Chapter 48
Interview Four — Emily Wade
Emily sat at the metal table, both hands wrapped around her bag strap. The water beside her was untouched.
Calder took the chair across from her. No folder. No pen.
She waited.
“Is he still out there?” Emily asked.
“No,” Calder said. “He’s been moved. You’re safe.”
A nod.
“This room is recorded. Sheriff Burke Scott is behind the glass. Tell me what you want us to know about Professor Keller.”
Emily stiffened at his name.
“You’re not in trouble,” Calder said. “You’re helping us protect someone else.”
A breath.
“It began at Piedmont State. I was twenty-eight. New hire. He noticed me.”
“At first it was coffee. Compliments. Telling me I had promise.”
“I’d just ended a relationship. I was vulnerable.”
“We went out twice. Then I learned he wasn’t separated.”
“The same lie he told Lauren,” Calder said.
Emily nodded.
“When I ended it, he changed. He started showing up.”
“Where?”
“My office. Outside my apartment. Sometimes following me home.”
“He left voicemails. Said we weren’t finished. That we weren’t done until he said we were.”
“Did he threaten you physically?”
“No. He didn’t have to.”
“One night I came home. My door was unlocked. Nothing taken except my journals. Six years of them.”
She swallowed.
“He left everything else. Took my words.”
Calder held her gaze. “The detective?”
“Believed me. The dean let him resign. Gave him time.”
“So he stayed.”
“For weeks. HR said they were handling it.”
“Until today.”
“In the hallway… he looked at me like he still owned it.”
Silence.
“Is he doing it again?” she asked.
“We’re investigating.”
Emily covered her mouth. When she reached for the water, her hands shook.
“Dr. Calder?”
“Yes.”
“He kept one journal.”
Calder went still. “You’re sure?”
“He told me. Said it meant something.”
“Describe it.”
“Maroon leather. White stitching. My name inside.”
“We’ll find it.”
“You did something brave,” Calder said.
“It doesn’t feel brave.”
“It rarely does.”
Observation Room
Calder stepped out.
Burke stood behind the glass. Tucker beside him. Scout watched the hall.
“She’s credible,” Calder said. “Trauma-consistent. The journal detail is specific.”
“If he kept it,” Tucker said, “it’s a trophy.”
“It wasn’t sex,” Scout said. “It was control.”
“He didn’t take jewelry,” Calder said. “He took her words.”
Through the glass, Keller stood near the wall. Pale. Sweating. Watching exits.
Raines sat silent.
“Bring Keller back in,” Tucker said.
“On what?” Burke asked.
“Pattern,” Calder said. “Stalking. Theft. Coercion. Link to Lauren.”
“If he kept that journal,” Tucker said, “he kept others.”
“Which means he didn’t stop,” Scout said.
Tessa was still missing.
Tucker turned toward the door.
“Lock the wing. Nobody leaves.”
“Bring them all back,” Burke said.