Waking from hibernation

驚蟄 [17] / [20]

Alexander asked Cynthia, with what felt like absurdity. He met many victims who didn't want their own case to be re-examined, but that was usually when the crime was very minor. But murder should be different, he thought.

"Another criminal of another crime,"

Cynthia said quietly and read the reports.

2016, a boy named Patrick Collins who was 16 at that time, voluntarily entered the St. George orphanage. He had lived at the orphanage since he was 7, and he didn't know who his parents were, where he was from, or whether there was any family alive out there somewhere. He had stayed in the orphanage for only 2 months after he turned 16.

One night he didn't come back. That wasn't uncommon among teenage orphans, so the supervisor of the orphanage was not so concerned at first. But as he hadn't come back for more than a week, the supervisor reported his being missing to the police station.

A few days later, he was found in a hospital in a nearby town. When the police officers and those in charge of the orphanage rushed to the hospital, the doctor told them the boy was found on the street, intoxicated and half naked. But the boy refused to say anything in the end.

Eventually, the boy closed himself off from everyone. Not very long after, the boy left the orphanage on one rainy dawn. No one could contact him anymore afterwards. And there were few pictures of the boy back then in the hospital.

"It's him,"

Alexander's voice was shuddering.

"Who?"

she asked.

"Lucas Aries.”

The few pictures that did exist showed a boy, though far younger than the young man he remembered, who was the spitting image of Lucas. Add a few years, and the wear and tear of hard living, and there you have it: Lucas Aries.

As shocked as Alexander was, if it even was Lucas (they still needed to verify this), his background wasn't surprising. Often, those who become abusers were similarly abused themselves, and his past, with very little in the way of positive influences and stability, mapped on predictably enough to the man he was today.

"We need to verify this first," said Cynthia,

"But if you honestly think it's him, we're going to need to interview him."

Alexander nodded. He found Lucas repulsive, both for the crimes he committed and just the man himself, and he would prefer to have never seen him again. But she was right.

"That shouldn't be too hard. He certainly can't run away,"

responded Alexander.

"Who was the head investigator of the case when it first happened?”