Janice turned the volume down. A hand was cupped over her mouth. She was speechless.
Sineas looked equally shocked. He cleared his throat after a moment of silence. ‘Wow. This is really hard to take in.’Aunt Janice shook her head slowly for a good six seconds. ‘I’m so sorry, Sineas.’‘Sorry for what, Aunt Janice?’‘About that school. That satanic school I put you in. That place has a murderer on the loose and…’‘What are you talking about? This could all be just a coincidence.’She shook her head again. ‘No-o, Sin. Two people in the same school killed in the exact same way in such a short space of time? You call that coincidence?’Sineas got to his feet and stood in front of her. ‘Aunt Janice, come on! You don’t seriously believe that, do you?’She stood up, her arms folded. She looked sombre. ‘Go upstairs and pack your bags. We’
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Psych 44. Closed in
The following morning, Sineas found himself in Doctor Jacob’s office. He seemed rattled, his arms crossed and his gaze on the wall to his left.‘How is school?’ asked Doctor Jacob, sitting at the edge of his desk and opening his notebook. He polished his spectacles.‘Can we not talk about that?’ Sineas mumbled at the wall.‘Why? Did something happen?’‘I said, no school!’‘Okay. No school. Let’s talk about something else then.’Sineas smirked. ‘Have you ever met someone. Someone who acts legit and like they’re the real package? They pretend they have your back but when you least expect it, they plant a garden of knives in it.’Doctor Jacob pushed his spectacles further up the bridge of his nose. ‘I assume you’re referring to Clarissa?’ he asked him.‘I just don’t understand how some people can be so…so self-righteous, so…two-faced, egocentric…’‘Tell me why you think “these people” are self-righteous, egocentric and…’ he rotated his hand.‘I never did a
Psych 45. Eyes
‘Back again, lad?’ Jeff grinned at him from the booth.‘Afternoon, Jeff,’ he greeted the old guard.Jeff got to his feet. ‘Here to see your mama, hey?’He nodded.He looked at his log file. He looked back at Sineas. ‘Go on in, lad. Say hie to her for me.’He waved a hand, tried to smile then walked through the gate. He made straight for the entrance. He did not mind the eyes anymore. The droopy eyes from the patients that scanned him up and down like he was some cheap piece of clothing in a second-hand shop. He had enough on his mind already. He walked up the steps and through the giant doors. His previous visit had made him feel uncomfortable, nervous and on edge. Surprisingly, this time he felt safe. He felt at home as the eyes of most of the patients and nurses looked at him. He didn’t mind anymore. It felt like he could relate to them. They were a lot different from the ones that gazed upon him at school: The ones that did not have to browse him. The ones
Psych 46. To Catch a Killer (Part I)
‘You sure?’‘Sure about what?’‘That that’s how she feels about you?’‘I…well…yeah, I mean, she…’‘Sin, my boy. What if this girl is what you’ve been waiting for?’He pulled his back from the couch. ‘Mama, you have no idea what she did to me.’‘And what did she do to you? Help me understand, my son.’He became quiet.‘Sin, if you continue thinking the whole world is against you then you will never find peace…love…the break you’ve needed for so long. Have you considered that maybe…just maybe Clarissa genuinely cares about you?’He moved his hand to his face again. ‘At this point, I don’t know what’s what, mama. I’m so confused and lost.’She rubbed his cheek with her thumb. ‘Forget the world, Sin. It doesn’t care about me, you or anyone els
Psych 47. Con-family-flicted
‘And so this is where the “ex theory” comes into play?’ James asked.The inspector licked his lips as he nodded slowly from the window. ‘All we have to do now is round up all the exes of the victims. We need to move, James. We need to start moving without further delay. There’s never been a murder in Malrich and when we solve this case…’ he clapped his hands loudly, ‘we’d be proving to the outside world that the Malrich Police Department can handle murder too. And since the mayor gave us Foyer’s case to solve as well, we’d put the WindleDrive Police Department to shame.’James replied, ‘But, sir, if we are to pursue this case we shouldn’t forget what the coroner said; that these murders were professional. Whoever this person is, they managed to accurately sever the joints of the victims at unbelievably accurate and identically specific points…twice!’‘Professional my foot!’ the inspector growled, waving a dismissive hand. ‘Didn’t you smell the coroner’s breath? He was as dr
Psych 48. The Promise
Sineas had had difficulty sleeping after what he had gone through the previous day. It had truly been a day to remember…or a day to forget. He looked out the window. Grey clouds were forming in the sky. Probably going to rain, he thought. He languidly pulled his body from the bed. Even though his eyelids were still very heavy, he was able to find his way to the bathroom, take a long and refreshing shower, put on a black t-shirt, a pair of jeans and his white Nikes and he headed downstairs.Aunt Janice was fully dressed in her waitress uniform. She was sitting in front of the TV. Sineas gave her a drive-by good morning making his way to the kitchen.‘Sin, my boy,’ she called him before he left the room.Sineas turned around. Her elbows were placed on her knees and her hands were clasped tightly in front of her mouth. She was maintaining the stance an employer makes when pondering over whether to hire the applicant or dismiss him entirel
Psych 49. No More
As expected, Clarissa was sitting right in the centre of the room. She seemed to be concentrating on the debate as well. She just sat quietly, watching the brave Trevor Michaels go toe-to-toe with the most lily-livered teacher in the school.Mr. Sawyer was fighting a losing battle. He kept trying to wave Trevor down into his seat using his hands. ‘Trevor, please. Sit down,’ he said calmly from the safety of his desk. Trevor did look like he was ready to trample anything in his path. Mr. Sawyer continued, ‘The police have already held a meeting with the staff and strongly advised us to tighten our security. Advice which the board has promised to take.’‘So…until then, what do we do, sir?’ He looked around the class hoping to gain more support than he already had. ‘Do we sit and wait for this killer to pick another target? I don’t know about the rest of you guys but I’ve got a bright future ahead of me and I’
Psych 50. Uncertainty
She patted her chest again. ‘Because I saw a person, Sineas. A human being. A human being the animals in this society neglected for reasons that lie outside my personal principles. You're right; I paid attention to you out of pity…at first. Pity that no one was willing to give you a try. To try to look deeper than what their eyes and perceptions permitted them to see. And when I gave you that chance…when I gave you that try, I never regretted it. You’re very smart, you’re thoughtful and you at least have an idea of what a sense of humour is. So, yes, Sin, I never regretted giving you that chance. I never did. Despite the insults, the rejection, the humiliation and the warnings I tried my best to soldier on and be there for you. I never regretted the first day I met you, I never regretted having your back when everyone else tried to break it and I never regretted what happened at the park. Yes, Sin. I never regretted any of it…until now.’
Psych 51. Games
‘Who?’‘Day-after-day-after-day-after-day. He just wouldn’t stop. I’d watch him beat her senseless. The belt, the shoes, the iron chord and obviously, his fists.’ He laughed, quietly.Doctor Jacob pushed his spectacles further up the bridge of his nose for the third time. He was listening very conscientiously.Sineas continued, ‘He would laugh. Laugh like it was all just a joke. He would bring her into my room at ten, eleven o’ clock at night, dragging her by her hair.’ He laughed again, briefly. ‘He would wake me up. He would force me to watch as he stripped her…as he beat her, right in front of me. The screams. The screams. The screams she made. I couldn’t take it. Watching your mother being put through that. What hurts the most is that I can’t remember most of it. The much more brutal parts. I know they’re in there in my mind. I just can’t reach them. You never know what true