Page 246 of Sinister

“Yes.” He nods. “It was a well-known thing. And those girls were all victims of it. They asked him repeatedly to delete them, to stop sharing them—but he never did.”

He smirks.

“Well, until now. Because he’s not capable of sharing anything anymore.”

The dichotomy between these two personas of Sin is becoming greater and greater.

The priest finishes the prayer, and the gravediggers begin lowering the coffin into the ground. Due to the extreme disfiguration of the body, they had opted for a closed casket.

As people gather to lay flowers on top of the coffin, I notice the two detectives quietly walking toward me. Sin sees them, too, and places an arm across my waist, keeping me at his side.

“Miss Valentine.”

“Detectives.” I nod in greeting.

“We would like to hold another interview with you. Are you available in the next few days?”

“An interview? About what?” Sin is the one who asks the question.

“And you are?”

“Sinclair Arnoult. I’m Petra’s boyfriend.”

“I believe Miss Valentine can speak for herself.” The detective stares him down.

“No, he is right. Why would you want me to come in for an interview?”

“Of course—to discuss the passing of your classmate.”

Sin interjects again. “So you’re interviewing all of his classmates?”

“No.”

“Then why Petra? She didn’t have a close relationship with François. She barely knew him.”

“I’m speaking with Miss Valentine, not with you, Mr. Arnoult.”

“It’s as he said,” I reply. “I didn’t know François very well, so I’m not sure what you’d like me to say, other than that this is a tragic loss.”

“How does Monday at 8 a.m. sound for you? We can meet at the school, or if you’d prefer, at our office.”

“She’ll be at the school,” Sin replies.

The detectives give him a harsh look before nodding and moving along.

I turn to him in confusion. “Why would they want to speak with me again?”

“It’s probably just a routine interview, Petra. I’ll be there with you.”

“I don’t think they’ll want you present.”

“Tough luck. I am going to be present. I’m not letting you walk into the lion’s den alone.”

“All right. I suppose that would help. They’ve been awfully hostile toward me. I don’t know how they can think I had something to do with it. Just because I was on speaking terms with Edwin and Harry. But with François? It’s just odd.”

“It is,” he agrees.

Soon it’s our turn to place a flower on top of his coffin, and after both Sin and I do it, we turn around and come face-to-face with Daphne.