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2024-10-29 19:42:56Clarissa 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
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Psych 73. Bubblegum Girl
‘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
Psych 74. "Call me 'V' "
‘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
Psych 75. Take the Deal
‘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
Psych 76. The Hemnars
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
Psych 77. A Letter for Inspector Charles
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
Psych 78. Did you do it?
‘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
Psych 79. Ishmael Wallace
‘Wassup?’ she asked him turning around.‘If you don’t mind me asking, V: why do you talk…’ he browsed her up and down, ‘…and dress like that?’She grinned. ‘Talk like what?’‘Your vocabulary is a little…your English…’ he was trying to find a way to say it more politely, ‘Your English; it sounds like it’s not from around here.’‘I grew up in Breechwood. Spent more than half my life there. I’m sure you’re aware of the fact that there are more blacks than whites there. The blacks there use that kind of language. I don’t know why but those are the kinds of people I was exposed ta. People like Doreen left the neighbourhood about ten, or was it eleven years ago with their word skills still intact. And as for how I dress…’ she looked down at her feet. She wiggled her toes. ‘I always feel a lot more at peace when I sho
Psych 80. The "B" Word
Ishmael’s living room was nothing short of chaotic. There were clothes lying all over the floor, and the couch, each piece of clothing carrying a distinct and probably permanent stain. The seat Charles and James were offered was a red and dusty couch with several big holes in it. Ishmael threw the clothes on the couch onto the floor and gave it a few slaps with his hand, arousing a big dust cloud. He then walked off into the kitchen to place the kettle on the stove. Hesitant at first, the two policemen finally decided to sit on the couch and wait for Ishmael.Two minutes later Ishmael walked back into the living room from the kitchen which was just behind Charles and James’ couch. He sat in his black leather armchair. It actually looked brand-new.Ishmael tapped his fingers on the armrests of his chair, grinning at the two officers. ‘So, what do you pigs want to know about my old gal, hey?’ he asked them laying his head back.The inspector clea
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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
