Chapter 197

Chapter 197
Michael's POV

I stared at Emily's journal until my eyes burned. Each page felt like a knife twisting deeper into my chest. Was this really her? The same Emily who'd laughed at my awkward jokes, who'd figured out connections no one else could see? The same woman who looked at me like she could read every thought behind my expressionless face?

"You look like shit," Daisy announced, standing in my doorway with her arms crossed. Her usually cheerful face was twisted with anger. "Seriously, Stone? You're just going to sit there like some... some defeated puppy?"

I didn't respond.

"Who writes a journal documenting their crimes?" Daisy continued, her voice rising. "It's obviously fake! Someone planted it to frame her!"

I wanted to believe that. God, I wanted to.

"Daisy—" I started, but Thomas appeared behind her, peering over her shoulder.

"Mind if I come in?" he asked, eyeing the mess of papers covering my desk. "People in bad moods shouldn't be alone."

Daisy spun around, glaring at him. "He's not in a 'bad mood.' He's being a coward. What's there to comfort?"

Thomas hesitated, then slipped past her anyway. "There's an awful lot of evidence pointing to Emily," he said quietly. "And she's disappeared."

Before Daisy could explode, Thomas darted to my desk, effectively ending their confrontation. She stormed off.

"You noticed Nolan?" I asked once we were alone. Nolan had been hovering around the department all morning, watching everyone with those sharp eyes of his.

Thomas nodded. "Guy's been circling like a vulture."

I gestured to the case files spread across my desk. "Make yourself useful."

Thomas picked up a photo from the pile. His eyes widened. "Is this...?"

The picture showed a dirty little girl with hollow eyes. Emily at six years old, after they found her in that attic. The image made my stomach twist.

"Do you still care about her?" Thomas asked, studying my face for any trace of emotion.

"I believe in her." The words came out stronger than I expected. I always trust evidence, follow facts. But this time...

"What have you found?" Thomas gestured at the piles of documents.

"I asked Chief Finch for help. He's had people following Megan Weber and Simon Wallace since yesterday." I shuffled through some papers. "Neither was home last night. Both returned around 6 AM this morning. Traffic cameras didn't catch their license plates, so we can't determine where they went last night."

"You think they're working together?"

"Their residences are about five miles apart in a straight line. Not too close, not too far." I spread out a map. "If they're holding Emily somewhere, it's probably within this radius. Psychological safety distance."

"The special investigation team has searched everywhere," Thomas pointed out. "They've practically turned Riverstone upside down."

I tapped another file. "Emily's mother committed suicide at a beach house owned by her aunt Allison. It was in an upscale residential area with low occupancy. Later demolished for a community center."

Thomas leaned closer, examining photos of a narrow attic with signs of long-term habitation - a small mattress, scattered toys, food wrappers.

"This is where Emily was kept as a child." I couldn't keep the edge from my voice. "I think Megan and Simon kidnapping her now has something to do with this past."

"What makes you say that?"

"Emily doesn't remember what happened when she was six. After she was rescued, Caitlin Weber provided her psychological counseling. But Emily doesn't remember this memory at all."

"You think they're trying to make her remember?"

"Maybe. Or prevent her from remembering."

Thomas grabbed another file - Caitlin Weber's case history. "Fifteen cases total. Seven were serial killings." He flipped through pages rapidly. "Something weird here. Almost all these cases were investigated by Lewis Powell."

I nodded. "I noticed that too. And every serial killer case has a prototype in international case databases. Like they were following standard serial killer playbooks."

A connection suddenly sparked in my mind. "Caitlin's husband had an affair with a nurse." I rummaged through files until I found what I needed. "Caitlin's husband and that nurse worked at the same hospital."

I placed the photos side by side. "That nurse and Megan have similar eyes."

"You think she was framed?" Thomas's voice dropped to a whisper.

"It's possible," I rubbed my eyes. "Caitlin might have done it to get revenge on her husband."

A knock interrupted us, and Nolan opened the door.

"Stone," Nolan said. "Chief Finch wants to see you."

Thomas immediately changed demeanor, forcing a casual smile. "Anyway, I think you should forget about her. You deserve better."

I caught on immediately. "I'll think about it."

---

Third-Person POV

"How does someone just vanish?" Dennis was saying. "Does she have an accomplice?"

Aaron shook his head. "If she's the killer, why leave her phone and laptop behind?"

"The whole thing feels staged," Dennis agreed. "Like someone wanted Stone to find that journal."

A tech person rushed into the office with a tablet. "We found something huge in Emily's email. She was corresponding with Caitlin Weber."

The email was open on screen, dated just months ago:

"Lewis is one of us. He'll help with cleanup. Everything's in place for the next step."

Dennis stared at the computer screen, his jaw dropping. He frantically waved Aaron over.

"Look at this," he pointed at the email. "Lewis? Is this the same Lewis Powell we know?"

Aaron leaned closer, squinting at the screen. "If I remember correctly, Lewis and Caitlin were colleagues. They worked together for several years."

"Shit," Dennis muttered. "You think he might be the informant? Maybe even hiding Emily?"

Aaron shook his head, scrolling through more emails. "Not sure, but these messages are definitely worth a close look. Caitlin's plan was way more complex than we imagined."

After carefully examining all the emails between Caitlin and Nightingale, they finally understood Caitlin's plan. Caitlin wanted to study the causes of criminal behavior, so she created the so-called "S Plan," selecting children with severe psychological problems who were predicted to have high criminal potential.

They observed these children long-term to study how criminals are formed. Genetics, personality traits, childhood trauma, environmental factors, and triggering events—all these elements were quantified and studied.

However, during the observation process, they couldn't resist intervening. Since they understood the causes of criminal behavior, they wanted to know if they could prevent crimes by eliminating these factors.

In the emails, Caitlin's thinking appeared extreme. She believed criminal psychology wasn't taken seriously, that no one appreciated its true value. She reasoned that for a discipline to gain respect, it must demonstrate its importance.

As the S Plan progressed, the plan changed. Caitlin began to intervene in the development of her research subjects, exploiting their psychological weaknesses, shaping them into serial killers.

For thirty years, by helping the police solve these serial murder cases, she became a legend in criminal investigation and established her academic reputation. She achieved both fame and prestige.

After achieving success, Caitlin revisited the original purpose of the S Plan. She then proposed the "S Cleanup Plan": using psychological assessments and specially designed games to identify children with aggressive tendencies and criminal potential. Through rehabilitation, they would eliminate the possibility of these children becoming criminals—exactly what Nathan was doing.

Nightingale was responsible for implementing the S Cleanup Plan.