Reborn In a Murderer’s Embrace

Today, he seemed to be dressed a bit more fittingly. Although his clothes were still worn to a pale hue, they managed to cover the haunting scars on his ankles and shins.

He stood beneath the shade of an oak across the street, his silhouette tinged with a touch of solitude.

Robin, leading his team, dashed across the street and surrounded him.

Colin appeared somewhat normal today. He wasn’t wearing his hoodie, and his face seemed washed. Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

Youth seemed to radiate from his very bones. He was tall, his skin as pale and perfect as porcelain, his freshly washed face flawless, especially those eyes – they were captivatingly beautiful.

His hair was jet black, a mess falling over his face, which, under the interplay of light and shadow, made him look like a celebrity.

I stood in the light, my gaze fixated on his slender, bruised fingers, my breathing quickened.

He held a bunch of lollipops tied together with a red ribbon in his hand. It was as if he was waiting for me to show up at the wedding. Waiting to see if I was still alive, waiting for me to object to the marriage?

“Phoebe…” Colin’s voice was hoarse, his eyes slightly red, as if he was longing for a result he could see.

I began to doubt, was this man feigning madness or was his acting just that convincing?

“Phoebe didn’t come. Stella’s voice was devoid of its usual hostility and caution when she saw the lollipops in Colin’s hand. She began to choke up. “Was it you who has been secretly. protecting Phoebe

and giving her lollipops?”

I froze, panic–stricken, looking at Stella. “Don’t be fooled by him! He’s a murderer, and he’s just pretending!”

Colin didn’t speak, only lowered his head.

“Colin, come with us. If you want to find Phoebe, we hope you’ll cooperate,” Robin signaled his colleagues to not frighten Colin, speaking in a gentle tone.

I watched Colin intently, scrutinizing his face. “Liar… Hypocrite!”

Several female officers stepped forward to escort Colin to the car, averting their eyes bashfully at his looks. “Hard to believe, he’s as handsome as a movie star.”

Colin kept his head down, submitted without resistance, and sat quietly in the corner of the police car, looking at the lollipops in his hand.

He played the part well, his long lashes quivering, even I was beguiled for a moment, wondering.

Chap 35

if my memories before death had been a hallucination.

“What are you trying to do?” I mustered courage and sat next to Colin in the car. “Why did you kill me?”

Colin kept his head down, silent.

“What do you want? What do you gain from killing?” I questioned, as much to myself as to him. “Why kill me?”

Suddenly, Colin looked up, his gaze Intense as he stared in my direction. His sudden movement startled me, and I nervously looked around.

The fervor in Colin’s eyes slowly faded as he lowered his head once more, returning to silence.

“Colin, how did you know the killer would leave the body at the old orphanage?” Robin asked softly, cautious not to agitate him.

But Colin remained silent.

I frowned at Colin.

How did he know?

Because he was the murderer!

“Colin, if you don’t cooperate, it’s going to be hard to find Phoebe,” Robin sighed. “You know Phoebe, right? You don’t want her to die, do you?”

Colin lifted his head, looking at Robin.

“The orphanage…” he said hoarsely, just the two words.

Robin looked at Colin for a long while before turning to his colleague. “Get to that old orphanage!”

The car headed towards the dilapidated orphanage, a twenty–minute drive away.

To my surprise, Dexter and his crew were also there.

Wasn’t he at the wedding?

Not getting married?

“Officer Robin, we found an eyewitness from the night of the 15th,” Hank said nervously. “They saw someone dragging a large suitcase down Tangle Lane towards the orphanage.”

Robin approached an old scavenger for questioning. “You saw it?”

“Some guy dragged a big trash can over here. I usually pick up all the trash in that area, so I remember it clearly,” the old man said, somewhat annoyed, feeling that his territory had been encroached upon.

Robin turned back to his colleagues. “How far is it from Tangle Lane to here?”

15:03

Suddenly, Colin sped towards a boarded–up small door in the wall that led directly to Tangle

Lane.

Robin and his colleagues exchanged glances and hurried after him.

The main entrance to the orphanage was far from places like Nocturne Club, but this back door led straight to Tangle Lane and from there to Nocturne.

“Call in the police, surround the orphanage, and conduct a thorough search.”

In the underbrush near Robin, they found traces of blood and torn clothing.