Partners

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 the afternoon to verify the phone call I made to you the night Justin's body was found.'

'Oh,' Sineas immediately looked guilty.

She laughed, rather spitefully. ' "Oh"? "Oh", Sin? Here I am thinking that this hell is over and then I find out its just beginning?'

He ducked his head low and began rubbing on his thumb. 'I'm sorry. Charles was trying to pin me to the murders. I had to prove to him that I'm innocent, I honestly wasn't trying to drag you back into this.'

She placed her elbow on her desk then laid the side of her head lazily on top of her knuckles, staring at him. She developed a smile. She said, 'It's alright. Did you watch the news this morning?'

'No, why?'

'Another body turned up, or should I say; six pieces of it.'

'Whose?'

'A psychiatrist by the name of Darren Jacob. What's the name of your psychiatrist again?' she asked him curiously.

He looked towards the front of the classroom. He could see Trevor staring menacingly at him, despite his friends trying hard to bring him back into the conversation. Just behind Trevor was Bubblegum girl. She looked like she was reading something. She had turned her desk to face the left of the room and Trevor's was turned in Sineas' direction. The look on his face strongly suggested that he was thinking of all possible and destructive ways to kill Sineas.

'Doctor Darren Jacob,' Sineas finally answered Clarissa.

She immediately gaped in shock. 'Oh, my gosh, Sin. I'm so sorry.'

He shook his head. 'It makes you wonder who this person is going to kill next. It's like everyone in Malrich is on the list. The equation made sense when it was just Justin and Miss Bale but now that a psychiatrist is involved?'

'Do you think your mother's safe?' she asked him concernedly.

'I hope so. One can only hope when you have a ruthless and heartless killer on the loose.'

'So, she hasn't tried to get in touch with you since her escape?'

'No. No she hasn't.'

'She must be scared. They're still splashing her picture on the eight o'clock news. She's probably running non-stop.'

Sineas answered, 'But I'm sure she'll be fine though. Even though it's been years since I last saw her, I still remember her being a strong woman.'

'But why wouldn't she at least try to get in touch with you? You're the only child she has.'

'Claire; you know she would if she could.'

'But…'

'Claire, please!'

She immediately withdrew her gaze. There was a pause. 'I'm sorry,' she apologized.

'It's okay. I just don't want to talk about her anymore.'

'So…what do you want to talk about?'

He shrugged. 'Anything else.'

'You know what day tomorrow is, right?' she asked him now smiling mischievously.

'Wednesday?'

'Yes, and..?'

He scratched his head, now trying hard to remember. He got it. 'Oh, man!'

She laughed. 'That's right, Mr Murphy. Gym class! I hope you've been working on your push-ups, sir or Mr. Gwarini is going to eat you up.'

'I hate that guy.'

'Don't worry, I'll teach you. If you're not keen on getting a little sweaty, I'll do enough for both of us.'

'But don't expect me to pay you.'

She bit her lip. 'Of course not, champ. We're partners,' she nudged his shoulder. 'Oh shoot!' She pulled out her cell phone from her jeans' pocket.

'What is it?' he asked her looking and sounding inquisitive.

'I'm supposed to be meeting the inspector and his midget deputy in thirty minutes,' she answered before she returned her phone.