Chapter 188

Chapter 188
Michael's POV

The next morning arrived too quickly. Emily and I walked into the police station together, the familiar busy atmosphere doing nothing to alleviate the tension I felt.

We had barely reached the office when Aaron appeared in the doorway.

"Good morning," he said, feigning casualness.

"Aaron," I immediately became alert, "what's going on?"

He shifted his stance, clearly uncomfortable. "Stone, I need to borrow someone from your team. I'd like Emily to assist us with a case."

I immediately understood what this meant. They were coming for her, just as we had anticipated. My stomach tightened, but I remained calm.

Emily spoke before I could. "I'll go with you."

I instinctively stepped forward. "I'll come too—"

Emily squeezed my hand, silently reassuring me not to make things difficult.

As they walked down the hallway, a cold feeling settled in my stomach. I watched Emily leave, forcing myself to remain composed despite the growing unease within me.

Daisy entered the office, confusion written across her face. "What's going on? Why are they taking Emily?"

"To help with a case," Daniel answered from his desk. "Those fancy consultants they brought in yesterday must not be cutting it, so they're asking for her help."

I walked silently toward my office.

Thomas followed me into my office. He closed the door behind him.

"Something feels off," Thomas said. "What's happening?"

I hesitated, then decided Thomas deserved to know the truth.

---

Emily's POV

As Aaron led me down the corridor toward the interrogation room, I spotted two familiar figures standing by the water cooler. Esther and Megan.

"Emily, why—" Esther began, her voice tense with concern.

Aaron cleared his throat loudly, cutting her off. The message was clear: don't reveal any information.

Esther fell silent, but her eyes conveyed what she couldn't say aloud: You're in trouble.

I smiled reassuringly at her.

Megan's gaze locked onto me over Esther's shoulder. A small, triumphant smile curved her lips.

I smiled back. In my mind, I analyzed Megan's psychology: a woman starved for her mother's love, projecting her resentment onto me. How pathetic.

Even if she succeeded in framing me, Megan would still be the daughter Caitlin didn't acknowledge. She would still be empty inside, still seeking validation she would never receive. The thought almost made me feel sorry for her. Almost.

---

Aaron gestured for me to sit down while he and his assistant Dennis Ortiz took seats across from me.

"Dennis Ortiz is from the special investigation unit," Aaron explained. "He's an expert in interrogation techniques."

I nodded, observing Dennis's appearance—middle-aged, slightly overweight, with calculating eyes assessing my every move.

"Ms. Grey, please don't be nervous," Aaron began pleasantly. "We just want to understand some things."

I remained calm, waiting for them to show their hand.

"Do you know Ruby Blake?" Aaron asked.

"Yes, I do," I answered honestly.

"What's your relationship with her?"

"We're friends," I explained. "She was a survivor in a case I worked on. She experienced psychological trauma, so I recommended a therapist to help her."

Aaron nodded, making notes. "We found phone records showing regular contact between you and Alicia Powell before she committed suicide. Can you explain that?"

I kept my expression neutral. "Alicia was kidnapped two months ago. We rescued her. She had PTSD, so we occasionally kept in touch."

"So both Ruby and Alicia were survivors of traumatic events," Aaron observed. "And they both depended on you psychologically."

"I never provided psychological counseling to them," I clarified. "I studied criminal psychology, not clinical psychology. I don't have a therapy license."

Aaron suddenly leaned forward. "Do you know what a spider web is?"

"Spider web?" I repeated, my heart rate increasing. "Where did you hear that term?"

"Ruby says she was controlled by a spider web," Aaron said.

My brain raced. "I need to talk to Ruby," I said urgently.

In my mind, I pieced together a trap set against me.

Aaron tapped the table, reminding me of my situation. "You're a suspect now, not our psychological consultant."

"I know nothing about any spider web," I said carefully. "But Caitlin once mentioned using spider webs to control people and make them kill."

I immediately corrected myself: "I'm not a suspect because I haven't committed any crime."

"But Ruby says she killed Sophia for you," Dennis spoke for the first time.

I calmly met his gaze: "Did she explicitly say I instructed her to kill?"

"We can infer it from her testimony," Dennis said, raising his voice.

"Infer, or forcibly establish a connection?" I challenged. "What exactly did she say?"

Aaron gestured to Dennis, who reluctantly played a video on his laptop.

On the screen, Ruby sat in a chair, her gaze unfocused. I immediately noticed the scratch marks on her hands—both on the back and palm. Self-inflicted wounds, likely from fingernails digging into skin.

My chest tightened with anger. Ruby was already a traumatized woman, and now someone was subjecting her to more psychological pressure. I knew exactly who was responsible. I looked toward the one-way mirror, knowing Megan was watching from the other side.

In the video, Ruby spoke in a monotone about "turning over the body" and "being controlled by spider webs." She mentioned feeling compelled to kill, but never explicitly identified me as the one who instructed her.

After the video ended, I requested to see it again.

Dennis objected: "You're here to cooperate with our investigation, not to solve the case."

Aaron overruled him, allowing me to watch the video again.

---

"How do you explain Ruby killing for you and specifically turning over the victim's body?" Dennis demanded after the second viewing.

I remained calm. "Her testimony doesn't actually say she killed for me."

"It can be inferred—"

"We suspect you psychologically manipulated Ruby into killing Sophia, and also controlled Alicia's suicide," Dennis interrupted bluntly.

I gave a soft laugh. "If I could truly control people psychologically, why wouldn't I directly control Sophia to make her commit suicide?"

Dennis fell silent, recognizing the logical hole.

"Sophia was my cousin," I continued. "Why would I want her dead? What benefit would that give me?"

"Our investigation shows you had a poor relationship since childhood," Dennis countered. "That gives you a motive for murder."

"If that were true, I should have killed her when we were children and saw each other daily, not now when we only meet a few times a year," I pointed out.

"Then how do you explain Ruby's testimony?" Dennis persisted.

I stayed composed. "I don't need to explain it. Testimony given under hypnosis isn't accepted as valid evidence in court."

I leaned forward. "And if I could psychologically manipulate her to kill, couldn't someone else psychologically manipulate her to frame me?"

The question left Aaron and Dennis speechless.