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2024-10-29 19:42:56Inspector Charles’ mind was a labyrinth. So many twists and turns were sprouting in his head. Like a spider web with no beginning and no end. He was suffocating inside it. He tried to reach for the surface but he felt something pulling him back into the deep. Into the cosmic nothingness.
He stood staring through his window onto the dark and empty street. He was silent, looking hard…at nothing in particular. He had told Clarissa to sit on a bench in the waiting room. James was standing behind his desk, right beside the chair Clarissa had been sitting in. Finally, the inspector spoke. ‘How did he die?’‘Sir, I’ve already told you twice…’‘Yes, but I want to hear it a third time. Now tell me; how did Doctor Jacob die?’James sighed. ‘Murder, sir. He was murdered. The same way Brittany Bale and Justin Foyer were: countless and deep gashes in the spine, dismembered body parts: arms, legs, torso and head.’There was a short silence between them.‘And where did you say y
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Psych 57. The Drill
Clarissa rolled her eyes once again and pulled her hand away. ‘Mom, what does he have to do with what we’re talking about right now? I’m the murder suspect, not Sineas.’ ‘Yes, dear, but I’m telling you, that boy is trouble- I can feel it in my bones.’ ‘But Sineas is a good guy! He’s not like all the other boys in our school. He’s totally…’ ‘Please don’t tell me that he’s different, Claire because I don’t think I can take much more.’ ‘Mom, if only you knew how kind he is, he’s also funny and charming and very smart…’ ‘Justin was smart. And if I recall, he was funny too…and kind. Two months later and you were wishing you had never met him.’ Clarissa replied, ‘Justin was a jerk from the beginning. I just rolled with it because Sabrina and Doreen convinced me that a guy like Justin was a rare find.’ ‘And don’t you think it’s a matter of time before this Murphy boy also shows his true colours? Claire, his own mother escaped from a m
Psych 58. Visage
‘I don’t, Aunt Janice. Believe me, if I did I would tell you.’ ‘Maybe you’re thinking that you can keep her safe but she’s in danger, Sin. She could hurt someone, or herself.’ ‘When I last saw her she looked pretty fine to me,’ he mumbled angrily. ‘And when was that?’ She asked now eyeing him closely. ‘I saw her not too long ago...’ he noticed her look getting more and more suspicious, ‘…before she escaped,’ he concluded. ‘Sineas, I thought we talked about this. You do not see your mother without me.’ ‘I’m sorry, Aunt Janice but this is my mother. I have every right…’ Smack! She had slapped him clean across the face with her left, just below his right eye. His face burned with pain. He had felt the flesh on his right cheek shift to the left from the force. She shot up onto her feet. She was fuming, her fists clenched shut. She looked in the opposite direction, her right hand pointing towards the stairs. ‘I
Psych 59. Scars
The sudden attack had surprised him. But he didn’t mind. ‘Why?’ he played along.‘Because it’s a beautiful day, Sin. The sun is smiling down on us. The birds are singing for us and the air is just…’ she took one long and sharp breath with her mouth, ‘…marvellous!’‘You sound like a holiday infomercial.’She laughed exuberantly and playfully nudged his shoulder.They finally walked past the couple. Sineas had decided to make way for them on the narrow path. He tried to tug on Clarissa’s hand but she pulled back. She didn’t look like she wanted to budge. Luckily, they avoided an awkward collision. The older couple made room for them and Sineas and Clarissa continued on. She was wearing an exultant look on her face. Sineas looked over his shoulder. The man looked like he understood.‘So, how did it go at the station?’ Sineas asked her.Her face immediately bec
Psych 60. Fighting for a Fantasy
‘You can tell me, Claire. Did that psychopath hurt you?’She answered amidst uncontrolled sobs, ‘I think he threatened me…I honestly don’t remember. I think he said something about the night being full of woes or something.’ She began crying a little louder. Luckily the bench sleeper was still knocked out and the left bench was yet to be occupied. Sineas’ heart melted in anguish. Her cries were cries of one in pain, yes, but there was something about the way she cried. It was so low and innocent. It was like watching a harmless kitten drown and there was nothing you could do to stop it. Powerless and shaken by the deep, cold waters that threatened to swallow you both if you dared to jump in. All you could do was stand and watch, waiting for the next person to step in and do something. Sineas decided that he was going to be that person. He was not going to allow her to sit there and wallow in her pain while he idly watched. She ha
Psych 61. The Phone call
‘And?’‘ “Marriage. Doesn’t think he’s catering for his wife’s needs sexually. Symptoms: searches the internet for help tips and drugs to assist him”. Doctor Jacob diagnosed it as low self-esteem and social anxiety. I guess he was yet to decide the cure.’Inspector Charles said, ‘Why do most of the doctor’s patients only have marriage problems? You’d actually think that for a guy who tries to fix marriages, he’d keep his intact.’ The inspector laid his forehead on the desk. He was now facing the floor. ‘This can’t be the end, James.’James replied, ‘I’m sorry, sir but Jevez is the last file.’ He snapped it shut and laid it on top of the three-foot stack.‘Then what will we do, James? Where do we go from here? This snake has us in a whirlwind with our tails tucked between our legs.’ He began to bang his forehead slowly against the edg
Psych 62. ...on Eggshells
His eyes opened wide. He kicked the covers from his body and sprinted to the door. He peeked outside for about five seconds then closed the door, very silently. ‘Mother; where are you?’ he spoke into the phone as he scurried back towards the bed. His voice was hushed. ‘Everyone is looking for you. And by everyone I mean the police.’‘How have you been, son?’ she asked him. She sounded like she was in high spirits.He could feel her smile. Its warmth was radiating through the phone. He smiled too. ‘I’m fine, mother. Everything is fine this side but you…where are you? Tell me where you are and I’ll come get you.’‘Do not worry about me, my boy. I’m fine, I’m seriously fine,’ she laughed as if in emphasis to her claim.‘Maybe now but definitely not for long,’ said Sineas. ‘The police are looking for you. You were on the news…’‘The new
Psych 63. DO'NT Trust Anyone
They finally disengaged.‘Now that you are out, what’s the next step?’ he asked her enthusiastically.She looked ominously ahead of her. Her cap was pulled down way too deep on her head almost covering her eyes. She answered, ‘I'm not sure yet. Maybe somewhere quiet like Madagascar…or Australia. Somewhere far from all this lunacy. Anywhere but here.’‘That’s a good idea,’ he said. ‘If the police ever get a scent of where you are then it’s over. They’ve already looked for you in Aunt Janice’s house.’She shook her head. ‘These boys must be serious. The jackasses want to lock me up in that hole for another eleven years even after I convinced the doctor that I’ve recovered. It’s still not enough for them. They just still want to keep me holed up in there, pumping drugs down my throat four times a day, everyday. Eighteen pills a day! And after my escape, they might
Psych 64. The Foyer and Bale Memorial (Part I)
The indoor basketball court or gym room was now packed. After two hours of students and teachers filing in, people finally got settled in the stands. The stands were occupied by the students and just beside them, chairs had been placed for the teachers. In the middle of the court was the podium and five metres to its right sat the victims’ families. The chairs were arranged in pairs and in the lead were Justin Foyer’s younger sister and mother and behind them were Justin’s other relatives and Miss Bale’s relatives as well. They had not been formally introduced. All of them summed up were at least twelve. Sineas and Clarissa were in the top stands, sitting patiently like the rest of the students, waiting for the service to get underway. A few teachers had attempted to quieten the students’ conversations down but were barely successful. They decided to give up. Even the hard-shelled Mr. Regwizini had tried his military no-nonsense tactics but had fa
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93. Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
For a Sunday morning, the weather felt very unforgiving. The thick grey clouds had completely concealed the sun and there was an icy wind in the atmosphere. The kind of wind that leaves your face feeling like an ice cube at each gush it takes at you. This was completely different to Justin’s funeral. Justin’s funeral had many willing participants but this time, people looked like they would rather be somewhere else. Anywhere else. Doreen, Trevor and even the teachers were there. Just two days ago, Inspector Charles had announced on the news the death of the notorious Axe Killer. The inspector had not looked as excited as Clarissa had expected. It almost sounded like he had been pronouncing the worst news ever. She had not even wanted to watch the news. As soon as the inspector had begun talking of finally getting rid of the “plague of the nation”, she immediately left the room. She even felt that her parents understood her pain. They had apologized to h
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92. Fireworks
She tried to switch on her phone. It only flickered for a few seconds then turned off again. The shadow was now making its way towards her, dragging a long object on the floor.‘Come on!’ she yelled into her phone, attempting to turn it on again. It flickered twice then switched off again.The shadow was now in reach. It pushed away the desk between it and Clarissa.She slammed her phone four times in the palm of her hand, tears streaming down her face. She tried it again.The shadow swung the object onto its shoulder.Clarissa’s phone finally switched on. She quickly turned on the flashlight and shone it upwards in the direction of the shadow.Standing right above her, soaked from head to toe, was Sineas, a long axe resting on his shoulder. He did not say anything. He just stared back at her, his eyes holding no expression whatsoever.She wiped the tears and water from her face. She boldly decided to stand up. ‘Sin?&r
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91. To Catch a Killer (Part II)
Clarissa was running up the street, screaming and yelling at the top of her voice with the cold, heavy rains beating down her body. She had first tried Mrs. Lancaster, their neighbour’s gate but the loudness of the rain obliterated every other sound. Gasping for breath, she looked down the street. Her house was now just a glimpse. She could not see anyone but she was positive she was being followed. She continued up the street, kicking every gate and yelling for help. A wild and delusional thought leapt into her head. She could climb up one of the gates and call for help from the inside. Fear quickly ridiculed this idea. She probably would be dead before she made it to the top of the wall. Another thought leapt in. School! But of course. It would be hard for anyone to find her in such a giant building. Fatigue lowered her pace. She could not increase her speed past a jog. School was now only about ten minutes away. As she jogged, she kept turning her head behind her. The
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90. Epiphany
Clarissa lay on top of Sineas, a small red blanket covering their completely naked bodies. They had switched on the TV and turned to a sports channel, but they were not watching it of course. They had lowered the volume. The heavy rains could be heard beating on the roof from outside. Sineas was stroking her back, gently. ‘So…who taught you?’ he asked her.‘Taught me what?’‘Don’t play dumb, Claire. The moves.’She smiled, then said, ‘When you hang around sluts like Sabrina and Doreen, you pick up a thing or two. Not implying that I’m a slut too but when all your friends can talk about is how to catch a man…how to pleasure him; that stuff tends to stick to your subconscious.’‘So you’ve never..?’‘Had sex? No. That’s actually the reason why Justin broke up with me. Sabrina and Doreen hooked up with some of the members in Justin’s crew but Justi
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89. Heaven's Delight (Part II)
WARNING !!! THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS VERY STRONG SEXUAL CONTENT !!!‘I don’t think you needed food for that,’ he said.‘What do you mean?’ She raised her head.‘Your personality made it to my heart first.’She smiled and reached for his hand from across the table. ‘Dessert?’He nodded once. ‘Yes, ma’am.’She got up and walked towards the fridge and moments later, she returned with a small, pink ice-cream lunchbox and two glass dessert cups. It was a mixture of strawberry and vanilla.Sineas licked his lips when she pulled the lid off of the container. ‘And the night just keeps getting better and better,’ he said.She laughed and scooped the ice-cream with a large spoon into the two dessert cups. She placed spoons on top of the ice-cream. She clapped her hands. ‘Shall we, Mr. Murphy?’‘Yes we shall, M
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88. Heaven's Delight (Part I)
Inspector Charles had just finished having supper when the doorbell rang. He told his wife and daughter to sit tight while he went to investigate who was ringing the doorbell so late in the evening. Shorts, vest and all, Charles opened the door. He looked around but there was no one in sight. He looked down. There was a brown envelope lying at his feet. His heart skipped a beat and his hands trembled as he stooped down to pick it up. The previous envelopes had been written the words: “To Inspector Charles” in both uppercase and lowercase letters but this one was written in all caps and bold letters: “TO INSPECTOR CHARLES”.He wanted to open it there and then. He had ripped it halfway open when he stopped. He looked around again, apprehensively…and vigilantly. There was still no one. No sound, save for the faint barking of a mongrel miles away. A stray, black cat ran silently along the sidewalk, probably chasing a rat. Even though he could see no one, Charles decided not to risk i
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87. Busy Bee
‘Oh, she didn’t get “snatched up” by anyone, Viola. They wanted to get her, they thought they did but instead they caught a very shocked and now angry, black kid. An angry, black kid who happens to be her son.’‘Murph, listen ta me; I had no choice!’‘No choice?’ He laughed scornfully. ‘Viola, you’re not a kid. You’re old enough to have choices. And I was beginning to think that we were becoming friends or something.’She pulled her chair in closer towards him, ‘But Murph, we is friends! Its just that the inspector put my aunty in a predicament.’‘What sort of predicament?’‘The inspector found out from several patients that your moms was helping the nurses with some of their treatments and in some occasions, she helped the doctors diagnose them. The inspector threatened ta put the hospital under investigations and would make sure that three-quarters of the nurses and all the doctors there would be suspended. He offered an alternative though. He promised ta make all o
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86. The Informant
Sineas arrived at school at one o’clock in the afternoon. The students had already begun to pour into the lunch area. He concealed himself behind The Thinker statue, carefully browsing the students one by one. He waited and waited for at least fifteen minutes. Finally, he saw her. She was sitting alone on a table in the middle. He only saw her back but he could tell it was her with her white turtleneck sweater and the rabbit tail on her head. He decided to wait a little longer until most of the students were seated. Then he made his move.He carefully and silently began walking towards her, his hands in his bomber jacket pockets and his eyes focused on the back of her head. He stopped behind her, just a few feet away.She had unloaded onto the table a pickle sandwich, a carrot salad and obviously- an apple from her lunch bag.Sineas just stood behind her, looking down at her. He did not care if anyone was watching him.Clarissa stopped eating. She froze s
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85. Priscilla Murphy
‘Do you see her?’ Deputy James asked Inspector Charles.The inspector did not respond. Finally, he handed James the binoculars. He leaned back in the passenger seat and let his deputy have his turn. The deputy took a long, good look. After about two minutes, he placed the binoculars on top of the dashboard just above the steering wheel. He also leaned back in his seat. ‘You think Plan B may have fed us false information?’ James asked the inspector.‘After the consequences we promised her if she didn’t cooperate? I don’t think so, James. I don’t think so at all.’‘And what about the evidence, sir? Didn’t your source promise to leave the evidence at your doorstep this morning?’‘There was nothing. I’m starting to think whoever sent those letters was just trying to divert our attention.’ ‘But, sir…’The inspector silenced him with a raised fi
