"That tells us a lot."
"Yes, Alicia is a good person, noble and kind, just as her closest friends—who distanced themselves to avoid being hurt—describe her."
Jack looked at Larry and asked seriously, "Have you come up with a theory?"
"She believed that each subpersonality should have its own boyfriend, which gave people the impression that she had several boyfriends at the same time. However, to Alicia, the three personalities were independent individuals within her."
Jack shook his head. "So noble she gave part of her life to each personality. How absurd."
"The times Alicia couldn't control her emotions weren't really her fault—it was the other personalities trying to override one another. If those same personalities didn't accept each other, it means they hated one another."
Max, who had been listening silently, asked confusedly, "Is that even possible?"
"Alicia's medical history shows different injuries, each more severe than the last, which confirms Larry's point."
"In that case, if someone is brought before the law and it's known that a different personality committed a crime while the others were unaware, doesn't that mean they shouldn't be convicted?"
Larry frowned at the ridiculous question. "When a person with multiple personalities experiences cognitive biases due to personality division and their self-control is significantly impaired, they should be punished as someone with limited criminal responsibility."
"That..."
"That means they are only criminally liable for eight types of serious violent crimes, and even then, the punishment should be mild."
Max smiled and patted Larry on the back—Larry hadn't been the same since leaving Florida. "Don't take it so seriously. I'll take care of setting the scene. You just bring your professional knowledge!"
Larry ignored Max's approach and replied, "Anyone with extensive knowledge of cases and legal judgments would know something like this."
Jack turned his head toward the middle-aged agent in charge of questioning and taking statements. The man wore a slightly tense expression. "Do you have anything for me?"
"The suspect, Alonso Will, is a psychiatrist at the city's university hospital. His statements are similar to those of Dr. Larry. However, when I saw his name on the list of people to investigate, I started recording the conversation. But as you may have noticed, I didn't record our previous talk."
"Just tell us exactly what he said," Larry insisted. Details were what mattered most; they couldn't afford to waste time.
"He said that Alicia, the victim, came to him for psychological treatment, not to talk about love. We thought it was an excuse. So the person is still waiting to be interrogated on the first floor, and there's still no official record of their statement."
Jack instantly became furious and slammed the interrogation record onto the table.
"Could you take your job more seriously—as an experienced agent? Don't tell me you have no discernment at all. Are you just going through the motions, trying to dodge responsibility? Do you want to pin the crime on someone quickly, close the case, and go home to your wife and kids?"
"It's not that..."
"If that's your mindset, leave this place immediately."
Larry reached out to stop the enraged Jack and instead asked calmly, trying to catch up, "What time were the suspects brought in?"
"This afternoon. Markus and I brought in Alonso and Alan Bills—two doctors from the university hospital. Alonso got very angry during the trip, furious about wasting time on something like this. He kept repeating that he was just Alicia's psychologist."
"Then Alan started yelling too, not understanding how they were involved in a murder case."
Larry placed his hands on his head and said, "Instead of wasting time here, you should've investigated the suspect properly."
"Such a strong reaction just for being brought in? I understand they've got hospital duties, but damn it, we didn't bring in the head of the ER. Either they don't want to get involved, or we brought in the right person." Jack was with the FBI—not just a detective—he led a special unit dedicated to solving serial murder cases.
A top-tier department like this in the FBI doesn't waste time, so a doctor's excuse held no weight.
That's why doubt crept in. Even Larry had reasons to think they might have found the right needle in the haystack.
"I remember that during the investigation, a close friend of Alicia said that the list of Alicia's twenty boyfriends was provided by friends and coworkers. I think the world around the victim had sharp insight into what was going on."
Larry was aware of toxic social circles designed to harm, and within all of them, there was always a figure orchestrating the emotional abuse.
Sometimes it ended well. Other times, it ended in tragedy.
"Do you want me to handle the doctors? If they're clever, I might cause them some trouble during the interrogation." Larry looked at Jack, who returned a calm gaze.
"Do you know someone?"
"No!"
"Then I'll leave it to you. If you deal with this mess quickly, maybe we won't have to face too much public exposure."
Larry's eyelids twitched. Jack had just given him another assignment—the task of catching the murderer who had taken his apprentice. If they solved this case quickly, it might work to their advantage.
"Wait. Did either of them mention the murder of Alicia and her family before you brought it up?" Larry asked directly.
The officer was taken aback and recalled what had happened.
Apparently, they hadn't mentioned the case. He had just asked if they knew Alicia from the Endocrinology Department and then requested they accompany him for a private investigation.
"Do you have the recording?" Jack looked at the agent next to him.
"Yes, there should be one."
"Then go get it. Now."
Larry, of course, wasn't going to waste more time. "We don't have much time. Alonso and Alan are about to be interrogated. I'll observe, and I want you to ask a few questions."
Jack immediately agreed, and Larry quickly wrote down some questions and handed them to the officer.
Then, Jack, Larry, and Max walked to the room next to the interrogation room.
There's a large glass window in the room. Through it, you can see a space less than 20 square meters. There's a table with two chairs, one on either side.
Max stopped asking questions and just observed.
Jack, seeing Larry jot something in his personal notebook, asked, "Any suspects?"
Larry shook his head. "Haven't decided yet. Do we have their blood samples?"
"Yes, we've got them. They've been sent to the department for analysis." As he spoke, the main door of the interview room opened.
Markus entered and sat down across from Alan, who was sitting facing the window where Larry stood. Alan's left leg trembled continuously.
This doctor specialized in anesthesia in operating rooms, so he wasn't Larry's target. Larry simply watched.
"What was your relationship with the deceased?" Markus asked coldly.
"She was my ex-girlfriend!"
"Please specify the period you were together."
"We started dating early this year but broke up about three months ago."
"Why?"
Alan shifted in his seat and responded calmly, though he masked his anger. "She was pregnant—and it wasn't mine."
"Are you saying you found out she was pregnant and the baby wasn't yours?"
"Yes."
"How did you find out?"
Alan immediately raised his head and stared at the agent in front of him, his expression shifting repeatedly. "Have you ever heard of azoospermia?"
"Yes, I have." Markus received help from Jack through an earpiece.
"Well, I suffer from that condition—and that pregnant b*tch wanted me to raise someone else's kid. Does she think I'm an idiot? So we broke up!"
Markus nodded, noticing the anger in Alan's eyes, and asked, "Where were you on the afternoon of August 24th and the morning of August 25th?"
"I was on the night shift and slept in the on-call room. I was in charge that morning when you dragged me here for God knows what."
"Alright, that's the end of the questions. You'll be taken to a room to rest for now, and later we'll verify everything you just told us."
Once the interrogation ended, Jack stood next to Larry, arms crossed. "That's quite interesting. He seems very confident."
"He has a reason to be angry…"
Soon, Markus brought in Alonso and seated him where Alan had just been interrogated.
Alonso sat down, facing Markus, who calmly looked back at him. His eyes didn't avoid Alonso—they simply studied him.
With composure, Markus pulled the sheet of paper from his pocket, unfolded the questions Larry had given him, and began:
"When did you learn that Alicia had a mental illness?"