Even after the policemen had left, Sineas and his aunt stayed in their sitting positions for a bit longer. Both were obviously thinking.
‘You think they’ll be back?’ Sineas asked her.She tried to look at him but she only gave him a glimpse then turned back to the carpet. She answered, ‘These are the police, Sin. What do you think?’He stood up and looked down at her. ‘Aunt Janice, I’ve seen first-hand how quick these guys are to jump to conclusions. They’ll do anything to make sure their half-baked evidence sticks.’‘I’m not going to prison, Sineas,’ she said. ‘I’m not going to let any prison record mar my job opportunities.’‘Aunt Janice, do you think that matters right now? If Charles makes this evidence stick on either or both of us we’re looking at life imprisonment with no possibility of parole!’Her eyes immediately flared up. She jumped toJames said, ‘Sir; you had the same feeling about Clarissa Sherman. We talked to her and her phone records prove that she called Sineas that night at eleven o’clock. She also claimed that the call concerned the recovery of Justin Foyer’s body. Are you also forgetting, sir, that we actually visited the Murphys’ neighbour and he confirmed everything Sineas told us?’ He sighed and leaned towards the inspector. He clasped his hands on top of the desk. ‘Maybe it’s time we accept defeat, sir. Maybe…’ he shrugged, ‘…Maybe it’s time to call in the big guns upstairs.’‘Do you know that I saw Freddy Krueger in church last Sunday, James?’‘I think I saw him too,’ said James. ‘Wasn’t he the one who was on the pulpit, preaching the sermon on mercy?’‘No, James, that was Jack the Ripper. Krueger was in the praise and worship choir.’They both lau
Clarissa looked inscrutable as she ate her carrot salad.‘Everything good?’ Sineas asked her. It was raining heavily outside and therefore lunchtime was held indoors. The two were sitting together at the back of the class.Clarissa smiled in response to Sineas’ question but she did not look at him. The smile seemed to have originated from a half conscious mind. She crunched on, slowly.‘It’s just that today you look a little…quiet, that’s all,’ he said.She shrugged. ‘One of those days.’‘You want to talk about it?’She shook her head.‘Claire, remember that rule we agreed on? No secrets?’She pushed her lunchbox aside. She looked at him. ‘Everything is going up in smoke, Sineas. Ever since that day the inspector tried to rough answers out of me at the station, I’ve been standing at the edge of a cliff. Yesterday, he paid me a visit at my house in
‘So they expect you to ditch school?’‘They said it’s a life and death situation. Something about where-I-was-on-the-night-of-I-don’t-even-remember-when.’‘They want to question you too?’‘I know, right? Seriously, you expect me to remember what I did probably weeks ago?’‘And meanwhile, while they’re playing detective, the killer is moving on to the next target.’‘I can’t even believe those two, Sin. Anyone with enough sense would know that these cases are way above this Department’s paygrade.’‘And I’m sure this country wants answers.’‘Don’t forget solutions. But yet here they are, summoning innocent teenagers for interrogation.’‘They’ve probably never handled a murder case before.’‘Like seriously!’ She waved her hands in disbelief. She sighed, sharply. ‘I just w
‘Dude, didn’t you hear what I said?!’He quickly shoved it into his pocket. ‘What’s going on?’ he asked her panicking.She lowered her head towards him. ‘The letter’s from your moms.’‘What…how…?’‘You know Nurse Flo?’He nodded quickly.‘Her full name is Florence Jones. She my aunty. From my pops’ side.’Sineas looked beyond bewildered.Bubblegum girl went on, ‘When you visited your moms in Breechwood Asylum, your moms told my aunty Flo that you was learning here. So my aunty told me ta take care of you. And since your moms can’t cull you on the phone coz the feds could track it, it means I’m gonna have ta be the middleman or middle chick between you two.’Sineas still looked baffled. He was trying hard to understand. He smiled. ‘Thank you but…where is she…now?’ he asked her anxio
‘But what that kid said yesterday, sir? Maybe he’s right. Maybe he has nothing to do with all of this.’‘James; listen to me, boy. One of the very important things you should know about killers is that they’ll be willing to say anything to save their skin. That’s exactly what that little runt was trying to do. You can’t pull one over Inspector Charles Hemnar, James. You just can’t. That kid lost this fight when he decided to try to make me look like a jackass.’ He got into the car and turned on the ignition. ‘We’ll nail ‘em, James. Don’t you worry. We’ll nail the bastards. Are you still at Coffee Kings? Maybe I can come pick you up.’‘No need, sir. I grew up on a farm in case you forgot. I know how to walk long distances. For me, the station is just around the corner.’‘Don’t be proud, James. Tell me where you are and I’ll come get you.’He paused for a long while. He laughed, ‘No, seriously, sir. I’m already on my way to the station right now.’The inspector shrugged
The Hemnar family was having breakfast. Sabrina broke off a piece of her toast with the corner of her mouth. Her phone was in the other hand.‘Sabrina; no phones at the table,’ her father reminded her. He was sitting across her and his wife was sitting at his right.‘Sabrina, dear, no phones at the table,’ her mother this time.Sabrina took one long look at her mother, then her father. She rolled her eyes and put her phone hand underneath the table.‘How’s school?’ her father asked her.Her attention had been shifted to under the table.‘Sabrina, your father asked you a question,’ her mother said staring at her daughter’s scalp.She sighed in aggravation. ‘Fine,’ she responded.Her father said, ‘People don’t suspect that you’re..?’‘Your daughter?’ She laughed. ‘There’s a good and a bad side to it. The down side is that
She immediately looked puzzled. ‘Daddy, what are you talking about? I’m giving you the juicy stuff here!’He sighed and grabbed his hat from the table. ‘I wanted evidence, Sabrina,’ he told her cramming his hat on his balding head at the same time, ‘not gossip,’ he concluded standing up. He kissed his wife on the cheek.She continued to drown her eyes inside her coffee mug.‘Bye, dear,’ he said.She did not respond.He grabbed his jacket from his chair. ‘You want a ride to school?’ he asked Sabrina.‘Dad, seriously?’He chuckled. ‘That was a joke, baby girl. I thought you young people still knew a thing a two about those.’As soon as inspector Charles left the kitchen he headed for the exit. When he opened the door to get outside he saw something at his doorstep. It was a small, brown ordinary sized envelope. There was a small mailbox just by the side of
‘Then I guess, Mr. Murphy, what you do decide to set your mind on should be better than better.’He smiled warmly at her. He helped her up. ‘So…what’s next?’ he asked.‘What do you mean?’He said, ‘Well, we did sit-ups and push-ups. What’s next?’Clarissa stood akimbo. She looked around. The rest of the students were performing calamitously. An impatient and infuriated Mr. Gwarini was constantly yelling threats and orders. He was definitely fighting a losing battle. She shrugged and turned back to Sineas. She said, ‘I think we bought ourselves some extra time. We could use a little chat.’‘O-kay. What do you want to talk about?’ he asked her.She looked aside for a moment then in a second, brought her gaze back to him. She said, ‘The murders.’He looked surprised. ‘What about them?’She crossed her arms, and her face. &lsquo