Diane, her face a mask of fury and indignation, was escorted into the police station, her voice a cacophony of threats and accusations. "I'll have every single one of you sued for this!" she spat, her words sharp arrows aimed at everyone in her vicinity. When her gaze landed on Alex Williams, her face contorted in a snarl, "You'll have your license revoked for this, Williams!" she hissed, her words venomous snakes slithering in the air.
Reid, seemingly unbothered by the commotion, stretched languidly, reminiscent of a cat basking in the sun. He turned to Caster, his voice calm and authoritative, "Please, sit the lady down." His words were a whisper, a breeze carrying the scent of authority and calmness.
Diane's gaze shifted to Reid, her eyes narrowing in recognition, "Archer! I'll have your brother hear about this!" she snapped, her words sharp blades cutting through the tense air. Reid didn't respond, his face a mask of impassivity. Instead, it was Archer who spoke up, his voice a whisper of indifference, "My brother wouldn't be bothered by this." His words were a silent proclamation of his indifference and authority.
Diane turned to Archer, realization dawning on her face, and she scoffed, "What day and age is this? Still playing with identity swaps! If Archer Everett didn't want to meet me, he could've just declined! Sending some boy to play his role…" Her words were a mixture of indignation and mockery, painting a vivid picture of her disdain and annoyance.
Archer's face darkened, his hand clenched, ready to retaliate verbally when Reid's laughter cut through the tense atmosphere. He clapped his hands, his voice a mixture of amusement and sarcasm, "Bravo! What a speech! Who would've thought about identity swaps and theft?" His words were a dance of mockery and amusement, drawing a vivid picture of his character and personality.
Diane's face paled, her eyes darting around apprehensively, "What are you insinuating?" Her voice was a whisper, a breeze carrying the scent of fear and uncertainty.
She started to make a fuss again, her voice a cacophony of threats and accusations, "I'll not only sue the police, but I'll also sever all ties with the Everett corporations! I'll tarnish your names!" Her words were sharp blades, cutting through the tense air, painting a vivid picture of her fury and indignation.
Just then, Ethan emerged from his lab, his steps slow, his face a mask of disgust mixed with a hint of achievement. He handed a few papers to Reid, his gaze fixed on Diane with absolute revulsion before taking a seat as far away from the commotion as possible. Reid glanced at the papers and snapped his fingers, "Bingo." His voice was a whisper, a breeze carrying the scent of revelation and achievement.
Reid's eyes, sharp and penetrating, fixed on Diane, his voice a whisper of revelation and accusation, "Didn't you talk about identity theft, Diane?" He paused, the air around him tense with anticipation, "Or should I call you Vanessa?"
Alex and Archer both frowned, a sense of realization dawning on them, pieces of a puzzle falling into place. Caster, Kane, and Lana, who were standing around, watched with bated breath, always enjoying the moments when Reid would unravel the mysteries. It was usually a spectacle, a dance of revelation and truth.
Diane, or rather Vanessa, looked confused, her face a mask of uncertainty before it morphed, both literally and figuratively, into something else. Reid watched coldly as Vanessa's face started to change, shifting back to its original form.
"Didn't think you would have guessed. How did you know?" Vanessa's voice was a whisper, a mixture of surprise and curiosity.
"We were on the wrong track," Reid answered, standing up and pacing around the room, his voice a whisper of revelation and reflection, "We visited Uncle Jem's and discovered a twin sister that was never documented. Very interesting! Vienne was conveniently dead. Could be a coincidence or perhaps… faked?"
Reid stopped in front of Vanessa, his gaze piercing, "Then there was Ray. Someone we couldn't pinpoint. Without his DNA in the system, even if we did find his supposed DNA in the victim's house, we wouldn't know who he was. No photos at all… nothing that could lead us to Ray. A perfect scapegoat."
"What are you implying, you pretty boy!" Vanessa snarled, her voice a cacophony of anger and defiance.
Reid's glare was sharp, his voice a whisper of accusation and revelation, "So you killed the victim, didn't you? Right before you met 'Archer'. You knew that even if they broke up, Ray would not have given up on the victim. After all, you had firsthand seen how much he loved her…" Reid paused, his voice a whisper of reflection and revelation, "No, you planned to meet Ray. You purposely let him know how much you disliked him… because you knew that would plant a seed in the victim, eventually hoping for her breakup with him."
Reid cocked his head, his long fingers on his lips, his voice a whisper of revelation and accusation, "You didn't leave after killing her, did you? You were in the house. That's how you knew that he had her beheaded. Then you arranged for her head to be served to you in the restaurant."
Vanessa argued, her voice a mixture of defiance and indignation, "You're ridiculous! Vanessa was my best friend! And best assistant. Why would I kill her?"
Reid gave a wry smile and accused, "Because she stole your identity, didn't she? The victim is Vienne, your sister."
Vanessa's eyes narrowed, a storm brewing in their depths. Reid met her gaze, his eyes sharp and penetrating, "We've identified that both the victim and yourself are sisters. Uncle Jem confirmed that Vanessa's Ability was to change her facial features. Given your business entities also serve as a cover for an underground research facility researching genetic possibilities for Abilities… I assumed your sister had an Ability similar to yours. That was where we were on the wrong track. Your businesses… VIVI, we thought it was because you were Vienne. Perhaps, to indicate to who we thought was Vanessa that you were still alive. But no… it was a warning, wasn't it?"
Vanessa laughed, a sound cold and devoid of warmth, "Indeed! It was a warning!" Her face morphed into a mask of cold rage, "That woman! She stole my identity, claiming I was killed when in actuality, she was the one who had pushed me into the ditch and left me to die! She said that I was loved… what nonsense! She was the one who was loved! I had to study so hard, and even then, I was treated the same as her! The one who plays and hangs around with people who just didn't care about her life."
Archer interjected, his voice a whisper of curiosity and accusation, "Is that why you killed her?"
Vanessa scoffed, her voice a mixture of disdain and revelation, "She didn't even know I was her sister. Yes, I changed my features and worked my way up. Stole the real Diane of her identity… learned all of Diane's characteristics and mannerisms… so when Vienne saw that my companies spelled VIVI, she got suspicious. And she quit. Then she broke up with Ray. Ha!"
Reid pursed his lips, his voice a whisper of revelation and inquiry, "You didn't kill her on purpose, did you?"
Vanessa's eyes flashed wide, her voice a cacophony of revelation and defiance, "Of course, I did! I entered her house and revealed my real face. She was shocked and she started apologizing. Vienne, oh Vienne! She became a better person… can you believe that? She said she was sorry. She was guilty and everything she did was out of spite and ever since then, because she was so scared! So damn scared that she studied so hard to leave the area! Hahahahahahahaha!"
Reid's eyes, sharp as a hawk's, narrowed, a shadow of contemplation crossing his face, "No," he began, his voice a whisper of shadows, "you didn't kill her on purpose. It seems more like… you had the desire to, but it was too… late?"
Vanessa's voice rose to a crescendo, a symphony of defiance and revelation, "No! I did want to kill her!" She thrust her hands forward, her voice a demand, a plea, a proclamation, "Arrest me! I killed Vienne. Arrest me!"
Alex moved, his steps a dance of duty and law, to handcuff her wrist. But her laughter, manic and haunting, filled the air. Alex was about to command Caster to escort Vanessa to the cell when Reid's hand rose, a silent sentinel stopping them. As Reid's hand hovered, about to touch Vanessa's skin, Archer seized Reid's wrist. Archer shook his head, a silent whisper of warning, and Reid bit his lips, a silent symphony of frustration and restraint.
Indeed, this was a rash move. Reid, with his intricate knowledge of the human psyche and his keen intuition, knew that Vanessa did not kill Vienne on purpose. After all, Ethan did mention that Vienne was probably killed with poison. However, Vanessa did not mention the poison… Why did Reid think that Vanessa did not kill Vienne on purpose then? Reid wasn't too sure as well. Perhaps it was his intuition as a crime profiler, or his intuition as a psychologist… or perhaps he saw the regret and guilt in Vanessa's eyes when she claimed she had killed Vienne. Nonetheless, Reid was not going to learn the reason.