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It all happens quickly, before any of them have a chance to react. Romilly hears a noise from Marsh. It’s not a cry, but a quiet moan, a rush of air escaping from his lungs. She turns, looking at him. His face has changed from weary despair to surprise, his eyes wide, his mouth open. His gaze meets Romilly’s; his body seems to weaken. His legs collapse as he drops to his knees.
And she’s there. Behind him.
She’s wearing a blue polo shirt and black trousers. Heavy boots. It looks like a cop’s uniform, but Romilly assumes it’s the one worn by civilians, crime scene techs off duty. She meets Romilly’s gaze, and a smile appears on her dry, cracking lips.
“I knew you’d be up here,” Maggie says. “Adam used to talk about smoking on the roof.”
Her face is pale and gaunt. The mere sight of her makes Romilly’s heart jump, a ball of panic forming in her chest.
She’s alone. So where’s Adam? And is he still alive? the voice in her head screams.
What’s she doing here? To have the gall to turn up. In the middle of a police station. She’s insane, crazy. She’s your half sister. The words spin and blur in Romilly’s head, feeling surreal. And then she sees the knife.
Gripped tightly in Maggie’s right hand, the blade is covered in blood. Marsh’s blood. Romilly’s gaze flicks quickly to the concrete, where Marsh is now lying, motionless. As a doctor, she wants to go to him, but she doesn’t dare move. She puts one hand in front of her, the other grips her phone.
“Maggie, there’s no way out from here,” she says slowly. “You’re in a police station. Put the knife down before it all gets ugly.”
“I don’t want a way out.” Maggie laughs, and Romilly sees the girl from over twenty years ago. “I need to do what he asks.”
“Who? Cole?”
“He told me all about you. You don’t remember me, do you?”
“We used to play together,” Romilly replies. “At the surgery, after school.”
“We did. I was so jealous of you—did you know that? That you were his daughter, that you got to spend time with him. I didn’t even know, then, that I was his child too. And you betrayed him!” she shouts. “How could you?”
“He was a killer. He murdered those women.”
She smiles again. “Don’t pretend you’re so innocent, Romilly Cole. That you weren’t involved—”
“I wasn’t—”
Maggie laughs loudly, cutting her off. Romilly looks from her to the exit. She needs to get help. But Maggie is still waving the knife; there’s no way she can overpower her.
“Where’s Adam, Maggie?” Romilly asks. She’s forcing her voice to stay calm, but she needs to know. Has to know. “Is he still alive?”
“Maybe. Perhaps. How much blood is left in his body by now, Romilly?” Romilly doesn’t reply. Doesn’t know what to say that will mean this woman will tell her where he is. Maggie’s face turns to anger. “You should know! You’re a doctor! How much?”
“I-I don’t know,” Romilly stutters. She makes herself think, remember her medical training. “The average male has seventy-five milliliters per kilo, so … I don’t know. I don’t know, Maggie!” she pleads, desperately. “Please just tell us where he is.”
But Maggie just laughs. “You can’t have him back. He’s mine forever. You took Elijah away from me. I’m taking your precious Adam.”
“That’s all this is?” Romilly spits out the words, disbelieving. “Petty revenge?”
“Petty? Petty? You took my father away from me! You put him in jail! I lived my whole life not realizing who he was. And now I know, I need to make him proud. But I’ll never be allowed back. I’ll never see him again. And if I can’t have Elijah, then you can’t have Adam. You had everything. You grew up with him—cozy dinners around the table, goodnight kisses before bed. Do you know what I had?”
“You had your mother! And an adopted father who loved you.”
“My mother? The woman who discarded me at birth? I grew up feeling out of place, that something was wrong with me. But it was because of them. Dad—Robert,” she spits, “claimed to love me, but they were never honest. Elijah wrote to me. Five years ago. He told me.”
“That he was your father?”
“And the rest. What they did to me. My foster parents. That they … That they had …” She screws her eyes shut for a moment, her face a mask of pain. Romilly takes a step forward, but then she opens them again. Brandishes the knife. “Once I knew, everything made sense,” she continues, her voice breaking. “Elijah understands. I’d always known we had a special bond, but I didn’t know why until then. My purpose. Elijah’s the only person who’s ever loved me. And you took him away.”
“So kill me, Maggie! If I’m the one you hate. Kill me.”
Maggie laughs. “Dad would never forgive me if I touched a hair on his darling daughter’s head. But his son-in-law? That’s fair game.”
