Behind me

Chapter 15-New Alliances

I then asked if he had ever lost sight of him, and he said yes. There was a moment when John had gone to the bathroom.

At that moment, a thought that I thought I'd never have came to my mind. I stood up and thanked Sebastian, promising to do everything I could to get him out of there.

Turmoil reigned in my mind, a constant debate between logic and the desire to believe that I was wrong, but I needed to be sure, or I wouldn't be able to trust.

After leaving the prison, I returned home with my father. In the following days, I dedicated myself tirelessly to gather all the evidence to support my theory. I made calls, researched details, and searched for clues that could confirm my suspicions.

The truth became crystal clear to me, even though it was hard to admit. I felt betrayed and deceived.

I realized that the real killer was Detective John, and he had framed Professor Sebastian, making him the perfect scapegoat. And the blame fell on me for talking to John about the relationship between Sebastian and Lucy, which led to this terrible action.

With a heavy conscience, I knew I had to act. I gathered the only people I trusted and who could help me: my father, Filipe, and Officer Liam, even though I had known him for a short time. I needed someone with the experience and training to catch a criminal.

We gathered at my house, and I shared with them all the discoveries I had made. The atmosphere in the room was tense as I prepared to deliver news that could change the course of the investigation.

I began by explaining that the professor had a solid alibi, even though he himself wasn't aware of it. He was busy grading tests, and the crucial detail that no one had noticed was the time stamp associated with his actions. Every time he finished grading a test, he immediately entered the student's grade on the online platform. What no one seemed to remember is that the platform recorded the time when the grades were posted, and students received an email informing them that their grades were available.

So, we found out that the professor was online three hours before and two hours after the time Kate died. Fortunately for him, his reputation for being slow in grading tests was our ally, providing a solid alibi.

Liam was surprised and said that this meant the real killer was still at large. I agreed and said I had a theory, but I needed him to listen silently until I finished.

I started by saying that my main suspect was the detective, and Liam was surprised by what I said but respected my request to listen carefully.

A detailed analysis of the detective's history reveals deep resentment towards his mother, who treated him with indifference and favored her dolls. This resentment, a common source of hatred for serial killers, casts suspicion on John. After all, he had personal reasons to nurture a deep grudge against women, making him fit the profile of a potential suspect.

Another crucial point emerged during our first meeting. After I refused to talk to him, I was attacked. When I went to his house seeking help, he took a considerable amount of time to answer the door, which made sense if we considered that he might have been in my house during the attack.

On the day of my kidnapping and Luna's, Detective John went out with friends hours before, but when I contacted these friends, they said he left very early, indicating that he didn't have a solid alibi.

The same applied to the day Kate died; when I called the police station, he wasn't there, indicating that he left early.

Furthermore, questionable behavior came to light when I tried to contact him several times after receiving the box with Kate's hair. He chose to ignore my request for help, which is highly suspicious, considering his position as the detective in charge of protecting victims.