And the Righteous Shall Punish by Alexander Forbes

Author:Alexander Forbes
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780648476917
Publisher: Alexander Forbes

When dinner came, Masuma devoured both of the meals.

Kaiya was too sick to eat.

13

Kaiya sat numb outside Joseph’s office, holding Kormac’s hand.

The entire hearing had been surreal, almost as if she didn’t even exist. The judge spoke, Joseph spoke, some stranger who was supposedly her counsel spoke, other people spoke. Endless words about her and rarely ever to her, a letter from Benjamin the judge said she took into consideration but never revealed the contents of, and always the looks from everyone in the room. Glances here and there, penetrating and judgmental, appraising her, weighing her. Everyone so civilised.

“Why didn’t Tilda come?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” Kormac said. “That’s the fifth time you’ve asked me.”

“She should have been here. If she doesn’t want to see me anymore, then she should go. But if she’s still at my place, then she could at least come here and support me… see what kind of farce we’re up against.”

Kormac sighed and closed his eyes.

“What’s wrong?” Kaiya asked.

“Nothing,” he said.

Kaiya squeezed his hand tighter. “Tell me. Please.”

“Another time,” he said. “But you’re lucky, Kaiya. Do you realise that?”

She let go of Kormac’s hand and folded her arms. “He deserved it.”

They sat in silence until Joseph appeared.

“Just you,” he said to Kaiya, and shared a brief nod with Kormac.

She walked into the Chief Inspector’s office and sat quietly, unsure of her position. The court had appointed him as her mentor, whatever that meant. She just knew that if he stayed happy with her progress – what she was supposed to be making progress on, she didn’t know – then she wouldn’t face a custodial sentence. If that’s the way they wanted to play the game, then so be it.

He already acted like they were old friends. An odd part of her understood the feeling, but she didn’t know why it existed. Perhaps an unwanted association with Benjamin.

“You did well,” Joseph said from across his desk.

Kaiya avoided his gaze and looked at the line of his holos. Most contained a woman she assumed must be his wife, and multiple shots of a boy as both baby and toddler. A few old digital photo frames displayed flat representations of people who must have all been dead by now, or at least well into their old age.

“So that is your fiancé?” Joseph asked.

“Yeah. Kormac.”

“He came back from the camps, correct?”

“Yes,” Kaiya said.

“And your parents?”

“Why are you asking me these questions?” Kaiya asked.

“Because you’re going to be seeing a lot of me, from now on.” Joseph reclined in his chair. “I could ask Benjamin anything I need to know, but I figure it’s better to go to the source. Sometimes information becomes… outdated, if you know what I mean.”

She peered at him from the corner of her eye. He was holding something back.

“I’m still waiting for my parents,” Kaiya said at last.

“What do you think they’d say about today?”

“They don’t need to know.”

“That’s always an option,” Joseph said. “Though I’m not sure you’ve thought that one through very thoroughly, given who your father is.

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