chest.
Robert cried out in horror. “No!”
Amanda’s body started tumbling backwards, but Morgan grabbed
her by the shoulders and acted as a counter weight, pulling Amanda down on top
of her.
By the time Robbie dashed into the room, Morgan was
struggling to get Amanda’s body off.
“Jesus!” she grunted. “Your mom attacked me! She tried to
get the gun away, and it just went off.”
Morgan rolled slowly to her knees, then looked up at Robbie,
her eyes actually tearing up, her lips in an exaggerated frown. “I’m so sorry,
Robbie. I didn’t mean for this to happen.” She even bowed over Amanda lifeless
body sprawled on the floor and brushed a lock of hair out of her face. “Please
forgive me.”
Furious, Amanda sat up. “What are you talking about? You
shot me!”
She slapped at Morgan’s hands before scrambling to her feet.
“How could you be so stupid?” Amanda shouted as she stomped
toward Robbie. “Didn’t you realize what she was going to do?”
But Robbie stared right through her.
“Why would she try to fight you?” he asked Morgan.
“I guess those diamonds meant more to her than you did.
Maybe she thought if she got the gun, she could get her precious jewels back.”
“Who do you think you are?” Wheeling around, Amanda charged
at Morgan but instead of knocking her down, she passed right through her. The
sensation made her so dizzy, she tottered.
She gripped her head, like she was trying to stop the
spinning. Her eyes roamed from Robbie, to Morgan, and then at her hands.
Shaking her head, she glanced back up and for the first time, Amanda saw
Robert.
Her jaw slowly sank, her eyebrows tightened into a furrow.
“Oh, no,” she whispered, her hands flailing to wave him
away. “You can’t be here.”
“I’m sorry, Amanda.”
“No!” she shouted. She swung an arm to club Morgan, but it
never made contact. She screamed Robbie’s name but he didn’t hear.
With a groan, she faced Robert. “I can’t be dead.”
He shrugged and took a step in her direction to offer some
comfort, but she backed away.
“You bastard!” she said. “This is all your fault!”
“My fault!? You’re the one who let him get away with
murder.” Robert bobbled his head at the obvious pun.
“You think this is funny?” she screeched as she slowly
turned her head to survey the carnage.
Robert wanted to cry. “No, I think this is a tragedy.
Robbie’s whole life has been one big mistake.”
“Hey!” Amanda charged at him. “Someone had to take
responsibility for our children. God knows you were never around to help.”
“Don’t give me that shit. I tried plenty of times to help.
And you always overrode my decisions. Or cut me down. Made me look like an ass
in front of my kids.”
“Oh, please.”
“Nothing I ever did made you happy.”
Amanda’s face scrunched into that familiar smirk she always
used when she wanted to demean him.
“Like the Christmas tree,” he said. “You’d bitch if I didn’t
help. But when I did, you always criticized how I hung the lights, or where I
put the ornaments. Don’t you think I knew that you came along behind me and
changed them all? And it was right in front of Robbie and Rachel.”
“I really don’t think Robbie hated you because you couldn’t
decorate a tree.”
“He hated me because you hated me!” Robert jabbed a finger at her. “And in all these years, I’ve never
been able to understand why. You cringed when I tried to touch you. You mocked
me in front of our friends. Hell, you even criticized the way I wore my hair.
You poked fun of the way I flossed my teeth!”
He swept an arm toward Martin’s body on the bed. “How does
lover boy floss his teeth? Do you get all wet watching him flick last night’s
roast beef onto the mirror?”
But she was no longer listening to Robert. Her sorrowful
eyes stared at Martin’s bloody corpse.
“Speaking of which, where is Martin?” Robert looked around
the room. Martin was nowhere to be
Robert cried out in horror. “No!”
Amanda’s body started tumbling backwards, but Morgan grabbed
her by the shoulders and acted as a counter weight, pulling Amanda down on top
of her.
By the time Robbie dashed into the room, Morgan was
struggling to get Amanda’s body off.
“Jesus!” she grunted. “Your mom attacked me! She tried to
get the gun away, and it just went off.”
Morgan rolled slowly to her knees, then looked up at Robbie,
her eyes actually tearing up, her lips in an exaggerated frown. “I’m so sorry,
Robbie. I didn’t mean for this to happen.” She even bowed over Amanda lifeless
body sprawled on the floor and brushed a lock of hair out of her face. “Please
forgive me.”
Furious, Amanda sat up. “What are you talking about? You
shot me!”
She slapped at Morgan’s hands before scrambling to her feet.
“How could you be so stupid?” Amanda shouted as she stomped
toward Robbie. “Didn’t you realize what she was going to do?”
But Robbie stared right through her.
“Why would she try to fight you?” he asked Morgan.
“I guess those diamonds meant more to her than you did.
Maybe she thought if she got the gun, she could get her precious jewels back.”
“Who do you think you are?” Wheeling around, Amanda charged
at Morgan but instead of knocking her down, she passed right through her. The
sensation made her so dizzy, she tottered.
She gripped her head, like she was trying to stop the
spinning. Her eyes roamed from Robbie, to Morgan, and then at her hands.
Shaking her head, she glanced back up and for the first time, Amanda saw
Robert.
Her jaw slowly sank, her eyebrows tightened into a furrow.
“Oh, no,” she whispered, her hands flailing to wave him
away. “You can’t be here.”
“I’m sorry, Amanda.”
“No!” she shouted. She swung an arm to club Morgan, but it
never made contact. She screamed Robbie’s name but he didn’t hear.
With a groan, she faced Robert. “I can’t be dead.”
He shrugged and took a step in her direction to offer some
comfort, but she backed away.
“You bastard!” she said. “This is all your fault!”
“My fault!? You’re the one who let him get away with
murder.” Robert bobbled his head at the obvious pun.
“You think this is funny?” she screeched as she slowly
turned her head to survey the carnage.
Robert wanted to cry. “No, I think this is a tragedy.
Robbie’s whole life has been one big mistake.”
“Hey!” Amanda charged at him. “Someone had to take
responsibility for our children. God knows you were never around to help.”
“Don’t give me that shit. I tried plenty of times to help.
And you always overrode my decisions. Or cut me down. Made me look like an ass
in front of my kids.”
“Oh, please.”
“Nothing I ever did made you happy.”
Amanda’s face scrunched into that familiar smirk she always
used when she wanted to demean him.
“Like the Christmas tree,” he said. “You’d bitch if I didn’t
help. But when I did, you always criticized how I hung the lights, or where I
put the ornaments. Don’t you think I knew that you came along behind me and
changed them all? And it was right in front of Robbie and Rachel.”
“I really don’t think Robbie hated you because you couldn’t
decorate a tree.”
“He hated me because you hated me!” Robert jabbed a finger at her. “And in all these years, I’ve never
been able to understand why. You cringed when I tried to touch you. You mocked
me in front of our friends. Hell, you even criticized the way I wore my hair.
You poked fun of the way I flossed my teeth!”
He swept an arm toward Martin’s body on the bed. “How does
lover boy floss his teeth? Do you get all wet watching him flick last night’s
roast beef onto the mirror?”
But she was no longer listening to Robert. Her sorrowful
eyes stared at Martin’s bloody corpse.
“Speaking of which, where is Martin?” Robert looked around
the room. Martin was nowhere to be
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