Chapter 65 Chapter 64

The car bumped along the narrow lane, and I tried to avoid the biggest pebbles and potholes in the road.I finally have a decent car instead of the stupid beetle that Robert bought me and while it was beautiful it was the least practical car for a woman with three young kids .I still remember my horror when Robert appeared with the car, luckily he interpreted my gaping mouth into awe and delight. "Damn it, Liv, can't you be more careful? If you drive me around again, you'll send me back to the goddamn hospital." I laughed out loud, it was great to be with my friends, unfortunately Sophie had to undergo another round of surgery on her leg and Robert's attack had done her more damage than the doctors had thought.But she said she would not miss today anyway.She knows how much I need her.

We came to the end of the trail and it was time to get out and face the early November weather. In the swamp in November, there is a thin layer of drizzle hanging in the air, and the raindrops seem to be suspended in the air.I shuddered, with a sense of grandeur in the desolation of the Shadwoods swamp. Standing here, we can hardly believe that we are so close to Manchester.The only signs of life are distant sheep and scattered stone farmhouses hidden in protective hollows.There were no trees on the slopes at this height, but the ground was covered with grass interspersed with patches of naked peat, forming a green and brown carpet interspersed with faded purple heather.

"How far do we have to go?" Sophie asked me, reaching for her crutches in the back seat. "Not very far," I replied, hoping I remembered correctly.My conscience does not want to bring more harm to Sophie. "Are you sure you're here?" she asked. To be honest, I'm not sure, but it should be more or less close.We started walking away from the path, into the swamp and up a wooden fence. "Do you think he's coming?" I asked Sophie.I was nervous about meeting him, but should let him come. "He said he'd come, and he's never let you down before, has he?" Sophie plopped down on the soft ground, clearly not minding the moisture that must have penetrated her jeans. "Do you want to be alone for a while?" she asked.

But I don't want to be alone.I just want to wait and see if he will come. We waited in silence, maybe we both listened to that silence. Finally, we heard the sound of tires crunching over the rocks in the uneven pavement in the distance.A pheasant in the bushes made a commotion after being disturbed, and its loud and harsh cry startled me. The car was parked behind my car, and a man got out of the car, slamming the door behind him.I gasped. He had left his hair down to his shoulders, curling slightly at the ends in the humid air.At that moment, I believed that there are really incredible things in the world.

Sophie struggled to her feet. "You found us!" she yelled. He nodded, but looked at me, carefully examining my face to see if I was all right. "How are you doing, Liv? I haven't seen you in months. Come here." He opened his arms. I don't need him to yell again.My throat constricted and I could barely speak. "Thank you for coming, Samir." My voice cracked when I said the name.I almost called him Dan.I am very grateful to this man - as much to him as to Sophie. "I don't know what to say to the two of you, how to thank you for everything you've done."

"He's my brother, Liv. Otherwise, what else would you think?" Samir said.Although so many years have passed, his trauma has not healed. "And you're my best friend," Sophie interjected. "We can't let you do this alone. I almost screwed it up when that stupid woman got my picture taken." "But you didn't. In a way, Robert's reaction to that photo made it all more plausible. It's very dangerous for both of you," I said, and I knew it It's true, "What if..." "Shhh," Samir said, lifting his finger to my lips, "Robert has been under arrest for five months, he's been convicted of murder, and no one has come to grab me for a DNA sample. They won't now Do that, and you won't have to worry."

I distanced myself slightly from Samir and nodded.I don't know if it's going to be all right, but the kids have to be protected for life. "Can we go?" I said. "I don't think it's very far." We started walking, eager to get there.But at the same time, this final confirmation of death is unbearable. "Why do you think Robert buried him here?" Samir asked. It's hard for me to explain clearly, but I'll do my best. "Robert has no imagination. He has always been interested in the swamp murders, especially the fact that the body of the last victim, Keith Bennett, has never been found. I was pregnant with Billy about seven years ago. He took me here when I was 11, and said a walk would do us both good. We stopped a little way off here, and I was tired, and sat down on a rock. Robert began to tell about Murder in the Swamp."

I don't know if I can continue to tell this story in this state.But Samir needed to know what happened to his brother, and I couldn't avoid the facts. "I remember a sentence he said, I remember every word of it: 'I wonder how many bodies are buried here, and you might be standing on top of one of them right now.' It sounded creepy. , but he was laughing." I looked at Samir and then at Sophie and knew they were beginning to understand Robert's twisted mind.I stretched out my hands wordlessly.Samir grabbed one of them, Sophie grabbed the other, giving each of them an encouraging light shake.

"When did you realize he killed Dan and your parents?" Samir asked. "When did you figure it out?" I looked at Sophie and gave her a small smile.This is all I started to understand when I saw her again, almost two years ago.From the moment she told me that Robert was the scary man, everything became clear. "When Sophie said she had seen you and you hadn't heard from Dan since he left me, I knew Dan must be dead. Dan loved you so much, Samir. He would never be with you, And the rest of your family is cut off. I never thought of my parents' death as an accident."

At that moment, I couldn't speak, so Sophie continued for me. "I asked Liv to think through everything, from the first day she met Robert. He knocked on her door when she told me the apartment was going up for sale within hours. And when I bought it without saying anything, I knew it wasn't a coincidence. And then he drove off in his goddamn car when Liv's parents died, and she had no memory of telling him where they lived , so we began to suspect everything from the moment he introduced himself charmingly, all the way to the night when he threatened to kill the children."

"What about Dan?" Samir asked again, his soft brown eyes looking at me like his brother. "I found out that Robert knew more about Dan than he should have and the first substantial evidence I got was hearing Robert tell Jaz that her father had fled to Australia. I never told Robert about it , I didn't tell anyone because I was ashamed that Dan left me and the kids and walked away. The police knew about it and I told you two later, never to anyone else. Robert must have killed got Dan, got on the train with Dan's cell phone and credit card. Poor Jaz, Robert has no right to tell her about that." "Then how is my daughter?" Samir asked sullenly. I closed my eyes for a moment, ashamed of the lie, but I had no choice.I silently prayed and apologized to Danash and turned to his brother. "Oh God, I'm so sorry, Samir. I didn't want to go this far." Samir laughed. "I'm kidding Liv. I'd be proud if she really was my daughter. I've told my wife everything and she's done a great job dealing with the police and has her full support .” I gave him a worried look.I always believed Samir knew what was safe, but he took the biggest risk.He drew his own blood slowly, pint by pint, for several days in preparation for the murder scene.We thought throwing Samir's old gloves into Dan's belongings box would be enough DNA evidence for the police, but it's also possible they'd test Jaz's DNA so they'd know the blood came from her uncle, so that lie necessary.I know Dan will forgive me for telling this lie. Every step we take has many potential risks.What if Mrs. Preston recognized that the man who stepped out of the car at midnight was taller than Robert?We hope that the emergency lights will dazzle Samir's eyes when she goes that way, but there are many, many factors to do with the skill of the police and the level of gossip of the neighbors. I let out a long breath.It looked like it was over and we were finally able to sleep soundly at night. I let go of Samir's hand, grabbed his arm, and pulled him closer so my head rested on his shoulder.If I close my eyes, just for a split second, I can imagine him as Dan. "I think we're there, or as close as I can guess. This is pretty much where Robert asked me to stand and imagine what might be under my feet, and knowing his twisted thoughts, we shouldn't be Too far away." I looked at them both in turn. Sophie gave me a sentimental smile, and Samir just nodded. I opened the bag, pulled out a white rose, brought it close to my lips, gave it a quick kiss and then knelt down, laying it softly on the wet ground, feeling Samir's hand on my shoulder incoming temperature. "To you, my dear Dan. For all that you have been, for what you have meant to me, and for our beautiful daughter. I am sorry to have ever doubted your love."