Two people had gone into the Sun Room before Rita arrived. Skulduggery hadn't tried to stop them, warn them, or otherwise draw attention to himself; they seemed perfectly capable of handling themselves, and it was the perfect way to judge if the dead woman was still lurking. The lack of screams or sounds of violence seemed to indicate he and Rita would make more headway this time.

"Yes," he replied cheerfully, taking in Rita's appearance with a glance. "You look much better. Better-prepared, too. That's good." His mood had lifted considerably when the two people from earlier hadn't screamed. "Interesting choice of backpack."

He'd meant to ask her if she'd suffered anything like a bloody fingernail in her mouth, but as she also seemed to have more cheer in her step, Skulduggery let the matter slide. Without waiting for a reply, he gently pushed the door open, flicked his flashlight back on, and went in.

[To here.]