Page 94 of Robin and Marian
“You’re so stupid!” she screamed.
Robin saw that Marian and Midge hadn’t moved. She’d frozen to the spot when he’d mentioned Guy. “Marian, get the sheriff. He’ll know what to do!”
His words seemed to wake her from a stupor and she nudged Midge so that they ran the opposite direction. If everything went according to plan, the sheriff would have Guy in his custody before the floats went in the water for the parade, but Robin wasn’t naïve enough to believe that it would be that easy. Nothing ever went according to plan.
The flashing lights and screams from the carnival rides followed Marian and Midge all the way down the pathway until they reached the secluded trail leading to the docks. It felt wrong being there. The shadows were long; a few torchlights shone against the still water. How had Alan seen the sheriff here on his way to the Blooming Tree?
Everything about that conversation with Alan made her uneasy. It was more than thinking he wasn’t good for Scarlett—he wasn’t—but he’d been slightly off. He’d stared too long. His speeches seemed too rehearsed. He’d had an excuse for everything. Since the moment he’d made his appearance, she’d felt a pit of apprehension digging into her stomach.
Robin had acted so fast that she hadn’t had time to piece it all together in her mind, but the closer she came to the docks, the more it hit her that they were basing every move on what Alan had told them, and she didn’t trust him. Not a bit.
As they reached the beach on the lake, Midge let out an excited cry at seeing the floats up so close. Their silhouettes made skeletons against the dark, lapping water, their magnificent structures of fake forests, Stonehenge, and other wonderlands created for faery creatures decorated in garish, colored tissue paper that flapped in the wind. He dodged around them, splashing through the puddles on the shore.
The water lapped up against Marian’s feet. It could be peaceful if she hadn’t been afraid of what lurked in the shadow of the trees. “Midge,” she whispered in sudden apprehension. “If I say hide, then just duck down behind that float.”
His whole back arched at that and he whipped around. “Let’s go,” he said.
“Yeah.” But it was too late. She circled. Ahead of her she saw the figure of the Green Man. His rigid features were only partially hidden by a gnarled green mask. Where the matted fur of his costume didn’t cover, his body was painted green. Guylookedterrifying, like a gremlin or an Orc. Marian’s white dress whipped around her in the wind. Somewhere she’d lost her crown, but the flowers were still in her hair.
She straightened, hoping that she somehow covered Midge from Guy’s sight. She didn’t say “hide,” but she moved her hand behind her back and prayed he knew that meant the same thing. She heard the small boy scramble behind the boat, and she breathed easier, but not much.
“Where were you?” Guy’s voice echoed over the water. “You didn’t wait for me.” He hadn’t texted her to find where she was either. None of this was right, like he’d planned this. She noticed that he carried a bow over his broad, bare shoulder, and arrows. It was something a crazy man would carry if he wasn’t bow hunting, but it would still kill her if he tried to use them against her.
“Marian.” He reached her. The green makeup cracked over the stretched skin of his eye that had swollen shut. His hand went to her hair. “I’m glad I waited. You look gorgeous as the May Queen.”
Her voice caught in her throat. She couldn’t tell if he had completely lost it or was being sarcastic.
“Did you get into my things again?” he asked. “My money’s gone, went straight to my charities.” When she didn’t answer, he broke into a smile. “Don’t worry. I can get it back,” he said this more gently. “You can tell me. Was that you?”
She shook her head, though she knew who had, and said the first thing that raced through her mind. “You tried to kill Scarlett.” It was her only defense.
“No, that’s not me… it’s Robin. He’s working with that weasel staying atmyestate.” She stepped back, but he followed her, matching her gait. “It wasn’t hard to figure out. He leaves screenshots of that cross everywhere—that’s how we knew he hacked my phone, so we played with him.” He snatched at her hands, all gentleness gone.
She panicked. “What are you doing?”
“You’re staying with me, Marian. Robin is a madman. He’s killed his sister to keep her from inheriting. He might kill you too. See?” He slid his arm around her neck and tugged at her hair.
“Stop!” she cried. This time he didn’t let her go. His mouth only tightened, and she saw a nerve play at the corner of his jaw as he yanked her around by her hair so viciously that she spun and stared across the still waters ahead. The silhouette of Little John’s sawmill towered over the line of trees in the distance. “The sawmill’s on fire.”
She didn’t see it.
He laughed low. “Oh, it’s not yet. My mistake. But when it is, Scarlett will be in there.”
With a cry, she spun away from his grasp and fumbled in her dress pocket for her phone. Guy easily plucked it from her hands and tossed it into the lake, where it splashed dully.
“I’ll keep you safe,” he said. “I’ve been working with the sheriff. We’re on to Robin. He’ll catch him. Come on, let’s go.” He clawed his fingers into her arms and dragged her towards the black water.
“What’s wrong with you?” she cried, trying to dig her heels into the slippery bank.
“Get on the boat, Marian.” His voice rang over the lake in a vicious growl, deeper and more vengeful than she’d ever heard it. He didn’t sound crazy anymore; he sounded murderous.
He lunged at her, trapping her arms against her sides. She struggled against his vice-like grip, the fear rising in her throat, but he threw her over his green-painted shoulder, smearing it all over her dress, everywhere he touched her.
Midge cried out from his hiding place. “Leave her alone!”
She saw the boy run at Guy from over his shoulder and she screamed out when Guy pulled an arrow from the quiver at his side like it was a dagger. “Run!” she shrieked. “Run! Get Robin!” She had no idea if they could trust the sheriff anymore. “Get Richard! Get Tuck! Find anyone… just not Alan!”
For once, Midge listened. He must’ve understood this gave them a better chance at survival. He raced up the embankment. Guy dropped Marian roughly on to the pebbled beach and her head hit painfully against the side of the float. The jolt of agony that shot through her made her vision swim. She grimaced up at Guy, watching him slide his bow from his shoulders. He wouldn’t! Not to the youngest member of his family? He nocked his arrow next and aimed it at Midge.
