A very chubby woman of about fifty to fifty-four years of age was sitting on a chair inside the booth. She was wearing a nurse’s uniform that looked to be too small for her. She was also wearing a short, black wig that looked ready to fall off at any time. She was one of the few white nurses Sineas had seen so far. Behind her were shelves stacked with countless files. She slowly chewed a piece of gum, slurping and smacking it like she was willing to do anything necessary to get the last bit of flavour out of it. She was leisurely turning the pages of a magazine on her lap. Coincidentally, it was a fitness magazine.Sineas leaned his head towards the small window, his fingertips on the small counter. ‘Morning,’ he said.She ignored him. She turned another page. “Abs that will drive him nuts!”, the title on the left page claimed.You’re going to need a lifetime of sit-ups to achieve that, you fat bitch! Sineas thought. ‘Good mor

The Malrich High School Library was opened every Saturday from 4 P.M. to 7 P.M. The time was 7 P.M. and Clarissa was making her way back home. She had fallen asleep and lost track of time whilst working on the Math assignment only to be woken up by the old librarian, Mrs. Harn, telling her it was closing time. The time had been 6:47 P.M. Thirteen minutes later she was walking on foot to her house. When she had left home, she had refused bus fare from her mother thinking she would be back home on time. But as she walked in the pitch-black of that Saturday night, her books pressed closely against her chest, she was beginning to think she should have taken the money. Her house was now only thirty minutes away. At least that’s what she thought. She had never walked from school to home on foot before. There was not a single human being in sight. In Malrich, people always retired into their homes at six in the evening. She continued with her quick paces, occasionally loo

Clarissa jumped onto her feet again. ‘Fight?! Fight?! Justin practically beat him up right here while the entire school watched!’‘Miss Sherman, I don’t want to have to tell you to sit down again,’ Deputy James warned her. He was still using his calm but authoritative tone.Clarissa was now breathing heavily. She took one long and dangerous look at the deputy then another at the Inspector. Finally, she sat down, crossed her arms and pouted in the opposite direction.Inspector Charles turned back to Sineas. ‘Now, Sineas, I understand these past thirteen years have been difficult for you. Your grandparents’ car accident, your father’s suicide and your mother’s…illness. Yes, it must have been tough.’ He paused. He tapped his fingers on the table several times. He looked at Sineas’ facedown eyes. He said, ‘Did your fight with Justin trigger something in you like…a certain rage or..?&rsqu

Sabrina pulled it violently out of her grasp. ‘You should be in that casket, not him!’ Sabrina bawled into Clarissa’s face.Sineas walked backwards until he stood between Clarissa and Sabrina. He looked into Sabrina’s eyes. ‘Leave.’Sabrina made a wicked laugh whilst she pressed the tips of her fingers on her chest. She gasped, ‘This thing right here!’He dug his hands deeper into his pockets and made a step closer towards her. ‘I doubt I’ll be telling you again,’ he said.‘Oh, no, no, no, loser!’ she said waving a dismissive finger in his face, ‘don’t you ever get the impression that you can just…’Doreen began pulling her away from them yet Sabrina continued to launch insults at them.Sineas turned to Clarissa. She looked traumatized. ‘You okay?’ he asked her.She nodded profusely, still watching Sabrina drift slowly out of sight. &l

The Shermans were having a quiet dinner at 7:30 P.M.‘I heard you were questioned by the police this morning,’ Mrs. Sherman said to Clarissa. She was still wearing her kitchen apron over her long, black dress. The family was having turkey and rice and potato salad. Mr. Sherman was present, still dressed in his black tuxedo. He had attended a business meeting that afternoon and had arrived home to find his wife had already finished preparing dinner. There had been no time to change into something more dinner appropriate. His clean shave, short haircut and slim body made him look like a mafioso beneath the kitchen’s fluorescent light. Clarissa was sitting across her mother at the longer sides of the rectangular table and Mr. Sherman was sitting at one of the longer ends at Clarissa’s right (Mrs. Sherman's left).Clarissa stared at her mother. It looked like she was trying to read her mind as she took a mouthful of salad, digesting her question. She shrugged slowly, ‘Yeah, so?’ s