C18 Chapter 18

Detective Thompson leaned forward, his eyes locked on Jules. "Okay, let's talk about your family, Jules. Any issues or connections there that might relate to the case?"

Jules' expression shifted slightly, becoming guarded. "Family... isn't really relevant here."

Thompson raised an eyebrow. "Jules, anything about your family could help us—"

Jules cut him off smoothly. "I mean, they're fine. No issues. Let's focus on the note and the investigation."

Emily noticed the tension and figured Jules was avoiding something painful. She jumped in gently, "Jules, maybe we should—"

Jules shook her head subtly. "No, really. I think Thompson's right about focusing on the note. The paper, the handwriting... that's where we'll find leads."

Thompson looked like he wanted to press on but decided against it, sensing Jules wasn't ready to open up. "Alright. We'll table the family stuff for now. What about old relationships? Anyone from your past who might be involved?"

Jules' demeanor shifted back to cooperative. "No exes with vendettas, if that's what you mean."

Emily's eyes met Jules', concern etched on her face. "Jules, are you okay? You seem... like you're avoiding something."

Jules' expression turned slightly pained, and she looked away. "It's just... it's hard for me to talk about my family." Her voice was barely above a whisper. "They're... gone. It's a tough spot."

Emily's face softened. "Oh, Jules. I'm so sorry."

Thompson intervened gently, "We don't need to push if it's painful, Jules. Let's focus on the case."

Jules nodded, composing herself. "Yeah. The note. Let's focus on that."

Suddenly, Jules' eyes widened slightly as a memory clicked. "Wait... the pictures they sent me... they were taken within a minute of each other."

Thompson leaned forward. "What about it?"

Jules' voice grew more urgent. "The timeline's too tight. For the murder to happen and for the killer to take pictures and send them... it's almost impossible in under a minute unless..."

Emily finished the thought for her. "Unless the killer was already there, waiting."

Thompson's expression turned serious. "Or they had an accomplice."

They leaned in, focusing on the pictures again. Jules squinted. "Wait... the girl in the first picture... her hair's slightly different in the second."

Emily's eyes widened. "You're right. Like... like it was styled differently."

Thompson grabbed his phone. "I'll get the tech team to analyze the pics for any edits or manipulations."

Jules' gaze narrowed. "Or it means... there are two girls."

The room went silent, a new layer of complexity unfolding. Emily broke the silence. "Two girls? What does that mean?"

Jules' mind was racing. "If there are two girls... are they victims or is one of them the killer?"

Thompson's voice was firm. "We'll get answers. I'll send someone to review the security footage around the area where the pictures were taken."

Emily stood up. "I'll check if there's any missing persons report matching the girls in the pics."

Jules leaned back, her eyes fixed on the pictures. "This changes everything."

The tension in the room was palpable as they realized the case just got a lot bigger.