Chapter 190

Chapter 190
Michael's POV

"They're building a case against Emily," I told Thomas as we huddled in my office. The situation was escalating faster than I'd anticipated.

Thomas looked troubled, his usually cheerful face drawn with worry. "So they really took Emily away just now?"

"Yes," I nodded. "If they only have Ruby's testimony, a murder charge shouldn't stand. I'm worried they have other plans."

"If they connect Alicia's suicide to the child rehabilitation program, and with Nathan Evans that we caught," Thomas said with concern.

"Nathan Evans might identify Emily as the mastermind," Thomas began pacing. "The Grey family connection to all these events would be circumstantial, but compelling in court."

We're in a passive position now, and if we act rashly, we might end up helping Emily cover up evidence, or even put ourselves in danger.

"Should we remove Nolan?" Thomas lowered his voice further. "He's clearly their spy."

I considered this, then shook my head. "Let's keep him close. We can feed him false information, see where it leads. Removing him now would just alert them."

Our conversation was interrupted by a soft knock.

Emily stood at the door. She cautiously looked left and right, then closed the door.

I poured her a glass of water. "What happened in the interrogation room?"

Emily took a sip. "They think I somehow controlled Ruby to kill Sophia. But they've got nothing solid, so they had to let me go." She paused. "They had me take a polygraph too."

I frowned, processing this information. "I don't think they really care about Sophia. This is about Alicia Powell."

Emily nodded grimly. "And I have a feeling they'll be bringing me back in very soon."

"And... I've been informed that I'm suspended," Emily announced.

"Damn it, they still suspect you," Thomas said angrily.

"It's alright, I'll just take it as a vacation for myself," Emily said with a smile.

"Get some rest, we will investigate everything," I said reassuringly.

---

Emily's POV

Being suspended felt like a punch to the gut. I sat in my apartment staring at the wall, replaying Megan's words in my mind. They couldn't prove the accusations against me, but just the allegation was enough to exclude me from the investigation.

"Fuck," I muttered, pacing back and forth in my living room. Only by figuring out what happened between Megan and Caitlin would I understand Megan's ultimate goal.

My phone vibrated. It was Michael.

"We found something strange," he said, getting straight to the point. "About Professor Weber."

My stomach tightened. Did they have new leads?

Michael drove to my apartment building, with Thomas also in the car.

"Some strange details about Professor Weber's funeral," Michael said. "Her father, David Lawson, is still alive, but didn't attend. Actually, none of her blood relatives showed up."

I sat up straighter. "That's... unusual."

"We might learn something from her father," Thomas said.

Half an hour later, we stopped in front of an ordinary two-story house with a neat front yard. An elderly man was raking leaves, and despite his age, his movements remained precise.

"David Lawson?" Michael called out as we approached.

"Police officers. What can I help you with?" he said straightforwardly.

I stepped forward. "Sir, about your daughter Caitlin Weber—"

The change was instantaneous. His face hardened, his eyes turning cold. "I don't have a daughter. I don't know who you're talking about."

"But sir—"

"I'm not," he said harshly. "I don't know that person." He raised his rake defensively. "You all need to leave. Now!"

Back in the car, I stared at the house. "What the hell is going on?"

"Let's try the neighbors," Michael suggested.

The couple next door—retired teachers in their seventies—were initially wary but became friendly after Michael showed his badge.

"Oh, David," the wife said as she invited us in. "He was one of the best patrol officers in this town when he was young. His whole life changed when they adopted Caitlin."

"Adopted?" I leaned forward.

The husband nodded. "They couldn't have children. The story is... well, tragic. Caitlin's biological father was a serial killer—killed five or six people."

My blood ran cold. "And her mother?"

"She left little Caitlin, about four years old then, at the police station and disappeared."

"Then David adopted her?" Thomas asked.

"Raised her like his own daughter. She was brilliant—top of her class, college scholarship. You should have heard how he used to praise her."

"But she hasn't been back for nearly thirty years," the woman added. "Not even when David's wife passed away."

"What happened between them?"

They shook their heads, clearly limited in what they knew.

Back in the car, I stared out the window, thinking about what we'd learned.

"Should we try talking to Lawson again?" I asked, still remembering the pain and anger in the old man's eyes.

Michael shook his head. "Not yet. He clearly needs time."

"Professor Weber must have done something illegal," Thomas speculated.

"Maybe it was about her marriage," I suggested.

Thomas shook his head. "David seems reasonable. Would he cut ties over relationship issues?"

I stared at the street, my thoughts racing. "I think Caitlin has a dark side that only Megan has seen."

"Speaking of Megan..." Thomas checked his phone. "I found her aunt—Flora Weber. She works for social services and lives about twenty minutes from here."

---

Flora lived in a small apartment complex near the community college where she taught part-time. She was a thin woman with a narrow face like Megan's, but her eyes were cold and watchful.

"I still suspect Caitlin killed my brother," she declared.

"What makes you say that?" I asked, startled by her directness.

"Intuition," Flora said, gesturing for us to sit on her worn couch. "Caitlin controlled everything. My brother, their home, their finances—she had everyone tightly under her control."

"That's a serious accusation," Michael noted calmly.

Flora shrugged. "I never liked her. She was always perfect at everything, always knew how to charm my parents. And she controlled him completely."

"That doesn't align with what we know," Thomas interjected. "Caitlin's husband had multiple affairs during their marriage."

Flora gave a bitter laugh. "He was afraid of her! Couldn't properly be a husband. Those affairs were his escape." She lowered her voice. "Caitlin refused divorce—claimed she wanted to give Megan a complete family."

"Did Caitlin threaten your brother?" Michael asked.

"Not with words," Flora said. "She didn't need to. She had ways of making people do what she wanted—subtle pressure, manipulation. You'd even feel guilty for wanting to defy her."

"What about Megan?" I asked. "What was Caitlin like as a mother?"

"She's not Caitlin's," Flora blurted out. "I mean, biologically."

The room went silent.

"Megan is the child of his mistress. When she was just a month old, he was planning to leave Caitlin for this woman. Then the mistress got arrested for something—I don't know what. The baby had nowhere to go, so Caitlin took her in."

"Caitlin raised her husband's illegitimate child?" Thomas asked incredulously.

"She fed her, clothed her, sent her to an Ivy League school," Flora said with a shrug. "I'd say that's pretty decent for a child that wasn't hers."

"Does Megan know?" I asked, my mind racing.

"No," Flora said firmly. "Only Caitlin and her husband and I knew. We never told her. The child was innocent in all this."

I don't believe Megan is unaware of this. Her complex emotions—hatred for Caitlin coupled with a desperate need for her approval—were unmistakable.

And Caitlin, whom I had admired for years, was likely a monster who had been psychologically tormenting her own daughter for over a decade.