The 24th Victim

Everyone in the gallery, including me, stared at my father, Mason Leighton, in shock.But he stayed calm. "My daughter Claire is at home," he said. "Stop making up lies. Statements like these will only make your punishment more severe."I had already guessed he would say that. But hearing it with my own ears still broke my heart.Lillian Cowfer was just as shocked. "Your Honor, you're so heartless. Carol waited for you to come home and get her until the very end. And you didn't even report her missing."Lillian stared straight into his eyes, as if trying to find even the smallest crack in his calm expression. "If that bitch hadn't secretly let them go, I never would have been caught. She was so stubborn. Even after being assaulted by 23 men, she still had the strength to curse at us. She kept saying that her father was a judge and that he would have us executed."Mason's breathing grew heavy. "Enough! If you keep making these ridiculous claims, the court will consider it a refusal to c

Mason rushed inside. The moment he saw what was happening, he almost fainted from shock.The man realized something was wrong. He quickly pulled on his pants and climbed out the window.Claire came in right behind Mason.She covered her eyes and screamed. "Carol, is this why you moved out? So you could sleep with men?"Wendy quickly supported Mason and blamed me. "Carol, this is too much."I immediately realized that this was another trap planned by Wendy and Claire.I fought through the terrible pain between my legs and reached for my phone. "I'm calling the police! I don't even know that man! You two set me up..."But Mason's eyes turned bloodshot.He snatched my phone away and gritted his teeth. "Carol, haven't you embarrassed yourself enough?"He wanted to say more. But suddenly, he froze. Then he collapsed right in front of me."Dad!"Claire and Wendy exchanged a quick glance.They soon called an ambulance, but they refused to let me ride with them.I was about to call a cab to th

"It's from a pig, right?" Mason shouted.Then he grabbed Michelle. "Captain Lockwood, we have a victim claiming Carol broke her leg. Lillian is lying to us. Carol must be one of the kidnappers!"Alexander said nothing.He simply handed the report to Mason.The report said that there was a greater than 99.99% probability that the biological evidence had come from me.It also confirmed that the remains belonged to me.Michelle covered her mouth and burst into tears when she read those words. "How could Carol not have escaped?"Mason took a step back in disbelief.Then he collapsed onto the floor. "How could it be Carol? There must be a mistake in the test! Carol must have mixed her fingernails and hair with the pig bones. That's why you got this result!"She went too far! She's been sitting in on my cases since she was a child, so she knows all this forensic stuff. But instead of using what she learned properly, she used it to trick us. Once I catch her, I'll..."Mason was about to call

Mason screamed in rage. He looked like he wanted to lunge across the room and kill Lillian.The two officers quickly stepped in to calm him down and gently persuaded him to sit.Mason collapsed into the chair and began sobbing like a child.It was the first time I had ever seen Mason cry.For years, whenever something went wrong, he had never allowed me to cry. He always told me to find a solution first.And now, after learning that I was dead, Mason was the one crying. "Carol was so brave. She used everything I taught her to save 23 people. How could I have thought she was working with the kidnappers? How could I have ever suspected my own daughter?"Mason could no longer control his emotions. He kept banging his head against the wall.Lillian crossed her arms and watched the desperate Mason with a smug smile. "Judge Leighton, you've spent all these years judging other people. Do you really need to ask me about something this simple?"Lillian suddenly leaned closer and stared straight

Wendy and Claire were becoming more anxious and panicked by the day.Every little sound made them think the police were coming.The pressure was becoming unbearable.Claire was the first to break. "Mom, why don't you turn yourself in? I can't take this anymore!"Wendy glared at her angrily. "If I turn myself in and go to prison, what will happen to you? What if Mason remembers everything? You'll be finished too!"Claire's eyes widened with anger.Her fingernails nearly dug into Wendy's flesh. "Then why did you have to hire someone to sell Carol? You had other options! You could have driven her to suicide. If she had killed herself, we wouldn't be dealing with all this trouble now! I'm about to graduate from law school! I'm almost there! Why did Carol have to die now of all times? This is all your fault!"Wendy slapped Claire so hard that she fell to the floor.Her hands were trembling, and her eyes were bloodshot. "I did all of this for you! Who told you to lose to Carol at everything