The last thing James "Jay" Hale ever imagined was to begrudgingly return to Beacon Hills, find out his older sister was murdered, and then be forced to go on a wild goose chase after an enigmatic Alpha that seemed to have a particular interest in ru...
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CHAPTER TWENTY: Sins of The Family
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"Did you get the picture?"
"Yeah, I did, and it looks just like the drawing."
Derek grabbed hold of Stiles' wrist, yanking the phone closer to see the picture Scott had sent through to them of Allison's necklace. It was no doubt identical to the drawing. But that wasn't exactly helpful. They needed something more. "Hey, is there something on the back of it? There's gotta be something. An inscription. An opening. Something."
"No, no, the thing's flat. And, no, it doesn't open. There's nothing in it, on it, around it, nothing. And where are you guys? You're supposed to be here! You're first line, Stiles! You're not gonna play if you're not here to start! And Jay, you already know Coach is going to kill us all if you don't show up. He's going to kill us, and then he's just gonna go kill himself too!"
On cue, Coach's voice suddenly droned on through the speaker as the man cuffed the back of Scott's head. "Where the hell is Hale? Is he with that Bilinski kid? I knew it!"
Stiles blushed, and Jay furrowed an eyebrow. "Knew what?"
"Nothing!" Stiles reassured Jay before turning back to the phone. He yanked his wrist out of Derek's grasp to hold the device back to his ear. "Listen, just, If you see my Dad, tell him... tell him I'll be there. Just a little bit late, okay? Alright, thanks." He hung up the phone with a pained sigh, staring at the small digital radio clock.
"You're not going to make it," Derek commented unhelpfully. Jay scowled and reached forward to smack the back of his head. They were both right there when the Sheriff was rambling about how proud he was of Stiles and how much he couldn't wait to see his son play. There was no need to rub salt in the wound.
Besides, Derek should know full well how it felt to miss a sports game he really wanted to go to. He missed out on a few because of the full moon back in the day and it was the only time Jay could really remember before the fire of Derek's teenage meltdowns.
Stiles immediately answered, unphased. "I know."
"And, you didn't tell him about his mom either."
Derek dodged the second swipe of Jay's hand to the back of his head.
"Not till we find out the truth," Stiles stated, shaking his head. It was more important to him to find out the truth than it was to play in the lacrosse game. Even if his dad would be disappointed, he couldn't just sit back while the woman who was practically a second mother to him was accused of being a killer.
Still, even knowing this, Jay sat forward. "Me and Derek can handle it. You can still make it to the game if you leave now."
But Stiles shook his head, firm in his decision. "No. I need to find out."
