With her calm haven encroached by thoughts she couldn't shake off, she decided to focus on the details of the case. The local authorities had characterized it as the case of a serial killer. Even if they hadn't, it would have been clear to any investigator. Every murder was signed off with a bloody rendition of the words "The Spawn", which was most likely the signature of the psycho behind the murders. Emma knew one thing for sure. The killer wanted to be known. This conclusion sprang up a lot of other questions in her head. If the killer wanted to be known, why disappear after the crime? Was he trying to prove something? Were the killings truly random like the local authorities had stated?

The last question sparked something in Emma's thoughts. It was a little detail that had managed to skip her mind before now. Rebecca Riley was the killer's third victim. The first victim was Thomas Drew, a former high school classmate of hers just like Rebecca. While she didn't recognize the name of the second victim, it never occurred to her to check if the victim had always gone by the name on the file. Unbuckling the seat belt which fastened her to the comfortable chair, she got up and reached for the overhead cabin. A few moments later, her hand luggage containing the case file was resting on her laps. Turning the pages in quick succession, her eyes rested on the page that had surfaced in her memory only moments ago. It was a list containing the names and photographs of the three people The Spawn had murdered. The name of the third person was Eunice Baker. While there was no Eunice Baker in her former class, there was a Eunice Donald, who looked nothing like the picture in the file. It was a long shot but it was possible that Eunice Donald had changed her last name somewhere between their time in high school and now. If that was the case, why didn't she look like the girl Emma remembered?

"Plastic surgery maybe?"

Emma almost laughed at the thought but she knew it wasn't completely ridiculous. A lot of people got plastic surgery these days for aesthetic reasons. If this was the case with Emma Baker, then it would prove that the killings were not random like was previously believed. The Spawn was deliberately targeting members of her former class.

She wondered why this information had not registered the first time she read the case file. Was she not paying enough attention simply because the main victim was Rebecca Riley? She couldn't help the guilt that came over her at the realization that this was most likely the case. She had almost let a vital piece of information slip by simply because she had a bad history with the victim.

"A horrible history. There's a difference."

Smiling at how silly her thoughts were becoming, she shook her head and made a mental note to confirm her postulation once she arrived at the Police station in Michigan. She placed the file into her handbag and placed the latter back into the overhead storage compartment she had taken it from earlier. 

The pilot announced they were commencing their final descent and Emma used the opportunity to take one last look at the beauty outside. In a few minutes, she would land in Michigan and head straight to the Police station there. She needed all the calm she could muster, as one annoying albeit handsome agent was already there waiting for her.