❛𝐃𝐎𝐍'𝐓 𝐁𝐄 𝐒𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐃, 𝐈'𝐌 𝐉𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐀 𝐌𝐔𝐑𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐑...❜ | 𝐍𝐨.𝟐

Chapter 18- The Breakthrough...

(MENTIONS MURDER)
My eyes bug out of my skull at the theory Emma's miraculous mind conjured up just last night.

"Tell me that it doesn't make sense."

"I mean, it kind of does..."

"The bush daises didn't do it, or he wanted to make sure the deed was done. Only hearing one gunshot would make sense because well, it was for Melanie. But we know it wasn't because it was for Victor...so he took her into the soundproof Greenhouse to finish the job. You didn't see where he dragged the body to, did you?"

"No...it was really dark outside, everything beyond the conservatory was pitch black."

"What happened to the gun?"

"He took it off me...but i am unaware as to if he used that one or not. I was forced to leave before anything could happen. He might've returned to the house after taking her to the Greenhouse to shoot her."

"There's no other reason why he'd have a gun in the house if he had his own security team. It all makes sense...if we go to Victor's house now, i bet i could get him to fess up."

"Are you sure? I- i don't want you to get hurt again..."

"I won't, because i'll have backup."

She slips her phone out of her back pocket and dials a number. "Elijah? I need back up in Oxford, and i need it now." she grabs her keys briefly and yanks the front door open, waiting for me to abide to it.

"Well? You coming?"

"Is that allowed?"

"Not necessarily. But we've spent too much time for you not to see him get taken down. You in or out?"

I answer her by swiping the keys from her hand and existing the door. "I'm driving."

My power and speed excels compared to the last time i drove to my hometown, two police cars following closely behind. "What if we can't do it?"

"Let's make a little bet, huh? If i can break him down in less than ten minutes, i get to blindfold you and do whatever the hell i want to you tonight."

My mouth tilts upwards in a smirk, sharp as a knife. "I'll take that bet...and if you don't break him down, you have to..." i circle my mind with all the possibilities, all the ways i could torture her for my own delight.

"You have to be strapped to the 'X' and forbidden to come for thirty minutes."

"Thirty?! There's no way i can do that!"

"Then you better win your little bet."

"Okay, then. It's a deal." i lean over and kiss her to seal it, and then make the rest of the drive that's going to determine the rest of my life.

Instead of knocking politely, Emma bangs her fist on the front door of my childhood house. "Police, open up!"

My dad yanks the door open, "What the hell is going o-" he stops short when he sees me behind Emma, a bold look on my face. "Lauren."

"Hi, dad."

"What is this? I haven't seen you in years."

"Mr Thorne, me and my team would like you to come to the station immediately."

"Why? What have i done?"

"Victor Thorne, i am arresting you on suspicion of the murder in Melanie Thorne that occurred on the 10th of April 2002. You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence. Do you understand?"

By the look on his face, he knew it was a long time coming. Elijah cuffs him and dips his head down into the cop car.

Emma was right. We've spent too much time trying to take him down to miss this.

I wasn't allowed in the interview room for obvious reasons, but they permitted me to watch the scene unfold through a surveillance camera. I set my timer for 10 minutes. Let's see how this goes down...

Emma's POV:
The most fun part of interviewing a suspect; intimidation.

I pull the chair backwards, a loud screeching sound echoing through the mortared room.

Before sitting down, i apply pressure on my finger, perching it on the table as a way of trying to intimidate.

I cross my arms and lean back, tilting my head and biting the inside of my cheek.

"Mr Thorne, can you explain to me why the security cameras-"

"I have told you! They cut the wires!"

"Let. Me. Finish." my harsh tone ceases his rupture. I pull out my laptop and show him the new evidence that came through half an hour ago. It should have been used when the case was originally opened, but Victor bribed his way out of it.

We should have obtained it quicker, but better late than never.

"Is this or is this not you, Mr Thorne, dragging a lifeless corpse into your Greenhouse hidden under a black tarp?" his lawyer sighs heavily and pushes her glasses up onto her head.

"My client has never been a suspect of this crime. Why is he now?"

Completely ignoring her, i carry on, "Well? This footage was picked up by a security tape. Which means the wires couldn't have been cut. After trying to kill your spouse with Bush Daises which she was severely allergic to, you scuttled her body down to your soundproof Greenhouse to shoot her dead to finish the job."

"That's not true!"

"You took her to the Greenhouse because you knew that if everyone only heard one gunshot, they'd think that's how Melanie died...but i know where that gunshot came from, Mr Thorne. And it wasn't aimed for your wife, it was aimed for you."

"I told you that!"

"You told me that you and your wife were shot on the same night, which you were. But that gunshot was from your daughter, wasn't it?"

"No, shut up!"

"So you thought you got lucky, you thought that people would have believed that that was how Melanie died, so no one would suspect you!"

"It's all lies!" i stand up, resting my palms down on the table.

This ends, and this ends now.

"Your daughter saw you drag her lifeless body out of the conservatory and into the Greenhouse, where you used your great grandfathers army rifle to finish the job!"

"Victor, you don't have to say anything."

"After that, you bribed your workers to keep schmuk and you also threatened your daughter Lauren that if she retold the events of that night that same thing would happen to her, didn't you?! Didn't you?!"

"No i goddamn didn't!"

"Why did you do it, huh? Did she add that much more happiness in the world you just had to destroy? Couldn't you bare to see your children happy with their lives?!"

"They weren't happy!"

"And how do you know that?! You were the one who took their mother away from them, you were the one who made them miserable!"

"That's not true!"

"Why isn't it true?!"

"Because my son killed her!"

I step back, breathing heavily into my chest. "I- i..."

Shock radiates around my body at the new information. Three years. Three years i've been taking apart every bit of Victor's life, when really i should have been taking apart Rhett's.

What a twist in the tale.

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I can't wait to share the ending with you all, so be prepared 🫶🏼