Abigail clutched the back of a chair for support, her voice nearly breaking."We let him into our home… and all along it was him."
Lindsey's breath caught. The words burst from her in disbelief, half‑choked."George Harvey…he kmew everything and he came here to watch us suffer."
Her eyes welled, and she shook her head, voice soft but cutting."All this time she was gone… and he was smiling at us, mowing his lawn, pretending he was normal."
Jack's face darkened with rage, his fists already clenched. He pushed back his chair so hard it scraped against the floor.
"I'm going over there right now. He's not going to sit safe in his house while—"
Aleksander cut him off, his tone sharp but steady."If you confront him now, you're only warning him. We don't have any proof, Jack—nothing except Wednesday's visions. That's not enough in a courtroom. We need more. Evidence he can't talk his way out of."
Jack stopped, chest heaving, the need for action colliding with the truth of Aleksander's words. After a long pause, he nodded slowly, his voice strained."You're right… but it feels like every second we wait, he's winning."
Wednesday, arms folded, spoke next, voice flat and cold, unbothered by the emotional tension in the room."Even if we do find proof, the best Pennsylvania law will give him is a life sentence. Since we have no evidence of the rape, the legal system won't fully reflect his crime. A life sentence is a diluted punishment."
Her gaze sharpened, unblinking.
"For someone like him, that's close to nothing."
The room fell silent again, the weight of her words pressing down on all of them.
Jack slowly sat back down, still tense, when Aleksander's eyes narrowed, a faint gleam sparking in them."But what if we can get more victims?" he said suddenly.
Everyone turned toward him at once, confusion mixed with unease.
Wednesday broke the silence first, her tone flat and suspicious."Explain."
Aleksander leaned forward, his voice calm but edged with certainty."His crime with Susie was too clean. Too practiced. Someone doesn't get that good on their first try. That kind of… precision only comes with experience."
Jack swallowed hard, his stomach turning at the implication."You're saying… you think he's done this before?"
Aleksander nodded firmly."He could be a serial killer. And if that's the case, there could be more evidence out there. More towns. More Susies."
Abigail's hand flew to her chest, her voice breaking as she whispered."Oh God… more children?"
Lindsey sat stiff, fear and horror washing over her. At last, she forced herself to speak:"Then we have to find them. If he's hurt others, that means proof. Something solid to stop him."
Wednesday's expression didn't change, though her voice was laced with certainty.
"If Harvey is a serial killer, then his history is already bleeding through cracks somewhere. Missing persons, unsolved cases, unmarked graves. All we have to do is follow the rot he left behind."
Before the silence could settle, Aleksander leaned in, his expression thoughtful.
"When I entered this house, I felt a presence—or a ghost, as most people call it."
The Salmon family froze. Abigail's eyes widened, Jack stiffened in disbelief, and Lindsey's breath caught in her throat.
Wednesday tilted her head slightly, her curiosity piqued."You don't usually say that unless you're certain. So… whose ghost?"
Aleksander looked directly at the family.
"Don't worry. This presence isn't evil. She felt close… protective. From everything I sensed, it seems to be your daughter. Susie. She's been near you since the day she was taken. She saw everything. And she's been trying to reach out."
Abigail clasped a trembling hand over her mouth, whispering through tears.
"Susie… here? With us?"
Jack's voice was gruff, almost desperate.
"You mean she's been… watching us? All this time?"
Lindsey leaned forward, her eyes shining with both hope and pain."She's still here? She—she hasn't left?"
Aleksander nodded slowly, steady but gentle in his words."She doesn't rest because she doesn't have peace. She wants you to know the truth. She wants him caught. That's why Wednesday could see her death so clearly through that cap. Your daughter led her there."
Wednesday, arms folded, stared at the cap again as if reassessing it."Persistent. Even in death. She won't let him walk free. Not until someone finishes what he started."
Jack spoke up, his voice breaking as he tried to hold his composure."Can we… can we see her? Talk to her?"
Aleksander gave him a slow nod, his eyes beginning to glow a vibrant green. He whispered in a low chant:"Amate spiritus obscure, te quaerimus, te oramus, nobiscum colloquere, apud nos circita!"
The air in the room shifted, turning colder. A faint hum passed through the walls, and the lights flickered.
Then, Susie Salmon appeared before them—her ghost fragile but recognizable. She stood crying, her arms hugging herself, whispering softly:"Hello, Dad… Mom."
Jack and Abigail rushed forward, trying to hold her, but their arms passed straight through the apparition.
Abigail broke down. "I can see you but… I can't hold you. Oh, Susie, my baby."
Jack's voice cracked. "I've missed you every single day."
Susie shook her head through her tears.
"I've been here. With you. Watching. I tried to tell you. I tried."
Lindsey stood frozen, tears streaming down her face. "Susie… it's really you."
From the hallway, a small voice spoke hesitantly."Susie?"
They all turned—the youngest, Buckley, had wandered in, looking frightened but drawn by the voices. He stared at the glowing figure, eyes wide."Susie… it's really you! I knew you weren't gone!"
He ran forward, trying to hug her just like his parents had, only to stumble through her ghost. Confusion and sadness filled his little face."I can't hold you either…"
Susie's ghost crouched, looking at him with a sister's tenderness."Buckley… I love you. You've grown so much. I've been watching you too."
Buckley sniffled, trying to be brave, wiping his small eyes."I miss you every night. I always tell you goodnight… I thought maybe you could hear me."
Susie smiled through her tears.
"I always hear you. Every word."
Aleksander along with Wednesday quietly observed the reunion.