Zack Wallace said that Jade Carlson ran back because she was suffering from a drug relapse.
Jade wanted to try some of Evelyn Willardâs private stash of high-end drugs, and afterwards it seems she had hallucinations during her drug use. She turned on the kitchenâs natural gas, and just by chance, the loan sharks looking to collect debts arrived, the group of them lit fire outside the door to scare Evelyn, not expecting to ignite the natural gas within the house, causing an immediate explosion. The fire surge was unstoppable and impossible to extinguish.
As for Evelyn Willard, the dispute with Jade seemed to be drug-related as well; the police also found drug-laced cigarettes and injectable drugs in Evelynâs bag.
Zackâs statement matched the police investigation results very closely and was corroborated by relevant evidence.
Yet Purple Summers found it hard to believe.
It was just too coincidental that Jade wanted to tell the truth just as her drug craving hit;
Just too coincidental that she hallucinated and turned on the gas, only to have debt collectors set a fire;
Just too coincidental that the fire truck had an accident on the way and couldnât arrive in time.
Each fact alone was plausible, but pieced together, it was just too convenient, convenient to the point of being suspicious.
Purple called Aria Jackson to inquire about the matter.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Jadeâs death had shocked Aria as well.
Aria learned of the incident earlier than Purple. She rushed to the scene in the middle of the night. By the time she arrived, the fire had been put out, leaving the scene charred and in disarray. Aria personally examined Jadeâs body.
Jadeâs appearance was beyond recognition, a sight too horrific to endure. Aria couldnât believe it was her.
Neighbors nearby insisted that the person who died was Jade Carlson; they had heard a womanâs screams.
The occupants of the house were Evelyn Willard and Jade Carlson. Evelynâs voice was easily distinguishable, so the one who screamed was very likely Jade.
Jadeâs screams were piercing and full of pain, yet no one knew why she didnât come out. The door was locked, and due to the high temperature, the metal was scorching, expanded, and deformed, making it difficult to force open. By the time the neighbors used tools to break through the security door, the inside was already a raging inferno, completely inaccessible for rescuing anyone.
âIt was indeed her,â Aria said, âI monitored the forensic teamâs DNA analysis myself, thereâs no mistake.â
âHave you found the arsonist?â Purple asked.
âYou know how it is with loan sharks, they donât stay put, a bunch of riff-raff that scatter once trouble starts, itâs hard to find anyone,â Aria sighed, âAll we can say is, she was really unlucky this timeâ¦â
âWas it really just bad luckâ¦â Purpleâs mood was very suppressed, âI always feel itâs too coincidental, the debt collectors didnât come earlier or later, but why did they come precisely when the natural gas was leaking?â
âTheyâve been coming quite frequently lately. Just the other day, they wrote in big characters with paint in the entrance hallway. Setting a fire is a common ploy amongst debt collectors,â Aria explained.
Purple asked, âWhat about the fire truck? What happened to the car accident?â
âThey collided with a drunk driver; thereâs nothing suspicious about it,â Aria tried to reassure her, âMoreover, the fire was so intense, even if the fire truck had arrived, she couldnât have been saved. You shouldnât overthink it, let it go, this matter⦠let it go.â
Aria sighed, âPurple, since Jade Carlson is already dead, letâs leave the past behind. With these recent events, I almost feel as though⦠as though there was a predestined force at work. Maybe we should move forward, not keep looking back.â
Purple was silent for a long time.
âI want to go have a look,â after a while, Purple said softly.
Aria sighed again, âAlright, when do you want to go? Iâll make arrangements.â
âNow,â Purple cast her eyes down to check the time, âI want to go now, is that possible?â