Nathaniel Summersâs peripheral vision swept over Purple Summers and Alexander Summers, his expression obscure, fury simmering in the depths of his eyes.
âMr. Nathaniel Summers, do you mean to say that you were awakened by the sound of an argument, so you left your room to check, and found Ms. Willard unconscious at the foot of the stairs, with Ms. Carlson right there at the time?â the police asked.
âYes,â Nathaniel replied indifferently. âIâm not sure why they were arguing. After the incident, I called emergency services, then I went back to my room.â
âYou didnât ask?â the police questioned. âI heard you two were about to get engagedâ¦â
âThatâs a rumor,â Nathaniel interrupted the officer, dispassionately stating, âJade Carlson was once my wifeâs assistant. She was homeless for a while, and out of compassion, I took her in. We have no relationship whatsoever. Why such rumors would spread is as puzzling to me as it is to you.â
âI seeâ¦â
The police officer took notes, then glanced up to see Purple Summers and Alexander approaching and asked, âDo you two know about last nightâs events? If you have any clues, please provide them to us.â
âWe werenât home yesterday,â Purple Summers asked with curiosity. âWhat happened?â
âLast night, a fire occurred at Evelyn Willardâs residence. We found a female body inside the house, which we believe to be Jade Carlson. Itâs currently unclear why she would be there; we are investigatingâ¦â
Purple Summers was taken aback, her whole being a bit dazed. âShe⦠she was burned to death?â
âIt appears to have been a gas leak that accidentally ignited, leading to the irrecoverable tragedy,â the officer said with a sigh. âThe fire truck was involved in a car accident on the way, the firefighters werenât hurt, but the fire truck couldnât get there in time to put out the fire.â
Purple Summers stood stunned, unable to regain her composure for a long time.
She couldnât accept this outcome.
It had only been eight or nine hours since Jade Carlson had called her. How could a living person just vanish like that?
Was this really an accident?
âWhy would she go there⦠Sheâs been staying at the Summers home every day recently. Why did she leave last night?â Purple Summers couldnât understand and looked up at the two police officers, urgently asking, âWhat about Evelyn Willard? Has she provided any clues? Does she know what happened?â
âEvelyn Willard is missing, and weâre also looking for her whereabouts.ân/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Upon hearing this, Purple Summersâs heart plummeted!
This mother and daughter, one burned alive, the other missing. Had Evelyn Willard fled, or was she dead? Purple Summers saw no hope; she felt sure that Evelyn Willard was dead too!
How could this have happened?
Purple Summers could not accept it.
How could Jade Carlson die? At this critical moment, just as she was about to reveal the truth, how could she die?!
This was no accident!
A chill crept up from the soles of her feet, frosting her limbs and bones, leaving Purple Summers feeling icy cold all over.
If Jade Carlsonâs death was a murder, what did that imply?⦠It implied that her previous supposed accidental death by falling into the river was also a murder!
Someone was using one death to cover up another.
After gathering information, the police left the Summers residence.
Purple Summers didnât know how she made it back to her room, feeling completely bewildered and disoriented.
The death of Jade Carlson struck her mind like a giant alarm bell, forcefully making her realize that her death was not an accident, and that a deeper conspiracy was hidden beneath it.
In her confusion, she faintly heard Alexanderâs voice trying to comfort her.
âStop thinking about it, Iâll have Zack Wallace help you look into it.â
Purple Summers nodded unconsciously.
That same afternoon, Zack Wallace found out some details and told Purple Summers everything, sparing no detail.