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Their heads snapped up, eyes widened in twin shock. Sydni demanded, “You do?”
Oh, did I ever. “You didn’t hallucinate. Neither of you. Why didn’t Benjamin report you like he’d threatened? Why didn’t he send in a tip about students using drugs?”
They looked at one another, and then back at me. Nate reasoned, “Well, maybe he didn’t actually want to get us in trouble. Maybe he was bluffing.”
Sydni scoffed. “He didn’t give a shit about us. He’s a damned con artist, and you know it.”
Nate said, “Well, either way, I guess I don’t know why he didn’t report us.”
“And, Sydni, weren’t you a little curious about why he never confronted you about the fake information?”
She pursed her lips, thinking. “Obviously. But I chalked it up to him being a pussy. All talk, no game. College guys are all the same, apparently.”
Usually, I would have laughed. But the puzzle pieces were clicking into place, and that was infinitely more important. “So, you never once considered the possibility that Benjamin Castile himself was behind your attacks?”
They froze, faces pulled into horror-stricken surprise.
“He’s a light Divine, working as an apprentice to Clave himself. This campus is crawling with mage magic. Talismans. And I’d bet some elixirs too. The fact is that the both of you were set up. Punished.”
My intuition magic, which is what I was calling it from now on, soared with my words. She gave me confirmation that felt like bliss in my soul. The light, fluttery sensation was so overwhelming that my eyes pricked with tears.
Yes, I had confirmation. Now I had to find hard evidence to back it up.
I unleashed my gift and settled it deep into Nate, not caring if he could sense it. Not caring if I’d be caught. “Did you kill Benjamin Castile?”
Chapter Forty-Three
He jolted, his body going rigid as my power sank into him. It found zero resistance, and Nate insisted, “N-no! No, I didn’t! I didn’t do anything, I swear!”
Still I didn’t let go. I had to be sure. “Do you know who did?”
His voice trembled. “No.”
Sydni bristled. “Hey! Hey, don’t talk to him like—” She jerked and leaned away as the weight of my power cut into her next.
I was more gentle this time. If she was innocent, it shouldn’t be hard to dig out. “Did you kill Benjamin? Or know who did?”
“No to both of those questions. Damn, you’re so intense. Back off.”
I relaxed. There wasn’t any iota of struggle to pull those answers from her either. They were innocent. That was helpful but a little disappointing. “Do you know who else Benjamin sold to?”
They both shook their heads. Nate said, “He pretended like I was the only one he told about this. Sydni said the same thing. Benjamin kept his cards close.”
I rose. “This conversation remains between the three of us.” Sans Razai, but they didn’t need to know that. “I trust you’ll keep it confidential too. If you have anything else to add, call me. You’ve been incredibly helpful.”
I strode away without another word, leaving the two shellshocked students to simmer in their horror together. I couldn’t help them through it. I had answers—and even more questions.
I thought that connecting this puzzle piece would have given me a thrill, but the truth was sharper than frost and more cutting than I expected. Like a thousand needles sinking into my skin, pulling with every move.
This whole time, I thought I’d been searching for one person. One attacker. One murderer.
I’d really been searching for two people. Two.
There was still a killer out there. And I had to find out who they were and what they wanted. Maybe Benjamin was their only target. Maybe he’d been killed in a fit of revenge that ended with his final breath.
That would be simple. Convenient, even. No more stomach-churning anticipation for the first of the next month. Only the plain task to track down the killer. Perhaps it was that simple. I couldn’t say for certain.
But something in my core told me I was only starting to unpack this mystery.
