Reborn In a Murderer’s Embrace ( Dexter )
Chapter 169

Chapter 169

“Betrayal?” I feigned calm, my voice barely a whisper. “Of course not…”

James exhaled in relief. “I know, right? It just doesn’t add up. You doing something like that?

No way.

Sweat gathered in my palms. I clenched my fists. “James, has Mister… Mister given any new orders?”

Who was this “Mister“?

“The recent ventures have hit a snaq,” James said with a heavy sigh. “Mister’s requests have been denied left and right. Some of the kids even got roughed up. Funding’s dried up, and we

that can’t locate their biological parents. Mister said you’ve married into high society now, you’re all about getting rich and don’t care for the kids anymore. That you’re about to turn your back on us.”

“Kids?” I echoed without thinking.

I was lost.

What was James talking about?

“You know, the children we rescued from those trafficking rings. We made some enemies, and just yesterday, they smashed Mister’s windows,” James said, clearly shaken. “Those folks have gone mad.”

I stared at James for a long while. Foebe, James, and Mister had been rescuing trafficked children?

A charity?

Foebe’s secrets always managed to surprise me.

“James, I’m sorry, but I’ve been out of sorts lately. I was sick, and when I woke up, I couldn’t remember much. It took me a while to seek you out. If I’ve caused any delays.” I said, guilt–ridden.

James waved it off. “So that’s what it was. I was wondering. I’ll explain things to Mister. It’s all good.”

“About Mister…”

sa

“He’s a good guy,” James reassured me. “He never complained when he supported both of us back in the day, and now he’s totally devoted to these kids. We have to help if we can.”

He paused, and then his tone shifted. “But Foebe, why on earth did you suddenly tie the knot. with that Langley… psycho?”

James eyed me warily. It was clear that the mention of Colin made him nervous.

“I’ve got to tell you… he might be a murderer,” he whispered cautiously.

09:41

1 feigned ignorance. “Why’s that?”

Why would he think Colin was a murderer?

“It’s a long story” James said, scratching his head. “You know I’m an orphan too. I was adopted by a couple in my teens. Then they went bankrupt, and life’s been tough. Thank God for Mister.”

“I knew that psycho back in the orphanage. He used to be a prodigy, then he snapped,” he added vaguely.

“James, the reason I came to see you today was to learn more about Colin,” I said earnestly.

At the reunion, I could tell he had some leadership skills. He was involved in charity, too, so he couldn’t be all bad.

But what really happened back in that orphanage?

“You’ve heard about the serial killings, right? Victims are from our orphanage,” James said, meeting my gaze.

I nodded. “Aren’t you scared? They say the murderer’s targeting orphans specifically”

“Hey, I live by the rule: if you don’t do anything wrong, you’ve got nothing to fear,” James said confidently. 1 never hurt them, so why would they come after me?”

He paused, a dark look crossing his face. “Those who died had it coming.”

I looked at James, curiosity written all over my face.

“The first to go was this girl named Fanny, the ringleader in our class. She used her seniority to bully others. If anyone crossed her, they paid for it,” James said, glancing around. “She was the first victim. The news said her death was gruesome, her stomach filled with worms. She suffered.”

I swallowed hard. I had heard the first victim’s death was particularly brutal. By the time the police found her, the worms had left her unrecognizable.

“I saw her in the orphanage. She forced Carter to eat worms,” James whispered, his voice. dropping.

“Carter was brilliant, a late arrival, skinny and weak. Fanny loved to bully him, strip him bare, and let bugs bite him.”

James was a witness. But why hadn’t he shared any of this with the police?

With Robin’s skills, he must have approached James.