Someone was guiding the victim towards suicide!

Suspect.

Or maybe the word "witness" isn't quite right either.

Neither seems to perfectly describe the second person involved in this case, who is quite unique.

It's certain.

In the short time before the fall, she inflicted a secondary injury by cutting the victim's radial artery.

But.

Considering the cozy scene set up on the rooftop and the letter left by the victim.

She seems more like...

The only friend who was with the victim during his last moments.

But no matter what her role was.

If we want to get to the bottom of this case, we absolutely need to find her.

...

At that moment.

Prompted by Ethan.

Lucas quickly realized, given all the details at hand.

The suspect who witnessed the victim's fall.

There's a very high chance she might also be suicidal, otherwise why would she only wipe away the footprints?

At the same time.

Lucas considered another point.

Even if both kids were ignored or bullied by those around them, deciding to commit suicide isn't that easy.

Let alone both making that decision.

Does this suggest...

Just as Ethan speculated, that there might be a bigger force behind the fall, manipulating everything?

Without much hesitation.

Lucas took a few steps up to the rooftop door and called out, "Ethan, we'll follow your lead on the investigation, focusing on two main aspects, but prioritize finding the suspect."

"This is the most crucial lead we have,we can't lose it."

"Let's head down now."

"We'll have the tech team clean up here later, hopefully, they'll find more useful clues."

...

After deciding on the investigative focus.

Ethan and Lucas slowly walked down from the abandoned school building, still keeping an eye out for any traces of dust.

But no further discoveries were made.

Exiting the abandoned building.

They saw Riley had already zipped up the body bag and was removing his rubber gloves, her brow furrowed and her expression slightly grave.

Clearly.

She had found something else during the detailed autopsy.

Lucas quickly approached and asked, "Medical Examiner Hill, have you found anything new?"

Riley, while cleaning her autopsy tools, replied gravely, "Just when you two went up there."

"I lifted the sleeve of the victim's arm and found numerous small knife cuts, which from the direction of the cuts, appear to be self-inflicted."

"Most of them had already healed and scabbed over, with only a few recent ones, but definitely older than the time of the fall."

"But."

"What's strange is..."

"Even with so many cuts on the arm, there are no scars from the knife wounds, which undoubtedly indicates..."

"That the victim's self-harming behavior only started recently."

"If it were depression leading to suicide, there should have been signs much earlier, at least self-harming behavior appearing for several months."

"Why would the emotional progression be so rapid?"

As Riley finished speaking, Ethan suddenly thought of something and quickly asked, "Medical Examiner Hill, did you collect the victim's blood? Can we test it right away for any drug residues, especially for traces of narcotics?"

As soon as Ethan finished speaking, Lucas clapped his hands in realization, "Right! If the autopsy shows that the victim quickly went from self-harm to suicidal behavior, and considering the progression of depression, that's way too fast!"

"It's very likely..."

"That some kind of drugs or narcotics influenced the victim's rapid emotional shift. And how would a fifteen-year-old high school student get access to those substances?"

"If we find residues in the blood, that could prove..."

"Someone was guiding the victim towards suicide!"

Ethan, standing by, nodded in agreement.

It was clear.

Lucas, as an experienced detective, had sharp investigative instincts.

He immediately deduced from the self-harm wounds on the arms...

That someone was covertly controlling everything in this case.

Riley seemed to catch on too, quickly putting her rubber gloves back on, "Originally, I thought..."

"A fifteen-year-old high school student, we wouldn't rush to test for drugs and narcotics, just take it back to the lab for a detailed analysis later."

"But now it seems..."

"This case isn't as straightforward as it looked!"

"Give me a moment."

"I'll start testing the victim's blood right now."

With that, Riley opened her forensic toolkit, took out the vial of the victim's blood, shook it gently to mix, and then dropped it onto the test strips for drugs and narcotics.

Meanwhile.

Ethan and Lucas saw the vice principal—Benjamin Graham, walking towards them with a middle-aged woman, her face marked by sorrow.

No need to guess.

This woman was likely the victim's advisor.

Lucas patted Ethan on the shoulder and pulled out his phone, "Ethan, you talk to them for a bit."

"I'm going to call the tech guys to pull up last night's city surveillance footage around Riverside Middle School, see if we can spot the other person."

"This case..."

"It's getting more and more complicated!"

...

From a simple suicide case to the discovery of wrist cuts, and now the possibility of malicious inducement.

It had to be said.

The case was indeed evolving into something much more significant.

Finding the truth was becoming increasingly urgent.

Ethan walked up to the approaching Vice Principal Graham and the middle-aged woman, stopping them before the police line, pointing to some chairs not far away, "It's not very convenient here, we're handling a lot of evidence and tasks."

"Let's talk over there."

Benjamin quickly nodded and led the middle-aged woman to the chairs, introducing her with a tap of his finger, "Detective Hunter."

"This is Ms. Penelope Carter, Ella's advisor at Riverside Middle School. She's been with us for nearly twenty years and has mentored several graduating classes."

"Whether it's her teaching philosophy or her experience in class management, she's quite outstanding. There aren't many in the school who can match Ms. Carter's dedication and experience."

As Benjamin finished.

Ethan was already frowning slightly, picking up on a subtle issue in his words, and turned to Penelope to ask, "Ms. Carter."

"Before we discuss Ella, I'd like to ask about something else..."

"Normally."

"With only a few months left until the SHSAT, an advisor, even if not teaching that day, would typically check in on the class in the morning."

"As an advisor for many years, you'd likely have this routine."

"So."

"During the morning classes, up until the end of the second period, did you notice if Ella was not in her seat?"