Carved in Stone: Monochrome Destiny (33 page)

When
James turned to Andrew there was something else in his gaze.  “I should
have taken what I needed then, but foolishly I waited.  I wanted to see
what would happen as you
grew
, as you matured, but
there was nothing, and by that time I was too late.”  James stepped
towards Andrew, taking his eyes completely off Robyn but not lowering the
gun.  She considered moving, but to where?  “I grew to care for you
and I couldn’t just take what I wanted then.  I needed you to give it.”

There
was silence as the two men faced each other, but it was Andrew who eventually
broke it.

“Everything
you do, have always
done,
has been about living,
living a long life and you don’t care who you step on along the way.”

“Isn’t
that what everybody wants?”

“Others
don’t kill for it.” The rage behind the brooding eyes was palpable.  Robyn
would have withered had it been focussed on her, but James stood firm.

“I
brought you here to gain your trust Andrew.  Helped you get a job, gave
you a house to live in and kept a watchful eye on you.  I waited for you
to come around.  There’s always time with you Andrew.  I hoped that
you would understand, help us where medicine could not, help keep the family
pledge to fix this.”

“Incredible.”
Was all Andrew could say in
response.
  His eyes
were now fixed on the deck.

“But
you stand, with her, against me.  I’m the closest thing you’ve ever had to
a father and you treat me with contempt.”

Andrew
slowly raised his gaze.  “You’ve never been my father.  You will
never be my father.  My real father may have been a great many things but
he was not a murderer.  You killed my mother.  You killed her so that
you could use me as your guinea pig.” Andrew took a step towards James. 
The rage surging through him had balled his fists tightly by his sides.

James
raised the gun and pressed it to Robyn’s face.  She took in a sudden
breath awaiting the impact, but he just kept the cold hard iron there, pressed
against the bridge of her nose.  Andrew stopped in his tracks.

“Can’t
you see why?” James hissed.

“Unfortunately,
I can.  I know what you expected and I am happy to disappoint you.”

“So,
there is no way you will join me?”

Andrew
snorted a small laugh, “No.”

“You
are such a disappointment.” James looked at Robyn down the barrel of the gun.

“Perhaps
not as much as you think.”  Andrew leapt at his grandfather with
lightening quick speed.  In a blink, the gun was gone.  It clattered
to the ground, as Andrew and James fell off the side of the boat.

Robyn
screamed as they both disappeared beneath the surface of the water.

Grabbing
the shotgun, she ran to the edge of the boat, looking into the inky black
water.  The disturbance where they two men had crashed through the surface
was undulating beneath her, but she could see nothing that would give the smallest
indication as to their whereabouts.  All she could see was her own
reflection, pale against the dark sea as the sun continued to rise.  How
long could Andrew hold his breath?

Robyn
pointed the gun at the water, ready for what came up and despised
herself
for the fear that shook the barrel.

He
could barely see as the water closed over his head.  He hadn’t been
thinking.  Pure rage drove him.  Knowing that this entire life had
been a lie had crashed through all his control and let the beast within
have
control.  That’s when he’d leaped for James and
taken him over the side.

Sinking
slowly, Andrew held James by the throat as the old man kicked and flailed in an
attempt to break free.  Andrew knew that James had no chance
here,
he was both faster and stronger than the twisted
bastard that pretended to be his family.  He gripped tighter, squinting
into the dark water and watching James’s eyes bulge as the last of his air
bubbled from his mouth.

Above
them, where the sky tried to brighten, Andrew saw Robyn lean over the side of
the boat.

Water broke over
his head and Andrew gasped for air before swimming to the back of the
boat.  Robyn followed on the surface of the deck and kicked the ladder
down but was then startled by noise coming from across the harbour.  She
raised the shotgun and watched in amazement as James clung to stone steps
across the harbour and pulled himself out of the water only to collapse,
sucking in air.

Robyn
stared at James as he lay across the steps and her finger tightened on the trigger. 
The shaking had stopped and she knew she wouldn’t miss.  She breathed
deeply and stared across the water into James’s eyes.

Andrew
stepped onto the deck and placed one hand over the barrel.

“He’s
not worth it.”

Robyn
didn’t turn.  She continued to stare at James, trigger ready.

“He
killed her.”  Why should James live when Kat couldn’t.

“Sanger
killed her.”  Andrew’s hand didn’t move.

“He
ordered it.”  She was shaking now, in anger.

“I
know, but you don’t want to live with this.”

Robyn
stilled.  Could she live with this?  Could she live with killing the
man?  Could she live without killing him, knowing what he had done?

“This
isn’t you.”  Andrew’s words reverberated through her as he pushed the
barrel down and away from James.  “And this isn’t me.”

The harbour was
silent.  The gate mechanism had stopped and the gate was now fully open,
folded down deep beneath the water.

Wet
and cold, Andrew took the controls as Robyn stood next to him.  He started
the engine and began to guide the boat away from its mooring.  The noise
of the boat ploughing slowly through the water pushed away the blanket of
silence that had covered the harbour and was strangely comforting.

Robyn
had a lot of questions.  James and Andrew’s conversation had left her
mostly confused but she couldn’t think about that until they were out of the
harbour and safe.

With
confident movements, Andrew lined the boat up for their final departure but, as
the vessel headed for the harbour gate Robyn saw movement out of the corner of
her eye.  Jane, having previously lain slouched, began to stir.  Her
hand rose to her face, to feel the hurt that Robyn had put there before she
rolled into a crouch and got unsteadily to her feet.  It was only when she
was standing that she noticed the movement of the boat and looked towards
them.  The expression on her face was a mixture of fear and rage. 
Robyn was glad that they held all the weapons.

George
was still flat on the ground, unmoving and Jane staggered across to him, but they
were little threat now and Robyn turned away.

Open
water stretched in front of them, freedom.

The
prow steadily moved through the narrow gateway as Andrew kept the boat dead
centre.  Robyn could see the channels, where the gate sat when closed and
they started to pass through them.  Abruptly, Robyn heard a noise.

Grinding,
scratching sounds surrounded them.  Muffled and softened, she knew
immediately what it was.  The keel was scraping across the sunken
gate.  She looked to Andrew.

He
tilted his head.  “It’s going to be tight.”

There
was no other means of escape.  The sun was up and the others would be upon
them again if they didn’t hurry.  James had gone, God knows, where. 
There were only damp steps to show where he had been.  George would be
waking soon, with Jane shaking him and slapping him, and David had had plenty
of time to fetch others and head back to the harbour.  They had to get out
of there, now.

Andrew’s
eyes met Robyn’s.  “It doesn’t go all the way down.  The gate doesn’t
sit on the bottom.  It lies a few feet above that to prevent
silting.  Damn, I was afraid of this.”

He
frowned, set his jaw and turned to the wheel.  Determination showed on his
face as the keel continued to scrape over the metal gate beneath the water.

The
boat gently rocked up and down upon the outgoing tide.  The sound stopped
as the tide lifted them up a fraction and cleared the keel, but then it resumed
when the tide dropped them back down and the keel hit the bottom, screaming as
it slid over the metal beneath them.  Robyn could even feel the boat
leaning slightly as the keel hit the unforgiving gate below them. Were they too
late?  Would there be enough time to clear the obstruction before they
were beached?

Each
wave that lifted them moved the boat forwards mere inches before it dropped
them on the gate once again.  With each drop the noise became louder as
the keel grated harder.  The tide was going out too fast and it wasn’t
just about getting across the hidden metal gate, but about doing it without
damaging the boat.

Time
was running out.

The
sun hung in the eastern sky as Robyn clutched Andrew’s arm and the keel once
again scraped bottom.  She turned away from the brightness, shading her
eyes but as she then looked at what stood on the harbour wall, mere feet from
their position, she knew that it was all over.

Standing
over them, his wiry figure black against the morning sun, Douglas Sanger stood
like the angel of death, shotgun in hand, ready to pull the trigger.

There
was no time to duck, to fight, to pick up James’s gun and try to get a shot
off.  Robyn had no doubt that Sanger would pull the trigger and neither
did Andrew.

Andrew
grabbed her arm as the shot rang out and pulled her away from Sanger and down
to the deck.  The sharp crack rang out across the harbour disturbing the
quiet of the morning even as Robyn fell.

With
wide eyes, Robyn stared at Sanger as Andrew pulled her down and she was stunned
to see Sanger’s body first jerk with an impact and then fall backwards just
before she hit the ground herself.

Then
all she could see was the wood of the deck and Andrew’s arms.

She
struggled to get up but Andrew held her fast, his body covering hers.

Andrew
rolled her over.  “Are you hit?”  He looked at her shocked face and
began to run his hands up and down her body, looking for damage, looking for
holes, for blood.

“Not
me, not me,” she kept saying as she struggled against him.  “It’s not me.”

Finally
the words sank in, and Andrew lifted his head to look over to the galley
door.  With his weight off of her, Robyn lifted herself onto hands and
knees and crawled to the bench seating behind her.  She knew what Andrew
would see as he stared at the harbour.  She knew that Sanger’s body lay
face up, on top of the harbour wall.  Instead of following him, she looked
the other way, behind them and over the stern.

Standing,
leaning against a wall with a rifle up to his shoulder, the sights fixed on
Sanger’s body, a man in boots, jeans and sweater kept to the shadows.  He
looked different, less formidable than when he wore a suit, but there was no
denying who their saviour was.  Robyn watched as Derek Ellis lowered the
rifle.

Dragging
herself up on the seat, she looked over the back of the boat and locked eyes
for the merest second with Derek; a man that had bullied and plagued her from
day one and she finally realised that all his loathing and hatred was not
directed at her, personally.  He had, in his own way, been trying to get
her to leave, to save her from the inevitable fate that had befallen Kat. 
Derek Ellis had saved them.

With
one swift bob of his head, Derek Ellis turned and walked away into the darkness
of the alley behind him and within seconds he was gone.

Giving
the boat all the power he had, Andrew drove them out to sea, the keel finally
having cleared the gate.  Only once, did Robyn look back at the shape of
Douglas Sanger lying on the harbour front.

They moved away
from
Porthmollek
and into the lulling ebb and flow of
the ocean.  Only when they were far away from land did Andrew stop the
engine and unfurl the sails. 

Rigging
set, sails taut in the wind, the boat moved smoothly, cutting a path swiftly
through the waves and Robyn didn’t know or care where they were heading. 
They were out, free, and safe, and that was something she hadn’t
expected. 

She
had been so sure in those hopeless seconds after she’d seen Sanger on the wall,
that he would shoot her or Andrew.  She was so relieved to be wrong, but
she could still hear the sharp bang of the shot echoing off of the
buildings.  She could still see Sanger’s body buckle.  Her legs gave,
adrenaline finally depleted.

Andrew’s
arm entwined around her before her knees hit the deck.  “It’s over.” He
lifted her gently and took her below.

Robyn
began to shake.  She could feel it, but couldn’t understand it as Andrew
walked through the galley to the bedroom.  The quakes took over her body
as he lay her down on the bed, the mattress soft beneath her.

“It’s
shock, Robyn.  Just breathe.”

She
tried to fight it but tensing only made the convulsions worse, so she did as
requested and breathed, deep and slow.

Andrew
stripped out of his wet clothing and pulled fresh from the built in
cupboards.  Grabbing a quilt he threw it over Robyn and lay down to hold
her and share his warmth.

Time
passed, as did the shaking.

“I
need to check your face, Robyn, to see if anything is broken.  It might
hurt a little.”

She’d
forgotten about her face, the cut and bruise insignificant to all else that had
followed.

“It’s
alright, doesn’t hurt so bad anymore.”  She felt drowsy and her eyes
dropped before she opened them again.

“Your
neck has stopped bleeding but it’ll need to be cleaned up.”

“Later,”
she sighed and moved to make herself more comfortable.  Her stomach
complained at the movement and she winced.

“What
is it?”  Andrew had sat up and was looking down on her.

“It’s
nothing.  It’s probably because of all the running, but my stomach’s been
killing me ever since James kicked me.”

Andrew
blinked.  “He kicked you in the stomach?”

“Yeah, right after he gave me the
shiner.
 
I knew I should have shot him.”  Her words were slurring as she lay warm
and comfortable.

Andrew’s
eyes narrowed.  “Let me see.”

Robyn
knew it was bad, but when Andrew unbuttoned her shirt to reveal a deep purple
bruise they were both shocked.

“Christ,
Robyn, it’s not alright, we’ve got to get you to a hospital.”

“No,
I’m fine, I just need rest. 
Just rest.”
 
She was so tired.

Andrew
ran his hand over her stomach and the dull ache subsided as the warmth flowed
into her tissues.  Robyn sighed, closed her eyes and closed her hand over
his to keep it there.

“God,
that’s so good.”

“I’m
sorry.”

Robyn’s
eyes flew open.  His voice had been filled with regret.  “None of
this is your fault.”  How could he blame himself?  He hadn’t known.

“I’m
more intricately involved in this than you know, than even I realised.” He sat
up pulling his hand away from her.  “James has been coveting something I
have, something I can’t give him, for years.”

Robyn
sucked in a deep breath.  She’d known since that day at the manor, when
she’d overheard their conversation, that Andrew had something James
wanted.  The conversation on the boat had only confirmed her suspicions,
but it had still left her wondering what that specific something was.  “I
heard what he said, but I don’t understand, Andrew.  You said your parents
died in a car accident but . . . Was he talking about your mother?”

“Yes. 
I’m sorry.  It’s been a story I have had no choice but to tell for years.”
Andrew turned away. “I need to tell you something, about me, about my
past.  It’s going to change everything.”

She
wanted to pull herself forwards and lay her head on his shoulder but had no
energy left.  “Nothing you could say will change the way I feel.” She
reached out to lay her hand on his back.  She meant every word.

“Lies,
Robyn.”  Andrew stood, backing across the room.  “Everything we’ve
been through has all been because of lies and secrets and there can’t be any
between us, not any more.  We’ve both seen how untruths fester and
destroy.”

Robyn
only nodded.  The anguish on his face had fear crippling her.  Her
heart hung on a precipice.

“It’s
time for the truth, Robyn.”  He took a deep breath and paused.  His
face was filled with pain.  “I need you to listen to what I have to
say.  I need you to listen to all of it and then decide.”

He
looked so serious, desperate even.  “Decide what, Andrew?”

“Decide
if you can stay, with me.  Decide if you can live with what I am about to
tell you.”

“Whatever
happened, Andrew, it’s in the past.  It won’t change how I feel.”

“We’ll
see.”

Robyn
had no fear of the future, as long as it was with Andrew.  She had no fear
of the past that they left in their wake.  She only hoped that Ellie had
managed to spread the truth to the people and had therefore managed to bring
down James’s empire.  She hoped that there would be justice for her
friend, even if that justice could never be enough, never truly compensate for
what had been done to her.

With
all that they had been through, Robyn knew that she was stronger and that she
could handle whatever it was that Andrew had to say.

“I
told you the story of my past. I told you of my upbringing.”

She
nodded as she remembered the conversation.

“It
was a lie, Robyn.  A lie that I have been forced to tell over and over
again.”

“A lie?”

“I
was supposed to stay away from you.  I should have, but there was
something drawing me to you, something I’d never felt before.  At first it
made me angry, afraid a little I guess, you were something I couldn’t have and
I found myself wanting.  You once called me rude.  You were right.”

“Andrew,
if I was particularly concerned about how you first treated me, I wouldn’t be
with you now.”  She sat up, wanting to go to him, to comfort him somehow
but he held a hand up to stop her.

“No, stay there.
  You have
to listen to it all.”  He took a deep breath.  “James Truscott is not
my step grandfather.  He’s my stepfather.  It was me who came here as
a child with my mother.  It was me who had been abandoned by my real
father, Alec
Obursen
.  It was me who thought
that his mother had then abandoned him and left him in James’s care.  It
was me who was farmed out to boarding schools across Europe.”

Andrew
paused while Robyn took all this in.

“James
killed my mother, Alison Fletcher.  He drew her here with promises of companionship
and love and safety for her and her child and he killed her.”  Robyn saw
the tension in his body when he uttered the words.  She saw him shut his
eyes in raw pain.  “She did nothing wrong.  She just wanted to
protect me, help me and he took advantage of her.”

 Robyn
shifted on the bed wanting to cross the room, but she stayed as instructed
whilst he continued.

“James
had all his bases covered.  He was making huge sums of money and had the
town believing everything he said.  He held the key to their survival in
his hand.  But he didn’t have one thing - longevity.  He couldn’t
stop the side effects from eventually killing them.  James wanted a way to
increase their lifespans, increase his lifespan, without having to tell anyone
the truth.  He wanted to be a saviour to them, a messiah.  He wanted
me, Robyn.  He lured my mother here with false promises.  He lured
her here, to her death because he thought that I held the answer to his
problem.  It’s always been about me.”

Robyn
was confused.  “I don’t understand.”

“I
wasn’t supposed to be with you, to have you, because I’m different.  I
should have stayed away because I can’t be good for you, for anyone, but I
couldn’t.”  Andrew took a step forwards.  “Look at me now,
Robyn.  What do you see?” Andrew asked with a sigh.

“I
see you, of course.” Robyn was puzzled by the question.

“Explain,
tell me more,
give
me details.” He insisted.

She
didn’t really know what he was getting at but played along “I see a man, tall,
with astonishing pale blue eyes.”

“Go
on,” he breathed deeply.

“Um,
he’s tall, six one, six two.  His hair, your hair, is black.  He is
in his mid to late twenties, lean build.”

“Stop
there.” Andrew took another step.  “Robyn,” his smooth tone spoke directly
to her soul.  Andrew knelt down in front of her and took both of her hands
in his.  “I came here as a child.”

“Yes,”
Robyn held his gaze with her own.

“I’m
not as I appear to be Robyn.
 
I came here
as a child in the Sixties.  Robyn, I’m 49 years old.”