“Why are you here?”
Sawyer bites back a smile, shaking her head at me.
“Our investigators have seen substantial evidence of self-defense in this case. We wanted to tell you the good news ourselves that you’re no longer a person of interest.”
I cross my arms, staring at them for a beat before saying, “I already knew that.”
Troy’s eyes bug. He’s afraid of the police, and disrespecting them is no better than disrespecting the prime minister.
“Did you now?”
I shrug. “It was obvious considering he’s been hoarding dead bodies.”
“He’s very happy to hear that,” Sawyer cuts in, shooting me a look.
They don’t appear convinced, but I don’t really care.
“We gave Trinity some brochures on financial assistance and programs that might help her acclimate to society. I hope you encourage her to find her own independence, Mr. Vitale,” Bancroft explains, ending the last sentence with a stern, authoritative tone.
One eyebrow is raised, staring like when a parent is expecting you to go to college instead of living in their basement until they’re thirty.
The nuns that raised me are far scarier than her.
Said brochures are in Sawyer’s hand, and she’s staring at them like she plans on burning them later.
“Trinity is already independent, Officer. I hope you learn to give her more credit,” I respond stoically.
She smiles, conceding on that.
“You mentioned wanting to change your name, we can set you up with a lawyer who can help you through that process. From there, you’ll be able to sort out an ID as well,” Bancroft goes on, turning to Sawyer. “Have you decided what you want your name to be?”
Sawyer’s eyes widen as several sets of eyes zero in on her. She wants to keep her name—her real name—but she’s been nervous about trying to explain it to the police. Not that she has to explain a damn thing to anyone.
Clearing her throat, she says, “Yeah. I—uh, I know it might sound weird, but I wanted to name myself after Sawyer. My first name, at least. She… she taught me a lot, and I admired her. And she deserved to have a life.”
Bancroft might as well have melted in a puddle.
“That’s very sweet,” she says softly. “It’s a beautiful name, too. That poor girl had a very troubling life. So many reports came out about that evil brother of hers. I imagine she did the world a favor.”
Sawyer’s mouth drops and then snaps shut, confusion written across her face. My own brows jump, surprised that there was more evidence against her brother and that Sawyer never knew about it. I suppose she avoided looking at anything to do with him at all costs.
“Reports?” I parrot.
Bancroft turns to me. “Oh, yeah. Her brother was abusing young girls. Several of them came out after his death.”
Sawyer visibly pales, and she’s struggling to control her facial expressions.
“All right, let’s not gossip,” Jones cuts in, shooting his partner a look.
Bancroft faces Sawyer again and rests a hand on her arm in a comforting gesture.
“Let me know if you need help with anything. I’m sure you’re in good hands with Mr. Vitale, but I’ll be a phone call away if you need me.”
Sawyer smiles tightly, and thanks the officers. I watch them leave, then face Troy and Sawyer again. Troy is staring at the latter, who currently looks a little sick.
Troy is the only person that will ever know the truth. He knows I’d wrap him in chum and throw him in the water with a shark if he ever told a soul, and considering I murdered Sylvester, he has no reason not to believe me.
“You okay?” he asks, his brows lowered with concern.
She nods her head rapidly as if she’s trying to convince herself.
“Yeah,” she croaks. Then she starts shaking her head. “No, actually. Not really.”
I brush past Troy, grab her arm, and pull her into me. She’s trembling like a leaf.
“Did you know he was abusing other girls?” I ask, dropping my chin to catch her eye. She tucks her head lower, avoiding me.
Pinching her chin between my fingers, I force her gaze to mine.
“No,” she whispers, glancing away, her cheeks coloring red.
“Regardless, you did the world a fucking favor,” Troy mutters. “Honestly, you shouldn’t beat yourself up over it when you saved them from further abuse.”
Sawyer nods, but again, it looks like she’s trying to convince herself.
“Yeah, it just makes me feel stupid for not seeing that.”