There’s a lot I wanted to say, a lot of additional theories I’d wanted to discuss, like why the killer wears the same clothes each time. If it’s out of compulsion because he has no choice—
Or if it’s his way of taunting the police. Laughing at them. At us. Waiting for us to catch on to him.
But I don’t pitch in again. I don’t have the heart. I speak when spoken to but I have nothing else to contribute for the rest of the meeting.
“If there’s anything else you notice, then let us know.” Gabriel pats me on the shoulder as he leaves, but I only glance at him out of the corner of my eyes before refocusing to the front.
“Sure.”
He and I both know I won’t.
Everyone slips away afterwards, and Xavier doesn’t look at me again, until it’s only Reuben and I standing still in the room.
Reuben’s watching me—again—with folded arms and I’m too tired to deal with him now, so I turn on my heels with a sigh and make my way back to my room. Still, I can feel him, like a shadow at my back.
I open the door to my room, but before I can close it, his hand is there against the door, stopping me.
“Where were you going to go?”
I blink, door handle still in hand, “What?”
“If you’d bolted.” He tries to sound indifferent but there are shadows in his eyes as he steps deeper into the room. Deeper into my space.
“Where were you going to go?”
My lips purse, “I’m not sure.”
It’s the truth. I have nowhere to go after all.
I leave him in the doorway to turn my back on him. It doesn’t look like he’s about to leave, and it’s too late at night for me to try to force him. I open my bedroom window to let the cool air through, but the moment I turn I’m running straight into his chest so suddenly my heart rate spikes.
The scent of him fills my nose, and I scowl as he puts his hand in his pockets.
“Tell me,” he says.
“No.” The words escape my mouth so quickly, I don’t need to think about them.
“I stood up for you, so you can at least tell me what’s going on.”
“I don’t know what you’re—”
“Are you on drugs?”
“YouknowI’m not,” I hiss.
He grins, “Yes. I know that. But I’m having trouble understanding what happened in there.”
“You could leave it alone like everyone else,” I argue.
“And then when I look around you’ve bolted to god knows where,” he snorts. “No. I won’t.”
We both stare at each other for a long while, each of us waiting for the other to back down or give in. A slight wind blows, and my eyes are suddenly drawn to the ribbon in his hair. To the black decoration that, even in this moment, makes him look… gentler.
My gaze softens and I’m the first to look away.
Reuben is the one I have to fool the most. I know that. I told myself I wouldn’t forget it.
But he stepped between Xavier and me when I was about to run away.
