Shadow of a Grave ✧ Sebastian Sallow

chapter seventeen ✧ my sanity

"Minister Sallow, when did you first arrive back in London?"

"Middle of September. I'm not positive of the exact date."

"Where were you living before that?"

"Town called Gloucester"

"Gloucester? I've been there before. It's a lovely city. What brought you out West?"

"Different Gloucester," Sebastian explained, "A lot further West..."

"Just how far went?" The detective raised.

Sebastian swallowed that growing lump in his throat, before informing them, "The States."

The detective slowly leaned back in their chair and began taking notes in their book once more. As if they were plotting the story of the accused murderer.

Sebastian, while definitely guilty, still hadn't really wanted to give them too much help at ruining his life any more than he already had.

Soft thumps of paperwork flipped in front of the detective as they silently searched for their trap. It felt odd to see so much of his life already put in writing in front of the detective. A feather and pad of parchment flowed over his head as the magic script awaited the continuation of their conversation. The thick smell of ink filled the small room.

It had been hours since being taken from the courtyard. The masked woman had apparated him straight to the small room, cuffed him to the table, and then waited until the detective came to make his final judgment. 

"Our records indicate that they began renting a flat in London around that time, but only month to month, why is that?" The detective finally asked.

"I'm not a fan of London," Sebastian answered truthfully, "I wasn't sure how long I'd be there for."

"Then why stay in London at all then?" He asked.

The detective had to be older than him. Dark black hair was dusted by just a few flakes of silver. Despite the signs of years of experience, the man had a face that was soft and made him look younger. He must have been aware of this fact as he did his best not to smile as he spoke.

What had been the most surprising had been the fact that Sebastian had been tortured the moment he sat down. He had been preparing himself mentally to be sent straight to Azkaban without a trial to rot in a cell forever. The fact that there was even a detective questioning him at all was a shock. 

Marvolo had won, there was no reason for the show of an investigation.

Instead, the young-faced detective still sat calmly in front of him and asked him questions as if he wasn't going to be found guilty regardless of his answers. Sebastian felt almost bad not answering his questions.

"The boat ticket could only bring me to London," He explained in the simplest of terms, "I didn't have much money after that. I was only working within my limits."

"So the choice of London had nothing to do with the fact that Amelia Gaunt had lived in London?" The detective clarified.

"No," Sebastian lied quickly.

The detective chuckled under his breath at the obvious lie.

It was a silent staring contest between the two in the small room. As if whoever spoke first would lose the active mind game. However, Sebastian had already expected guilt to be written on his file before they began speaking.

The detective finally broke first, asking, "So why did you leave The States?"

"Headmaster Hecat had offered me a job teaching." Sebastian jumped at. He was sure that the old professor was lingering nearby somewhere. She had been quick to offer the excuse on the spot and he knew that if there was even a chance of getting out of this situation he would need to rely on it.