Reborn In a Murderer’s Embrace

Robin, still in his traffic cop uniform, must have just finished his shift when he dropped off Coly. “This pooch is one tough cookie, like its owner,” he said, eyeing the dog that had clearly taken a shine to him. “Smart, too. Could’ve made a fine K–9 unit.”

I crouched down, my gaze fixed on Coly, still bandaged around the belly. As I reached out, the large wolfhound bounded towards me with a wagging tail, leaping into my arms.

At that moment, flashes of my childhood flickered through my mind.

“Howler, bite him!”

“Howler, attack!”

“Howler, fetch!”

It seemed like I’d gotten up to some serious mischief with Howler back in the day.

But the details were hazy, lost in the fog of memory.

One thing I did recall was using Howler to bully Dexter when we were kids.

Thinking about it now, I could sort of understand why Dexter despised me, why he thought I was rotten to the core. But he should’ve just hated me, plain and simple. Why the act, the charade of deep affection after I was gone?

Was it some twisted form of masochism? I sicked my dog on him when we were kids, and he still played the devoted lover, claiming he was my true soulmate.

Definitely screwed up, if you ask me.

“Colin okay?” Robin’s voice brought me back as he crouched beside me, p head affectionately.

Coly’s

Coly seemed to have a sixth sense for sussing out the good from the bad, taking to Robin

with ease.

“He’s been through the wringer, not a spot on him that isn’t battered. He’s resting upstairs,”

I murmured.

“Melody’s alive, and Dorian confessed. The killer’s gone quiet, vanished into thin air. Maybe this whole serial killing spree is over, and hopefully, with Dorian gone, it’s the end of it,” Robin whispered, more to himself than to me.

From the looks of it, the killer had indeed slipped away, as if with Dorian’s death, they had disappeared too.

“Plus, the police found DNA on the third victim that matched the first male victim,” Robin added, his tone somber.

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The victims were the killers, and the killer became a victim.

What was chilling about this case was that the perpetrator was hiding among the victims. You just couldn’t tell who would be next.

I’ve heard of strangers contracting killings to throw off the scent, but a serial killer turning up as a victim? That’s a first for me.” A conspiracy this organized, this disciplined.

“If no new victims turn up, chances are high Dorian will be pegged as the final killer, but I’ve got this nagging feeling… it’s not that simple,” Robin confessed, his intuition on point.

Because I knew too that it wasn’t that simple.

The person who killed Phoebe is still out there,” I said, meeting Robin’s gaze. “Is it possible they’re a future victim, too? Like Melody, who lured Phoebe to Tangle Lane. There’s more to her than meets the eye.”

Melody, I was certain, was more than she seemed.

Robin nodded. “Which is why I’ve been shadowing her when I’m not on duty.”

“Watch your back too. The Langley family is no walk in the park,” Robin cautioned, glancing up at the window where Colin stood watching us.

He waved at Colin and turned to leave when Henry showed up, his presence as unwelcome as ever. And this time, he brought Anthony with him.

“Foebe,” Anthony began with a grimace, still visibly shaken at the mention of Caleb. “Brendan’s gone, and you and Caleb… you should get a divorce.”

I stared at Anthony as if he’d lost his mind. “What? Did Coraline’s dog bite give you

rabies?”

Anthony’s face darkened. “When you entered this marriage, you were deceived. As father, it’s my responsibility to help you annul it.”

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