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"Really?" Amelia raised an eyebrow. "I thought it was 'never pays for dinner'."
"Ah, you got me there." Finn chuckled, letting his playful nature shine through for a moment. The seriousness of the situation quickly took hold again, and he continued in a hushed tone. "But seriously, I think we need to see for ourselves what's going on with that east wing. If there's a chance it's connected to these murders..."
"Agreed," Amelia nodded decisively, her red hair shimmering under the harsh police station lights. "We should grab some torches and head out as soon as possible. We'll need to avoid security there."
"Perfect," Finn replied, feeling the urgency of their mission weigh heavily on his broad shoulders. He was determined not only to solve this case but also to protect Amelia from any danger they might encounter.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Finn felt the car grumble beneath him in the dark. The tires of Finn's borrowed car crunched over the gravel as they approached Castle St Martins. The rain had ceased, leaving a cold, somber air in its wake. He glanced at Amelia, who sat next to him, her fiery red hair contrasting with the gloomy atmosphere surrounding them. She seemed lost in thought, checking her watch several times during their drive.
Finn was still worried about her. Something was eating her up, but it only made itself known in the quiet times, like the train journey to Cornwall that morning.
As the clock struck midnight, Amelia let out a sigh, shaking her head before turning her gaze toward the dark landscape outside the window. Finn couldn't help but notice her unease.
"Amelia," he said, his voice tinged with concern. "I'm worried about you."
"I'm fine, Finn," she replied, offering a halfhearted smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
"Look, you've been acting strange a few times today, and it seems like you were just trying to get through the day." Finn hesitated for a moment, searching her face for any hint of what might be bothering her. "When I asked before, you said it was the time of year that was getting you down. I don't mean to pry, but I'm worried about you. Is it the anniversary of something?"
Amelia laughed softly, though it sounded more bitter than amused. "Can't get anything past you, can I? Yes... It's... It's the anniversary of my fiance's death."
"Ah, Amelia, I'm so sorry." Finn felt a pang of regret for bringing up such a painful subject. "I shouldn't have mentioned it."
She shook her head. "No, it's fine, really. It's just... difficult sometimes, especially around this time."
Finn nodded, understanding all too well the weight of grief and guilt that could settle on one's shoulders. He wanted to offer comfort, to tell her that he knew what it was like to have your heart ache for someone you'd lost. But instead, he focused back on the road, driving them closer to the looming shadow of Castle St Martins.
"Hey, Finn," Amelia said after a moment of silence. "Do you believe in cursed days?"
Finn raised an eyebrow, intrigued by the question. "Cursed days?"
“Yeah, you ever had a day that you felt was just rotten to the core? I'm curious if you've ever had a day like that.”
Finn's mind went back to the hostage situation that had all but scuppered his career. “Nancy Milligan. That day seems pretty cursed. I was tracking a serial killer named Max Vilne. He had Nancy in the penthouse of a fancy hotel. I was told to wait for backup. But I knew she'd have been dead by then. Vilne fought like a madman when I got there. The guy... He was stronger... Faster... He'd gotten the best of me, but I got lucky.”
“Lucky?” Amelia asked.
“Yeah,” Finn said. “Vilne used an incendiary device at one point and the building caught fire. Just as he was about to kill me, the fire brought the ceiling down on him. I... I don't remember much else. They told me I walked out of the flames carrying Nancy Milligan. I'm ashamed to say I wasn't too sad about leaving Vilne to die. But firefighters rescued him."
“You left him to die?” Amelia said, sounding surprised.
“I... I think so, I can't be sure,” Finn said. “You have to understand the things that man did to people. Murder, torture... He was the most twisted killer I ever came across. Smart, stronger than most, and with a deep desire to hurt as many people as he could. If I did leave him... I try not to feel bad about it."
“You shouldn't be too hard on yourself,” Amelia offered.
“Yeah, but... That day was a rotten one,” Finn said. “I don't know if I believe in curses, but it felt like it. That day hurt me professionally, it hurt me financially, it hurt me physically and mentally, and the stress of spending two years chasing Vilne before it may have driven Demi into the arms of another man. So yeah... But look at me, making things about myself. I was wanting to know what was going on with you, remember?”
Amelia nodded.
“Do you have a cursed day?” Finn asked, quietly.
"I did... I do... Ever since my fiance died, I've always felt like something terrible will happen on the anniversary," she admitted, her voice barely audible above the hum of the car's engine. "Like the day is destined to be filled with horrible events. Something else will happen... But it never does."
"Amelia, I'm not superstitious about that sort of thing," Finn replied, trying to reassure her as he navigated the winding roads leading to the castle. "But I know what it is to be haunted by the past. It doesn't take a cursed day for those feelings to surface."
She nodded, her gaze fixed on the dark countryside passing by. The somber atmosphere weighed heavily on them both, making Finn all the more determined to solve this case and bring some closure to Amelia.
