“So, it’s finally over, is it?” he whispered.
“Yes, it finally is,” Robin whispered.
“James didn’t make it,” Kyle said. “He died from his injuries; they were too severe.”
“I see,” Robin said softly.
“The Captain’s funeral is tomorrow,” he said. “I still can’t believe he is gone.”
“I know,” Robin said. “Every time I close my eyes, I see him. I see him on the ground, bleeding and looking at me. I can feel his hand in my hand. I–.”
“Robin, I think you should get therapy,” he said. “This was too traumatic of an experience.”
“I know,” Robin said. “I will.”
“The commissioner issued a public apology to you,” Kyle said. “It was on the TV while you were unconscious. Your name is cleared. They want you back on the task force, and they have cleared all charges.”
“That’s good,” Robin said.
Kyle took her hand in his, and Robin looked into his eyes.
“I think you should take a break,” he said. “You should recover and get better before you re-join us.”
“Maybe you are right,” Robin said. “I can’t believe James was the killer all along.”
“I know,” Kyle said. “I haven’t been following the investigation, but I am sure we will know more details soon enough. I will look into it later on. I will see what the investigative team found out. Abby’s and Jim’s evidence proved crucial. Their evidence cleared your name completely and revealed that there was, indeed, another killer.”
“What about Gary Dane?” Robin whispered.
“He ran off,” Kyle said. “We don’t know where he went. The police are looking for him, but who knows? I don’t think we will ever see him again.”
Kyle squeezed her hand, and she looked up at him, confusion in her eyes,
“You know I want you, Robin,” he said. “I don’t know how you feel, but I have liked you for a long time. When I lost Rose, I thought I would never be happy again. I thought I would never learn to love again. But you, Robin, you make me want to love again. You make me happy.”
“Kyle,” Robin said. “I need some time. I love you too; I know that. But I need some time to heal before I can think of a relationship.”
“I understand,” Kyle said. “Take as much time as you need.”
Abby walked out into the living room and said, “The tea is almost ready, and Jim is making dinner for us all. Robin, I set up a room for you upstairs, and you should be able to rest well there.”
“Thanks, Abby,” Robin said.
“Robin, listen–,” Abby said softly. “I wanted to apologize. I am sorry. I didn’t believe you, even though you asked me to. I doubted you, even though you have always been there for me. When the time came for me to return the favor, I left you alone. You suffered so much and all alone.”
“Abby, you did what you thought was best,” Robin said. “I know you were trying to protect me all along.”
“But I didn’t believe you,” Abby said. “I doubted my sister! I thought of my own sister as a murderer!”
“Forget it, Abby,” Robin said, pulling her sister into a hug. “It’s all in the past now. We are finally free from it all.”
“I can’t believe it’s finally come to an end,” Abby said. “I thought this would never be over.”
“Yes, and now that it is,” Jim said. “We have something to tell you.”
“What’s going on?” Robin asked, frowning.
“Robin,” Abby said, taking a deep breath in. “I am pregnant.”
“Oh, God!” Robin shouted. “Congratulations!”
She pulled her sister into a tight hug again and kissed her cheeks.
“I can’t believe this,” she said. “I am so happy for you.”
“Not as happy as I am for you!” Abby said. “I am glad you are finally back!”
“I know,” Robin said. “I thought this was never going to end. I thought that I would have to live with this forever. I thought I would never find the killer. There are times I wonder if maybe I could have stopped all this. That if I hadn’t forgotten him, maybe James wouldn’t have become the monster he became.”
“It’s not your fault,” Kyle said. “You didn’t do this. You tried to save him, right until the end.”
“It’s horrible to think of what trauma and abuse and hate can do to a child,” Robin said. “Just think about it. He did all this; he killed so many people because of what happened to him. The Butcher, all the people he killed because of his mother. It’s like a never-ending cycle.”
Kyle’s phone rang, and he picked it up as Abby continued chatting with Robin.
“What?” Kyle said suddenly. “What did you say?”
“Kyle, what’s wrong?” Robin asked.
He shut the phone off and looked at her with an expressionless face.
“Kyle?” Robin asked. “Tell me!”
“There has been another murder,” he said. “And there was another note. The Executioner, he is back.”
To be continued.
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