There were a few seconds of silence, before he eventually relented and walked back into his room. Mark followed him, closing the door over a little. Charlie had already slumped into a gaming chair facing the television propped up on a chest of drawers in a corner. The curtains were drawn close, barely any light breaking into the room. Mark considered opening them, then settled for turning on the light instead. The teenager blinked, but showed no other sign of a response.

The room was small, but seemed to have been filled with more things than the rest of the house. Each available surface was being used, including the countless shelves that were on every wall. They held various figurines, which probably meant much to Charlie, but left Mark confused. Gnarled and misshapen figures, which seemed to be mixtures of monsters and mythological beings. Winged beasts, malformed humanistic types. The walls were similarly covered in posters that depicted various metal bands and horror films. On the television, a video game had been paused. Red and black splashed across the screen. A character holding some type of gun that probably didn’t exist in the real world.

When Mark had been younger, they would have termed Charlie as a ‘Goth’ or ‘Mosher’. Something told him the names were probably the same now. The weird kids who seemed to have their own language, to be mocked and mistreated by those higher up in the social chain.

Mark decided to stand and try not to slouch over himself. ‘Your mum and sister have confirmed that it’s Emily that we found.’

‘Yeah, I guessed that,’ Charlie replied, folding his hands into his lap and staring away from him. ‘Not sure what else there is to be said. I told you she was dead.’

‘Yes, I know. Someone will come by to pick you up soon, so you can be with them.’

Charlie rolled his eyes far too dramatically for it not to be for effect. ‘All they’re going to do is cry. Do I have to be around for that?’

‘They’re going to be very sad, Charlie,’ Mark said, wondering why he had to talk to this lad like he was a five-year-old. Why he didn’t seem bothered at all that his sister was dead and his family was in tatters. Was it all part of the same act? ‘I’m sure you will be as well. It’s best you’re with your family at the moment. You’re going to need them.’

Charlie shrugged, but didn’t push back any further.

‘We’re treating her death as suspicious right now,’ Mark continued, when it became obvious he wasn’t going to get an immediate response. ‘You know what that means?’

‘It means you think someone might have killed her. Yeah, I’m not an idiot.’

‘Okay, well, because of that, we’re going to have some questions for all of you.’