Chapter 2

In Mom's eyes, even the victims in her cases seemed to matter more to her than I ever did.

Her phone rang. When she looked at the screen, a faint warmth appeared on her face.

I leaned in. It was Wendy. She was asking whether Mom would be coming home for dinner.

Mom sent a voice message back. Her voice was softer than anything I had ever heard from her. “Sweetie, I’ve got a tricky case on my hands tonight. Don’t wait for me. Take care of yourself. Just tell me what you want to eat, and I’ll get it for you.”

Officer Zane, who stood beside, let out a chuckle. “Moira, so you and Kara made up? I thought you were still holding a grudge against the girl. Moms and daughters are close at heart. Any conflict will soon be forgotten.”

Mom pressed her red lips together and said in a low voice, “Wendy is my one and only daughter. Wesley, don’t bring up Kara again. She ran away from home this time. She’s been missing for five or six days. She didn’t even go to her father’s memorial.”

I wanted to tell her that I didn’t run away from home. I just couldn't ever go back again.

…

The task force took the brutal murder case extremely seriously.

The police feared the horrifying condition of the body would cause public panic, so catching the killer was urgent.

The medical examiner sat at the conference table and handed a file to Mom. “Moira, this is the autopsy report I compiled back at the bureau. Take a look.”

Mom's expression turned cold as she read the report, “Female victim, identity unknown, approximately 25 years old. The crime scene is an abandoned building in the suburbs. Multiple fatal injuries. The cause of death was internal organ corrosion from sulfuric acid, leading to shock from extreme pain. Genital mutilation and sexual assault confirmed. Head severed from the body… This child died far too tragically.”

Officer Zane noticed her grim expression and asked, “From a criminal psychology perspective, what stands out as the key breakthrough in this case?”

Mom bit her lip. “We need to determine whether this was a revenge killing or a crime of passion. Sexual motives can’t be ruled out. But given the extent of torture inflicted before death, it’s more likely the offender had deep personal resentment toward the victim.”

I shuddered. Mom’s analysis was completely accurate!

An officer frowned and asked, “The victim’s head is still missing, and we don’t even know how long she’s been dead. Why hasn’t anyone reported her missing?”

A sharp ache rose in my chest as I looked at Mom, who was still calmly analyzing the case. She had never cared about where I was. It did not matter whether I appeared or disappeared. I was just something insignificant to her.

Mom cleared her throat and parted her red lips. “From the crime scene, the offender likely has underlying psychological issues. The motive appears largely driven by the release of pent-up rage. We need to identify the victim as quickly as possible and reconstruct her social network.”

Officer Zane nodded in satisfaction. “Moira, take Team A back to the scene for another sweep. Forensics, please go as well. See if you can find anything we missed.”

After a pause, he added, “Anyone with daughters at home, make sure they stay safe lately.”

Mom let out a sigh and reached for her phone.

Officer Zane pointed at her from across the room. “Moira, don’t forget about Kara. She’s your biological daughter!”

Mom froze ever so slightly. Then, a flicker of irritation crossed her eyes. “Wesley, my husband died because of her back then. I can’t get past that. All these years, the daughter who’s been living with me is Wendy, not Kara.”