Page 267 of Depraved Boys

“I had tea in his room all the time and sat next to him in classes. But Corrine was also in love with him, and they’d had a relationship. She might have chosen to die with those items around her.”

“Like a shrine to their love,” said Leopold.

Sebastian frowned but didn’t speak. I hoped he wasn’t losing faith with Prakash. The legal fees had to be mounting high, and neither Leopold nor I had the means to pay Mr. Pinkerton if Sebastian decided to give up.

“Can’t the Crown Prosecution Service translate the diary themselves?” I asked.

“It’s doubtful, especially since they’re looking to secure Mr. Kashaayah’s conviction for murder.”

Leopold slammed a fist on the table, making everyone jump. “I don’t get why they suddenly think Corrine was murdered, and Kash was the killer.”

Mr. Pinkerton turned his gaze to me. “It’s because of you, Miss Evergreen.”

Mouth gaping open, I reared back. “But…” My next word was a croak because I hadn’t told the police anything incriminating about Prakash. “What?”

“Everything that happened to you mirrors what happened to Corrine.”

My mouth opened and closed. Hadn’t Cormac said something similar last term? So much had happened since then that I’d forgotten the day he’d told me the police had reopened Corrine’s case.

“What are you saying?” asked Leopold. “That Kash wanted to kill Willow? He’s crazy about her.”

“Whoever attacked you on all those occasions you reported to the police mirrored Corrine’s death,” said Rupert. “There’s a scene in the diary where some girls pushed her down the stairs. It’s exactly what you reported to the police.”

Mr. Pinkerton’s eyes softened. “The CPS believe you’re the victim of a copycat.”

“Then they should arrest the girls, not an innocent boy who has done nothing to hurt me!”

The lawyer shrugged. “One of my assistants pieced together all the evidence we could gather to implicate Bianca Byrd. It was enough for the police to visit her hospital bed, but they also believe that whoever murdered Corrine also attacked her.”

The rest of the conversation went round in circles. Mr. Pinkerton wanted to contact Prakash’s parents for the trial, but Sebastian refused because they would disinherit Prakash whether he was found guilty or innocent. I shook my head. To me, the evidence proving that Prakash was the murderer was flimsy and circumstantial, but I knew nothing about the law outside the shows I’d watched with Mom.

A sigh slid from my lips. I’d thought that by now, Uncle Trevor or Aunt Hortense would have called to ask why I had allowed Ashley to get arrested, but they were either too busy or too angry about her predicament. I turned back to the conversation.

“Alright then,” said Leopold. “What time’s the trial?”

Rupert cleared his throat. “Youth courts don’t allow the general public.”

“What?” snarled Sebastian.

Mr. Pinkerton’s assistant shrank. “You’ll have to wait until after Mr. Kashaayah’s sentencing to be eligible for a visit.” He gulped. “Or he might be acquitted.”

Without a word, Leopold stormed out of the meeting and slammed the door. I jumped at the sound and clutched my chest, as though to stop my heart from flopping lifelessly onto the table. Neither lawyer seemed to think Prakash had a chance, and there wasn’t a thing we could do to help him.

“Perhaps now’s a good time to break. Is there anything you can add to help Mr. Kashaayah’s case?”

“Corrine’s twin brother thinks he’s innocent,” I said.

The lawyer’s gray eyebrows rose. “Will he be willing to submit a character reference to that effect?”

My shoulders slumped. While Cormac knew Prakash didn’t tie a noose around his sister’s neck, he also knew that her spiraling into depression was a direct result of the pull-a-pig game.

A lump formed in my throat, and I gulped. “It’s doubtful.”

“No matter.” He gave me a bracing smile. “We’ll do our best to refute the Crown’s evidence against Mr. Kashaayah. In the meantime, keep him in your prayers.”

Rupert and Mr. Pinkerton gathered their folders and left the room. Sebastian helped me to my feet, and we walked in silence through the empty hallway. Parquet floors stretched out for what felt like an eternity, with white walls looming closer, seeming to close us in. I exhaled a long, shuddering breath. If I felt like this, I couldn’t imagine the extent of Prakash’s torment.

Leopold joined us at the stairwell and followed us in silence. I glanced at him over my shoulder, but he stared down at his feet. I turned back and focused on the climb. It wasn’t like I could say everything would be alright, because right now, things looked hopeless.