When Alison walked into the room, she stopped dead.The walls were covered in photographs, both headshots that might be downloaded from a professional website and what looked like surveillance photos.Her eyes flashed to the camera and case of lenses laid out on the table at the back wall, making it clear who had taken the photos.
Thomas turned to face them and spread his arms out wide."I have nothing to hide.Here it is, so spend as long as you like.Everything I’ve done is completely legal."
"What is this?"Moore asked.
Alison answered before Thomas did.From what they knew of Thomas, coupled with the surveillance photographs, the court documents, and the headshots on the wall, including those of Richard Langford and Patricia Holland, it was obvious to Alison what the room was being used for.
"These are all the people you blame for our sister’s death," she said.
"No, no, no, no," Thomas said, wagging a finger at Alison."No, you make it sound like it’s my opinion.I don'tblamethem for her death; theyareto blame.If it weren’t for these people, she wouldn’t be dead."
"So, what is this?"Moore asked, looking around the room with wide eyes."What are you doing here, Thomas?"
"I haven’t done anything illegal," he maintained."Who was it this time?"
"What does that mean?"Moore asked.
"Someone called you, right?They put pressure on you to come here."Thomas held his hands wide again."Bring it, I say.The more they come for me, the more I know I’m on the right track.You can go back to them and tell them that it only makes me hungrier for change."
"Yeah, it would be great if you could change," his wife said sardonically as she walked past the door to the study.
"Oh, just—" he started toward his wife before ignoring her and turning back to Moore."I won't stop what I’m doing, okay?My sister was murdered because these people didn't do their jobs.Any one of them could have stopped it, but they didn't.And do you know what’s even worse than that?I’ve spoken to most of them, and they don't feel any remorse.They don't care that an innocent woman was killed.It’s just another stat for them, and as long as most of the stats are in their favor, they can sleep easily at night.They can have a few numbers where people are murdered in cold blood, and it’s all rosy for them.So, go back to whoever it was who sent you here and tell them that I’m not stopping until there’s some real change."
"Like Richard Langford or Patricia Holland?"Alison asked, looking for a reaction.
"Like any of them," Thomas maintained."It was her, wasn’t it?She’s such a self-righteous bitch.Do you know what she said to me when I confronted her about it?"
He was talking directly to Alison now, and she shook her head.Detective Moore walked around the room, looking at the pictures.
"She asked me,who?"Thomas's jaw tightened, and he blinked three times."Can you believe that?She pretended that she didn't know who I was talking about, but I could see it in her eyes.She knew exactly what I was talking about and how it was her fault, but she hid behind what she wanted me to think was ignorance.And I could see in her eyes that she didn't care, not about Kate.She cared about her reputation, but not my sister.She would rather pretend that it didn't happen than face the truth and actually make a change."
"No more lies, right?"Alison asked.
"What?Yeah," Thomas said dismissively."That’s…yeah, no more lies.That’s all they do: lie, and then make excuses for their actions."
"No more lies.No more excuses," Alison said, still looking for a reaction.
"What?Yeah," Thomas agreed, his brows furrowed."I don't understand why you’re here.Why a doctor all of a sudden?A doctor of what?"
"Forensic psychology," Alison said."I’m a profiler.I work mainly in murder investigations."
Thomas’s eyes lit up.He stepped forward and almost reached out a hand as if to touch her and make sure she wasn’t a mirage before he stopped himself.
"Have you…?"
Detective Moore peeled a second photograph from the wall.
"No, I’m sorry," she told Thomas.
Alison had witnessed two things so far.Thomas was extremely passionate about his sister to the point that it suggested he could be the killer.On the opposite side of the coin, his reaction to the words she’d recited from the notes left at the crime scenes seemed to be genuine confusion.
Moore returned to the two of them and held up the photographs for Thomas to view.
"Dr.Richard Langford and Patricia Holland," she said.
Thomas looked at the two photos."Yeah?"He shrugged.
Moore didn't say anything and continued to hold the photos, also looking for a reaction from Thomas.
