“What do you want me to do?” Robin whispered.
“I want to destroy you,” he whispered. “I want to make you suffer. I want you to face the darkness inside you, and I want you to embrace it.”
“Is that why you are doing this?” Robin whispered. “Because of the evil in you?”
“Perhaps,” he said. “I fought against it, you know. I fought for you. But it was too strong; I couldn’t fight it anymore. And now I must ruin you. I must destroy you. You must suffer too! You must know what it’s like always to have a dark cloud over you! To always be in pain!”
“Let Abby go,” Robin whispered. “This is between you and me. I will do whatever you say. Just let her go.”
“Let her go?” he laughed. “I can’t let her go! I have to ruin you mentally, physically, and emotionally! How will I do that if I let her go?”
“Who are you?” Robin whispered.
He stepped out into the light, and Robin gasped. It couldn’t be. James stood in front of her, a sneer on his face.
“I framed you,” he whispered. “I set everything up. All the evidence in your apartment. It’s easy to do it when I am the one investigating everything.”
“Why?” Robin asked.
“I got onto your case just to be close to you,” he said. “It was so much fun playing with you. Watching you dance, watching you trust me, and making all those promises. And you had no idea, all that time, that I was plotting against you.”
“You still haven’t told me why,” Robin whispered.
“You already know why,” he said. “Just look into your memories.”
He pulled out his gun and pointed it toward Abby’s head.
“I am sorry, this is how it has to be,” he said. “But I am afraid this is the end. Abby will die, and you will be convicted as her killer. I will handle Jim later. Sister and brother-in-law, killed by the lunatic detective. How poetic.”
He laughed loudly, and Abby said, “Robin, get out of there. Find Jim and hide! Don’t let anything happen to him.”
“Move, and I will kill her,” James said.
“Don’t worry about me,” Robin said. “Just save Jim! Just save yourself and Jim! Please, Abby. I don’t care if I die. Please, just save Jim.”
“James, just let her go,” Robin said. “This is between us. I will do whatever you want; just leave her be. I beg you.”
He laughed maniacally and said, “Say goodbye!”
His finger rested on the trigger, but before he could pull it, Robin lunged at him. She managed to hit the gun out of his hand, and it went flying into the corner. Robin wrestled with James, pinning him down, but she knew there was no use. He was much stronger than she was, and he quickly overpowered her. Robin tried to punch him, but he dodged it and grabbed her by the throat.
Robin’s eyes widened as she struggled to breathe, James’ hand strangling her. She gurgled and choked, her hand trying to push James’ hands away, but he was too powerful. He held her down, laughing like a maniac as he strangled her.
“Say goodbye, Robin,” he said, his eyes wide with excitement.
Suddenly, his expression seemed to change. A look of horror crossed his face, and his hands loosened from around her neck. Robin took the opportunity to kick him away and scrambled up. She sat in the corner, taking deep, gasping breaths as she tried to steady herself. James was lying there, a terrified expression on his face.
“I didn’t mean to hurt you, Robin,” he whispered. “That wasn’t what I was supposed to do.”
He stood up as Robin said painfully, “What do you mean?”
“It’s her I am supposed to kill!” he said. “It’s her I have to end. Not you, not yet.”
“I won’t let you hurt her, James!” Robin said, ignoring the searing pain in her throat. “Just give up! I can get you a deal if you just surrender now!”
“You think you have any power?” he whispered. “No, you have none. You are just a pawn in a game. You are just being played, that’s all. You are a puppet; you have no other role.”
James had managed to take the gun that Robin had in her pocket during the struggle. He smirked, and his finger pressed against the trigger, and a shot rang out.
Chapter Nineteen
Robin dove for James, tripping him over. His finger pressed the trigger, and the bullet hit the lantern, and the glass shattered. She grabbed the gun and pointed it toward his head, ready to shoot him if he even moved.
“It's over, James,” Robin said. “Just give up.”
“Death is better than giving up,” he said and lunged for her. The gun fell out of her hand as James overpowered her and then began to punch her furiously. Pain filled her body as he landed one punch after another, and blood started to flow down her face.
“Robin!” Abby shouted. “Don’t hurt her! Stop! Stop!”
The sound of sirens echoed in the distance, and James cursed to himself.
He punched Robin one last time and walked toward Abby.
“I just have to kill you,” he said, grabbing her throat. “That’s all. If I kill you, all will be okay.”
Robin was so injured that she could barely move. She looked around and saw that the basement was on fire. The oil must have leaked out of the lantern when it got shot, and the flames spread. The old wooden table had been an easy target for the flames, and now it was enveloped in fire.
“Stop!” Robin shouted. “We have to get out of here!”
James looked around, the livid expression on his face highlighted by the flames. The house was old and wooden,
