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Chapter 53: The Price of Truth
Night.
Helen Bennett's house was unusually lively tonight.
James Carter, Anthony Howard II, Emily Grant, and Paul Miller were all there, along with their usual hangers-on like John Davis, gathered together in the Bennett family's spacious living room.
Helen Bennett was grounded and couldn't leave, so she had simply invited her friends over for a party at her house. The theme of the gathering was to commemorate Teddy Santos.
James Carter felt that if he hadn't been stuck in the bathroom, maybe he could have saved Teddy. The guilt weighed heavily on his shoulders.
Little Howard admitted that Teddy was better than him and more deserving of Emily, feeling that he should have withdrawn from the competition. Perhaps then Teddy wouldn't have died.
Helen Bennett accused Emily Grant of causing Teddy Santos's death, her voice sharp with accusation.
Emily Grant retorted by mocking her for "chasing after someone else's boyfriend at the party like a cheap bitch in heat."
Paul Miller quietly reminisced about his past with Teddy, finally saying in a subdued tone that he still owed him fifty dollars.
Paul Miller's simple words somehow eased the tense atmosphere caused by Emily and Helen's mutual accusations. The friends chuckled softly, then slowly became quiet.
They sat in the dim candlelight, remembering the departed Teddy Santos. Some of the unpleasantness between them didn't seem so important anymore.
The next day.
The detective assigned to surveillance reported to Ricky about the party at Helen Bennett's house the previous night.
Upon learning this, Theodore immediately proposed going to see Helen Bennett.
Last night's commemoration had not lessened her guilt, she had dreamed of Teddy again that very night.
In her dream, it was last summer when the six of them had made a plan to sneak out in the middle of the night and gather in the park to drink. They had sat on the grass, comparing who had done things others hadn't or dared not do.
Teddy had said he had killed someone. Everyone said he was bragging, and they all joked that they had killed people too, then asked each other what killing felt like.
Teddy had then said he had been killed by someone, and everyone laughed again.
Teddy became anxious, pulled her over, and asked her to prove it to everyone. He even pulled open his jacket, revealing the knife stuck in his chest.
"You tell them, what I said is true!"
"Say it!"
"I really was killed! You know it! Say it!"
Teddy yelled and shouted, then suddenly pulled out the knife. Blood sprayed all over her face and body.
Helen Bennett screamed and sat up in bed, flailing her hands wildly, hugging the quilt and crying loudly.
When Theodore and the others arrived, she was in a daze after her emotional breakdown. She followed them back to the police station with almost no resistance.
After being placed in the interrogation room, just as her emotions had calmed down, she was immediately overwhelmed by Theodore's relentless questions about Teddy Santos.
Soon, she began to retch uncontrollably, tears and snot streaming down her face, and confessed everything.
Starting last year, Paul Miller had been consulting her for knowledge on anatomy. He had shown an extraordinary interest in the subject, and for this, he had even reduced the frequency of his usual troublemaking.
He quickly surpassed her knowledge.
The two began to study together, jotting down anything they didn't understand for Helen Bennett to take to school and ask her professor.
Outside of studying, the two had accidentally stumbled upon Emily and James secretly dating.
Paul had instructed Helen to openly pursue James. Seeing James distressed by the situation, both of them found it very amusing.
Before Emily Grant's birthday, Paul Miller had asked her for a small favor.
He asked her to keep James occupied, and after receiving his signal, she was to give the pre-written note to Little Howard and make James think Emily was in the attic.
They already knew that Little Howard was planning to confess at the party. She had thought this was just another prank, like her pursuing James.
"What signal?" Bernie asked, leaning forward.
"'Stuck on You,'" Helen Bennett said, her voice barely above a whisper. "He would come down and play 'Stuck on You,' and it would start two songs after that."
Songs at that time weren't long, three songs together were less than ten minutes, which was just right for the timing.
Halfway through the interrogation, Helen Bennett was taken to the restroom.
Only the four men remained in the interrogation room, sitting in heavy silence.
"Is what she said true?" Ricky finally broke the quiet.
Keller also looked at Theodore expectantly.
"In what way?" Theodore asked calmly. "Is she innocent, or is Paul Miller the killer?"
Keller and Ricky were speechless, realizing the complexity of the question.
Bernie sneered. "Every criminal says they're innocent after being caught."
Theodore, approaching from another angle, offered his explanation: "Many criminals enjoy the thrill of shared crime. Bonnie and Clyde are prime examples."
After another period of uncomfortable silence, Ricky said hoarsely, "Councilor Miller has announced he's running for Mayor. Councilman Howard and others have also publicly expressed their support."
"He was just about to kill Anthony Howard II yesterday!" Bernie retorted, incredulous.
Ricky felt he couldn't discuss political matters with Bernie, this man thought politics should be straightforward and reasonable, when it was anything but.
Theodore shook his head. His current interest in politics was less than one-tenth of his interest in Paul Miller's psychological profile.
The problem now was that besides Helen Bennett's confession, they had no direct evidence pointing to Paul Miller. He had handled this case too cleanly, with surgical precision.
"I want to use her to lure Paul Miller," Theodore brought the conversation back on track.
Ricky temporarily put aside his worries about political interference and pondered the proposal. "You want to use Helen Bennett as bait to lure him into action? How do we guarantee her safety?"
Theodore thought for a moment, weighing his words carefully, and finally said, "We can't."
"We cannot guarantee her absolute safety."
"Paul Miller's criminal record and the preparations he made to kill Teddy Santos show that he possesses a contradictory nature of impulsiveness and calculated control."
"He will frequently commit crimes due to an uncontrollable urge for destruction, but he can also remain calm and composed for elaborately planned operations."
"His action against Little Howard was pure impulse. I think there's a high probability he will treat Helen Bennett with similar impulsiveness."
Theodore concluded grimly, "This type of killer generally has no patience. Especially after he learns that Helen Bennett is cooperating with the police."
"He would want to rush over and kill her immediately."
Ricky raised an immediate objection. "Senator Bennett won't agree to it."
His first reaction was to object completely. Use Helen Bennett to lure Paul Miller? A small precinct chief like him really couldn't handle the political fallout from such a decision.
"Helen Bennett is an adult; she can decide for herself," Theodore said matter-of-factly.
Ricky was stunned for a moment, then said flatly, "I won't agree!"
He stood up abruptly and declared, "Leave this matter to me; you don't need to worry about it. The case ends here."
Theodore frowned and asked sharply, "What do you plan to do?"
"Beg Paul Miller for mercy?"
"Tell him you don't plan to pursue the matter of him killing Teddy Santos and just let it go?"
He put everything on the table, looked directly at Ricky, and asked him with barely concealed contempt, "Is your East District's case closure rate achieved by begging criminals for mercy?"
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