Chapter Ten
“This is Detective Matthews, isn’t it?” the voice said on the other side. “This is Detective Pickles from Brooklyn. I looked into your reports, and it seems you were right. I found two residents who claim that someone with that description was living there. It is possible the man was the Butcher. The time and everything else matches.”
“Did he have another man living with him? Somewhere around nineteen, twenty?” she asked.
“Yes, that’s right,” he said. “They claimed that the young man looked after his old father, who the residents never saw, except for the two witnesses who only saw the old man by accident. They claim he was horrible to look at, and the description matches how we assume the Butcher would look now. This report was one-year-old. They claim that the son and the Butcher disappeared one night and never returned.”
“Can you send me their testimonies and all your findings?” Robin asked.
“Yea, I will have someone email them,” he said.
Robin ended the call and looked down at the necklace in front of her. The Executioner wanted her to find him. He wanted her to uncover his past. This what it has all been about. Robin was his past, and she had forgotten all about it. She still had gaps in her memory. The Executioner wanted Robin to remember him. She didn’t know why or why he was planning any of this, but she was determined to stop him this time.
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“Oh, I feel horrible,” Abby groaned.
“There, there,” Robin said, patting her back.
“I can’t eat anything,” she said. “Any smell is enough to trigger nausea. All I have done is throw up since morning.”
“Did you tell the doctor?” Robin asked.
“Morning sickness is a normal part of pregnancy,” she said. “Every woman goes through it. It’s just three months, bear with it. That’s what he said! That pig! What would he know about pregnancy?”
“I doubt he would know anything,” Robin said, laughing.
“He should! He is my doctor!” Abby protested. “This is all Jim’s fault! I should have never listened to him.”
“Come on, what will one time do? It’s just once!” Abby said, imitating Jim.
She grabbed her sister and said, “Once is enough! Don’t let a man talk you into anything. Ever. They are all evil! If Kyle ever says, just do it once. Don’t!”
Robin rolled her eyes and said, “I am not sleeping with Kyle.”
“What? I thought you guys liked each other and stuff,” she said.
“Yeah, and after that, neither of us talked about it,” Robin said. “It’s complicated, Abby.”
“Really?” She asked. “What’s complicated. You like him. He likes you. Just make out already!”
Robin laughed and shook her head as her sister snuggled up to her.
“I can’t believe I have you home after so long,” Abby said. “I can’t remember the last time we just sat and talked.”
“I can’t tell you how hectic everything has been lately,” Robin said. “We have a copycat killer on our hands. But you can’t tell anyone that. We don’t want the media knowing about it yet.”
“A copycat? Really?” she asked.
Robin gave her a bit of an explanation, and Abby sighed.
“You know, this reminds me of this novel I read,” Abby said. “It was the ABC murders. It had Hercule Poirot in it. This serial killer was doing these murders, and while I don’t remember the exact story, I remember the ending. It turned out that the killer only wanted to kill one specific person, but to hide the crime, he made it seem like serial killing, committing more murders. The police were looking for a serial killer, and the crime’s real motive wasn’t looked into. All along, the motive was to kill just that one person, but since the police were looking for a serial killer, they never investigated the intended victim’s family.”
“So, we don’t have a copycat killer,” Robin whispered. “We have someone who wanted to kill the Mayor’s daughter. He disguised it as the work of the Executioner, hoping we would blame him.”
“Well, it’s an idea,” Abby said.
“Abby,” Robin whispered. “You are a genius.”
“Hmm, sounds right,” Abby laughed. “Maybe I should take over all your jobs. I seem to be good at this.”
“I have another problem,” Robin said. “Kyle. You know Danvers is back, right?”
“Yes, I know,” Abby said. “Does he still think Danvers killed his wife?”
“He does, and I believe him,” she said. “One thing I know is that Kyle is one hell of a Detective, and if this is what he believes, there is a good chance it’s true.”
“Robin,” Abby suddenly said. “Can I ask you something? The killer who was after you, is he still there?”
“Why do you ask that?” Robin asked.
“Because as long as he is out there, you are in danger,” Abby whispered. “I still get nightmares about losing you. I see that basement and James and–.”
“I know,” Robin said, hugging her sister. “I am sorry you had to go through that.”
“How do you deal with it?” Abby asked. “How do you live after seeing all that?”
“You live for the people who love you,” Robin said. “If I didn’t have you, Abby, I think I would have gone insane ages ago. But I have you, and it gives me a reason to keep living, to keep fighting. You live for the people who love you.”
“Jim is still traumatized by all that,” Abby said. “I can see it. He doesn’t sleep, Robin. He feels so guilty about everything. He keeps getting scared something will happen to me. I don’t know what to do anymore.”
Robin pulled her sister into a hug and kissed her cheek.
She didn’t know what to do either.
Chapter Eleven
“Alright,” Robin said. “Let’s go over the facts of everything that happened, and then let’s see what evidence we have.”
“It won’t help,” Kyle whispered. He rubbed his eyes, looking gaunt and drained. He looked as if he hadn’t slept in days. His eyes were bloodshot, and there were dark circles under his eyes. His face was covered with
