Page 111 of Make Me Scream

“Why are you dressed like that?” the other man asks.

I look down at the outfit. Work clothing. It’s part of the shit Rory and I use. Did I do an Alistair Rat piece?

Paintings… there were paintings.

“I’m taking a look around,” Joel says, slipping past me.

I let him go, trying to break the block of ice frozen around my memory. I’m close — I can feel it.

“You’re lucky he’s focused on Gwen,” says the other. Martin. Gwen told me his name is Martin. “After what you did at the gallery, he wanted to hit you. You deserved it.”

“Yeah, I know. I wanted to make things right.”

Follow the process.

I fucked things up with Gwen because I tried to take down Rush. When confronting him at the gallery didn’t work, I wanted to…

Find something real.

“What the fuck?” Joel shouts.

Oh no.

I run to the sound of his voice, with Martin following. Joel’s in the kitchen area, pointing at the table.

“That’s her fucking purse, Lane! Where is she?”

That shouldn’t be possible, but it is. It’s right there.

Joel takes out his phone and taps the screen. After a second, the purse buzzes — her phone, it must be.

How the fuck did her things get here? I don’t even know how I did.

Maybe they’re the same?

I wanted dirt on Rush, so where would I go to get it?

The school, most likely. I’m not supposed to be there, though, which explains why I’m wearing one of my Rat outfits. And if I went to the school, I would have gone to… Rush’s office.

I would have broken in.

I did.

I broke in and found stuff… Went on his computer…

The armoire. It was full of paintings.

Pictures. I took pictures of them.

Where’s my phone?

Rush.

“Look, I think you’re right,” I tell Joel. “Something happened to Gwen, but I swear it wasn’t me. I have evidence Rush Mundell has been… I don’t know. Something shady.”

“What does that mean?”

“He had these drawings of… Look, I’ll show you. Can you call my phone?”

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