A/N: Please see the note at the bottom of the chapter of Something Changed that I have posted tonight for info about future updates x

Chapter 13

Robin could see it on his face. Before March said a word, he already knew. The DI walking towards him had his hands in his pockets, a furrowed brow and anxious eyes. The cold wind blew against Robin's body but he barely felt it. The worry that consumed him at that present moment rendered him numb from head to toe.

"What's happened?" he demanded.

March looked at him a little guiltily. He hesitated and then increased Robin's worry by adding an 'Um…' at the start of his sentence before going on to sheepishly inform him,

"My DS seems to have lost your friend."

"In what way 'lost her'?" Robin demanded.

"There was a kid," said March as though that answered everything.

"I don't believe this story is going anywhere," Robin scowled.

"He hurled abuse at her and ran away," March continued eventually, "she started to chase after him and they haven't seen her since."

Robin stared at him, he seemed sheepish and worried. It made Robin swallow with nervousness.

"And no one's tried looking for her?" he asked.

"Well I would think they were all too busy examining the crime scene to worry about a disappearing ex-detective and a child with a foul mouth!"

"A crime scene caused by a dangerous and twisted criminal who Kim's had a life-threatening brush with before," Robin snapped crossly as he began to march away.

"What? Where are you going?" March started to trot after him.

"To radio her."

"She has her own radio?"

"I gave her one before."

"Then why didn't you just radio her yourself instead of getting me to contact the scene?"

Robin spun around.

"Because I didn't want you ranting on about me not filling in all the paperwork and assigning a radio to someone not currently under insurance!" cried Robin, "now excuse me, I need to find out if she's OK."

March looked at Robin, aghast, genuinely horrified by the fact that he'd issued her a radio without signing the paperwork.

"I thought you were a by the book sort of man," he scowled.

Robin didn't have time for this.

"Funnily enough, so did I," he mumbled as he continued to pace towards his car. He lost March along the way somewhere, -most probably still shaking his head in disapproval - and he reached his car where he opened the door, slipped into the driver's seat and collected his radio. With an anxious tone in his voice he tried to get her attention. "Kim?" she had no code, no identifying number, "Kim, can you hear me?" He paused and waited for a response and when none came he tried again. "Kim, it's me – where are you? I'm worried shitless!"

When static was the only response that came from the radio his worries increased tenfold. If Kim had 'disappeared' then he had a feeling he knew the man behind it and he was not someone whose company she'd be wanting to keep.

He had to find her. That was for certain. Losing Kim was not an option.

~xXx~

Kim felt a terrible sense of dread as she heard Keats's footsteps enter the barge again. She watched as he crouched in front of Molly. She couldn't tell what he was doing until he barked,

"Here. Eat."

She made the correct assumption he was feeding her some kind of food. Her theory was proven to be correct when he threw something over his shoulder and a banana skin landed about three feet away from her.

"You are a complete and total stupid evil bastard who smells like-" Molly's voice was slightly muffled by Keats standing in her way and silenced quickly by a bottle of water pressed against her lips. Kim heard her drinking thirstily for a moment until the bottle was removed and she was able to finish her sentence – "-elephant turds."

"Charming," said Keats as he reapplied her gag.

"Hey!" Kim yelled. She shook as she did so, but was desperate to get Keats as far away from the young girl as possible. She began to regret that decision as he turned around with a dark and evil glare.

"Yes? Kimberley?"

His tone was as dark as his glare.

"If you think I'm too skinny then where's my bloody snack?" Kim spat boldly. She wasn't sure riling him up was a good idea but it was all she could do to keep him away from Molly.

He slowly walked towards her, each stride seemed so long and torturous, until finally he stood right beside her.

"You want food?" he asked, "you'll have to earn that privilege."

"By doing what?" Kim snapped, "cooking my own? I'll get Robin to give me some tips. You'll know all about that since you scoffed his bloody leftovers!"

"No, by showing me some respect," Keats barked, "You're forgetting I'm still technically your superior officer."

"Bollocks you are," Kim hissed, "whoever you were back in the other place, here you're just a drug-addled twat with a chronic guilt complex!"

She knew she was going to be for it after that tirade but before Keats could say or do a thing a burst of static halted him in his tracks. His eyes fixed upon Kim in a terrifying glare before a voice came seemingly from thin air.

"Kim, can you hear me?"

Keats raised an eyebrow.

"Either you have secret ventriloquism skills that you've decided to display or you have a radio," he said.

"Kim, it's me – where are you? I'm worried shitless!"

"I can't believe I forgot to check your pockets," Keats tutted to himself as he knelt beside her, "I really must be out of practice." He leaned toward her and began to give her a frisking. "Now, let's see."

Kim struggled and yelled as he took far longer than necessary in searching her body and finally came up with a radio. He glanced from the radio to Kim then back again. "So it seems someone's looking for you," he said, "now, who's going to be that frantic? Hmm?" he stared at her, his eyes boring into her so deeply she had to look away. "Oh yes, has to be your best buddy pal, doesn't it. Robin. Cooker of lasagne, trainer of dogs, slayer of beards."

He stood upright and began to walk away, leaving an anxious Kim staring after him.

"What are you going to do?" she asked with fear.

Keats glanced back at her, scarcely feeling it was worth answering that question.

"Have some fun," he said quite simply, then he carried on walking until his footsteps faded from earshot.

~xXx~

Robin started to drive. He wasn't even quite sure he was going. He had some half-baked idea about heading to the crime scene and some other idea about trying the Falcon Building or Evan but primarily he just needed to be on the move, doing something, trying to find Kim. His anxiety was rising to a level he hadn't felt since the day Simon had his server accident. He couldn't get his thoughts straight.

When the radio crackled he thought it was his imagination at first, then he started to wonder if it was Kim and anxious relief began to arrive upon his shoulders, but a moment later a voice burst through and took any hint of relief away from him.

"Good afternoon, Robin," it said, "at least, I'm guessing this is who I'm speaking to?"

Immediately Robin found his foot on the brakes. He didn't even remember doing it, but there he was, screeching to a halt. His heart pounded and his mind raced. That was a familiar voice – Layton's voice - but the tone… the pattern of speech… and the language…

That was not Layton.

His hand trembled as he reached for the radio. He could hardly bring himself to speak but he finally hissed,

"Where is she?"

There was a crackle, then a laugh.

"Which 'she' are you talking about?"

"Kim," Robin's voice became more fraught.

"Oh, so you're more concerned about someone who looks like an extra from The Addams Family than poor little Molly," evilness crackled through the radio.

"Just tell me, is she still alive?"

There was a sigh.

"Alive, breathing, unleashing venom in my direction."

Robin tried to keep his cool but something seemed very strange, something beyond the initial issue of Kim being kidnapped. His tongue ran around his lips as he thought about Layton's words. Had he swallowed a dictionary or something?

"So tell me," he began, "what do I have to do to get her back? If there wasn't something you wanted then you wouldn't be talking to me now."

There was a strange laugh on the line.

"Very astute, Robin," Layton's voice said, "or whatever you're calling yourself now. Chief Inspector Shoebury-Thomas? A promotion for someone who grooms dogs for a living."

"Grooms do-?" Robin's fury was overtaking his anxiety. It was so strong he couldn't even finish his sentence. he took a deep breath and tried to pull himself together. "Alright. Just tell me what you want. Is it money?"

"I want you to follow my instructions," the voice told him. "Go to the park on the west side of town. The south entrance. Big green gates. Park outside and make your way slowly to the caretaker's hut."

"What the hell? I don't know where the caretaker's hit is!" cried Robin.

"It's green. It's marked Caretaker's Hut. You're supposed to be the chief inspector, use your inspecting skills."

Robin could hear his heart thumping. It sounded like some mid-nineties dance track. He swallowed and could hardly control his shaking limbs as he started the engine and began to drive again. His stomach turned over as a cold feeling of dread crept into his bones.

"And what exactly am I to do when I get there?" Robin asked.

"just go alone," The voice told him, "that's the first instruction. You'll hear more when you get there."

Robin muttered and mumbled to himself as he continued to drive. His fear and his anger were both burning up inside of him. He couldn't express the way he felt. As though Layton's actions in the past hadn't been enough now he had Kim and was playing stupid games? This was ridiculous. He knew Layton was crazy but there was something strange in his words. It didn't sound like him. Not in the slightest. It was as though someone was feeding him words or borrowing his vocal chords. Had the Layton-ithizer been invented yet for people who wanted to make their voice sound like Layton's? He didn't think so.

It felt as though it took forever to arrive at the park. Finally he pulled into the road alongside the south entrance, grabbed the radio and stepped cautiously out of the car. He looked left and right, then hurried into the park. He looked up and down and finally spotted a green hut a few paces away but as he ran to it he found nothing strange about it.

"Now what?" he barked into the radio.

"Have you found the hut?" the voice asked.

"Yes."

"What do you think of the colour?" the voice asked, "I mean, green seems a little over the top, when you think about all the green of the grass and the trees and the –"

Robin's mouth fell open. This was getting more ridiculous by the moment.

"Bloody gardener as well now, are you?" he cried, "what am I supposed to do next?"

There was a sigh on the radio. Obviously Layton was truly bothered about the colour of the hut.

"Alright. There's a little bumpy footpath to your left. Follow it all the way around until you reach a small gate."

Robin didn't have time to stop and think. His legs took him quickly down the path, all the way to the gate where he cried,

"I'm there, now what?" into the radio.

There was a little static, followed by;

"Leave the park. Go through the gate. Turn right and walk along the road until you find a blue car."

Robin's heart was in his throat, desperate for the games to end. He knew he should have called for back-up but he didn't even think about that at the time. It didn't even cross his mind. He only wanted to get to Kim and get her back safely. He ran through the gate, turned right and started running along the road.

"Can't see a blue car," he said crossly into the radio.

There was a pause.

"Oh, silly me," the voice began, "you need to go right to the end of the perimeter of the park and turn right again and then you'll see the blue car."

Robin started to feel his heart sinking. This was looking less like some kind of ransom situation and more like a set-up but he'd come too far to stop so his feet pounded across the ground and he almost over-shot the end of the road before turning right and pressing onwards.

"Still no blue car!" he cried into the radio. There were two white ones, a black one, a silver one but no blue ones.

"Keep going," the voice told him.

"Going where?"

"Along the road."

Robin found tears starting to fill his eyes now. Desperate tears. He was being led on some wild goose chase and stuck in a situation he didn't know how to remedy. If he called fowl and refused to follow the instructions Layton could easily decide he was bored and simply shoot Kim. He'd had no qualms about shooting Alex when he grew tired of Evan's refusals to pay up. He found himself coming to the end of the other side of the park.

"Now what?" he cried.

"Turn right," the voice said, almost wearily by now.

Robin turned another corner. He ran along the road.

"No fucking blue car!" he screamed.

The voice paused. Then it chuckled.

"Oh dear," he said, "do you see a red one instead?"

As Robin ran, he did see a red one. A familiar red one.

"That's my fucking…" he didn't even finish that sentence. Fury boiled up inside of him. He'd been well and truly had.

"Oh yes, so it is," the voice told him, "oh well. At least you got some exercise."

With that the radio clicked and the conversation ended. Robin let out a cry of fury and frustration from somewhere deep within him. It was an animalistic noise, an animalistic reflex that he didn't even know he had in him. He'd never heard a sound like that come from his own body before. It felt almost as though it came from the pit of his stomach, like some kind of terrible anger had been unleashed. He ran to his car where the door still sat open and threw himself inside. He reached out to turn the key in the ignition, not sure what he was supposed to do next. Go to the station? Go back to find March? Organise a search? Wait for further contact?

The answer was none of the above. A blade to the neck answered the question for him.

"Drive."

One word.

Robin swallowed. He didn't dare move, didn't dare to turn around but in the rear view mirror a crusty face hid beneath a grey hood.

"Where?" his voice broke as the dreadful realisation of his predicament washed over him.

"Just start the car and I'll talk you through it," the crusty face told him. He seemed almost uninterested. Robin turned the key in the ignition and began to drive away.

"Where's Kim?" he asked, the question wouldn't leave his mind.

"Turn left at this crossroads."

"Is she alright?" Robin asked as he carried out the turning.

"Carry on driving to the next set of lights, then taker the right turn shortly after that." The sneering face ignored him.

"Is she at least alive?" Robin tried.

"Don't forget to take the right turning," his voice was calm and toneless.

"What about Molly? Is she alright?"

"You almost missed the turning then. Keep your concentration on the directions I'm giving you."

"What do you want from me?"

"I want you to keep driving to the roundabout and then take the road down to the riverfront."

"Do you want money? Contacts? More bribes?"

"The roundabout is coming up."

"For fucks's sake, give me something to work with here!" Robin's patience was wearing thin.

"How about the knife against your neck for a start?" Layton's tone changed quite suddenly. A venom filtered through. "Try working with that. There is a very fine line between life and death. As thin as the blade of a knife. Try respecting how close to the other side of the line you are right now. And that's not a line you'll be wanting to cross."

Robin gave a slightly bitter laugh. He could think of plenty he wanted to get to on the other side of the line.

"Oh yeah?" he spat.

"Yes," said Layton, "not with me right here, anyway.

Robin swallowed. He was nearing the river now.

"Can you just tell me one thing?" he whispered, "Kim… is she still alive?"

His eyes met Layton's in the mirror.

"Kimberley is fine," he said stiffly.

There was a jolt to his heart.

A terrible fear came over Robin. A fear he hadn't experienced in a very long time. He knew now. All those strange doubts, all those questions about Layton and why he was so different all of a sudden. He swallowed again, his mouth suddenly very dry and his voice breaking as he whispered,

"You're not Layton," his eyes met the man's in the mirror again, "are you?"

"Very well spotted, Robin," hissed Keats.

As Robin stared, just for a fleeting moment the eyes in the mirror changed and morphed. Layton's heavy, bloodshot eyes changed into one very deep, dark pair, staring deep into his soul. It made his stomach lurch and his heart stop in his chest with fear. He knew whose eyes they were, and he knew whose soul resided in a decrepit, evil body..

"Keats," he whispered.

Keats smiled through Layton's thin lips.

"Ten points to the man in the driver's seat," he said, "now, let's see if we can't make this all a little more interesting?"

Robin's hands trembled as he ran out of road and pulled to a halt. He could hear the river and see the grotty old barge.

"In what way, interesting?" he dared to ask.

"Interesting as in what you'll do to save your friend and spare your own soul from my grasp," Keats told him, "now move it. Out of the car."

A trembling Robin climbed from the driver's seat, Keats climbing from the back of the car and into the front to make sure Robin couldn't escape from him. The blade stayed trained against his neck while a hand grasped his arm

"What do you want from me?" Robin whispered.

"Let's start with your pizza recipe and go from there, shall we?" Keats stared and smiled malevolently.

Robin felt an all-consuming fear like he had never felt in his life. It almost wiped him clean off his feet. Survival would take nothing short of a miracle and, to be frank, those were in short supply.