Chapter 537

These words silenced all those present.

Jackson, though he had known the outcome, still said incredulously, “She’s your mother!”

“No, she was a prison guard!

She used that place she was supposed to call home as a prison as well.

I was prisoner number one and my father was her prisoner number two.

She made the rules, controlled our lives, and would say it was for our own good in the name of love.

I had enough of that a long time ago.”

That kind of talk doesn’t sit well with Jackson, asking, “You’re mouthing accusations, and I want to know what she really did?”

“Wow. …… That would be something to talk about.” Theresa Lewis gave a miserable smile, “By six in the morning, you have to be up and make your bed; wash up at six-ten; go out for your morning walk at six-twenty; and be home for dinner at seven.

She would then drive to work while I would clean up the house and take the shuttle bus to school by myself.

I had to be home by six in the evening, washed at seven-thirty, and had to be in bed by eight.

Also, toothbrush cups and toothpaste had to be neatly arranged, no talking at dinner for more than ten minutes, and even, she had to dictate when and how many times I bathed and went to the bathroom.

As long as it was my life, she did not care, I grew up without feeling a trace of freedom.

In my opinion, this is not a home at all, but a prison.”

Jackson looked aside to Alec Wyatt, “Is it true what she says?”

“Yes, Latifah Gallo does seem to be a bit strict and controlling, and I dislike her personality as well, every time we fight it’s because of ‘too much control’.

Theresa is only thirteen, she’s still a child, she needs to release her nature and live freely as she wishes, I want her life to be ‘looser’ and not have everything organized.

I’ve tried to help Theresa fight for that as well, but to little avail.”

Jackson pressed, “Would she have asked the same of you?”

“Yes, she’s asked similar things of me; underwear and socks must be washed the same day, no checking your cell phone when you go to bed, you must be in bed by 10:00 p.m., you have to get up at 6:00 a.m., your food must be nutritionally balanced, with rations of meats, veggies, carbs, and nuts, and I’m just craving meat today, can I have some more?

No!

Absolutely not.

She also has all sorts of demands on me, and I know they are ‘for my own good’, but I just …… want to live my life on my own terms.

She tries to control my life too, but I’m an adult and much better than Theresa.

Theresa is a good kid and she’s having a …… ‘hard time’.”

Jackson said, “Theresa, you’re thirteen years old and capable of independent thought, if you’re not happy with what Latifah Gallo is doing, why don’t you say so?”

Teresa Lewis asked back, “How do you know I didn’t speak up?

I said it many times, in various ways.

But in the end, I realized that our statuses were simply not equal, and that the inmates were in no position to negotiate with the guards.”

Jackson sighed, “Why didn’t you respond to the authorities?”

“I reported her, and Child Protective Services sent someone to my home to verify, and the verification was that I lived in a very happy home, with adequate and balanced nutrition, a sensible routine, a healthy body, and no signs of beatings on my body.

Latifa Gallo is a competent mother and I am just a spoiled child who cries at the slightest grievance and clamors for my parents to be replaced.” Theresa Lewis gave a self-deprecating look, “Do you know what Latifa Gallo did when the Child Protective Services people left?

She looked at me with contempt and said it was child’s play for her.

They prisons are often reported, often face inspections in all guises, and this is nothing more than routine for her.

She was very good at dealing with such situations and knew how to win these people over.

I was also warned not to play any more petty tricks.

It would only embarrass myself more.”

Jackson caught the point, “You said Latifah Gallo didn’t assault you?”

“Yes.”

“Then why did you listen to her? Is there a penalty if you don’t listen to her?”

“Of course, she’d make me facepalm, eat food I didn’t like, and talk trash to me all the time ……

By the way, before she said that, she would also frisk me, and I’m not sure if she was worried about me recording or if it was just habit.

So, there’s no way for me to come up with evidence.”

Luke asked, “What prompted you to kill?”

“That afternoon, I had just gotten home when I saw her tied up and her mouth taped shut, I helped her remove the tape and asked her what had happened.

She refused to talk and told me to stay out of it.

I wanted to call the police, but she wouldn’t let me.

I wanted to call Alec Wyatt and she wouldn’t allow it either.” Latifah Gallo shrugged, “I was confused and asked her what she was up to.

She was furious and told me to mind my own business.

I insisted on calling Alec because he was part of the family and had a right to know what was going on in the house.

Latifa Gallo got annoyed and she shouted at me to drop the phone and said that Alec would soon not be part of the family.

I asked her what she meant.

She told me to untie my hands.

I refused, telling her that if I didn’t make it clear, I would call the police.

She compromised.

Told me she was divorcing Alec.

I was surprised and asked her why.

Do you know what she said?”

Luke guessed, “For your own good?”

“Exactly!” Theresa Lewis pointed at Luke, “You’re so right, even the tone of voice is similar.

She thinks I should distance myself from Alec.

I was all confused.

Asked her what she meant.

She said Alec was just my stepfather and that I shouldn’t get too close to Alec.

And that I shouldn’t watch TV on the couch with Alec, eat snacks together, and joke around.

She also suspected that Alec had other plans for me ……”

Theresa Lewis clenched her right hand into a fist and placed it over her mouth, breathing a little heavily, “I explained to her that Alec and I are simply father and daughter.

I admitted that I liked being with him because it felt easy and we were like friends.

Alec didn’t misbehave with me either.

Latifa Gallo didn’t believe me and looked even angrier and went into a lot more details about my time with Alec ……

I was feeling something was wrong because she was saying all those things as if she had witnessed them with her own eyes and I asked her if she was installing surveillance cameras to film me again.

She didn’t answer and I knew I guessed right.

I was so angry that I asked her to tell me where the cameras were located and she refused to do so.

I threatened her to call the police before she told me.

I removed the camera and looked at the pinhole cameras, I was even angrier, this is something only a pervert would do, who would install these things in their house.

I brought the cameras to her and questioned her, why did she do it?

She said it was for my own good, worried that Alec and I ……

getting too close and something happening that shouldn’t.

I was feeling like I was going to blow a gasket.

Why did I have such a sick mom?

I suddenly felt desperate.

I knew that once she made up her mind, no one could change her decision.

She would divorce Alec.

She and I would be the only ones left in the house again.

I would be the only prisoner in jail again.

I felt desperate. I didn’t want this life anymore. I wanted to be free.

And the only way to be free was to get rid of Latifa Gallo.

And this time, she started talking trash again and ordered me to untie the rope.

I went to the house, saw the golf clubs, and then, I shut her up for good ……”

Theresa Lewis’ eyes were red and swollen and her face looked like she was crying, “I truly felt free at that moment, it was short-lived but I don’t regret it!”

Alec Wyatt’s eyes were red, patting Theresa Louise’s shoulders, “Theresa, don’t be afraid, I can understand you, I’ll be by your side, and get you the best lawyer ……”

Eight o’clock in the evening.

La Graville Restaurant.

It was a French restaurant in a beautiful setting.

The vice squad gazed around the restaurant and nodded, “The environment here is nice ah, reminds me of the place where I had my first date with my ex-wife.”

Jenny said smugly, “Thanks, I picked it out.

Let’s sit in the restaurant courtyard, that big long table is big enough for all of us, and there are no other tables around that would interfere with our conversation.”

Blacky looked at the clusters of flowers in the courtyard, “I don’t care how beautiful it is, I want to know if it’s good.”

Jenny said, “Inspector Marcus, don’t be such a spoilsport, be romantic, maybe your wife will like it, just think of it as a visit to the store.”

Jackson laughed, “Jenny’s right, a small restaurant with a nice, restful setting like this is really good for a date.”

Blackie bristled, “What’s our theme tonight? A date, or a celebration of a case successfully solved.”

Jackson pulled up a chair and sat down, “Neither, I don’t see what there is to celebrate about this case.”

Black sat down next to him and probed, “You sympathizing with the killer?”

Jackson said, “She was thirteen years old, a child.”

Blacky said, “Thirteen already has a solo mind and a more complete worldview and values, and she needs to be held accountable for the things she does.

Wait a minute.

I remember this afternoon in the lounge, you weren’t on Latifa Gallo’s side the whole time.”

“No, I wasn’t taking anyone’s side, I was just talking about the facts of the case, which was tragic from start to finish.

Latifah Gallo’s upbringing was wrong, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t love Theresa Lewis.”

While the two argued, the crowd had begun passing around menus to order.

Black pushed the menu to Potter and continued, “It seems to me that Latifah Gallo has nothing but control over Theresa Louise, no feeling that she loves Theresa Louise.”

Jackson thought for a moment, “Latifah Gallo wrote down Serdar’s name before she died, why she didn’t write Theresa Louise’s name, I think it was a protection for her.

Even if Theresa Louise was going to kill her, she didn’t want Theresa Louise to get caught.”

Black shrugged, “Maybe so, she just ran out of energy after writing Sheridan’s name.”

Jackson didn’t agree, “Sleight of hand, you and I both know that’s highly unlikely.

Theresa Louise is the killer, she should have written Theresa Louise’s name first, not Shelda.

She protected her daughter in her own way.”

Black said sarcastically, “What way? Installing pinhole cameras to sneak around?

I’d go crazy too if someone did that to me, and I don’t want that kind of love.”

Porter interjected, “Actually, I don’t think Teresa Lewis had to kill anyone at all, she should have called the police at that point in that situation, and Child Protective Services would probably have stripped Latifah Gallo of her custody if they had seen those pinhole cameras.”

Jackson said, “Theresa Louise was only thirteen years old, and in her anger, she couldn’t think that far ahead.

Besides, Latifah Gallo could just as easily deny that she installed the pinhole camera herself.”

Black spread his hands, “Wow, I underestimated Theresa Louise, she actually convinced you. You’re totally on her side now.”

The lieutenant waved his hand, “Stop it you two, we’re only responsible for investigating and arresting people, the conviction is better left for the jury and judge to agonize over.

Actually, I’m more curious about Latifah Gallo’s motive for installing the camera?

Was it to keep an eye on Theresa Lewis or was there some other reason.”

Jenny said, “That’s something I’ve considered carefully, thinking from the perspective of a mother who wants her stepfather to have a good relationship with her daughter but doesn’t want them to have a better relationship than she does.

She may have sensed that Theresa Louise was treating Alec Wyatt better and more intimately than she was treating herself as a mother, giving her a sense of alarm before she installed the cameras.

Of course, I’ve seen the surveillance video.

Theresa Lewis and Alec Wyatt didn’t do anything out of the ordinary.”

Porter asked, “Then why would Latifah Gallo think Alec Wyatt was cheating on her and want to divorce him.”

Jenny replied, “It’s simple, Latifah Gallo is so controlling that she has made Theresa Louise somewhat repulsed by her and would rather stay with Alec Wyatt than her.

As a mother, she was jealous at heart.

Similarly, Alec Wyatt felt that Latifah Gallo was too much in charge, and having the same feeling with her stepdaughter, the two were more chatty.

This likewise made Latifah Gallo jealous.

She felt betrayed by these two, and felt sure that the two would do something out of the ordinary if they continued to develop, so she was decisive in divorcing Alec Wyatt.

To put it bluntly, the intimate relationship between Theresa Louise and Alec Wyatt made her feel threatened, and she was worried that the two would team up to get rid of her control, so she wanted to break the cooperation between the two.

As long as she divorced Alec Wyatt, Theresa Louise and Alec Wyatt naturally couldn’t see each other, and the two’s alliance was not broken.

Latifah Gallo can take control of the situation again.”

Blackie commented dryly, “Pervert.”