Page 476 of The Sinner: James

“Hmm... Any trouble with the police?”

“They’ve been investigated and charged with fraud and tax evasion. Paid a lot of money in the settlement.”

I take a long breath.

“Okay. Let me make some phone calls before heading out with you.”

6

JAMES

“Pull over there,”I say, pointing to the next block.

Thomas stops the car by the sidewalk.

“Wait here,” I say as he turns the engine off.

I slip out of the car and walk briskly, looking up and down the street.

The road is empty, and so are the sidewalks, and everything is sunk in darkness.

I check the name of the street and the numbers. I’m only a couple of blocks away.

Feet away from the address, I check the building.

The place has two levels and eight apartments, and the lights are turned on in some of them. A courtyard looks up at the sky in the space carved out at the center of the building.

Metallic stairs crawl up the exterior walls, connecting the floors.

I turn left, and instead of walking past everybody’s window, I opt for a service stairwell that takes me to the second floor.

My eyes are trained on the windows that must be Tiago’s. A faint glow comes from one of the rooms. I stop a few steps from the door and peek through the window.

Has Thomas left the lights on?

My gaze slides to the main door before I wrap my hand around the doorknob and slowly shift it.

The door opens.

Silently, I step back and peel off my jacket.

Holding it with one hand, I quietly push the door open and step in.

A small hallway sprawls out in front of me. The door to the kitchen looms on the right, and the light I spotted earlier comes from the left.

That’s Tiago’s bedroom, I suspect.

I hear some noise inside, and whoever is there doesn’t seem to care. He pulls the drawers open and shoves them back in, muttering shit on his phone.

He has a thick Russian accent.

A louder noise travels across the corridor as he slams his fist into a piece of furniture and curses at it.

“No, no. I checked again. There’s nothing in here,” the man says, his tone heavy with frustration.

Quietly, I reach the bedroom door.

“I looked everywhere twice,” he says, his irritation growing.

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