heard you." He was embarrassed as he spoke,

He did forget about what had actually made him come back,

"Sir, I'm so sorry about your car." She repeated,

The man nodded,

"Okay,

It's no big problem,

After all it wasn't badly damaged." He said to her and she nodded.

She rushed back to her car and took put the files,

"Thanks a lot Sir." She thanked the man and hurried inside the building.

Tyrone just stood and watch her as she left,

He too turned and walked into the building. PI Jake Fowler came out of his office,

" Max, is Jacklyn here already?" He asked the other guy,

He wasn't asking after her cause he misses her or something,

No,

Although he does miss her a little but it was nothing out of the ordinary.

He was asking cause he'd some check up do on the forensics she'd taken the other day on the murder scene.

He's a private investigator and he's just trying to get his job done to avoid Mr Howard's lecturing.

"Nah,

Mr Howard said she called earlier that her dad was involved in an accident." Max informed him and he gasped,

"Poor man,

Hope he gets...." The door opened and Jacklyn rushed in, cutting him off and seeing her, he smiled.

"Hey Jack." Max called her,

He left what she was doing and walked to her

She was more closer to him than anyone else in the department.

The rest were more of like just ordinary colleagues and she didn't pay attention to them not even Jake.

"How's he?" He asked her,

"Pretty bad,

Thanks God my uncle is there to watch over him." She said,

Max nodded,

"Send my regards to him." Max said to her,

She nodded.

"You should go and see the boss,

He must have seen you come in and would be waiting for you yo come and say hello." Max said.

It was no lie,

Mr Howard had seen her coming inside the building through his window.

He'd expected her to come in first but was surprised she hadn't yet come.

Actually, he'd given her a day off but surprised when he saw her car drove in and bumped into Tyrone's car,

He'd watched the whole scenario from his office and it wasn't hard to place it that the man was love-struck.

He chuckled,

Love-struck.

Very possible,

Very much possible.

Jaclyn nodded at Max's words.

She let go of Max's hand, said hi to Jake who was still looking at her and then she walked towards Mr Howard's office.

She knocked twice when she got to the door,

"Come in." The man said from inside,

She opened the door and walked in.

Mr Howard wasn't alone in his office,

The other man was inside the office,

Tyrone Grayson.

"Good morning sir." She greeted her boss, not minding the other man who had his eyes fixated on her,

"Morning Jacky, how's your father?" Her boss asked her,

"He's stable now,"

She knew he was going to ask why she didn't stay her day off as he'd told her in the morning,

"My uncle's watching over him." She replied the man to abate further probing question on her father,

He nodded.

"And those files?" He asked,

"I'm done with them, just handed it to Max immediately I came in." She replied him,

He nodded still.

Tyrone did some sort of a gesture to the man and he nodded,

"Jack,

My friend here Tyrone, need a police report on an accident that just happened to his driver,

The man got shot accidentally while the security men already having their shoot practice and the hospital has required a police report before to treat him." Mr Howard explained to her.

Jacklyn looked at the other man,

"Okay sir, I'll be doing that in my office." She said and turned to leave,

"And tell Jake to finish with the target I gave him earlier." Mr Howard said behind her,

She nodded, opened the door and walked out still feeling Tyrone's eyes stripping her body. After writing the report,

She went to her boss's office and gave it to him,

"Here you go sir." The man took it from her,

She immediately turned and left the office.

"Here you go Ty,

Your police report." Mr Howard handed the paper to Tyrone, who took it immediately and stood up,

"Thank her for me." He picked up his cellphone from the man's desk and turned to leave.

"How's your boss?" Mr Howard asked him,

Tyrone turned to the man,

"The old man's good,

He's retiring soon and luckily I'm next in line for his position and gracefully I'm so lucky." He said with a wide smile.

"Indeed very lucky." Mr Howard said,

He nodded,

"His divorce is a very rocky one and I don't think Pamela would want to leave him without having enough money to tide her over till she finds another man to hook up with." Tyrone said playfully,

"But nevertheless,

I'm still the only successor to his position at the company." He said proudly and he was very right. Lionel Baird is among the top billionaires in New York,

Gracefully to say,

He's the CEO of Nathason, Fleming and Baird.

His position in the company of his late father in-law increased as time goes by.

He started off as an assistant manager,

Then his boss's daughter Clarion Nathason fell in love with him and he was promoted to manager.

They got married a few years later,

But Lionel couldn't balance family and business,

So their marriage didn't work.

They got divorce after two years,

Clarion wanted a marriage and not a business home,

She couldn't keep up with Lionel's constant working and rumors she heard he was cheating on her with his secretary Wendy Martinez,

She filed for an annulment of marriage.

Lionel signed the annulment papers like they meant nothing to him order than a business deal and their marriage was over in a twinkle of an eye.

Mr Nathason who wasn't as much concerned about his daughter as he was about his business saw Clarion at fault and to compensate his most loyal worker,

He added name to the business and he retired.

Everything was left to Lionel to handle and he did it perfectly well,

A few years later,

Mr Nathason passed on and that was Lionel entrance into the upper class world,

Everything was left for him since Clarion the old man's only offspring was far in Canada trying to create a life for herself.

The man handled the business so well, it became the leading financial house in New York,

He got married to a banker awhile later Cynthia Smithson and after five years together,

They got divorced.

But before that, they'd a daughter Lionel barely knew of and after Cynthia blew the whistle on the major drug line and cartel lords in New York,

She was killed alongside her daughter a few days after the drug lord Big Ray was arrested. It was a real pain for Lionel especially for the fact that his then two year old daughter had died too.

The next two marriages he went through ended up in a divorce like the others till he met Pamela Churchill and they got married,

The both of them had been together since then and the secret to it was that,

She never interfered with his life or business and he never interfered in hers cause it was clear they were cheating on each other.

It was so for the several years they've spent with each other till of recent when Pamela had fallen head over heels for one of the senators Sixto Julius Hernando and had been asking for one thing from Lionel.

The one thing he'd given the other women freely without much questioning but had refused to give it to her for some reasons best known to him and that was,

Divorce. Jacklyn called Tyrone the next morning being Sunday.

She'd just finished doing her laundry and had just a few more things to do,

So she called him to tell him she's interested.

"You mean you'll come?" He asked her,

"Yes, I'll." She repeated,

He shrieked with happiness as she repeated the words,

"Okay,

I'll come pick you up at your apartment,

Just forward your address to me and I'll there by seven pm." He said,

She nodded and ended the call, sending her address afterwards.

"Jacky, you just have relax and everything would go out fine." She assured herself immediately after the message was indicated delivered.

The date was a great success,

Tyrone took Jacklyn to his favorite restaurant for dinner.

They talked a great deal and that was when she found out he's working for the famous Nathason, Fleming and Baird and he was a senior manager.

She told him about her work and a little about her family.

He said his parents were dead and it was just himself and his sister Jane,

"My father died when I was thirteen and my mom, two years later,

I had to work my way up to be able to take care of myself and Jane." He said to her.

"That's so touching,

I'm so sorry." She said to him,

But he laughed it out,

"You shouldn't be, that was a long time ago." He told her.

"Can I make a call with your cell phone?

Mine has low power." She pleaded,

He gave the one to her,

She wanted to call her neighbor.

Not Stacey, the woman isn't back from her art exhibition.

While she was going out earlier, she took Bruce to her neighbor's house.

Mr Mandolin is a divorce and has a daughter that's almost same age as Bruce.

She'd taken the boy there, so she wanted to call to know if Bruce was already asleep,

The man told her he wasn't.

He was still watching cartoon with his daughter in the living room.

She thanked the man and hung up.

"Here you go,

Thanks." She was giving Tyrone back his phone when her eyes caught sight of something,

The wallpaper of his phone.

In it, Tyrone was standing with another man and with the way he stood,

One could tell the other man is his superior.

"He's your boss?" She asked him and he nodded,

"Yes,

Mr Lionel Baird." He replied her with an air of pride in his voice.

"Wow, he looks younger than I thought." She exclaimed.

"Yeah, all because he's being cutting peoples asses and feeding on their money.." He mouthed to himself but unfortunately, she heard him,

"Why do you say so?" She asked him,

"Cause that's the type of person he's,

Selfish and cruel,

Never cared about any other person than himself. " He said.

Jaclyn didn't want to pry further but looking at the man,

She felt a bit of a connection with the man.

"Does he have kids?" She asked him,

"Nah,

His current marraige doesnt have any kid, ahough he'd had a daughter but she died alongside her mom years ago." Tyrone explained to her.

He didn't like the fact, he was talking his selfish boss that's about retiring soon but Jacklyn kept asking questions about him.

"What killed them?" She asked,

"His wife ex Cynthia blew the whistle on the major drug line and also accused him of laundering money to the cartel of the Walls.

After being a witness that send the main drug Lord Big Ray to prison,

She was killed by explosion with her daughter a few days later in their home." He explained.

Jacklyn was quiet,

She didn't probe further but deep down she pitied the man,

It's always hard losing the ones you love.

Wait!

This man's wife was Cynthia Smithson?

What a life?