Chapter 39

In the kitchen, Director Sterling debates how Redding knows about “the girl.” Despite objections from Judd and Dean, Sterling authorizes a controlled interview at the prison, with security cleared and observation behind a two-way mirror. Cassie insists on going; Lia volunteers, Sloane jokes about immunity to mind games, but the final decision is Cassie with Dean and Briggs in the room.

At the prison, Cassie sits while Dean and Briggs stand guard. Redding enters, immediately focusing on Cassie, probing her self-perception and connection to Dean. Cassie follows Agent Sterling’s plan, asking paired yes/no questions about Redding’s “apprentice” (student vs. nonstudent, under vs. over 21, mail vs. in-person) to create contradictions for Lia to parse for truth.

Breaking script, Cassie asks if Redding is trying to replace Dean; he calls Dean his “finest work” and turns the conversation on Cassie, confirming her feelings for Dean and challenging her knowledge of Dean’s past. He attempts to destabilize Cassie by claiming she’ll never find her mother’s killer, signaling he knows who she is and leveraging prison gossip to unsettle her.

Pressed for case-relevant information, Redding refuses specifics but declares his “plan”: from his cell, he predicts two imminent deaths—one to be reported to Briggs “any minute,” another tomorrow—followed by escalating casualties because the investigators are “not good enough.” He derides Briggs’s competence and calls Dean “weak,” asserting psychological dominance.

Recognizing the manipulation and lack of actionable detail, Cassie signals an end; she, Dean, and Briggs leave Redding chained in the room. The team gains no identifications but confirms Redding’s influence, the likely existence of an apprentice, and an urgent timeline for more murders.