If Feelings Weren't Real.

6. Converging Paths.

Detective Ashley Emma stood outside Jacob's apartment, her hand hesitating just a moment before she knocked. The decision to confront him directly had not been easy, but intuition guided her steps. With a deep breath, she steeled herself for the confrontation ahead.

The door swung open, revealing Jacob, his expression one of confusion that morphed into concern upon seeing Emma. "Detective Emma? To what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked, his voice steady, but Emma caught the flicker of anxiety in his eyes.

"We need to talk, Jacob. May I come in?" Emma's tone left no room for refusal.

Jacob stepped aside, granting her entry. The apartment was meticulously organized, almost unnervingly so. Emma's gaze, however, was drawn to a workspace littered with photographs and notes that seemed incongruously personal for such a spartan living area.

Detective Emma's gaze bore into Jacob's, searching for any sign of guilt or fear. His expression remained impassive, but she sensed the tension coiling beneath his composed facade.

"We've found a connection between you and the victims of the recent murders," Emma stated, her voice firm and unwavering.

Jacob's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, but he quickly schooled his features into a mask of innocence. "A connection? What do you mean?"

Emma didn't falter. "Each of the victims was a teacher of yours from childhood. Marla Shay and the two other women were all linked to you."

Jacob's facade cracked ever so slightly, a flicker of uncertainty betraying his calm demeanor. "I... I don't understand. How could that be relevant?"

Emma's tone turned sharper, her patience wearing thin. "It's relevant because it suggests a pattern, Jacob. A pattern that points to you."

Jacob's composure wavered, but he quickly regained control. "You're reaching, Detective. Just because I knew these women doesn't mean I'm responsible for their deaths."

Emma's jaw tightened, frustration simmering beneath the surface. She knew she was close, but Jacob was proving to be a formidable opponent. "We'll see about that. I will like to have you at the station tomorrow, just for a little interrogative session. Please do be available." she retorted, her tone icy.

With a final, pointed look, Emma turned on her heel and made her way out of Jacob's apartment. She needed time to regroup, to gather more evidence before she could bring him in for formal questioning. But she was determined not to let him slip through her fingers.

Detective Ashley Emma stepped out of Jacob's apartment, her frustration simmering beneath her calm exterior. She had hoped that this visit would finally crack his composed facade, but once again, he had proven to be a master of denial.

As she made her way back to the station, her mind raced with possibilities. She couldn't shake the feeling that Jacob was their man, but without concrete evidence, her hands were tied. She needed something, anything, to connect him to the murders conclusively.

Late into the night, Emma found herself poring over the case files once again, the soft glow of her computer screen casting eerie shadows across the dimly lit room. Every piece of evidence, every witness statement, was scrutinized with renewed intensity, as if hoping to uncover a hidden clue that had eluded them thus far.

Her exhaustion was palpable, the weight of the unsolved murders pressing down on her shoulders like a leaden cloak. But just when it seemed like all hope was lost, a breakthrough emerged from an overlooked piece of evidence.

"Wait a minute," Emma murmured to herself, her eyes narrowing as she studied a photograph from the crime scene. It was a small detail, easily overlooked in the chaos of the investigation, but now it stood out like a beacon in the darkness.