The Lost Girls of Johnson's Bayou: A Mystery Novel

So I have a few ughs about this book. 1. He was thinking about the journal before she told him about it. 2. Why did he stab someone before leaving the room? 3. Why was there a note asking for them to be helped if nothing untold was happening? They were just being recorded... So what then? I mean it feels like she chickened out at last minute instead I following through what she was leading up to...