The television NBC had managed to capture the images from the security cameras. Together with Cameron, we had reviewed those images but nothing, in that ray where the camera was functioning, had been captured enough to shed light on the matter. Diana, that day, went out as usual, unperturbed by the person who described her as a threat to her newly settled family. She headed towards the exit of the building's courtyard and disappeared from the camera's view.

However, on those pages of the diary, I managed to find more than I thought. After asking Mr. Cardiff for the name of the person mentioned by Diana, we contacted the high school where she had studied to confirm the year of those years. The year we obtained seemed to call out with photos and his faded and colored names. It was the key that would unlock the secrets hidden in Diana's past. Every frozen face in time was a possible witness, a possible suspect. It was a labyrinth of secrets and memories given to us to explore with patience.

A heavy silence hung in the air, influenced only by the low noises of footsteps walking and running through the corridors. I was alone with the open diary when Officer Burke entered the room, which had a natural and gentle illumination caused by the half-lowered blinds.

"Hey, colleague," she says lightly, leaning on one of the tables there.

"Officer Burke?" I say, surprised as I examine her face. "From your expression, it seems you don't have good news to give me."

She takes a deep breath and addresses me.

"In fact, it's not bad news, just strange," she says. "I searched the system for Jonathan Thompson, the main suspect in all these murders but..."

"Did you find something?"

"In fact, there is nothing to find about this person, detective," she says. "This person has been dead for a while."

"What?" I say, not believing what I'm hearing.

In Diana's diary, I had managed to find the answers I was looking for, the evidence that led me to the killer. But now, a disturbing revelation shakes the very foundation of my beliefs. Mr. Thompson had died. The data, like elusive ghosts, seemed to mock me from the depths of the diary's pages. Reality seemed to blur, and the truth remained hidden in the depths of that diary.

"Could it be someone else trying to mimic him?" the officer asks. "Maybe it's not about revenge for sins, the motive behind these murders."

"The diary was very clear... the evidence is very clear," I say, rubbing my forehead. "Everything is so tangled."

I lean with open hands on the width of my shoulders, on the table behind me. Diana's diary pages flicker rapidly in my mind. Now I couldn't help but ask myself which of the portraits in the diary held the answers I sought. The lies were endless, buried under layers of nostalgia and faded smiles.

"What do you suggest I do, Detective Mayfire?"

As I was trying to think of a solution, Secretary Collins enters after knocking, with a pair of eyes that seem to have been looking for someone for a long time.

"Detective Mayfire?" she says.

"Yes?"

"Someone is looking for you," she explains. "He's on the first floor."

"Someone is looking for you." No other information, no explanation. Just those few words left me with a million questions. It was a part of me driven by curiosity, but it was also a part of me that was afraid: afraid of what might happen if I took that leap of faith.

"Alright, I'll go down now," I say as neutrally as possible. "As for this matter, Burke will handle it, she will solve it."

I descend with a mix of confusion and contemplation. Despite the few steps I had taken, I had gone through a mental list of possibilities, taking into account everyone I knew. But the only person dominating my mind was Selia. It had been a while since I had seen her, compared to those months where I couldn't go a day without meeting her. Even if it wasn't her, I really wanted it to be her.

When I reach the bottom of the stairs, my eyes refuse to release the person sitting on a chair near the secretary. It's a male. His head was turned from the street that can be seen through the department's glass doors. As far as I can see, he doesn't remind me of anyone, at least not someone I knew or had recently met.

"Hello, you were looking for me," I say as I approach.

"Donovan?" he says. "Is it really you?"

"Livan?" I say as I recognize the person in front of me.

"Hello, brother," he says and tries to hug me.

When I see his open arms for a hug, I avoid it. A mixture of emotions begins to rise within me. Resentment burns my chest, fueled by the years of absence and pain he had caused me. I couldn't help but feel the sense of betrayal. It had been seven years since we had been together for the last time, but even though we were now facing each other, we were emotionally separated.

"What are you doing here?" I ask coldly.

"I thought to meet you..."

"To meet me, really?!" I say sarcastically. "Now you remembered to meet me. You never stayed close to me when I needed you in the past, Livan. What has changed now?"

Memories of our past started to collide with the present in my mind, tainted by the pain of abandonment. Our connection had been shattered since then, when Livan never stayed alone with me when I met different therapists to heal from my past sins.

"You're right, Donovan, but I have a reason." he says.

"Unfortunately, it's too late now, Livan." I say fiercely. "I don't want anything to do with any of you, let alone listen to your justifications. It's best for you to leave."

"Would you listen to me if I tell you something about Natalie?" he says after I turned my back.

The air begins to thicken with tension. My anger starts to waver, giving way to a trembling weakness. That weakness overflowed rapidly like a tidal wave, drowning every rational thought.

"What did you say?"

"I didn't want to say it like this." he says, sounding defeated. "But I came for this. I want to tell you something."

I approached him quickly and grabbed him by the collar.

"What else do you need to tell me, what?" I ask sternly. "Are you mocking me? Or are you using her name to hurt me? What is it?"

"The... the truth..." he manages to stutter.

I looked into my brother's eyes. In those beautiful green eyes, I saw the reflection of my face transformed by anger. Disappointment covered me, mixing with the sadness that I thought I could handle. I wanted to yell, to release the turmoil building inside me. But what good would that do besides drawing attention from the department? Would it make him understand the depth of my loss? Would it bring back my Natalie? No. It would only bring more pain, more distance. It's a difficult balance, this dance between love and anger. I let go of his collar, adjusting it from the wrinkles, my hands filled with sweaty palms. I take a deep breath and I look at my brother again.

"Are we going to talk here?" he asks to break the silence.

"Not in any way here." I say. "We are attracting a lot of attention."

Every time we were silent, the weight of the unspoken words was just getting heavier. And Livan was pulling me out of the department. The first place that comes to mind is going to the parking lot.

"So what exactly are we talking about?" I say in Norwegian as we approach my car.

He looks at me puzzled, but it doesn't take him long to understand the purpose of my choice.

"But he will tell me with one condition." he says. "I don't want to be interrupted. Listen to me until the end."

I agree, in silence, head down, as the latter begins to darken from impatience. He stutters a couple of times and seems to regain the strength to speak.

"I know we haven't had an easy life." he says. "I know, I have my mistakes. And now that I have gone through a lot, I understand better than ever those words when you told me not to trust her. You were right about everything, and while I continued, I didn't listen to you. I followed her, just so she would notice me, as she did with you. It was our own mother who turned our lives into hell. She changed so much that she started to become capable of doing the scariest things."

"I know that woman very well." I say. "What does this have to do with Natalie, Livan?"

"Do you remember when Natalie started to distance herself from you?" he asks. "It was mother who told Natalie to stay away. According to her, Natalie's presence was negatively affecting your behavior. At that time, there were also fluctuations in your grades."

My heart races with a gallop. What I hear from my brother's mouth hits me like thunder. It's the moment when you realize that everything you believe in is built on shaky ground. I thought I understood everything, but I see that I am still living in a flurry of illusions. It's overwhelming and liberating at the same time.

"A-are you not lying to me, are you?" I say with a trembling voice. "If you are..."

"No, I swear to you, Donovan, I wouldn't lie to you." he says. "She is nothing but a skilled manipulator. She has been doing this all this time with both of us."

"Why... why are you telling me this now?"

"Because I envied you a lot, Donovan." he says with tear-filled eyes. "I wanted you to suffer. I wanted you to feel neglected, abandoned by the one you saw with love... just like me. But now... I feel very sorry, Donovan."

To some extent, I didn't blame my brother. Like me and him, we were nothing but unwitting players in our mother's twisted game, each striving for her love and attention. We are all in the same game but at different levels. Facing the same hell but with demons taking on different faces and names. The truth may have shattered my illusions, but it had also ignited a fire within me to seek accountability.