Coming out of the school, Arthur didn't immediately return to the police station. He found an empty park bench, sat down, leaned back, and began to think.
The wind picked up, and the daylight passed through the swaying leaves of the tall tree next to the bench, creating an image of dancing fragments of light in Arthur's eyes.
Just like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.
Through a few indirect questions to the principal, Arthur had learned that Martin's teacher, someone named Lindsey, had another responsibility: she was in charge of the school's chemical lab. This meant she had the credentials to purchase the types of chemicals needed to make the poison, and she could openly use her job as a cover, making it seem normal.
Most importantly, Arthur learned from the principal that teachers have the right to decide a student's seating arrangement if they wish. He explained that this is how teachers handle difficult students.
In Arthur's mind, the entire park disappeared, replaced by the scene of a classroom.
Martin sat at the front desk, feeling fidgety and anxious about being pushed to an "exposed" position. He was internally arrogant but also caught in a state of self-doubt—a typical internal conflict for a child who wants to show off but also doesn't want others to realize he's doing so.
His emotions were heightened but simmering, and in this state, Martin was more susceptible to influence.
He had no idea that this was the deliberate intention of the homeroom teacher standing on the podium, who wanted to exploit Martin's state to manipulate him.
Martin's arrogance and a tendency to be unapproachable were the shields he created to hide his lonely and fragile soul. But at the same time, Martin still craved understanding and empathy—a state of emotional limbo. For people like Martin, as long as someone can get past his initial difficult facade, they can easily win his heart and mold his soul.
In a normal context, this could sound like a beautiful love story, where one person overcomes social and communication barriers to enter the heart of another.
But what Arthur was deducing here was an adult female teacher manipulating a 13-year-old student into becoming a murderer.
Love bombing.
Arthur believed this was how Lindsey manipulated and controlled Martin.
Love bombing is a term for the act of emotionally manipulating someone through excessive praise, attention, and affection towards the target. The goal is to "take the victim's heart and mold their soul," in line with the manipulator's intentions.
Of course, there is a difference between gaining trust and gaining trust to conquer and manipulate.
Humans are creatures of trust. Subconsciously, they always want to be trusted by others and believe that they trust others. Therefore, acts like praising or showing empathy are not inherently wrong; they are just how people interact and gain each other's trust.
In short, this is very normal.
Just like Sarah in the early days of being assigned as his partner. Even though she was a little annoyed by the constant smell of cigarette smoke around him, since he didn't make her feel uncomfortable, Sarah never complained and even bought him cigarettes. It was a way to maintain the connection and trust between colleagues.
Even when they were solving cases together, Sarah almost always gave him the right to speak first.
That is trust.
But trust aimed at manipulation is different.
Back in college, from the very first day of class, Arthur had noticed a male and female couple in his class while he was observing everyone as a whole.
Calling them a couple wasn't quite right, because based on their behavior, they basically didn't know each other until that day.
The male student had a tendency to close off his emotions and communication. Although he talked to others quite normally, he often kept one arm behind his back, which betrayed him.
Unless it's for military operations or a deliberate display of authority, the act of putting a hand behind your back while talking is a subconscious sign of a lack of confidence or deception.