My Brother, The True Killer novel Chapter 6

I watched, helpless, as she burned the evidence I had risked my life to gather. She stuffed my remains into garbage bags, loaded them into her car, and prepared to escape.

I followed Lucas to the hospital, hoping he had finally seen through her facade.

But as soon as he regained consciousness, his first words were, "Where's Simone? Is she alright?"

"You should be worried about yourself!" the ME snapped. "You were unconscious, stabbed twice, and the doctor just confirmed you were drugged. Don't you find that alarming? What if Simone is responsible for this?"

Lucas's denial was instant and absolute. "Impossible!"

Tears welled up in my eyes. In Lucas's mind, there were two unshakeable truths: I was always the villain, and Simone was always innocent.

He showered her with the unconditional trust and love that should have been mine.

It was too late for regrets, for apologies. I just hoped he would wake up, see the truth before she escaped, and bring her to justice. For Mom, for Dad, for me.

But he continued to defend her.

"Even if I was drugged, it wasn't Simone. It must have been Lydia. She probably spiked my drink before running away, hoping to kill me!"

"And the stab wounds? I probably fell on something when I passed out. Just call Simone and tell her I'm okay. I don't want her to worry."

The ME rubbed his temples, his patience wearing thin. "You're delusional, Lucas. I can't force you to see the truth. But let's get back to the case. Based on your deductions, we've identified three neighborhoods with recent power outages: Beverly Hills, Malibu, and Downtown LA."

Lucas's eyes widened at the mention of Downtown LA, our neighborhood. But he quickly dismissed it. "The killer is probably in Beverly Hills. It's the closest to the dumping ground."